Designed Pause Podcast

Every time you think about leaving, you do the math. Salary. Benefits. What you'd have to give up. And the number stops you. That math isn't wrong. It's just incomplete. You've been calculating what you'd lose by leaving. You haven't calculated what you're spending by staying. And those are two very different numbers. In this episode, I'm walking you through a four-category framework for the full...

You've been telling yourself you just need a vacation. A week off, some rest, a reset. And maybe that's true. But if you've come back from every trip feeling fine for two weeks — and then the hollow feeling returns right on schedule — that's not a rest problem. That's data. In this episode, I'm walking you through a four-question framework to help you figure out what you're actually dealing with:...

What Happens to Your Relationships When You Leave Corporate Nobody warns you about this part. You plan for the financial shift. You prepare for the identity questions. But what about the people? What actually happens to your relationships when you step away from corporate life? In this episode, I'm getting honest about one of the most unexpected parts of a designed pause — the way your connections...

She Took a Break From Her Career — And Found Herself | A Mother's Story What does it actually feel like to walk away from a career that defined you — and come out the other side with more clarity than you've ever had? In this episode, I sit down with someone who lived it: my mom. She took a designed pause before it had a name, before there was a roadmap, before anyone was telling high-achieving wo...

If you take a career pause, you’re probably going to miss some things about corporate life — and that’s normal. Missing parts of your old life does not mean you made a mistake. Often, what you’re missing is the familiarity of old patterns, not the job itself. My name is Deidra Green, and welcome to Designed Pause — a space for women who are intentionally rethinking their careers and learning how t...

Living abroad can be beautiful — but it’s not always easy. During my Designed Pause, I’ve been spending part of my time living in Saint Lucia, and while there are many upsides, I want to share some of the unexpected challenges that don’t always show up on social media. My name is Deidra Green, and welcome to Designed Pause — a space for women who want to think through lifestyle shifts and career p...

Corporate life prepares you for many things — but not everything you need for an intentional career pause. My name is Deidra Green, and welcome to Designed Pause, a space for women who are thoughtfully rethinking their careers and learning how to design what comes next with clarity and intention. In this episode, I reflect on: What corporate life prepared me for that still serves me today Why docu...

Many women worry that if they slow down, they’re somehow falling behind — behind their peers, behind a timeline, or behind the life they were “supposed” to be building. But slowing down intentionally is not the same as losing momentum. My name is Deidra Green, and welcome to Designed Pause — a space for women who are rethinking their careers, their pace, and the lives they’re designing with intent...

After money, the second biggest reason many women hesitate to take a career pause is identity. Who are you without your job title? What will people think? What will you say when someone asks, “So… what do you do?” In this episode of Designed Pause, host Deidra Green explores the deeper, often unspoken fear behind stepping away from work: the loss of external validation and the pressure to remain “...

Money is the main reason most women count themselves out of taking a career pause — and that concern is valid. My name is Deidra Green, and welcome to Designed Pause, a space for women who want to take an intentional career pause without creating unnecessary financial stress. In this video, we talk honestly about money and career breaks, including: Why money fears stop women from pausing — even wh...

What I thought a career break would be — and what it actually is — are two very different things. My name is Deidra Green, and welcome to  @DesignedPause  , a space for women who are thinking about taking an intentional career pause. In this episode, I share: Why a career break must be planned before you take it How a lack of planning can turn a pause into a new source of stress What my first care...

Taking a career break after senior leadership is not a decision I made lightly — and it’s not the first time I’ve done it. My name is Deidra Green, and this is my second intentional career pause. The first time I stepped away from corporate life was over ten years ago, and that pause led me to one of the most transformative chapters of my life — starting an esthetics business, gaining clarity abou...