Sometimes, relentless forward motion asks us to stop.
In October 2022, Nepal experienced severe monsoon-related disasters: flooding and landslides that caused widespread destruction across the country. Entire regions were cut off, communities displaced, lives lost, infrastructure damaged.
Tasmanian doctor Jessie Ling and I were mid-traverse, deep in the Dolpa region, one of Nepal’s most remote and rugged areas, when the path quite literally disappeared beneath our feet: landslides, broken terrain, no clear way forward.
At first, we did what mission-focused, goal-oriented people do: we tried to push through.
We were determined, hardwired to believe that movement equals progress, but every step forward depleted us: mentally, physically, emotionally.
The cost was high, and the return? Deep in the negative.
Eventually, we stopped.
Not because we gave up, but because the locals — people who live in constant dialogue with the mountains — offered us a truth we needed to hear:
“Sometimes the best thing you can do is wait. The path will show itself.”
So we waited.
We recalibrated.
We began to understand what performance looks like without pressure.
We became more present: not just to our environment, but to ourselves.
And we started to see that stillness can offer more clarity than urgency ever could.
That Pause
Since then, I’ve noticed that same choice point arise: in business decisions, in relationships, in parenting, in endurance efforts.
Moments where I feel the pull to push through, to force a solution, to keep moving simply because I’m already in motion.
I eventually come back to the mountain, to the wisdom of the locals, to the power of waiting well.
But I’ll admit, sometimes I only return to that wisdom once I’ve already shaken from unstable ground.
The lesson continues to evolve, not as a one-time insight, but as a way of navigating complexity with clarity.
A Deeper Truth
This wasn’t just a lesson from Nepal.
It’s a reflection of a deeper truth I choose to live, and seek to share:
Sustainable performance requires strategic recovery: built in, not bolted on.
Forward motion without presence is just momentum. And momentum without direction can lead us off-course.
II’ve seen this truth across every landscape: from boardrooms to mountain passes.
The individuals and teams who sustain their impact over time aren’t the ones who never stop, they’re the ones who know how to pause with intention:
To regulate,
To reorient,
To recommit to what matters most.
They don’t perform from pressure, they perform from presence.
They don’t wait for burnout to recover, they embed recovery as a daily rhythm: in motion and in stillness.
What This Really Means
This is what I believe sustainable performance is.
It’s not about working less, it’s about working with rhythm, with recovery, with real clarity.
Sometimes, the smartest next step isn’t more effort.
It’s a pause.
A breath.
A recalibration.
Because that’s not weakness, that’s wisdom in motion.
Let’s Continue the Conversation
Thanks for being here.
If this story stirred something in you, I’d love to know:
What’s the “storm” in your life asking you to pause for?
Drop your thoughts in the comments — or reply directly.
We grow stronger in reflection, and even stronger in community.
Watch the keynote clip above for a deeper dive into this story and its message.
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Samantha Gash
Helping individuals and teams go further: without burning out.
Performance through presence. Strategy through rhythm. Impact, sustained.
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