Charlene
Schubert
Senior Product Manager
"The Nonlinear Path: Why pausing can be the smartest move of your career"
"The Nonlinear Path: Why pausing can be the smartest move of your career"
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Session: The Nonlinear Path: Why pausing can be the smartest move of your career
Career growth isn’t always a straight climb — sometimes the most meaningful progress comes from stepping back or pressing pause. Yet in a world that glorifies momentum, pausing can often feel like failure. This talk explores how sabbaticals and career transitions can instead become powerful tools for self-leadership, creating clarity, confidence, and renewed purpose.Attendees will learn how to plan a purposeful sabbatical or career pause — from financial preparation to designing unstructured time for rest, learning, and reflection. Practical tools such as journaling, strength assessments, and intentional networking will be shared to help turn downtime into personal and professional insight.
Participants will leave with a redefined view of success — understanding that real progress isn’t always linear, and that pausing can be the boldest, smartest step forward in building a sustainable, fulfilling career.
Key Takeaways
- Redefine success: Get clarity and work towards a long-term fulfillment instead of just "making the climb"
- The power of pause: Learn how taking intentional breaks — whether a sabbatical or short pause — can unlock creativity, resilience, and renewed purpose.
- Practical tools for reflection: From financial planning and journaling to using frameworks like strengthsfinder and building supportive networks.
- Authentic leadership: Discover why leadership is not about titles, but about humility, self-awareness, and growing others.
- Self-Belief beyond background: Feel empowered to pursue opportunities — whether in startups or global companies like PayPal — regardless of academic pedigree or background.
Bio
Charlene Schubert is a passionate Product Leader with experience across startups, scale-ups, and global corporations — including her time as Head of Product for Digital Health and Experiences at DocMorris and as an individual contributor at PayPal. She has led teams and driven impact both as a people leader and an individual contributor, embracing a non-linear career path that reflects her belief that true leadership is built on grit, curiosity, and impact — not titles. Her journey inspires others to embrace pauses, stay resilient, and redefine what growth and leadership truly mean.