Time To Press Pause - Real-Life Stories from the C-Suite
The only constant is change. To successfully navigate through the change, leaders need the time and space to focus. It’s time to press pause. Ellen Williams, CEO of The Salient Strategist, is the host of these raw, intimate C-Suite "press pause" stories. Listen to the why, when, and how they knew it was time to press pause and their outcomes. Pausing to focus is crucial, whether it is minutes, days, weeks, or longer because some decisions can be made quickly, but many can’t and shouldn’t.
Episodes
In this episode of Time to Press Pause, Ellen sits down with Thomas Cox, founder of Cox Capital, investor, and former college football coach, to talk about one of the hardest decisions leaders face:
👉 When growth starts costing you your life.
Thomas shares two pivotal “press pause” moments that changed everything:
- Walking away from a 75-hour work lifestyle
- Hiring before he was financially ready
- Choosing fami...
What happens when everything that’s worked your entire career… suddenly stops working?
In this episode of Time to Press Pause, Ellen sits down with Nicole Donnelly, co-founder of Cardinal Search Partners, to unpack a deeply human and vulnerable moment in her career, when success stalled, confidence wavered, and nothing seemed to move forward.
After nearly two decades of success in legal recruiting, Nicole found her...
Entrepreneur Shane Barker built a fast-growing company with 130 employees and a $25M valuation in just two years.
But behind the success was a dangerous reality.
He was working 18-20 hour days, living on coffee and energy drinks, missing his son’s baseball games, and slowly pushing his health to the edge.
Then came the realization that changed everything.
In this episode of Time to Press Pause, Shane shares the mome...
In Season 3, Episode 12 of Time To Press Pause, Ellen Williams sits down with Cory Dunham to explore what it truly means to disconnect in a world that never stops.
Cory introduces the concept of a “Digital Sabbath” a deliberate 24-hour period without screens, notifications, or digital noise.
But this conversation goes far beyond productivity hacks.
It’s about attention.
It’s about presence.
It’s about recl...
What happens when something you believed would succeed… doesn’t ?
In this episode of Time To Press Pause, Ellen Williams is joined by Jon Sheldon, founder of Bellewood Coaching, who shares a humbling and deeply honest press pause story about accountability, ego, and misalignment.
After years of success in real estate investing, Jon made a decision that looked right on paper, but slowly became unsustainable in real ...
How do you know when it’s time to leave, even when you’re the owner ?
In this episode of Time To Press Pause, Ellen Williams is joined by Sean O’Rourke, a cyber liability consultant, CFO, and former IT company co-founder, who shares the moment he realized he could no longer live in a millisecond-by-millisecond business.
After more than 25 years in technology, including 12 years running the IT firm he co-founded, Sea...
In this episode of Time To Press Pause, Ellen Williams sits down with Susan L. Combs, President of Combs & Company LLC and founder of the nonprofit Pancakes for Roger.
Susan’s press pause moment didn’t come from long reflection, it arrived suddenly, under pressure, and with real consequences.
After her nonprofit received an unexpected $20,000 donation, the donor later demanded that a large portion of the funds ...
In this episode of Time To Press Pause, Ellen Williams speaks with Judy K. Herman, CEO of Relationship Wellness LLC, psychotherapist, author, and retreat facilitator who has spent decades helping heart-centered professionals step away from the noise of life so they can return transformed.
Judy’s press pause story doesn’t begin in a boardroom.
It starts in a graduate school classroom, in the middle of a troubled 30-ye...
In this special Thanksgiving episode, Ellen Williams sits down with Mas Moriya, filmmaker, producer, and founder of Filmclusive, a platform he built from scratch to make hiring in film, TV, and gaming more transparent and equitable.
Mas was once an up-and-coming creative working with the likes of Alicia Keys.
But after the 2023 writers’ and actors’ strikes, rising production costs, and the LA fires, the industr...
