Podcast Summary:

We Are For Good Podcast – Gather At The Well: How to Plan Your Pause - Frameworks + Practices for Stepping Away – Lindsey Fuller
Air date: October 22, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the rarely discussed, but critical, topic of planning for intentional rest in the nonprofit sector—embracing pauses, sabbaticals, and vacations as essential for well-being, sustainability, and organizational health. Lindsey Fuller, joined by Marisol Pineda Conde, offers practical frameworks, personal reflections, and somatic practices to help nonprofit pros step back without anxiety and ensure their teams (and missions) thrive in their absence.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Necessity (and Challenge) of Taking a Pause

• Perpetual Pressure in Nonprofits: Nonprofit work often means unending, emotionally charged to-do lists, especially around high-stakes seasons like Giving Tuesday and year-end fundraising. The need for breaks often clashes with a sense of duty and an avalanche of tasks (01:50).

• “You need the break so badly, and yet a never ending to do list is either glaring at you from the corner of your desk or you have hella open tabs on your computer that are a constant reminder of the tasks you work hard not to lose sight of.” – Lindsey (05:35)

• The 'Starting Line' Problem: The hardest part is often just preparing to step away. Both logistical and emotional burdens arise before the break even begins.

Redefining the Pause: Sabbatical, Vacation, or Just Time Away

• Don’t Get Stuck on Semantics: Many listeners may not have access to formal sabbatical policies. Lindsey reframes the conversation to include all extended breaks (5+ days), urging listeners not to dismiss the episode if “sabbatical” feels unattainable.
• “Just cause you hear sabbatical, maybe put vacation in there mentally… don’t shut down an idea that could be liberatory for you.” – Lindsey (08:00)

Readiness Reflections: Is Your Organization (and Team) Prepared?

Three Major Readiness Indicators: (09:45)

• 1. Finance:

  • If your organization faces significant deficits (“If you have an $800,000 deficit, that's a rough time to lean out.” – 09:57), the timing may not be right.
  • Distinguish between systemic, ongoing issues and temporary hardships.

• 2. People:

  • Major vacancies or onboarding periods might warrant postponement.
  • Ask: “When are we fully hired? When has onboarding settled? Can I go then?”

• 3. Program:

  • Timing is critical. Schedule your pause around program cycles—don’t leave teammates during launches or critical phases.

• Leadership Intuition: Fuller emphasizes personal and contextual judgment—these are lenses, not rules.

  • “Your intuition is an essential tool in leadership… this topic isn't shared from a place of judgment, but to illuminate look-fors.” – Lindsey (10:45)

The Middle Path: Never the Perfect Time, But the Right-ish Time

• “It never seems like the right time to go out… your job is to find the right-ish time.” – Lindsey (12:03)
• Choosing lower-impact periods (e.g., summer at Teaching Well) increases the chances for a smooth transition.

The Essential Role of a Co-Leader or Interim

• The Power of an Internal Successor: Lindsey sings the praises of “Marisols”—skilled, trusted internal staff who can maintain continuity, stakeholder trust, and organizational calm.
  • “A solid co leader, this blessing of a human, is the game changer… They are the glue that allows you to rest without the pieces of your company falling apart.” (12:50)
  • “Go get you a Marisol. Just not ours.”

Somatic Practices for Leaders Preparing to Pause

[11:30] Breathe and Bloom with Marisol Pineda Conde

• A gentle, movement-based breathwork exercise connecting hand motion with breath to help settle the nervous system and mind.
  • “…wiggle in your seat… inhale, you will bloom the hands open… exhale, closing that bloom and pinching the fingertips together…” – Marisol (11:50)
  • Designed for moments of anxiety or anticipation before a break.

Concrete Tools & Tactical Practices

[14:04] 1. Emergency Checklist

• A short list of scenarios in which you agree to be contacted while away:

  • Staffing: E.g., major HR issues, key resignations.
  • Finance: Loss of a major funder or unexpected financial crisis.
  • Legal/Compliance: Lawsuits, contract crises, issues threatening pay or reputation.

