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REST ≠ RETREAT:The Art of Rejuvenation and Self-Care
It’s rehearsal for your next breakthrough.
Jim Fielding
July 23, 2025
The Pause That Powers the Second Half
HELLO Beautiful and Kind Human Beings and welcome to Issue #19 of Field Notes.
“Rest isn’t retreat. It’s rehearsal for your next breakthrough.”
Let’s get honest: we are halfway through 2025, and a lot of us are running on fumes.
We sprinted into the year with vision boards, goals, and good intentions. We pushed through Pride, through politics, through professional pressure. And somewhere along the way, many of us forgot to breathe. Forgot to check in. Forgot to rest.
I’ve been there.
As a recovering overachiever (hi, my name is Jim), I used to believe that momentum was everything. That stopping meant slipping. That slowing down was a luxury for other people.
But here’s what I’ve learned—through sleepless nights, tough leadership lessons, and more than one burned-out summer:
The best breakthroughs don’t come from burnout. They come from stillness.
That’s why I’m using this mid-year moment to pause—not as a break from leadership, but as a powerful part of it. And I’m inviting you to do the same.
What if July isn’t just the start of Q3—but the checkpoint your body, mind, and spirit have been craving?
What if we stop grinding long enough to ask:
What’s actually working?
What needs to be lovingly released?
Where am I forcing instead of flowing?
Where do I need to rest—not because I’m weak, but because I’m wise?
In this edition of Field Notes, we’ll revisit three essential ideas that have shaped my life and leadership this year:
🧠 Control the Controllables – A reminder that peace isn’t passive. It’s proactive.
💤 The Luxury of Sleep – Why rest is one of the most radical, rebellious acts in an anxious world.
🧭 The So What Test – How pausing to ask better questions can lead to stronger teams and bolder outcomes.
This isn’t about quitting. This isn’t about hiding.
This is about choosing presence over pressure.
Because great leaders don’t just charge forward—they know when to stop, reset, and rise stronger.
Welcome to the pause. Let’s make it powerful.
In Community and Conversation,
Jim
Reflection Corner: “Control the Controllables” – What Still Belongs?
“Control the Controllable, But Leave Space for the Possible” - Lesson #1 from All Pride, No Ego
Build a Simple Checklist of what you can truly control and authentically “own” in your personal and professional life.
What am I holding onto that I no longer control?
What can I double down on now?
What needs to be released with grace?
Journal it. Talk it through with a coach. Or just take it for a walk.
Podcast Spotlight: Jim Fielding & Friends — Lessons So Far
5 Episodes of my new Podcast are “out in the world” and I am LOVING the process, my guests, and the COMMENTS. Thank you all how have listened or viewed.
Biggest Learnings so Far:
- It is hard to stop talking with such fascinating guests! I could go on for hours
- Our community is craving authentic and insightful conversations
- Authentic and Kind Leaders are rare and need to be treasured and listened to for brilliant insights
Defunding the Truth: Why Killing PBS and NPR Is an Assault on Our Democracy
This isn’t about budgets.
It’s about control.
The latest push by Congress and the Trump administration to gut funding for PBS and NPR isn’t a fiscal decision. It’s a cultural one. It’s a direct hit on public education, civic literacy, and fact-based journalism—all the foundations of a healthy democracy.
And if you're paying attention, you know this isn’t new. It’s part of a pattern.
🔻 Ban the books. Muzzle the teachers. Defund the facts.
It’s all the same playbook, just different chapters.
PBS and NPR have long stood as pillars of public trust—amplifying underrepresented voices, spotlighting historical truths, and offering in-depth coverage beyond the screaming match of cable news.
🎙️ “We are in the truth business... and public broadcasting is one of the last bastions of a shared national narrative.”
— Ken Burns, filmmaker and longtime PBS collaborator
What they’re really afraid of?
An educated, curious, and questioning public.
Because when people have access to truth, they stop falling for lies.
When they hear stories from all walks of life, they stop fearing “the other.”
When they see the full arc of American history, they stop settling for cheap slogans.
That’s what this is really about.
And let’s be blunt:
These same lawmakers decrying PBS and NPR as “woke” or “leftist” will gladly fund partisan propaganda disguised as news. The hypocrisy is galling—and dangerous.
Why this matters to me
As someone who champions lifelong learning and radical curiosity, this hits me hard.
I grew up watching PBS.
I still listen to NPR daily.
I’ve learned from Frontline, All Things Considered, Morning Edition, American Experience.
And yes—Ken Burns taught me more history than most textbooks ever did.
PBS and NPR shaped me.
Now they're being gutted for political theater.
Let’s be clear:
This isn’t just about cutting programming.
It’s about cutting off the next generation’s access to diverse ideas, deep inquiry, and unvarnished truth.
What we can do
I am—and will remain—a proud sustaining donor to my local PBS and NPR stations.
I urge you to do the same.
If you can afford a cup of coffee a day, you can help preserve the truth for millions of Americans.
Because once we lose it—it’s damn hard to get back.
This is about more than radio waves and documentaries.
It’s about defending the soul of democracy.
And refusing to be silenced.
🎧 Support your local PBS and NPR stations today.
💥 Share this article. Speak up. Stay curious.
🛑 Because if we stop funding the truth, we start normalizing the lie.
Jake Woodford
Jake Woodford, Appleton’s 46th Mayor, was elected to a second term in April 2024. He first took office in April of 2020 during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Guiding the City through a period of intense change and social unrest, he set forth an agenda focused on excellence in public administration, tackling longstanding projects and issues, and creating a vision for the future of the community.
Mayor Woodford advocates for the people of Appleton, successfully championing legislative changes to better fund and equip local governments in Wisconsin. During his time in office, Appleton has secured tens of millions of dollars in state and federal grants and philanthropic support for critical projects and initiatives. He has also led efforts to increase the supply and affordability of housing, create new parks and open spaces, revitalize neighborhoods and civic facilities, grow investments in infrastructure, stabilize the City’s debt, and improve government operations and service.
He serves on the League of Wisconsin Municipalities Board of Directors, as well as the Boards of Directors of the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce and the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center.
A lifelong Appletonian, Mayor Woodford holds a degree in government from Lawrence University.
The Quiet Before the Great
"Rest is the foundation of all strength. Without recovery, even the best intentions burn out."
— Jim Fielding
"Sleep is the best meditation."
— Dalai Lama
Radical Kindness is hard—and it requires refueling.
Leadership isn’t a sprint, it’s a relay. You can’t hand off the baton if you’re unconscious.
Preview the rest of the issue as a mid-year reset.
"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day... is by no means a waste of time."
— John Lubbock, British statesman & naturalist
"Exhaustion is not a badge of honor."
— Brené Brown
With truth and resolve,
Jim Fielding
Author. Coach. Citizen. Lifelong Learner.