76. Pauses with Purpose: Letting Go of FOMO, Embracing Rest, and Accepting Divine Redirection to Live Fully

Nothing feels more counterintuitive in our hustle culture than rest. But sometimes, the pause is exactly what propels us forward.

In this soul-stirring episode of It’s the Human Experience, Hazel Atkinson-Brown shares how an unplanned hiatus — triggered by a layoff — became a divine invitation to stop performing, start listening, and realign with purpose.

You’ll hear raw reflections on:

• Letting go of FOMO and embracing stillness
• The messy, unglamorous stages of growth no one posts about
• How divine redirection shows up in detours and delays
• Why rest is not weakness—it’s wisdom

Hazel reminds us that the space between where we’ve been and where we’re going isn’t empty—it’s fertile ground for transformation. Like babies who crawl before they walk, we’re allowed to evolve slowly, intentionally, and fully.

So if you’re navigating a career shift, battling burnout, or simply questioning your next step, this episode offers a sacred pause to remind you:
 You’re not behind. You’re being prepared. And what’s meant for you is waiting on the other side of your yes.

Rest is a strategy | Divine redirection | Letting go of FOMO | Pause with purpose | Stop performing | Career transition | Healing burnout | Spiritual reset | Personal growth | Faith over fear | Rest | Intuition | Burnout | Work-life Balance or Harmony | Your Inner Voice | It's the Human Experience Podcast

Sometimes stepping back is precisely what propels us forward. This deeply reflective episode explores how life's unexpected detours often become our most divinely appointed paths.

After returning from an unplanned hiatus, I share raw insights about what happens when we stop performing and start listening—when we give ourselves permission to be human beings rather than human doers. Through personal stories of my recent layoff and subsequent journey, I reveal how this forced pause became a profound opportunity to realign with my purpose and reassess what truly matters.

We dive into the messy, unglamorous side of growth that rarely makes it to social media—the tears, breakthroughs, quiet wins, and necessary stillness. Like babies who must crawl before walking, we too need to honor each stage of our development instead of rushing toward the next milestone. The space between where you were and where you're going isn't empty—it's fertile ground for transformation.

Whether you're navigating a career transition, recovering from disappointment, or simply feeling the pressure to keep moving when your soul is begging for stillness, this episode offers reassurance that you're not behind, broken, or forgotten. Your pause isn't a setback—it's your setup for what comes next. Ready to transform your perspective on life's unexpected pauses? Listen now, and remember: what's meant for you isn't behind you—it's waiting for you to rise.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome to It's the Human Experience
• 1:33 Pauses Have Purpose
• 4:38 Trusting Divine Redirection
• 8:22 Permission to Pause and Feel
• 10:40 Crawling Before Walking
• 12:43 Your Setup For The Next Level

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to. It's the Human Experience Podcast Hosted by Hazel Brown, a healthcare leader, wife, mom and career coach. If you're big on authenticity, personal development, perseverance and transparency, you're in the right place. Get ready to be uplifted, inspired and empowered as you become fearless in pursuit of the life you desire and deserve. Our goal is to help you level up by creating a safe space to learn and reflect, while listening to transparent stories from our host or successful professionals and business owners who've agreed to share the parts of success that typically gets X'd out on social media, because that's the part you need to see and hear the process. Go ahead and subscribe. You don't want to miss out on these transparent stories and discussions that reveal highs, lows, aha moments and nuggets that'll help you to grow and glow.

Speaker 2: 1:13

Hey, hey, hey. You have now tuned into the it's the Human Experience podcast. I'm your host, hazel Brown. Welcome back to the podcast.

Speaker 2: 1:21

I've really missed this space and if you're listening today, I want you to know this is not a catch-up episode. It is really a moment for us to dive deep and remind you that pauses have purpose. I realized in the last episode I completely skipped over the fact that I'd taken a pause and didn't even dive into it, didn't touch on it, didn't talk about it. I just jumped right in because you know I don't like all the fluff. But I want you to know that that detour is not a delay, it's divine redirection and sometimes the detour is the real route. Hmm, sit in that.

