Finding a healthy pace

Before returning to work after her 2017 sabbatical, Stephanie Berglund inscribed words on dozens of rocks. Savor, fun, hug, beauty, dance. The words embodied lessons the CEO of thread learned from her sabbatical, and her gratefulness toward those people who had been “my rocks.”

Gratitude was just one gift from a sabbatical that left Berglund deeply relaxed and completely rejuvenated — feelings she had never felt as an adult.

The sabbatical began with a “perfect” week on the beach in the Caribbean, accompanied by her husband, daughter and parents, enjoying sun, sand and family time. From there, Berglund returned home for her daughter’s last weeks of elementary school and traveled to a U2 concert in Seattle with her husband to celebrate their anniversary.

At the end of May, the family departed Alaska in their travel van, beginning 10 weeks of adventures driving across the country. They paddle-boarded through slot canyons, zip lined and flew in a helicopter over the Grand Canyon. Together they took risks, problem solved and learned new things — experiencing numerous “firsts.”

A few short trips later and Berglund’s time away ended. But the lessons lingered. She learned, she said, that while thread’s statewide child care resource mission is urgent, the pace at which the staff was working wasn’t healthy or sustainable.

As a result, Berglund said her team became even stronger than it was before she left. They began holding each other and the agency accountable for how to do their best work, better manage the pace and practice new, healthier habits.

In the end, it all came back to the words Berglund wrote on those rocks, and the gratitude she felt strongly both while away and after her return.

“1 feel most grateful for the gift of time with my family and friends, but beyond that, I feel really grateful for my life overall,” she said. “I am grateful for the people and support system I have, for my meaningful work and for my health.”