About Essential Pause: Leading and Living with Intention Archive
We live in a world obsessed with motion—growth, productivity, and doing. But what if the real power lies in the pause?
The Essential Pause Podcast invites you to explore the in-between spaces where reflection, awareness, and intentional action take root. Grounded in Dr. Carey Borkoski's Substack and her book Dancing with Discomfort, co-hosts Carey Borkoski and Dr. Es Swihart weave together their experiences as coaches, educators, researchers, and parents to explore stories, insights, and practices that build self-awareness, deepen emotional intelligence, and help us stay present through discomfort.
Each episode offers an honest reflection, a story you’ll recognize from life or leadership, and an essential practice you can try right away. Think of it as a gentle reset button—a chance to slow down, notice, and choose how you want to show up.
Whether you’re a leader, a parent, or simply someone craving more presence in your everyday life, these conversations are an invitation to pause—on purpose.
In this episode of Essential Pause, Carey shares a personal story about back pain and an unexpected lesson from a massage therapist: the place that hurts isn’t always the source. Using the PAUSE framework, she explores how we often seek advice, mentoring, or coaching for symptoms rather than the deeper systems shaping them. This conversation invites listeners to slow down, treat discomfort as intelligent data, and resist the rush to quick fixes. You’ll leave with a simple practice to help you uncover what’s really asking for your attention.
10 Mar 2026
Essential Pause: Leading and Living with Intention- Introduction
This brand-new podcast, created in partnership between Dragon Podcasts and Loyola University, invites you to step into the in-between spaces—where reflection, awareness, and intentional action take root. Guided by Loyola University’s Dr. Carey Borkoski—coach, educator, and researcher—this series opens a thoughtful conversation on how we lead and live with greater clarity and purpose.
30 Jan 2026
Slowing Down to Find Our Way Forward
In this episode, Carey is joined by Jesse Tubbs, an adventure racer and coach whose understanding of pausing was shaped in high-stakes, multi-day races that rely on map-and-compass navigation across biking, hiking, running, and kayaking terrain. Jesse shares how slowing down—once a source of frustration—became essential for course correction, team alignment, and success, reminding us that the fastest person on the course can still be going the wrong way. Together, we explore the power of creating moments of stillness to gain clarity, cultivating awareness and compassionate acceptance of our experiences, and honoring what both we and others bring to the table when navigating challenge, leadership, and life.
10 Jan 2026
Already in the Room: Leading from Your Authentic Self
You often already have what you need to lead, teach, or coach. In this episode, Carey is joined by Jessica Harrington, a values-based higher ed director committed to strengthening the practices and understanding of leadership, creativity, & innovation through program development, mentoring, and coaching. Together, they explore the role and importance of showing up authentically, centering others, and trusting your presence to provide clarity, creativity, and belonging.
20 Nov 2025
The Messy Middle
In this episode of Essential Pause, Carey is joined by colleague and friend Dr. Es Swihart for a real-life conversation about what it means to pause in the messy middle—those everyday moments filled with motion, relationships, and deadlines.
Building on earlier episodes that introduced the pause as a practice, Carey and Es explore how change often begins in the smallest micro-moments: a breath before responding, a quiet reflection, a walk between meetings. This episode bridges theory and lived experience, offering stories, insights, and reminders that growth rarely happens neatly—but it does happen when we slow down enough to notice.
29 Oct 2025
Discomfort Stamina
In this episode of Essential Pause, Carey Borkoski explores the idea of discomfort stamina—the ability to stay present and grounded during moments of struggle or uncertainty. Drawing on her experience running a 10-mile race, she shares how shifting from distraction to presence helped her endure discomfort step by step. Carey connects this lesson to the “ugly stage” common in art, work, parenting, and personal growth—reminding us that messiness often precedes learning and possibility.
She highlights the paradox of discomfort: though challenging, it can drive growth—whether in building muscle, setting boundaries in relationships, or navigating financial discipline. Building discomfort stamina, she explains, involves acknowledging discomfort, clarifying values, cultivating flexibility, practicing self-compassion, and seeking support.
Ultimately, Carey emphasizes that discomfort stamina isn’t about gritting your teeth but about pausing, noticing, and staying present—learning that discomfort doesn’t undo us, and often, it’s where transformation begins.
18 Sept 2025
Finding Clarity in the Unexpected
Not all pauses are planned. This episode shares how unexpected events—like sudden disruptions or surprises—can become moments of reflection and recalibration. Discover strategies for turning the unplanned into opportunities for clarity and deliberate action.
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