Coming Back to What Matters

One Slower Moment at a Time

This edition is one of my ongoing reflections - from real conversations, lived moments, and the quiet shifts I believe are reshaping how we lead today and tomorrow.

Hi Dear Reader,

It’s been a while.

After an unexpected minor medical situation that required full rest (and no screens), I’m slowly finding my rhythm again. I feel incredibly grateful to the family, friends, and colleagues who stepped in and supported me during this time. Thank you - for your care, patience, and kindness.

In this space of pause, I found something I didn’t know I’d been needing after a big year of transitions: a moment to reflect on the pace we live at, the things we miss when we’re always “on,” and the parts of ourselves that only speak up when things go quiet.

Here are a few reflections that surfaced for me during this time - and echoed in recent coaching conversations I’ve held.

Reflections Shaping How We Lead

1. Clarity Finds Us In The Quiet: With everything dialed down - meetings, emails, decisions - I noticed how much clarity began to emerge. Slowness, though unfamiliar (and often uncomfortable), helped me reconnect with what truly matters.

   This pause reminded me that rest isn’t a departure from life - it’s part of it. It’s where perspective sharpens, priorities reset, and insights we didn’t know we were missing, quietly rise to the surface.

2. Productivity Isn’t the Same as Presence: I’ve realized I often confuse speed with value. In moments of intense drive, being productive can feel like control - but it can also be a way to avoid the discomfort of stillness. Sitting with the unknown, or with emotions I’d rather skip past, takes its own kind of courage.

   This time off (re)taught me something simple but powerful: being must come before doing. Presence fuels purposeful action. When I allow space to feel, reflect, and center myself, the “doing” that follows is sharper, wiser, and far more aligned.

3. Our Emotional Ecosystem Deserves Intention Too: The people around me cared for me more than I could’ve asked for. Their presence reminded me how much strength lives in our relationships.

   We spend so much time nurturing our professional growth - but our emotional ecosystem needs intentional caring too. Friendships, colleagueships, and chosen family are the net that holds us when life unexpectedly pauses. I want to be just as deliberate in nurturing this as I am in everything else I care about.

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Quotes I Keep Coming Back To

On the Quiet Power of Slowness:

“The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear” - Rumi

On Slowing Down for Beauty:

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” - Lao Tzu

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A Question I’m Carrying

What part of my life is quietly asking for my attention - something I’ll only notice if I slow down long enough to hear it?

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With love, Vanessa

PS: This return to slowness helped me re-anchor in what matters most - and it’s shaping how I’m thinking about the future of leadership in a faster, more tech-shaped world. More to come soon.