Speaker 2: 2:00

Sometimes it's just very helpful, when we feel like we've been pulled off track, that we really take the time to actually build the foundation for what's next. Sometimes we're moving so fast, we're doing so many things I always refer back to being booked and busy we are doing all the things that we don't even realize we're being pulled off track. We don't even realize that we're shifting and not allowing ourselves to really reflect, to really grieve, to really feel the feels and decide what's next, because we actually need to know what we learned from our last chapter, because sometimes the very things that feel like they have pulled us off track, they're actually helping to build the foundation for what's next. And the reality is, if we don't take the time to reflect and to sit in our now so we can decide on what's next, then we're just moving, we're just doing the things. We're booked and busy. I'll refer back to that. We're making it look and feel to ourselves that we are in motion, but is the work that we're doing actually gonna get us to where we wanna be? Are we actually living a life that makes the most sense to us? And I just want you to take a reflective pause and really think about what you want your next level to look like before you keep moving. If you've listened to episode 74 or 75, then you know we peeling back the layers. We're talking some real stuff. We're talking about identity growth, growing your own path. We're talking about really taking a step further. Think about what makes the most sense for your future, that full circle moment. Take time to sit in that moment. Take time to sit in that I feel like for me.

Speaker 2: 3:57

I've been reconnected recently with so many people that were a part of my chapter 10 years ago, 20 years ago, but people that meant so much to me are now back in my life for another reason, and I think to myself how intentional God is when it comes to introducing us to people, planting the seed, and then there are seasons to where that person is not in your life, those people are not in your life, and then they get reintroduced to you, but you already know their spirit, you already know their light, you already know what they're capable of. We're talking about what happens when life reroutes you how to trust the new road, even when it's unfamiliar, like listen. I told you in the last episode that I was laid off from my job. They did a mass layoff and I was like, wait a minute. And though in that moment I knew that it was divinely ordered, I knew God intentionally wanted me to focus on what was in front of me, because, being laid off the day after election day and I had two events coming up, one in January, another in March, both called, called for more. He needed me to know I too was called for more and I needed to focus on that calling. What calling has God given you that you're not focused on. I want you to tap into that. I want you to stand in your truth and know that you can stand it up despite the fact of the duality of life, to where life is lifing, things are happening. You can still allow that reroute to direct you in the right direction, that divine redirection.

Speaker 2: 5:33

Yes, the pause had purpose and, let me be real with you, I didn't expect the pause to be this long. I didn't plan the gap, but life had other plans. I remember sitting in my room and thinking to myself man, just having all these downloads about all these things I wanted to talk to you about, but it just didn't feel like the right time to jump back into the podcast. There were days that were filled with stillness, reflection, a lot of why not now and even more of what's next. But that's where I learned that when you stop performing and start listening, your life will speak loudly. It will redirect you, it will be clear what it is you're supposed to do. And what it told me was to slow down and don't miss what's actually yours, because the things that have come into my life, the people that have come into my life, the opportunities that have come into my life working, being booked and busy doing the thing would not have allowed me to be re-centered in what's currently being expanded in my current level. So that pause helped me to re-center, realign not just with my goals like let's not just talk about goals and to-do list but also with my truth and what I want my life to look like and what I've already done.

Speaker 2: 6:54

I think so many times we forget the importance of gratitude and giving ourselves grace for realizing that we're not on a race. We are just in a space that we are supposed to be fulfilling our purpose. Sometimes opportunities that once was an opportunity comes to a closing. You are released from that calling over your life, and that's what I realized in this season. I was so fixated on doing a thing being in a certain area of my profession. Sometimes you're called to something in a season to fix a certain thing and you have those transferable skills and knowledge and experience that's gonna help you in your next chapter, in your next extension of who you are, and it's okay to step away. So if you ever felt like stepping away meant you were falling behind, let this be your sign, your permission slip that the world can wait while you heal, while you listen, while you are still, while you transform.

Speaker 2: 7:54

And I don't just say that just to say it. I say it because I know people feel it, because I know I felt it. I'm like, oh my God, like your podcast downloads are going crazy. Why are you pausing? Why don't you go on? You can just be transparent about how you feel in the day, like let them know the things today. And I had to ask myself but why don't you deserve to go through the feels? Why don't you deserve to reflect? Why don't you deserve to sit with your now and just be? You'll remember it, you'll be able to share it. You'll still be able to use your lessons to bless other people. You don't always have to be a human doer. Sometimes you could just be a human being.

