The Pause Before You Lead Mon, 15 Jun 2026 03:59:43 -0400 https://www.buzzsprout.com/2564857 en-ca © 2026 The Pause Before You Lead yes 08a61dd7-a8f7-50a9-b60c-e4c15949d843 Heather Haigh & Alicia Saint episodic true Leadership today asks a lot of people.


Leaders make decisions with incomplete information, navigate competing priorities, support others through change, and respond to challenges that rarely have simple answers.


In the midst of all that, it's easy to keep moving without creating space to think.


Hosted by Heather Haigh and Alicia Saint, The Pause Before You Lead is a podcast for leaders navigating growth, complexity, and uncertainty. Each week, Heather and Alicia explore the conversations, assumptions, patterns, and tensions that influence how leaders think, decide, communicate, and lead.


Drawing on decades of leadership experience and more than ten years coaching, consulting, and partnering with leaders and teams, they bring thoughtful dialogue, practical wisdom, and powerful questions to the real challenges leaders face every day.


Whether you're leading a team, an organization, or your own next chapter, these conversations will invite you to pause, reflect, and see something you may not have noticed before.


New episodes released weekly.

]]> Buzzsprout (https://www.buzzsprout.com) Heather Haigh & Alicia Saint https://storage.buzzsprout.com/78fx874i93qgkwkapuuv2x2dmhro?.jpg The Pause Before You Lead If Only I Had More Time If Only I Had More Time "If only I had more time."

It's one of the most common frustrations leaders bring into coaching conversations.

More time to think. More time to lead. More time for what matters most.

In this episode, Heather and Alicia explore what sits beneath the feeling of never having enough time and why the challenge is often less about calendars and more about choices, beliefs, priorities, and trade-offs.

As you listen, consider this question:

If time isn't the problem, what might be?

]]> "If only I had more time."

It's one of the most common frustrations leaders bring into coaching conversations.

More time to think. More time to lead. More time for what matters most.

In this episode, Heather and Alicia explore what sits beneath the feeling of never having enough time and why the challenge is often less about calendars and more about choices, beliefs, priorities, and trade-offs.

As you listen, consider this question:

If time isn't the problem, what might be?

]]> Heather Haigh & Alicia Saint Buzzsprout-19347143 Mon, 15 Jun 2026 03:00:00 -0400 1297 Leadership effectiveness, prioritization, time management, productivity, energy management 1 4 full true Why Am I Having This Conversation Again? Why Am I Having This Conversation Again? Have you ever walked away from a conversation thinking, "We've talked about this before"?

Many leaders find themselves repeating the same messages, giving the same advice, and feeling increasingly frustrated that nothing seems to change.

In this episode, Heather and Alicia explore what may be happening beneath those repetitive conversations and why telling, fixing, and directing often create the very outcomes leaders are trying to avoid.

As you listen, consider this question:

What might change if your next conversation started with curiosity instead of advice?

]]> Have you ever walked away from a conversation thinking, "We've talked about this before"?

Many leaders find themselves repeating the same messages, giving the same advice, and feeling increasingly frustrated that nothing seems to change.

In this episode, Heather and Alicia explore what may be happening beneath those repetitive conversations and why telling, fixing, and directing often create the very outcomes leaders are trying to avoid.

As you listen, consider this question:

What might change if your next conversation started with curiosity instead of advice?

]]> Heather Haigh & Alicia Saint Buzzsprout-19347137 Mon, 15 Jun 2026 03:00:00 -0400 1679 Coaching leadership, leadership communication, employee development, delegation, leadership coaching 1 3 full true Who Feels Left Out on Your Team? Who Feels Left Out on Your Team? Alicia recently joined a breakout discussion about psychological safety and immediately found herself feeling excluded.

The irony wasn't lost on her. A group gathered to discuss psychological safety unintentionally created an experience that challenged it.

In this episode, Heather and Alicia explore how quickly inclusion can be lost, why good intentions aren't always enough, and what leaders can do to ensure every voice feels welcomed and valued.

As you listen, consider this question:

Who might be sitting quietly on the edge of a conversation that matters?

]]> Alicia recently joined a breakout discussion about psychological safety and immediately found herself feeling excluded.

The irony wasn't lost on her. A group gathered to discuss psychological safety unintentionally created an experience that challenged it.

In this episode, Heather and Alicia explore how quickly inclusion can be lost, why good intentions aren't always enough, and what leaders can do to ensure every voice feels welcomed and valued.

As you listen, consider this question:

Who might be sitting quietly on the edge of a conversation that matters?

]]> Heather Haigh & Alicia Saint Buzzsprout-19347098 Mon, 15 Jun 2026 03:00:00 -0400 1832 Leadership coaching, psychological safety, inclusion, team culture, team leadership, belonging 1 2 full true Why Is It So Hard for Leaders to Pause? Why Is It So Hard for Leaders to Pause? Leaders today face constant pressure to respond, solve problems, and keep things moving. Yet many tell us they're capable of clearer thinking, better decisions, and more intentional leadership than they're currently accessing.

So why is it so hard to pause?

In this opening episode, Heather and Alicia explore the pressures that keep leaders moving, the assumptions that make slowing down feel risky, and what becomes possible when leaders create even a moment of space to think.

As you listen, consider this question:

When was the last time you paused before you led?

]]> Leaders today face constant pressure to respond, solve problems, and keep things moving. Yet many tell us they're capable of clearer thinking, better decisions, and more intentional leadership than they're currently accessing.

So why is it so hard to pause?

In this opening episode, Heather and Alicia explore the pressures that keep leaders moving, the assumptions that make slowing down feel risky, and what becomes possible when leaders create even a moment of space to think.

As you listen, consider this question:

When was the last time you paused before you led?

]]> Heather Haigh & Alicia Saint Buzzsprout-19347079 Mon, 15 Jun 2026 03:00:00 -0400 1140 leadership, leadership development, decision making, leadership mindset, leadership coaching 1 1 full true