‘The Pause to Relax’ urges self-care for women

Published on Business Monthly

Linda Penkala has rereleased her book, “The Pause to Relax,” with more scientific data. (Anne Kelley Studio)

Linda Penkala has rereleased her book, “The Pause to Relax,” with more scientific data, a new sense of urgency, and a generous portion of hope.

Penkala has long been in the business of massage therapy, aromatherapy, and holistic health and wellness. She’s also an author, a frank communicator, and has a finger on the pulse of the effects of stress. Literally, that is.

In Chapter 1, Penkala asks—and proceeds to provide answers in subsequent chapters—the crucial question: “We may end each day wondering with dismay: why am I so exhausted?”

As the world experienced the COVID-19 pandemic, Penkala noticed that women emerged with different burdens than men, so she spent all of 2024 conducting research for this revised edition of her book.

“I wanted to evoke a sense of urgency in all of us,” she said. Chapter 2 of “The Pause to Relax” delves into why cardiovascular disease has become such an urgent matter for women.

“The sobering statistic is that women are dying of this disease more than all the cancers combined, yet only 44% of women know this!” writes Penkala.

She is also very concerned that cardiovascular disease is the number-one killer of new moms and causes more than one-third of maternal deaths. “When you see this stat, your eyeballs pop open!” she said.

With a very personal approach to heart health, she relays her own experience with atrial fibrillation and tells readers how she became a jockey, leaving home at the age of 19. Penkala is an especially sympathetic voice for working women.

“Not surprisingly, the pandemic had a swift impact on the employment of women,” she writes in Chapter Three. “One in four women considered leaving their job or downshifting their careers versus one in five men.”

In the book, she reminds women of what they need to do to take care of themselves—even while they’re trying to care for others.

“Women need to be reminded of that,” she said. “I remember to gather with girlfriends. The balm of nature and going outside allows me to slow down. After making many lifestyle changes, I realized my mess became my message.”

In Chapter 5, Penkala wonders aloud why we—meaning people who live in the U.S.—don’t take as much vacation time as we should. “Sadly, Americans are leaving vacation days on the table by choosing not to use them, thereby negatively affecting their health,” she said. That’s not good for business, either: “This lack of time unwinding can also impact the financial health of their company,” she writes.

There are also elements of fun in the book—you get to check out photos of Penkala as a young jockey, peruse some nature pictures, and read “Horse Hints,” or little-known facts about horses. Penkala, among many other accomplishments, was the first woman to be ranked among the top ten jockeys in the Laurel Racetrack program.

In Chapter 6, she offers nine pillars of heart disease prevention, again from a very personal—and frightening—experience with atrial fibrillation.

“Seeing my erratic heart rate on the monitor to the left of me was beyond distressing,” Penkala writes.

Chapter 7 is about building your wellness team, and lately, Penkala has been busy expanding her own sense of community as well, by increasing her presence on social media and planning more book signings and presentations.

“I’m offering lifestyle choices that we need to pay attention to,” she said.

She believes that embracing the cause of women’s heart health requires a supportive network.

“Never has it been more urgent to gather around you—a group of friends, family, coworkers, or even online buddies to assist,” Penkala writes.
When asked what she most wants to communicate with her new book, she cites a sense of hope and a sense of urgency. “We need to have groups—circles of women who come together globally,” she said. “Community is medicine.”

Or, as she writes in the final chapter: “We can all have a hand and heart to shape the future of wiser heart healthy lifestyle choices, regardless of age.”