For years, Jen Davis did what high performers are taught to do. Say yes. Move faster. Carry more responsibility. Lead at a high level and keep pushing. From the outside, her career looked like the definition of success.

Then she was forced to pause. And that pause completely shifted her thinking. She had been running full speed ahead, without realizing the impact it was having on the things that matter most to her - her family.

In this conversation, Jay Papasan sits down with Jen to talk about the moment she realized her calendar no longer reflected her priorities, her identity had become tied to her work, and margin had disappeared from her life. Stepping away from running one of the largest coaching organizations in the industry wasn’t about quitting. It was about creating space to think, to feel, and to reconnect with who she wanted to be as a mom, leader, and human being.

Jen shares what surprised her most during the pause, why busyness can be a form of self-soothing, and how decision fatigue quietly erodes both joy and clarity. Together, she and Jay unpack the difference between reacting and responding, the power of reflection, and why 15 minutes of intentional thinking can become the first domino toward a healthier, more grounded life.

Challenge of the Week:

Set a timer for 15 minutes. Put your phone face down in another part of the room. No scrolling. No reading. No to-do lists. Just sit with your thoughts and decide what truly matters today.

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To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: the1thing.com/pods.

Links & Tools from This Episode:

Visit Jen Davis’s Website
The Road Less Stupid by Keith Cunningham
Follow our friend Jordan Freed on Instagram
Dr. Robyne Hanley-Defoe
Free Resources
Want to be a guest or share feedback? Email podcast@the1thing.com or send us an audio note at Speakpipe.com/the1thing.

Produced by NOVA

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