'Paused by Susan Miele

BOOK RELEASE by Susan A. Miele, PhD from Publish Your Purpose When everything that defines us is stripped away, what remains? At the height of her career as the Chief People Officer of a Fortune 500 company, Susan Miele had built the life she once imagined: professional success, a strong marriage, and a home filled with promise. Her career wasn’t just what she did; it was who she was. But when a series of unexpected disruptions—physical, emotional, and circumstantial—began to unravel the stability she had worked so hard to achieve, the foundation of her identity shattered. What followed was a profound reckoning. No longer tethered by titles, roles, and the visible markers of success, she was left confronting a deeper question: Who am I when everything I thought defined me is gone? Blending memoir, theory, and storytelling, ‘Paused offers a candid exploration of identity—how it is built, dismantled, and continually remade. Drawing from lived experience and research, Miele explores how moments of rupture, whether professional, personal, or biological, reshape our sense of self and illuminate the narratives that no longer hold us. ‘Paused illustrates the universal struggle to find meaning when certainty disappears, showing that wholeness is never permanent but provisional, something we create, lose, and reassemble again and again. Clear, candid, and deeply relatable, this book invites readers to reflect on their own evolving identities and consider how meaning, purpose, and self-understanding can be rewritten at every stage of life. Get your copy of 'Paused: Redefining Identity When Our Story No Longer Holds Us at your favorite place to buy books or here on bookshop.org: https://tinyurl.com/mrs4t32r Susan A. Miele is a writer, scholar, and former Chief People Officer whose work explores how identity is dismantled and redefined through life’s transitions. Drawing from her own experience and her PhD in Human and Organizational Systems, she writes at the intersection of personal transformation, theory, and leadership, challenging how we think about belonging, success, and change. A lifelong learner and dedicated yogi, Susan infuses her writing and speaking with mindfulness and compassion. Her work invites readers and organizations alike to see disruption not as loss, but as a profound opportunity for growth. She lives in Portland, Maine. You can learn more about Susan and her book at https://www.susanmiele.com. Publish Your Purpose is a certified B Corporation™ and hybrid publisher for purpose-driven authors who believe their books can create change. We support authors who are using their stories, expertise, and lived experience to shift conversations, challenge the status quo, and contribute to something bigger than themselves. For more information about Publish Your Purpose visit https://PublishYourPurpose.com/