💌 Weekly: The case for doing absolutely nothing

WHAT’S ON DECK

• Tell Me More: Doing nothing with your favorite people is really good for you

• FQ Leaders Spotlight: Susie Wolff, Managing Director of F1 Academy

• Inside Track: Leaders on the move

• Dear FQ: How do I earn credibility as the youngest person on my team?

• Poll the Pack: The simplest career hack

TELL ME MORE

Think nothing of it

You made plans with a friend weeks in advance to go to that new restaurant opening everyone’s talking about. It sounded fun at the time, but as the date gets closer, something shifts. Instead of excitement, you feel…pressure. Suddenly, it feels like an obligation. You still want to see your friend, but secretly you’re hoping they cancel.

Why are we like this? The minute we put something on the calendar, expectations creep in, and you feel that nagging feeling to be “on.” So what’s the solution? Nothing. Literally. Get together with your friends and do nothing. Nada, rien, niente. And it’s really good for you.

We’re talking about the unstructured hangout. No set plans, just be together, enjoy one another’s company, and see what comes up. Studies show that doing nothing with people you love is one of the best ways to spend time, and it’s great for your mental health.

The problem is, we don’t do it much anymore. For most of human history, just “hanging out” was normal. People dropped by each other’s homes, kids played outside, and friends knocked on the door to see if you were around. But technology, social media, smartphones, hyper-scheduled lives, and hustle culture have changed that. We have what experts call a busy habit. Writes Susan Weinschenk, “We're addicted to doing stuff. We have to prove something to ourselves and the world. It involves striving, being productive, being busy, working hard, playing hard. Everything has to have a purpose and be connected with a goal. Even our ‘down’ time has to be filled with all the ways we are making ourselves better.”

Ironically, all that connectivity and “betterment” has helped fuel what experts call the loneliness epidemic, officially declared by U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy in 2023. But the trend started earlier. About 20 years ago, smartphones and social media began pulling people away from in-person connections. Neuropsychologist Sanam Hafeez says, “Intimate bonds form when neighbors drop by each other's homes, when children play together outside, or coworkers connect over the ‘water cooler.’ Without these interactions, relationships can become transactional, and we can become isolated.”

In 2021, the Survey Center of American Life found Americans were distancing from their friends, communicating less, and asking for support less often. In a 2025 American Psychological Association poll, 60% of Americans said they feel lonely. That loneliness has consequences, linked to depression, anxiety, dementia, and stroke. According to Dr. Murthy, loneliness carries the same health risks as obesity, inactivity, or smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

The antidote, of course, is friends. Real ones. In real life. 

Building a social network, an IRL social network, is one of the most powerful things we can do for our well-being. And when the hangout has no plan at all, the benefits are exponential. Maybe you pop by a friend’s house, maybe you play a board game, or maybe you watch TV and barely pay attention…and somewhere in there comes one of those deep belly laughs that feels so good it practically resets your brain. Alexandra G. Stratyner shared, “You tend to be more relaxed when you’re not on a schedule. With no agenda, there’s also more room for laughter, surprise, and candid conversations that deepen relationships.” Sheila Liming, author of Hanging Out: The Radical Power of Killing Time, agrees, “If we can be in a room doing nothing with someone else, that is a pretty sincere form of intimacy.” When you spend time with someone you feel safe with, you can just…be. 

In fact, neuroscientists at Dartmouth found that close friends’ brains sync up. When they share an experience like watching the same videos, their minds respond in similar ways, showing nearly identical patterns of attention, emotion, and even boredom. The connection runs so deep that researchers could tell how close two people were just by looking at their brain scans.

That kind of connection doesn’t just feel good; it’s good for us. When women connect, stress hormones drop, and the body finds balance. Research shows that opening up to a friend soothes the nervous system. One of the longest-running studies on human happiness, the Harvard Study of Adult Development, found that strong relationships are the most powerful predictor of a long, healthy life. In other words, the people you spend time with matter. When you surround yourself with people who are motivated and have good habits, it’s contagious. 