In this episode of Time to Press Pause, host Ellen Williams sits down with Jenica Norris, ADHD entrepreneur, systems strategist, and CEO of Strategic Sound Consulting, for a powerful conversation about what it really means to pause when your brain works differently.
Jenica shares how navigating neurodivergence reshaped not only her career path but also the way she approaches energy, focus, and leadership. Instead o...
In this episode of Time to Press Pause, Ellen Williams sits down with Sophie Devonshire, CEO of The Marketing Society and bestselling author of Superfast: Lead at Speed, to talk about why strategic pauses are the fastest way to better decisions, clearer direction, and more sustainable momentum.
Sophie shares her “squiggly career” from P&G and Coca-Cola to founding and selling an e-commerce company, moving overs...
What happens when your career no longer aligns with your values?
In this episode, Ellen Williams speaks with Stephanie Vaughan, about pressing pause to realign your life, family, and purpose.
From walking away from corporate success to finding fulfillment through intention and emotional awareness, Stephanie shares how listening to your emotions can lead you to the right next step, both in business and at home.
They d...
In this episode of Time to Press Pause, host Ellen Williams speaks with Barbara Lange, Principal and CEO of Kibo 121, about the courage and strategy behind leaving a secure executive role to start a purpose-driven consultancy. Barbara shares how leading an organization through the pandemic sparked her decision to step away after more than a decade, embrace uncertainty, and launch a business dedicated to sustainabili...
In this episode of Time to Press Pause, host Ellen Williams, CEO of The Salient Strategist, speaks with Laura Lampa, owner and CEO of LML StoryLab Consulting. Laura shares her incredible journey from a career in science to becoming a successful entrepreneur.
Laura reveals how a layoff became her pivotal "press pause" moment, forcing her to trust herself, embrace uncertainty, and launch her own business.
Thi...
How do you rise from security guard to managing director at Morgan Stanley?
Ed Clementi did just that and then made the bold choice to bet on himself by walking away from a C-Suite career to build his own company, Inspired Fire.
In this episode of Time to Press Pause, host Ellen Williams, CEO of The Salient Strategist, dives into Ed’s story of resilience, self-belief, and the importance of finding alignment in your...
In this powerful episode of Time to Press Pause, host Ellen Williams speaks with Scott Ballard, CEO and owner of Confidence Coach LLC, about the life-altering experience of exiting a business and navigating the uncertain space that follows. After building a highly successful company from the ground up, Scott found himself with time, money, and no clear plan. What began as a pause after selling his company became a d...
In this episode of Time to Press Pause, Ellen Williams interviews Anatoly Spektor, founder of Soul to Soul Business and a seasoned entrepreneur, about the pivotal pauses that reshaped his life and work. Anatoly shares his early experiences as a software developer and consultant, reflecting on how he repeatedly ignored the signs of burnout and misalignment in corporate roles. These experiences led him to press pause,...
In this episode of Time to Press Pause, host Ellen Williams speaks with Mitchell Levy, a global credibility expert, executive coach, and prolific entrepreneur. Mitchell shares his journey through various business ventures, highlighting how critical feedback, especially the kind that challenges your assumptions, can be the catalyst for meaningful growth. He discusses how his past ventures in credibility and clarity, ...
In this heartfelt episode of Time to Press Pause, host Ellen Williams speaks with Ann Sheu, CEO and founder of Mpowered Journey, about two pivotal moments in Ann’s life when she chose to "press pause" and radically re-evaluate how she was spending her time. The first pause came after the unexpected passing of her father, which led to deep regret over not being more present during his final days. Ann shared...
In this heartfelt episode of Time to Press Pause, host Ellen Williams sits down with Julie Niehoff, co-founder of Distance Learning Media and a long-time advocate for small businesses and veteran support. Julie shares how her intended pause to start a new business with her husband turned into an unexpected and emotional journey when her father was suddenly diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. What began as a mo...
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