Time To Press Pause - Real-Life Stories for Founders
Time to Press Pause is the leadership podcast for founders, executive leaders, and high-performing professionals who want to lead with greater clarity, confidence, and intention.
Hosted by Ellen Williams, the creator of the Progress From Presence philosophy and founder of The Salient Strategist.
Through her podcast, workshops, and Creating Time book, she helps founders and executive leaders develop Leadership Presence, create strategic clarity, and build sustainable success.
Each episode features conversations with business leaders, entrepreneurs, authors, and experts exploring Leadership Presence, strategic clarity, intentional leadership, creating time for what matters most, sustainable success, and the power of pressing pause in a constantly connected world.
Time To Press Pause - Real-Life Stories for Founders
Press Pause on Autopilot: Nicole Donnelly on Reinventing What No Longer Works
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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 herself in unfamiliar territory: stuck, uncertain, and questioning everything.
Instead of pushing harder in the same direction, she did something most high-performers avoid, she paused.
What followed was a powerful shift:
- From autopilot → intentional action
- From comparison → self-awareness
- From comfort → growth through discomfort
Nicole shares how leaning into discomfort, building her personal brand, and changing her daily actions helped her rebuild momentum and become a stronger leader in the process.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone in sales, leadership, or high-performance roles who feels stuck despite doing “everything right.”
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- Why success can suddenly stop working (even after years of results)
- The difference between a forced pause and a conscious pause
- How comparison kills momentum and how to break free from it
- Practical ways to “get comfortable with the uncomfortable”
- How LinkedIn and personal branding can reignite growth
- Why vulnerability makes you a stronger leader
Key Takeaways:
- “What worked before won’t always work next.”
- Growth often starts where comfort ends
- Comparison is one of the biggest blockers to progress
- Small daily shifts can completely change your trajectory
Connect & Learn More:
Guest:
Nicole Donnelly:
- Company: https://www.cardinalsp.com/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicoleldonnelly/
Host:
Ellen Williams
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellenwilliamsny/
- Book: https://www.amazon.com/Creating-Time-Ellen-Williams/dp/1637778481/
If this episode resonated with you:
Follow the show, share it with someone who needs a reset, and take a moment to reflect, where in your life is it time to press pause?