Which is why giving yourself permission to pause might be one of the most radical things you can do. Vic Paterson said, “When you take the pressure off making a hangout perfect, your brain stops treating friendship like a performance review and something magical happens. The best therapy often happens on someone’s sofa, talking rubbish and not watching whatever’s on TV. When we stop trying to make memories, we actually make them.” 

What are you waiting for? Call a friend…and do absolutely nothing.

We are proud to share that The Female Quotient is officially a LinkedIn BrandLink partner, joining a lineup of peers in media and publishing that includes The Wall Street Journal, Condé Nast, Forbes, Fortune, and more.

With our founder and CEO, Shelley Zalis, also represented as a thought leader in the BrandLink creator program, The FQ is part of a new cohort of publishers in the program represented by both the brand and its founder, expanding how partners can connect. For brand partners, this allows us to feature premium pre-roll alongside editorial FQ content, in a brand-safe environment, powered by LinkedIn’s first-party targeting. Email us to learn more: [email protected]

FQ LEADERS SPOTLIGHT

Troublemakers who don’t fit the mold, and don’t try to

If you want to catch up with Susie Wolff, you’re going to have to hit the accelerator. She is the Managing Director of F1 Academy, which develops and champions women drivers to pursue the sport. She began her career in karting and became a development driver for the Williams Formula One racing team. She made history at the 2014 British Grand Prix as the first woman to participate in a Formula One race weekend in 22 years. Since her retirement from driving, she hasn’t been far from the track. She’s made a commitment to fostering gender equity in the sport by establishing Dare to be Different, which aims to drive female talent in all aspects of motorsport, from the drivers to the engineers, pit crew, and more.

Now, she’s telling her story. Susie’s memoir, Driven, launches in the U.S. today, April 28. It’s a look at what it really takes to succeed when you’re the only woman on the grid, from the discipline and precision required at the highest level, to the moment she realized that waiting for permission was never going to be the path forward. Driven is about leadership, resilience, and redefining what’s possible.

What’s the worst career advice you’ve gotten?

I was told to follow the conventional path and make sure I had a backup plan. At 18, I knew exactly what I wanted, to become a racing driver, but there was real pressure from outside to conform and choose what everyone saw as the safe option, which meant going to university just in case it didn’t work out.

Of course, having options matters, but there’s also something to be said for backing yourself fully. If you’re constantly preparing for Plan B, you’re not giving everything to Plan A. I lasted one week into my second year before I followed my gut, left, and put all my energy into becoming the best racing driver I could be. It was a leap of faith. It’s important to follow your dreams, and to not be influenced or distracted by outside expectations and opinions.

What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve gotten?

You have to be your own biggest champion. Competing in a male-dominated environment, there were plenty of moments where I could feel the skepticism walking into a garage or a meeting room. I knew I would have to work harder to earn respect, but just as importantly, I had to hold onto the belief that I belonged there and that I could succeed. The reality is, you can’t expect others to back you or come on the journey with you if you don’t truly believe in yourself.

What was a heartbeat moment for you in your career?

At the age of 22, I had all the momentum in my career. I’d been nominated for British Young Driver of the Year, had a big sponsor backing me, and was about to start the Formula 3 championship. Everything was lining up exactly as I’d hoped.

Then, in a moment that had nothing to do with racing, I broke my ankle while out buying milk for my grandmother. Just like that, everything unraveled. I lost my seat, my race license, and all the momentum I had worked so hard to build. Those months were incredibly tough. It would have been easy to let go of the dream, but I chose to keep fighting.

A year later, I was signed as a Mercedes-Benz driver. Looking back, I think about how close I came to it not happening at all. That period taught me resilience in a way nothing else could and it changed the trajectory of my career and my life.

Who is one person you’d love to give flowers to from your career that influenced your journey? What advice or lesson did you learn from them?

I’m lucky that I do get to regularly give this person flowers, my mum. She shaped so much of who I am.

