This morning, I stood at Rhiw Goch watching the snow settle across the Rhinog mountains, feeling the sharp Welsh air against my face.
The landscape looked raw, honest, not the polished winter wonderland of Christmas cards, yet something more real.
Bare trees etched against grey sky, paths made muddy by yesterday’s thaw, and yes, genuine beauty in the unvarnished truth of winter.
It felt like the perfect metaphor for where so many of us find ourselves right now.
The December Weight
We’re heading into that season again, aren’t we?
The one where the to-do lists multiply like magic, where the emotional labour of Christmas, the planning, the purchasing, the managing of everyone else’s expectations, lands squarely on women’s shoulders.
And that’s just the personal side.
Add in year-end deadlines, Q4 targets, team parties to organise, and the general expectation that we’ll somehow make it all magical while maintaining our professional composure.
I received a message recently from a female in my community who put into words something I think many of us struggle with.
She wrote:
“I was struck by the fact that someone such as yourself, who’s worked at a high corporate level, was saying that rest is part of a strategy.
I really needed to hear that, I am terrible at taking rest, and it’s a constant battle of fighting against my own personality traits but mostly that feeling of pressure and expectation.”
Her words hit me because they’re so honest about the reality many driven women face. The idea that rest could be strategic, not lazy, not selfish, not something we have to earn, feels almost revolutionary.
When Rest Becomes Rebellion
There’s something radical about a successful woman saying,
“I’m going to rest.”
In a culture that measures worth by output, that celebrates the woman who can juggle it all without breaking a sweat, choosing to pause becomes an act of quiet rebellion.
I’ve learned this the hard way through my own journey. Those years in corporate leadership taught me that lasting impact requires restorative practices.
The leaders who lasted, who truly transformed their organisations, weren’t the ones running on empty.
They were the ones who understood that rest isn’t the opposite of productivity, it’s what makes real productivity possible.
And if I’m honest, it’s something I’ve struggled with, too.
My partner Peter has quietly encouraged me to rest more—to wake up naturally when I can, to pause, and not always rush into the next thing. I’ve come to appreciate his support deeply.
But I also know not everyone has that kind of encouragement, and it can be even harder if you’re navigating rest on your own, or in relationships that make pausing feel like a challenge.
If this feels familiar, know you’re not alone—and that permission to rest can come from within, even if it feels uncomfortable or goes against old habits.
The female who wrote to me, also mentioned something crucial:
“The idea that women’s energy is more cyclical is important.”
This isn’t just feel-good messaging; it’s biological truth.
Our bodies, our creativity, our capacity for leadership, it all moves in rhythms, not straight lines.
When we try to force ourselves into constant-output mode, we’re fighting against our own nature.
Winter’s Honest Teaching
Standing in that snowy landscape at Rhiw Goch, I’m reminded that nature doesn’t apologise for its seasons.
Trees don’t feel guilty for letting their leaves fall.
The earth doesn’t rush to green up before it’s ready.
There’s profound wisdom in this cyclical approach to growth and rest.
Winter teaches us that dormancy isn’t death, it’s preparation. It’s when the deep work happens, below the surface, out of sight. The same is true for us as leaders, as women, as human beings carrying heavy loads.
This time of year, when the pressure mounts and everyone else seems to be accelerating, what if we took a different approach?
What if we recognised that our capacity to hold space for others’ needs, to make magic happen at work and at home, requires us to first create space for ourselves?
The Strategy of Stepping Back
Here’s what I wish someone had told me earlier in my leadership journey: rest isn’t something you fit in around the edges of your life. It’s the foundation that makes everything else possible.
When I work with women leaders now, I watch them have the same realisation Jez described. The moment they understand that rest isn’t weakness, it’s strategy, everything shifts.
They stop apologising for needing downtime.
They stop feeling guilty about protecting their energy.
They start leading from a place of fullness rather than depletion.
This is particularly crucial for women because we’re often carrying what I call the “invisible load”, the emotional labour, the family coordination, the cultural expectation that we’ll be the ones to smooth over difficulties and create harmony.
Add professional responsibilities to this mix, and it’s no wonder so many of us are running on empty.
And here’s what’s beautiful about choosing rest: it’s contagious.
When we model it as valuable, necessary, and strategic, we give permission to everyone around us to do the same.
Our teams breathe easier.
Our families learn new rhythms.
Our organisations become more enduring.
The Rhiw Goch Promise
As I’ve been watching the transformation happening here at Rhiw Goch, the careful renovation of the barn, the restoration of spaces that have held centuries of stories, I’m struck by how this mirrors the work we do with ourselves.
Brick by brick, season by season, creating something that honours both heritage and future possibility.
The response to our Rest & Rise retreats has been extraordinary.
Women are hungry for this, for permission to pause, for company in the practice of renewal, for spaces that understand the unique pressures we face.
The waitlist for our February retreat filled quickly, and I’ve been working behind the scenes with Jenny to create additional opportunities for women to experience what this sacred Welsh landscape offers.
We’ll be releasing new dates for 2026 very soon, likely in May and September when the mountains show different faces yet offer the same invitation to rest and renewal.
There’s something about this place that calls forth exactly what each woman needs, whether that’s quiet reflection, deep conversation, or simply permission to be tired without having to fix anything.
The Courage to Rest
I think about Jez’s words often: that battle against our own personality traits and the pressure of expectation.
I recognise it because I’ve lived it.
The high-achieving woman who feels guilty for needing what everyone actually needs, time to pause, to breathe, to remember who she is beneath all the roles she plays.
Choosing rest in December, when everything around us accelerates, requires particular courage. It means saying no to some things so we can say yes to sustainability. It means recognising that our worth isn’t measured by how much we can carry without complaining.
It means understanding that rest is not a reward we earn after we’ve done enough, it’s the foundation that allows us to do anything meaningful at all.
Your Winter Invitation
As we move deeper into December and towards a new year, I want to extend an invitation. Not just to my retreats, though I’d love to have you at Rhiw Goch when the time feels right, and to a different relationship with rest itself.
What if, instead of pushing through the Christmas chaos, you approached it like a mountain walk?
Some parts require energy and focus, yes, yet there are also places to pause, to catch your breath, to appreciate the view.
What if you planned rest into your December like you plan everything else that matters?
What if you trusted that stepping back strategically will actually help you step forward more powerfully when the moment calls for it?
The women who join me at Rhiw Goch often say they arrived feeling guilty about taking time away and left understanding that it wasn’t time away from their lives: it was time towards the life they want to live.
Rest as strategy.
Renewal as radical act.
Winter as teacher, not obstacle.
If you’re feeling the pull towards something different: a pause, a conversation, a weekend in the Welsh mountains where rest is permitted and celebrated:
I’d love to hear from you.
We’ll be announcing those new 2026 dates soon, and there’s always room for one more woman who’s ready to discover that her worth isn’t measured by how much she can hold, yet by how fully she can rest and rise.
Watch this space, and in the meantime, reach out anytime: caroline@carolinemasoncoaching.co.uk.
Calendly diary booking for a virtual cuppa
Sometimes the most important conversations begin with admitting we’re tired and ready for something different.
Ready to make rest your most radical act of leadership? Let’s begin.
