How to Be Sustainable in Every Aspect of Life (Not Just Environmentally)

"In a world that constantly pushes us to do more, I believe the real strength lies in knowing when to pause," says Nicole Melillo Shaw, managing director at Volvo Car UK. Of course, she’s absolutely right. But carving out time—and reminding ourselves that it's actually important—to pause can be far easier said than done. So, Volvo and Shaw, alongside journalist Natasha Bird, launched a summit with a dual focus on power and pause—offering meaningful insights into how to balance both. And when a woman who oversees close to £2 billion in annual sales (while also raising a family) speaks about how she balances it all? You listen.

"Part in parcel of what it means to be a powerful woman having a successful career is also finding pause, balance, time to recharge, so that what we end up doing ends up being just as sustainable as the EV cars that we drive," says Bird. And there it is—that good old ‘S’ word: sustainable. Not in the environmental sense, but in terms of a life that’s actually liveable—where burnout isn’t the price of success.

Importantly, pause doesn’t always mean sinking into a sofa with your go-to box set. While this can offer momentary relief, but it’s also about emotional recalibration. "It’s so important to take that step back and have a bit of reality check about what you’re doing," says Shaw. Her personal tip? Reflect on the day’s highs and lows. In a particularly tough patch at work she hilariously summed up the issue to her eight-year-old as: "I didn’t sell enough cars today." It put the problem—and her stress—into perspective.

But Shaw hasn’t reached her position by pausing alone. "The thing that stuck with me most is to not have limitations. I wouldn’t be here having this fantastic opportunity if I put any limitations on what I was going to do next," she explains. "If we can all think like that then the world becomes bigger, the opportunities become more, and people would be more fulfilled." Once you’ve rested and reset—it’s time to think big.

So where do cars come into this conversation? Volvo has long been synonymous with dependability and chic Scandi design, but now it’s going a step further. "At Volvo Cars, we design cars like the EX90 not just for performance, but to create space for wellbeing—for quiet, for safety, and for intentional living," Shaw says.

Launched earlier this year, the all-electric, seven-seater EX90 is Volvo’s most premium car to date. But at its heart lies a surprisingly simple idea—that strength comes from this balance of power and pause—it's the only way to keep any momentum going sustainably.

The Volvo EX90 is available now with prices from £82,660