She was an incredible role model growing up. She had a balanced and very equal marriage with my father, ran her own business, and raced bikes. Both my parents never treated me any differently than my older brother. There were no limits placed on what I could or couldn’t do. I grew up believing that if I worked hard enough, I could chase my dream of becoming a racing driver. Even in a very male-dominated environment, I never questioned whether I belonged because that belief had already been instilled in me.

Where have you caused some good trouble in your career?

Taking on the role of running F1 Academy. I had a vision for what the series could be and the impact it could have on motorsport.

In those early months, it was very much elbows out, pushing for us to race alongside Formula 1, bringing all the F1 teams into the ecosystem, and making sure the series was taken seriously. Not everyone immediately saw that vision, and it wasn’t easy to shift mindsets or bring partners on board.

I felt strongly that if we wanted to create real change for women in motorsport, we had to be bold and challenge how things had always been done. Now, going into our fourth season, it’s incredible to see how far we’ve come: the momentum, the partners, and the place we’ve carved out within the sport.

Want to nominate a “Troublemaker” you admire? You can do so here.

INSIDE TRACK

Leaders on the move

• Sarah Murphy has stepped into the role of Global Head of Brand, Creative & Marketing Engagement at AIG

• Khartoon Weiss has been appointed Vice President, Global Customer Solutions, MMS at Google

• Nicole Souza has taken on the role of Chief Growth Officer at Stagwell

• Colleen Kapase is now VP of Strategic Partners and Ecosystems at OpenAI

• Jessica Jocobi has been named Chief Marketing Officer at the LA Galaxy

• Sabrina Callahan has taken on the role of the first-ever Chief Digital & Marketing Officer at Southwest Airlines

• Heidi O’Neill has been promoted to CEO of lululemon

• Annie Shea Weckesser has joined Intel as Chief Marketing and Communications Officer

DEAR FQ

Your burning career questions answered

Lorena Castano of The Female Quotient weighs in:

As the youngest person in the office, I understand how you feel. While we talk about ageism when it comes to getting older, it works both ways. What’s important to remember is that your age does not define you, nor does it prevent you from contributing meaningful ideas. 

To build confidence in team meetings, focus on preparation. Look at the whole picture to add context to any ideas you might present. Then, when you relay your thoughts, use hard facts to back them up. 

Make sure to seek out mentorship opportunities. The workplace is now home to 6 (!!!!!!) generations. Learning and collaborating with a seasoned teammate can help you bring a more considered POV to the table. And the relationship is mutually beneficial. 73% of older employees say that younger workers help them keep up to date on the latest technology and POVs.

Be resourceful. Leaders notice when someone takes initiative to figure things out, look for answers, and explore solutions before asking for help. You don’t have to get everything perfectly right, but showing that you’re curious, proactive, and willing to try goes a long way.

At the end of the day, age diversity makes organizations stronger. No one starts their career knowing everything, but what sets you apart is your willingness to learn, adapt, and grow. And, I can guarantee they’ll learn something from you, too.

P.S. Got a burning career question? Serve it up here to Dear FQ to score advice from a powerhouse leader in our network.

POLL THE PACK

The way we really learn at work

If you want to learn faster at work, here’s a simple strategy: sit next to someone who knows what they’re doing.

According to employees, the most effective way to learn on the job isn’t another training module or a 47-slide onboarding deck. It’s shadowing someone or teaming up on a project. 43% of employees say this is how they learn best. Turns out, watching someone actually do their job and asking questions while they do it works best. 💡

HR researchers agree. Rachel Stewart of McLean & Company calls job shadowing one of the easiest development tools companies have. It costs basically nothing, uses the expertise already in the room, and helps people build skills faster. 

The next most popular learning method? Just ask questions. Revolutionary, we know. But it only works in workplaces where people feel comfortable speaking up without worrying they’ll look clueless. And don’t underestimate the informal stuff; the hallway chats, the “wait, how did you do that?” Slack messages, and the post-meeting coffee debriefs. 

The takeaway is that most learning at work doesn’t happen in formal trainings. It happens in conversations, collaboration, and the little moments in between.

Forward this to a friend and aggressively do nothing together. 👯‍♀️

Xo,

The FQ

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