May was a month of career transition for me. It was also dominated by a blissful yoga retreat and shaped by new reflections on rest and what it means to me.
As I write this, still glowing from a burst of blue Cambridge skies and carrying deep insights from my time away, I’m thinking about how rest has become my go-to for navigating change. I’ve talked about this a lot in the past and I continue to learn more all the time.
The Power of Intentional Rest
This month, I discovered Tricia Hersey’s “Rest is Resistance” and it’s completely shifted how I think about productivity and self-care. Hersey argues that rest is revolutionary. For those of us in leadership roles, constantly pushing forward, this message feels both radical and necessary.
Tricia reminds us that rest is a fundamental human right, ours to enjoy, not something we earn by being more productive afterwards
On page 85 of the paperback, she lists what rest can look like, and I found myself nodding along, relieved to find new ways to rest throughout my day. My favourites include:
- Daydreaming by staring out of a window
- Sipping warm tea before bed in the dark
- A twenty minute timed nap
- Deep listening to a full music album
- Taking regular breaks from social media
Tricia’s work gave me permission to look for pockets of rest throughout busy days – whether that’s gazing out at those Cambridge skies, savoring tea in peaceful darkness, or losing myself completely in an album (Van Morrison’s Moondance and Disc 2 of Kate Bush’s Aerial have done the trick for me recently).
Have you read Rest is Resistance? If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts. I regift most of my books but this one is staying on the bookshelf to revisit.
The yoga retreat amplified these insights in ways I’m still processing (you can read the full story here) — trust me, it was DEEP!
Your reflection: What does rest look like for you beyond just sleep? Which of Tricia’s suggestions resonates most with your current need for restoration?
This Month’s Wins
New Perspectives on Leadership
Taking part in a panel on Transformative Leadership through change gave me fresh insights into what makes leadership truly effective. I had a brilliant time catching up with the dynamic Linh Nguyen-Slater and appreciated Claudia Perri and Chiyo Roberton‘s fantastic hosting.
The discussion introduced me to Servant Leadership – a concept I initially resisted because it sounded submissive. It’s really about balancing accountability with autonomy, individual freedom with structure. Something I realise I’ve been playing with since I first started leading teams.
Community and Connection
I loved seeing the collaboration in action at Together Culture’s Breaking Bread event as people came together to launch community focused initiatives. Experiencing this as an official NED for the first time felt good too – I’m genuinely loving learning from this community and seeing how different perspectives and distributed power can shape decision-making.
Meaningful Transitions
Saying goodbye to my teammates at Reliance was bittersweet. I kept bumping into people on the stairs (reminder: always take the stairs – brilliant for both your step count and relationships!), and each conversation reminded me why I’ll miss them all so much.
Your reflection: What leadership concepts have you initially resisted but later found valuable? How do you approach learning about new leadership styles?
What I’m Carrying Forward
Three key reflections are shaping how I’m approaching June:
Meaningful work happens when daily tasks connect to something bigger than me.
People need to feel heard before they can embrace what’s coming.
Rest is non-negotiable and a powerful act in our day-to-day. This insight from both the retreat and Hersey’s work is really changing how I structure my days and week. The twenty minute timed nap is now a thing!
Your reflection: How do you ensure your daily work connects to something meaningful? What would it look like to centre people more in your approach to change?
Questions for Your Own May Reflections
As you think about your own month and approach to rest and leadership:
- What new perspectives on rest or productivity have you discovered recently?
- How do you balance being productive with simply being present?
- What leadership insights have challenged your previous assumptions?
- How do you create meaningful connections during periods of transition?
- What are you carrying forward from this month into the next?
Looking Ahead
As I ease back into routine, I’m curious about your own reflections. What’s helping you navigate change right now? How are you building rest into your leadership practice?
This post offers a glimpse into the deeper insights from my solo yoga retreat. I’ve shared the full story here – including why I’ll be taking time away on my own every year from now on – in a longer piece. I’ll be returning to this theme of rest throughout my writing. Stay tuned for more on finding pockets of rest everywhere.
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