PERSPECTIVES IN FOCUS
Courtney Michener Miller
As I write this, I’m fully aware I am reaching an audience of learning and development (L&D) professionals. The thought makes me smile but underscores the importance of my message. I see you hustling each day.
I also watched you move from room to room with determination at the 2026 LTEN Annual Conference, gathering momentum from filling your cups with knowledge and benchmarking, networking and growth.
You’ve each chosen a career path that feels best while serving others, preparing individuals for field readiness, leadership roles, operational and executional excellence. We collectively create value by ensuring others shine.
We look after our learners and organizations fearlessly, determinedly and brilliantly. If you want an agile human, capable of delivering, find your way to an L&D professional. You’ll find that, and more.
But, let me ask you a bold question today. Take a breath and get ready; the topic may be a bit uncomfortable for several of you. It is for me, anyway.
When was the last time you rested? Really, really took a rest?
You may have taken Clifton Strength Finders in your career, and if you haven’t you must, immediately. Where does the strength of restoration sit for you on your list? For me, it is at rock bottom. That’s right. It’s number 34.
With this in mind, imagine how hard it is for this L&D obsessive, a mom of four kids and two dogs, to restore herself? It’s almost impossible, even when I am trying. There is always One. More. Thing. I am terrible at restoration. The worst. I should not be giving you any advice here, so proceed with caution!
Then I saw this quote from Anne Lamont and it helped me reframing the challenge. It helped make the task of resting seem reasonable and even required for me. Let me share it with you as a gift for safekeeping, for your bedside table, as a beacon of hope, or challenge, for the remainder of the year.
“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” - Anne Lamont
I have zero problems restarting my phone or computer. After a reboot, a software update or time for a battery to cool, that precious lifeline device is back in business. It’s magic.
I chuckle each time at the simplicity of it all, leaving behind the panic that ensued while the device wasn’t keeping up with the pace that I wanted it to go. I mean, how many times do I have to authenticate before my work computer will start? Why is the restart always required while logging into Teams to present?
My patience runs thin while my PC is rebooting and doing its thing. I breathe. It slows me down.
But a few minutes to calibrate before I send the email is a good thing, right? Right! It is. And it’s OK.
Just like our devices, you deserve to unplug too. For me, it’s with a good book, a sit by the water, time to write, a workout, a long walk to nowhere with the dog or even a dreamy sailboat ride when I’m really going all out!
What do you love to do to restore? Keep it simple but leave room for the big things too and make them happen.
A formal unplug is just what you need to come back to your work and do it to the best of your ability for your businesses and patients. A quick look into the research on the benefits of reflection time is just the perspective you need to reinforce this ask. Trust me.
So, my fellow L&D professionals, consider this your annual reminder to unplug. Make the time in your #OneBeautifulLife to find a few rituals that bring you to a place of restoration.
Your body and mind will do its best work only when fully charged. For you, your family and your workplace, unplug.
I’m right here with you, working to do the same.
Courtney Michener Miller is head of enterprise learning & capabilities development for AstraZeneca and a member of the LTEN Board of Directors. Email her at courtney.michener@astrazeneca.com or connect through linkedin.com/in/courtneymichenermiller.