Start with a 60–90 second scene: a tense work meeting, a hot-headed reply drafted in email, and the one small pause that stopped a career‑costing sentence. That opening hooks a practical frame: treat a pause as a reputation brake — an emotional firewall you deploy the same way every time. The episode gives an exact method (three-count breath), three alternative anchors (hand-on-chest, silent fingertip press, quick mental phrase), a short five‑minute daily drill to build automaticity, and sample scripts for emails and conversations. To add credibility and variety, you’ll hear a 45‑second listener vignette and a brief coach clip explaining why anchors work. Real metrics are included (track regret emails sent, self-rated calm 1–10) plus a clear 7‑day Pause Challenge: log results and share a short check-in via #QuietPause7 or a two‑question form. Practical, compact, and designed to be learnable tonight and measurable by next week.