Have you ever looked up from your laptop and thought, how is it already December? Or finally sat down for a night off… and your brain is still sprinting?

Today, we’re saying something mildly offensive to hustle culture: if you never pause, it’s not just your energy that suffers — it’s your judgment, your relationships, and your career.

In this episode, Jess & Claude break down the difference between a break (physical step-away) and a pause (a mental pattern-interrupt), then share our Work Bestie framework: the 4 P’s of Pause:

• People: who energizes you vs. drains you
• Pace: how fast you’re living and where you need space to think
• Patterns: what keeps repeating (overcommitting, last-minute scrambling, self-doubt)
• Pulse: what your body is telling you (sleep, stress, headaches, gut, fatigue)

Plus, we share micro-pauses you can actually do in real life: transition pauses between meetings, a 10-minute screen-free reset, a walk-and-talk with your work bestie, and a simple Friday reflection.

Take a breath, pick one “P,” and start small. Your pause isn’t a problem — it’s your power. 💎

Key Takeaways

• Why working more hours can create less output
• Break vs. pause (and why pause is the productivity game-changer)
• The 4 P’s of Pause: People, Pace, Patterns, Pulse
• Micro-pauses: transition resets, screen-free time, walk-and-talk, weekly reflection
• A simple challenge: pick one P and check in with your work bestie

Work Bestie Challenge:

This week, choose one P (People, Pace, Patterns, or Pulse) and do a 5–10 minute check-in with yourself (or your work bestie).
Then tell us: Which P do you need most right now?

Links / Resources Mentioned

• Deep Work — Cal Newport
• Atomic Habits — James Clear
• EP 79: Your Phone Is Not Your Work Bestie: How to Set Screen Boundaries Without Burning Down Your Career
• EP 75 Why You’re Still Burned Out (Even After a Weekend Off)
• EP 52 Power of Breaks
• EP 38 Self Love & Resilience: How to Stop Doubting Yourself and Own Your Confidence

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Work Besties! Theme Song Written by Ralph Lentini @therallyband

Ever feel like your workplace culture looks fine on paper… but something still feels off?

In this episode of Work Besties Who Podcast, we’re joined by Ivonne Furneaux (corporate insider turned culture consultant) to talk about the hidden divides she calls “ghost gaps”—the invisible imbalances that impact who gets information, who gets a voice, and who gets seen.

Ivonne shares practical ways to narrow these gaps at the organizational, manager, and individual level—plus her actionable Four I Framework:
Inform • Involve • Inspire • Invest

We also get real about how culture shifts during layoffs, why middle management has an outsized influence on the day-to-day employee experience, and how “work besties” help people stay connected, resilient, and authentic at work.

Key takeaways

• What “ghost gaps” are (and why every workplace has them)
• The information gap between frontline and corporate teams
• The power gap and how to gather input without “everyone in the room”
• The visibility gap that many women experience—and how to close it faster
• How leaders can protect culture during layoffs with transparency and investment
• Why middle managers shape culture more than most people realize
• How levity + work friendships make work feel more human

Reflection question

What’s the biggest gap where you work right now—information, power, or visibility—and what’s one step you can take this week to narrow it?

Connect with Ivonne Furneaux

LinkedIn: (2) Ivonne Furneaux | LinkedIn

Website: Ivonne | Transform Your Workplace Today
YouTube: Ivonne Furneaux - YouTube

Follow Work Besties Who Podcast

Apple: Work Besties Who Podcast - Podcast - Apple Podcasts

Spotify: Work Besties Who Podcast | Podcast on Spotify

Youtube: Work Besties Who Podcast - YouTube

Instagram: Work Besties Who Podcast (@workbestieswhopodcast) • Instagram photos and videos
TikTok: Work Besties Who Podcast (@workbestieswhopodcast) | TikTok
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/work-besties-who-podcast

This episode is for educational purposes and does not constitute legal or HR advice.

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Work Besties! Theme Song Written by Ralph Lentini @therallyband

Your Phone Is Not Your Work Bestie: How to Set Screen Boundaries Without Burning Down Your Career

What if the very thing you use to “stay connected” is actually the reason you feel scattered, exhausted, and weirdly lonely?

In this episode, we’re joined by strategist, speaker, and community builder Kelsey Green to talk about digital overload, screen boundaries, and how to reclaim your brain without torpedoing your job, your business, or your creative work.

Kelsey shares how she went from high-intensity roles and constant burnout to experimenting with digital minimalism, 7 p.m.–7 a.m. screen-free blocks, and 24-hour “phone fasts.” We talk about why our attention feels so fractured, how phones are quietly reshaping our relationships, and why real connection still lives in conversations, community, and being fully present with the people right in front of us.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why “always on” culture is wrecking our focus (and what dopamine has to do with it)
• Simple screen boundaries that actually work in real life (even if your job is online)
• How phones feed the loneliness epidemic—and how to start building your circle offline
• The power of sitting with discomfort instead of numbing out with another scroll

To learn more about Kelsey or join one of her communities, visit www.kelseylgreen.com.

If this episode made you rethink how you connect, send it to your work bestie and talk about it… face to face. 💎

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You can watch the full episode on Youtube
Follow us on IG , TikTok, Threads and LinkedIn
Please rate, comment and provide suggestions for upcoming episodes

Work Besties! Theme Song Written by Ralph Lentini @therallyband