Speaker 2: 8:40

And I had to tell myself that there's been so many tears, so many breakthroughs, so many pivots, so many aha moments and so many blessings that brought me so much clarity. And I want to talk about those things that we don't always post the in-between stuff, the rebuilding, the quiet wins, because growth doesn't always look glamorous. Sometimes it's messy, it's lonely, it's quiet and it's necessary. And I would talk about duality a lot, because in the midst of standing up to successful events, having so many breakthroughs happen with the events me meeting some awesome dope people, me really helping to expand the event that I'm doing in October of 2025 in Las Vegas I still have moments that did not look so glamorous, but those moments that did not look so glamorous helped me to recognize some of my strengths, weaknesses and areas that I really need to get support on. Maybe you've been there too. You're carrying it all, growing through what no one sees showing up, even when it hurts, because that's what I was doing. I was hurting, yet all I wanted to do was serve. All I wanted to do was help push people forward, and I recognized that I needed to push myself forward.

Speaker 2: 10:02

Just know this You're not alone. There's nothing wrong with where you are. You're not too late. You're not broken. You are simply becoming her. You're becoming the next version of yourself, and in order to become the next version of yourself, you have to go through the moments. That's not on, and it's still.

Speaker 2: 10:27

I think about babies crawling. Can you imagine that baby crawling and feeling like man? I see those people walking. When am I going to walk? It's going to come. You're simply becoming.

Speaker 2: 10:40

You have to crawl before you walk. It's a part of the process. Every human being. We have to work that muscle to learn how to be comfortable with the process, because we cannot expect to walk before we crawl. We have got to learn how to balance on that ground. We have to learn how to pull ourselves up on that couch with that fixated object.

Speaker 2: 11:06

We have to be able to pull ourselves up before we walk, because what happened if we walk first but we didn't able to pull ourselves up before we walk? Because what happened if we walk first but we didn't learn to pull ourselves up? We didn't know how to be still on the ground. We didn't know how to move with our knees and with our hands. Then, if we jump to the walk, when we're about to fall, we don't know how to pull ourselves up. We don't know how to hold on to the wall for balance, because we came out walking and with all of these different tactics and things that we have access to now, many times people are falling and they don't know how to hold still to the wall. They don't know how to crawl. They don't know how to pull up on the couch.

Speaker 2: 11:46

It's okay to crawl before you walk. It's okay to walk before you run. You're becoming. We're building something so powerful and I want you in it. I want you a part of it, because what's for you is not behind you. It's waiting on you to rise. It's waiting on you to tap into your more.

Speaker 2: 12:10

If you are looking for a space where you could show up as your authentic self, you could bet on yourself, if you want to be in person, I need you to join us at Workplace Therapy Experience. Follow me on Instagram at Workplace Therapy Experience. Trust me, you will see the vibes, you will see the things and you can easily connect with me. I want to hear about it. Dm me at Workplace Therapy Experience. Let's have a conversation for real. Leave me a comment and let me know how you found this episode to provide you value and really where you are in your life and where you're headed.

Speaker 2: 12:42

This episode is really for you to share it with your circle, with your sister, with your coworker, with whoever you know is waiting on the moment of clarity to bet on their selves. Because you are not behind, you are not forgotten, and this pause, or the pause that you need, is not a setback. It is your setup for your next level. We're back, we're aligned, we're ready. This is still the it's the Human Experience podcast, and I'm just so glad we're doing it with you. Make sure that you tune into episodes that you haven't already tuned into. Follow the podcast again, share it with your bestie and follow us online and know that we're rooting for you. Know that this step back is your setup for your next level, and make sure you don't allow fear, naysayers or anything to stop you from being the best version of you, because you owe it to your future self and I am rooting for you with love.

Speaker 1: 13:41

We hope you caught all those gems. So here for all of it. Be sure to subscribe so that you don't miss a gem. Write a review so that we know to keep bringing you episodes like this. And check us out online at itsthehumanexperiencecom to keep up with us. Keep growing and glowing. Catch you on the next episode.