Tapas for One

What we can learn from Clara Ma’s sabbatical, burnout, and business breakthrough.

There’s a moment in this new episode of Critical Moments that stuck with me. Clara Ma, founder of Ask A Chief of Staff, was in the Cayman Islands, sitting in a beachfront Airbnb, and her feet never touched the sand.

Twelve-hour workdays. Slack pings. Inbox anxiety. Watching the sunset through the window instead of walking into it. It was a beautiful setting, but the life didn’t feel like hers.

That’s the thing about burnout. It doesn’t always show up as collapse. Sometimes it shows up as clarity. And if you listen to it, like Clara did, you might actually discover something that changes your life.

Clara left her job without a plan. She gave herself three months. She wandered through Spain. She learned Spanish. She went through a breakup. She read fiction again. She ate too many solo tapas. And somewhere in the space she created, a new idea emerged.

She didn’t intend to build a company. She just wanted to extend her trip.

But three successful placements later, she realized she was onto something. Ask a Chief of Staff was born, not from a spreadsheet or pitch deck, but from lived experience, curiosity, and agency.

That’s the part that stuck with me most: Clara gave herself permission. She paused. She wandered. She listened. And what came back to her, again and again, was what she actually cared about.

There’s a lot we can learn from that.

The next time you feel stuck, or burnt out, or like the life you’re living doesn’t quite match the one you imagined—ask yourself the questions Clara asked.

Wouldn’t it be great if…?

Then follow the answer.

You might be closer than you think.

I love feedback, so please leave a comment or send me a message:

And, if you think someone would like this post, please share.

###