"In a world that constantly pushes us to do more, I believe the real strength lies in knowing when to pause," says Nicole Melillo Shaw, managing director at Volvo Car UK. Of course, she’s absolutely right. But carving out time—and reminding ourselves that it's actually important—to pause can be far easier said than done. So, Volvo and Shaw, alongside journalist Natasha Bird, launched a summit with a dual focus on power and pause—offering meaningful insights into how to balance both. And when a woman who oversees close to £2 billion in annual sales (while also raising a family) speaks about how she balances it all? You listen.
"Part in parcel of what it means to be a powerful woman having a successful career is also finding pause, balance, time to recharge, so that what we end up doing ends up being just as sustainable as the EV cars that we drive," says Bird. And there it is—that good old ‘S’ word: sustainable. Not in the environmental sense, but in terms of a life that’s actually liveable—where burnout isn’t the price of success.
