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 to Grow: Hiring, Letting Go & Choosing Family Over Hustle with Thomas Cox
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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 family presence over short-term profit
And here’s the truth most people won’t say out loud:
Sometimes growing your business means making less money first.
This episode is about:
- Why hiring is the hardest (and most necessary) leadership move
- The real cost of not delegating
- How to know when it’s time to step back
- Why you shouldn’t be the smartest person in the room
- And what actually matters when you zoom out
If you’ve been stuck doing everything yourself…
or questioning whether it’s “worth it”…
This conversation will hit.
🎧 Listen now and ask yourself:
What do you need to press pause on ?