Pausing with Purpose: Giving back, Parenthood, and Resilience. Episode 5 of a series of podcasts on taking conscious breaks from work. In this episode, Petro du Pisani speaks to Thea Weeks who shares her transformative journey of taking three significant career breaks. In her breaks, Thea worked for an NGO for 5 years, focused on her new baby, and had to adapt to life and work after losing hearing in one ear. Thea offers deep insights into the motivations behind each break, how she prepared, and the challenges she faced both personally and professionally. Throughout the conversation Thea highlights the importance of listening to your body's signals and knowing when to pause. She emphasizes the invaluable support from mentors and coaches and she shares the lessons learned on adaptability and maintaining a support network. Thea also emphasises the value of taking smaller breaks regularly to avoid burnout and incorporating work-life balance practices like hybrid work environments.