Rebel with a Pause.
In a world that never stops buzzing, where screens glow endlessly and the pace of life races forward, finding a moment to simply pause can feel like a radical act. Enter Rebel with a Pause, a heartfelt invitation to unplug, breathe deeply, and rediscover the quiet wonder that often slips through our fingers in the rush of daily life. For those who haven’t yet encountered this inspiring initiative, we sat down with Nadia von Holzen and Ewen Le Borgne, the visionary creators behind the project, to hear firsthand what sparked their passion and what lies at the heart of their call to slow down. Together, they share the essence of a movement that encourages us all to reclaim moments of stillness, to rebel gently against the noise, and to find beauty in the pause.
We observe the rush and busyness around us and hear people say, again and again, “I am super busy. I don’t have time for anything…”. We also see people feeling stressed, unhappy, invisible through this busyness. At the same time, we notice blind spots: pausing is not practiced much, rarely appreciated and even hardly understood for what it can be and offer. Rebel with a Pause dares to suggest something radical and simple: Stop. Breathe. Notice. Change. The project invites people, teams, and organisations to experience moments of pauses, explore the mysterious world of pausing and harvest its benefits. Because despite popular belief, it is possible to take pauses. Pausing with intention is about finding a rhythm where pauses are part of how we work, and live.
Where does the project take place, and how can people or teams participate?
Rebel with a Pause offers both open and tailored opportunities. The monthly 30-minute online pauses are open to everyone. These exploratory sessions invite curiosity and experimentation around pausing.
For organisations, we provide various services:
Coaching and reflection to integrate pauses in the working day. Ranging from individual coaching on mindful pausing to team sessions exploring the what-why-how of pauses and larger institutional interventions to foster longer, intentional and (business-) beneficial pauses.
We also offer retreats, away days, and structured yet spacious activities (like guided dreaming, Socratic walks, deep reflection moments, and Street Wisdom to name a few) that allow teams to pause creatively and reconnect with themselves and with what really matters for them.
Additionally, we developed a package of five simple, repeatable pauses that can be adopted independently by any team to sharpen awareness and cultivate a pausing rhythm.
The project centres around “slowing down and reconnecting.” What do these themes mean to you personally and in your work?
Slowing down doesn’t mean rejecting speed. Fast is not the problem; the problem arises when everything is always fast. Then we end up in silly situations like this cartoon: we get too busy to even be effective. A balanced rhythm embraces different paces, and pauses give us moments to reset, reflect, and reconnect with who we really are and what we really should be doing.
Pausing is a choice. It’s a way of giving ourselves a moment to be present, to reconnect with ourselves, and—when invited intentionally—to reconnect with others. Even a shared pause within a team can subtly shift how people listen, relate and collaborate.
You both have rich backgrounds in facilitation and learning. Could you briefly introduce yourselves and share what led each of you into this kind of reflective work?
Our backgrounds lie indeed in facilitation, learning, and cultivating meaningful conversations that make space for crucial questions and strong relationships. We work with approaches such as Liberating Structures, inclusive participation formats and dialogic practices that create space for reflection, engagement, community-building and collective action. We’re also deeply inspired by practices like Street Wisdom and Unhurried Conversations, which offer creative and embodied ways to pause. These approaches have showed us how powerful it can be to step out of habitual patterns and invite reflection through simple, slow, intentional practices.
When you unplugged and paused yourselves, what unexpected wonders or insights did you discover?
Pausing has become a steady source of inspiration for us. We each have our own pause practices—from walking with a question through Street Wisdom, to experimenting with mini-pauses during the day, to journaling and morning pages. Pauses give serendipity a chance. They help connect dots that remain invisible when everything moves too fast. Sometimes inspiration comes from something very small: gazing out of a window, sitting quietly, changing location or posture, or allowing a thought to unfold on paper. And by the way, at Outdoor Office Day, we’ll take a mindful pause to consider the pauses worth inviting into life more regularly :)
What are your golden tips for becoming a true “Rebel with a Pause” in everyday life?
Start by noticing. Become aware of your pace and patterns. Pause to notice, and notice what pausing changes.
Then, experiment. Choose and own your pauses—especially the small ones. Explore different forms of pausing, check your self-limiting beliefs, and develop a pause habit that fits your life.
Finally, invite others. Let pauses ripple beyond you. Inspire colleagues, teams, and conversations to pause with intention and creativity.
