Using Summer as Your Soft Launch: How Rest, Reflection & Realignment Can Fuel Leadership Growth
Summer tends to signal rest and renewal—and I’m all for it. Especially in our always-on world, pausing is not indulgent. It’s essential.
But summer doesn’t have to be a complete slowdown. It can also be your soft launch—a quieter season to grow behind the scenes. A space to ask deeper questions. To build strength without the spotlight. And to step into the next version of your leadership with more presence, confidence, and clarity.
Summer as a Soft Launch
With fewer meetings and lighter calendars, there’s built-in breathing room. Summer often lacks the full-court pressure of performance, making it an ideal time for intentional transformation. This isn’t about hustle—it’s about alignment. It’s the perfect season to try, to stretch, and to strengthen the muscles that matter most in your leadership journey.
Here’s why summer is a hidden opportunity for growth:
1. Growth and Recovery Can Coexist
Intentional transformation is a balance of action and alignment. Summer allows you to integrate both. Without the urgency of year-end targets or high-stakes presentations, you have space to experiment, implement new habits, and reflect on what’s working. That’s how change becomes sustainable.
Ask yourself:
Where in my life am I confusing motion with progress?
What small action this season could support long-term alignment?
Which current habit is no longer serving who I want to become?
2. Presence Can Be Quiet and Still
Let nature be your leadership coach. Whether you're walking a beach or hiking a trail, being outdoors naturally slows the nervous system and increases mindfulness. It reconnects you with the power of presence—a quiet, grounded kind of influence that every great leader possesses. Nature reminds us: growth doesn't have to be rushed to be real.
Ask yourself:
When was the last time I felt fully present? What contributed to that moment?
How does my current pace support—or diminish—my ability to be present?
What daily practice can help me slow down and deepen my awareness?
3. Confidence Grows in Clarity, Not Chaos
Confidence doesn’t thrive in overwhelm—it grows in quiet clarity. The slower rhythm of summer makes it easier to hear your own voice, trust your instincts, and tune in to what really matters. When you start leading from that place, your confidence becomes unshakable because it’s rooted in who you are, not what you achieve.
Ask yourself:
What noise can I eliminate to hear my inner voice more clearly?
What am I confident about right now? Where is my confidence wavering?
What would leading with grounded clarity (instead of performance) look like for me?
4. Reconnect with Yourself to Reconnect with Your Vision
High-performing leaders often forget this truth: you are not just what you do. You are who you are. Stepping back from constant productivity helps you reconnect with your values and your long-term vision.
Ask yourself:
How do I want to feel each day?
Am I thriving or simply surviving?
Am I living in alignment with my values?
What would my next bold chapter look like?
The answers to these questions lay the groundwork for meaningful change.
5. Build Momentum—Without the Burnout
Use this season to invest in yourself: take a workshop, work with a coach, or read books that challenge and energize you. Let rest and reflection coexist with preparation and curiosity. Slow, steady growth often leads to the most powerful transformation.
Ask yourself:
What investment (time, energy, focus) will help me grow next season?
What boundary do I need to hold in order to avoid burnout?
What “next level” skill do I want to build before the fall?
This Is What Intentional Transformation Looks Like
It may feel counterintuitive, but growth often begins in stillness. Transformation doesn’t only happen in the spotlight—it begins in the quiet spaces where you reflect, realign, and rise.
So this summer:
☀️ Take the vacation.
☀️ Sleep in.
☀️ Walk outside.
☀️ Reflect deeply.
☀️ Reconnect with what really matters.
☀️ And don’t forget to rise.
Want support in making this your season of intentional transformation? Let’s talk about keynotes, executive coaching, and tools to help you lead from the inside out.
If you enjoyed this blog post, here are some other resources you might enjoy:
My book, "Dare To Own You: Taking Your Authenticity and Dreams Into Your Next Chapter": The winner of two Feathered Quill Book awards, and an Book Excellence award, and recommended by Forbes in 2022 as “a teaching memoir”.
My podcast, the "Live Your Best Life with Liz Brunner" podcast: An award-winning and internationally streamed show that highlights powerful stories of re-creation and reinvention from guests who have taken their life experiences, and used that knowledge to create their “next chapters” and live their best lives.
My work as a keynote speaker, executive coach and communication expert. You can read more about more of my services here.
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