Dear Reader,

In a recent coaching session, a client told me something simple and surprisingly powerful.

She’s decided to take one day off each month.
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Not for errands. Not for appointments. Not to “catch up on life.”

Just for her.

Her goals?

✅ Better mental health

✅ A real break (not a half-break while checking email)

✅ Modeling healthy leadership for her team

✅ Building trust that things can get done in her absence

✅ Letting go of the small frustrations that quietly pile up over time

And my coach brain lit up immediately. Because this isn’t just a personal decision, it's a leadership strategy.

What Most Leaders Actually Do

They power through.
They stay available.
They skim email “just in case.”
They tell their teams to take breaks… while never taking one themselves.

(Your team notices, by the way.)

What She’s Doing Instead

She’s creating a visible boundary. A consistent way to pause. A signal that rest is not a reward, it's actually an essential part of sustainable performance.

And perhaps most importantly, she’s practicing trust.

Trust that:

🌟 The team can function without her.

🌟 Urgent things will surface if truly urgent.

🌟 Email will, in fact, still be there tomorrow.

The Hidden Leadership Impact

When a leader steps away intentionally (not reactively), a few things happen:

Teams step up, decision-making distributes, micromanagement decreases (naturally), psychological safety increases, and the leader returns with more clarity than depletion.

The Part I Loved Most

She said she wants this day to take the weight off the small frustrations that build over time.

Not the big crises, but the tiny things, like the constant Slack pings and the mental tabs open in the background.

That slow accumulation is what exhausts leaders the most. Not the big moments, but the constant low-level pressure.

A Question to Consider:

If you took one intentional day off each month where you're fully unplugged, what would improve first? (And if your immediate thought is “I can’t possibly do that,” that might be the strongest data point of all.)

With ease, Tracy

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I offer 1:1 coaching, group coaching, team facilitation, and public speaking, and tailor offerings to the specific needs of you/your workplace. ​Contact me to learn more​.

Is coaching right for you?

If you’re leading well on the outside but carrying too much on the inside, coaching can help. I work with leaders who want clarity, confidence, and impact, without burning themselves out to get there.
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Let’s connect - book 30 minutes here.

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