Our Story
How Pacing Found Us
Pacing with Purpose didn’t arrive fully formed. It evolved over three years from a single spark: a friend’s offhand insight that cracked open my thinking about movement, work, and life.
We all get stuck. But this wasn’t the ordinary kind of stuck. My creativity, experience, and toolbox weren’t enough to pull me free. The more I wrestled, the deeper I spiraled into judgment, control, and isolation trapped in a mirror maze of my own making.
I found myself stranded at the intersection of inner turbulence and external chaos: a pandemic that warped time, relationships that frayed, high stakes work with clients locked in resistance, and a culture steeped in cynicism, aggression, rage, and victimhood. I was moving but not leading. Everything either raced past me or crawled underfoot.
I was being paced by life, not guiding my own rhythm, my own needs, my own purpose and I was losing connection with the “we” and “us” that is essential to leading, change and feeling the awe of community.
So I stepped back. I separated. I let go of friends, of activities, even parts of myself to carve out space for what mattered: connection, freedom, learning, creativity, love, beauty. Lost pieces of my own compass were gently, painfully reclaimed. This was not negotiable: reconciliation, renovation, renewal, reclaiming.
And then it clicked. My “tinkle bell” moment: pacing.
I had spent so long helping others resolve conflicts at work, but my own unprocessed stress was spilling over and not getting my attention, breaking bonds rather than building them. To move forward, I needed clarity, choice, and renovating my purpose. I needed a rhythm that belonged to me that worked with others. That’s when pacing became my lifeline.
A Story
The River and the Sea
Imagine a river winding through forests and mountains, its waters alive with currents that whisper of unseen worlds. You climb into your boat, paddle in hand, heart thrumming with anticipation. The river carries you forward, sometimes gentle, sometimes wild, and with each stroke, you leave familiar shores behind.
The open seas appear on the horizon, endless and radiant. Their saltladen winds fill your lungs, their vastness promising growth, discovery, and treasures beyond imagining. Here, in this expanse, you gather insight, chase opportunity, and taste the exhilaration of uncharted waters.
But the sea is not your home. The river calls you back quieter now, insistent. You pivot your boat, catch the current, and begin the journey upstream. Each stroke carries treasures of knowledge, lessons carved by wind and wave.
This is the art of pacing: to venture, gather, return, and repeat. To dance with rivers and seas, with challenge and reflection, with adventure and homecoming.
Tara Kowalski
BA, MA, ConRes Cert, EI 2.0
Tara’s life has been rich with tension, triumph, and messy, magnificent moments. Drawing from decades of experience in mediation and coaching, playing in various functions of business, aligning her functions with mental health, sport, energy, project management, IT, grief and loss, research, and more, combined with creative exploration and research across health, music, sports, and conflict resolution, she began mapping how pacing could transform workplaces.
Her journey has prepared her to help others navigate the magic and challenge of work with insight, choice, and intention but it often comes with some pain and joy. The toggling between these states is essential to evolving. Tapping into the real truth (a very complex concept) is essential for resolution and reconnecting. The goal isn’t just resolution; it’s renewal, restoration, growth and reclaiming that energy to pace forward with purpose.
Built Together
A Community of Creative Thinkers
From the start, my closest allies (Raina Siou, MA, and Victoria Johnston) believed in the idea and cared generously. Soon, a wider circle of brilliant, diverse thinkers joined: Stephanie Potter (Ph.D., CE), Annie-Pierre (MA), Martha Robinson (RMT, Certified in NeuroCalm Touch™), Kathy Hartwig, Terry Neiman (Ph.D.), Tobi Nifesi (Author and Publisher), and Hanan Hammad (Copy Editor).
This sea of expertise in formal and informal research and science, leadership, mental health, somatic therapies, writing, project management, IT and graphics, and conflict resolution became the backbone of the framework.
We initially set out to write a book, but as the framework took shape, another path emerged. Podcasts, experiments, conversations, and live practice became our oxygen the way to bring Pacing with Purpose to life in real time.