The Leadership Pause

Reflection, resilience and renewal for senior women who spend their careers and lives supporting everyone else.

Photo by Farlie Photography | October 2026 Cohort

The Leadership Pause is a premium leadership experience designed to strengthen leadership effectiveness.

Each cohort of senior women leaders is carefully curated to provide protected space to step away from day-to-day operational demands and a rare opportunity to invest in personal development. Bringing together experienced leaders from diverse organisations and sectors, it creates the openness, trust and quality of conversation that is only possible in a small, carefully selected peer group.

"Senior female connections, conversation and understanding were the glue of the experience."
Dr Amanda Potter, Founder and CEO of BeTalent by Zircon

As well as forming new friendships and a support network, participants leave with greater clarity, renewed resilience and practical insights they can apply immediately.


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Leadership Pause

Strategic Space To Think

The most impactful leadership decisions are rarely made in the chaos of day-to-day operations. They emerge when we create the space to step back, think strategically and see with fresh perspective.

Every aspect is thoughtfully designed to support both your thinking and your wellbeing. You'll experience an environment that encourages reflection, meaningful conversation and genuine restoration, allowing you to return with renewed clarity, energy and focus.

There are periods of unstructured time in the programme, creating space to pause, reflect and recharge.

"A rare opportunity to connect with like-minded professional women to share our challenges and offer support to each other" Julia Carter, Founder and Managing Director, ZestFor Ltd

Decluttering Your Mind

Identify and examine the cognitive, emotional, and operational clutter competing for your attention. You leave with actionable strategies to lighten the load, establish boundaries, and lead with greater focus both professionally and personally.

An Environment Designed for Deep Focus

Set in a peaceful, distinguished Suffolk country estate, the environment is intentionally chosen to minimize external noise and provide an elevated, distraction-free space for high-level thinking and peer connection.

Intentional Nourishment and Connection

Enjoy thoughtfully curated, seasonal dining experiences designed to nourish both body and mind. These unhurried meals provide a relaxed backdrop for genuine, peer-to-peer discussions and meaningful networking with fellow senior leaders.

Integrated Wellbeing and Recovery

True strategic vision requires physical and mental recovery. To help you fully transition out of execution mode, the experience includes a dedicated head massage treatment, and time in the hot tub (if you fancy it!).


Meet Your Hosts

The Leadership Pause is co-created and facilitated by Joy Burnford and Ingrid Pope, combining practical leadership insight, thought-provoking conversations and a warm, supportive environment where women can step back, reflect and grow.


Joy Burnford

Joy is the founder of Encompass Equality and a long-standing advocate for gender equality in the workplace. She is an entrepreneur, business leader and natural connector who has spent more than 25 years building businesses, developing partnerships and bringing people together around ideas and opportunities.

Joy curates conversations and experiences that spark fresh thinking, creates new connections and opens up opportunities for people and organisations.

Through The Leadership Pause, she creates the environment, conversations and connections that enable senior women to step back, think differently and reconnect with what matters most.

Ingrid Pope

Ingrid is the founder of Creating Space and author of Uncluttered: How to Create Space to Think, Work and Live.

Passionate about helping people thrive in an increasingly busy world, Ingrid works with leaders to reduce overwhelm, quiet the mental noise and create the clarity needed for better thinking and better decisions.

Combining practical tools with thoughtful reflection, she helps people make space for what matters most, both at work and in life.

Through The Leadership Pause, Ingrid leads the learning journey, equipping participants with simple but powerful approaches they can continue to use long after it has ended.


Practical Details

Dates for 2027

We are now taking bookings for 2027. There are just 8 places available at each.

  • 3rd and 4th March
  • 3rd and 4th June
  • 7th and 8th October

The programmes takes place on Thursday to Friday and includes one night's accommodation (with the option to extend to two).

Hintlesham Hall, Suffolk

Set within 12 acres of beautiful Suffolk countryside, Hintlesham Hall is a stunning Grade I listed country house, just 90 minutes from London yet a world away from the pace of everyday life. With luxurious bedrooms, award-winning dining, tranquil gardens and an on-site treatment rooms, it provides the perfect setting to relax, recharge and reconnect. https://hintleshamhall.co.uk/

All Meals Included

From the moment you arrive, everything is taken care of. Enjoy refreshments on arrival, a delicious three course dinner and then breakfast and lunch on the Friday. Your stay also includes refreshments throughout the retreat, plus wine or soft drinks with dinner, allowing you to relax and focus entirely on yourself and the experience.

Follow-Up

To enable participants to stay connected beyond the event, there is a facilitated online group session three months after each experience. Participants also provide each other with support, providing accountability and inspiration as you put your learning into practice.

“The Leadership Pause provided real clarity of thought, a structured approach to take forward, and the opportunity to build a brilliant network of like-minded women.” Justina Rhodes, Head of PMO, Gallagher