Rest, Retreat, Reset : Slowing Down to Speed Up

As a senior leader, your calendar is packed, your mind always on, and your energy often stretched thin. But what if this summer could be more than just a breather? What if it became a turning point?

Photo by Mart Production

The Wake Up Call

A recent study of 2,675 C-level executives revealed that 77% of UK CEOs feel overworked and burned out, and half are actively considering stepping back or stepping out altogether. The way we’re working simply isn’t working. And the cost of not slowing down—on health, decision-making, relationships, and long-term performance—is one we can no longer ignore.

The Opportunity of Summer

The senior leaders we work with are ambitious, highly driven, and relentlessly committed to what they do. But for many, rest feels counterintuitive—something optional or even indulgent when there’s always more to be done.

This summer, we want to challenge that mindset.

What if you saw the quieter summer months as a strategic advantage—a chance to “slow down to speed up”? What if, instead of burning through the season, you used it to invest in yourself with  intentional, structured, and restorative pauses?

How to Rest, Retreat, and Reset

Whether you're taking a full break or finding quieter moments between meetings, consider scheduling time for these three distinct but essential practices:

1. Rest – Let Your Nervous System Recover

   
   

   Chronic stress keeps the body in a constant state of “fight or flight,” draining energy and clarity. True rest means activating your parasympathetic nervous system—the “rest and digest” state where healing, creativity, and resilience are restored.

   
   

   Quick wins to recharge your system:

   • Prioritise sleep – Even an extra hour of rest can dramatically boost focus and mood.

   • Limit stimulants – Trade doom-scrolling for a paper book, or cut back by one coffee per day.

   • Move gently – Walk, swim, golf, stretch, or do yoga—whatever feels good and sustainable.

   • Connect meaningfully – Seek out relationships that energise and restore you.

     
     

2. Retreat – Reconnect with What Matters

   
   

   To retreat is to intentionally step away from noise and routine. It’s about creating space for quiet reflection—on who you are, what matters most, and how you're really doing.

   
   

   • It doesn’t require a remote cabin. It could be as simple as:

     • Clearing an afternoon for uninterrupted thinking

     • Heading to a café with a notebook (and no inbox)

     • Spending a few screen-free days in nature

       
       

   • We’ll be sharing powerful tools over the coming weeks to help guide this reflection process with purpose and structure.

     
     

3. Reset – Reframe and Reimagine

From rest and retreat comes the clarity needed to reset. This is your opportunity to ask bold questions:

• What needs to change in how I lead, live, and grow?

• What boundaries or rhythms will I protect?

• What does a more sustainable, fulfilling version of success look like?

This is your planning phase. Your reset. Your moment to design your next chapter with intention—not just momentum.

💡 Tip: These phases don’t need to happen all at once. Spread them across the summer. Block time in your calendar now—before it fills up again.

Coming Up in This Blog Series

Over the next few weeks, we’ll share three practical, downloadable tools to guide you through each phase of this process:

• MRS GREN – A creative model (borrowed from biology) to assess your personal vitality and wellbeing 

• Up-In-Out – A relationship diagnostic to evaluate and rebalance the networks that support your leadership

• Back-Up-Forward – A strategic framework to reflect on the past, gain perspective, and move forward with clarity

Whether you’re poolside, on a train, or in a quiet moment with coffee, you’ll have tools you can use immediately to take meaningful action.

For Senior Leaders Ready to Lead Differently

This series is for founders, CEOs, and senior leaders navigating high-growth, high-pressure environments—leaders who understand that real performance comes from renewal, not just productivity.

If you want to return in September with energy, clarity, and purpose—not just a full inbox—this series is for you.

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Now’s the Time.

Open your calendar.

Block out time to Rest. Retreat. Reset.

You won’t regret it.