• Personalization is key: Some will want granular lists, others prefer broad principles—trust your interim’s discernment.

  • “If you're going to come back overwhelmed, saying things like ‘why didn't you call me?’ that is a somatic cue that the topic should be added to your list.” – Lindsey (16:17)

• Payoff: Reduces anxiety, clarifies boundaries, and prevents “return from a break to chaos” syndrome.

2. Start – Stop – Continue (aka Keep – Stop – Start)

• Collaborative planning to externalize duties, align the team, and define what changes during the pause.

  • Start: Assigning new duties (e.g., Marisol taking funder check-ins; new staff fielding sales calls).

  • Continue: Maintain some core routines but adapt cadence for sustainability (e.g., modifying supervision schedules).

  • Stop: Essential for preventing burnout in those covering; dropping internal PDs, committees, or meetings not currently critical.

  • “Stop is critical and a lot of people pass over stop. You cannot continue to do all parts of that person’s job while they’re out. That’s my opinion.” – Lindsey (18:36)

• Outcome: Team feels prepared, lessens resentment, and invites broader participation.

Integrating the Pause: Visualization and Intention Setting

• Returning Rejuvenated: Guide your reflection with:
  • What does your recharged self look, sound, and feel like?
  • What practices or systems enabled that renewal?
  • “See your favorite self, know yourself well enough to articulate the activities and actions you took to get there, and then set intentions around systems, habits or commitments.” – Lindsey (22:55)
• Sample Intentions: Prioritize sleep, mindfulness, sustainable routines.
  • “Sleep is sacred, y'all.” (24:08)

Affirmations for Stepping Away

• “I can focus on my preparation and trust the process.”
• “Every step of prep brings me closer to recovery.”
• “I am resilient as I approach my restoration.” (26:10)

Reflection Questions for Planning Your Pause

1. How is our organization doing in Finance, People, and Program?
2. Who can I trust, cultivate, and align with as a co-leader for my pause?
3. What pieces of my role are non-negotiable? What emergencies truly require my involvement while away? (26:40)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “What's on the other side of this discomfort—of the overwhelm, of the to-dos—is the rest you desire… and your staff experiences you modeling workplace wellbeing. This is a true culture of reciprocal care.” – Lindsey (27:40)

• “Go get you a Marisol. Just not ours. We need her to stay, actually, so that’s real.” (12:54, Lindsey – playful, direct)

• “Your team holds you down now and you have their back when they need time away. This is a true culture of reciprocal care.” (28:00)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00 – Intro, the tension of anticipating a break in nonprofit (and school) work
• 05:30 – Emotional and logistical barriers of stepping away
• 09:45 – Readiness Reflection: Finance, People, Program
• 12:00 – Never the Right Time & the value of co-leaders
• 11:30 – Somatic “Breathe and Bloom” practice (feat. Marisol)
• 14:04 – Emergency Checklist; What warrants contact during leave
• 16:50 – Start – Stop – Continue: practical team planning
• 21:00 – Visualization & intention setting for returning rejuvenated
• 26:10 – Affirmations for restoration
• 26:40 – Three powerful readiness reflection questions
• 27:40 – Modeling rest as leadership; reciprocal care culture

Tone & Style

Warm, candid, affirming, and practical. Lindsey holds a “we’re in this together” vibe, blending somatic guidance with rigorous nonprofit realism and a gently humorous approach: “Go get you a Marisol. Just not ours.”

Final Thoughts

This episode offers a vital, actionable guide for anyone in the mission-driven space craving (and needing) a break. It’s a call to move beyond guilt and reactive scrambling, toward intentional preparation, collective care, and a culture where everyone—leaders included—gets to replenish the well.

For concrete tools, templates, and further reflection prompts, visit theteachingwell.org or connect with Lindsey and the team.

Next Episode Teaser: Practical tips for what to do during your sabbatical or pause—how to actually maximize restoration.