Sabbatical Reflections

In case you missed it, I was on sabbatical for three months and just returned in early November. I am so grateful for the opportunity to take a pause and have the chance to do some of the things that are harder to prioritize when working for yourself. 

People keep asking me for my reflections and insights. Two bubble to the surface, and I’m both excited and a little nervous to share them.

First -- I really thought I’d have trouble not working… and I didn’t. 

I thought it would be really hard for me to disconnect. That my brain would still be thinking about clients, new workshop ideas, or new materials I wanted to create. I’m someone whose work is so central and core to my identity; I’m lucky that I genuinely enjoy the work I do. But it was actually easy to leave work behind. I was surprised. 

You've probably heard the adage that doing what you love means you'll never work a day in your life.  If you’re a professionally ambitious and driven person like me, the idea of not working or doing work that others see as valuable will make you feel lost and uncomfortable. I think this break showed me that even for career-ambitious folks, it might not be as hard as you think to leave work behind and find other things that give you joy. 

I'm so grateful for the ability to take this time away, and even though it was easier to disconnect than I expected, I'm genuinely looking forward to reconnecting with clients and jumping back in to support career changers, job seekers, new managers, and teams.

The second insight I had came while on a big trip abroad and requires a little backstory. The biggest reason I took a sabbatical was that I wanted to do some adventurous travel without the burden of having to be connected to my laptop during that time. Most of you reading this may not know that when I started my business nearly 8 years ago, I originally started Pivot Journeys as a company combining career development and travel. (Our first ‘Pivot Journeys’ in 2016 were trips to Belize, Costa Rica and other US cities helping folks navigate what’s next while using the experience of travel to open them up to new experiences and insights.) As you can probably guess, the travel part of the company gradually faded and now I coach, train and facilitate full-time. There were many reasons for that pivot (hah), but a large piece was due to a significant shift in my own feelings about travel after becoming very ill on a prior trip and never quite being the same again - mentally and physically. 

Travel became this big stressful, anxiety-provoking thing for me over the last 7+ years. But it was also so core to my previous identity as a strong, independent woman who traveled to so many places. So in planning this trip, I orchestrated an itinerary that would get me back to my roots of feeling comfortable and excited about adventurous travel. I spent months planning - not just my itinerary, but preparations like how to pack carry-on luggage for two wildly different climates. I leaned on my extreme organization, structure and planning strengths in the lead up to the trip.

The first part of the trip went great - we saw family in Europe, ate amazing food, soaked up museums and culture, did so much walking, explored cute small towns, and I got in many fun runs in new places.  

And then a few weeks in, the security situation in one of the places I had planned to go deteriorated and I was faced with the challenge of deciding whether to go or not. I had spent nearly six months organizing my schedule and planning my life around the specific dates for this trip. As someone who prides themself on having solidly organized plans and always following through, changing the plan felt overwhelming. 

I called one of my best friends. She did what so many of us need a friend to do when we’re faced with any hard decision - she listened for unsaid thoughts and offered a reframe that gave me insight. 

She helped me recognize that my biggest fear was rooted in the worry that canceling the trip might make me appear weak. My identity as a strong and adventurous person felt like it was at stake.

She then shared something powerful with me: Sometimes, the path of strength and bravery involves not sticking to your original plan but adapting and changing your plan.

Our conversation wasn’t about logistics or where else I could travel. It was about accepting and being ok with changing the plan. And how lucky I was to have the ability and agency to do that!  

So, I changed the plan. I joined my husband and some friends on a 6-day road trip in the Balkans. And I actually got back the ‘travel by the seat of your pants’ experience that I lost long ago. I couldn’t have named a city in North Macedonia a few weeks ago and now I’ve been. Landing at the airport in Kosovo and going into a 9-hour tour of the country with no idea where we were going definitely required building adaptability muscle. 

It may seem strange that I’m sharing all these personal details about my trip. But as I reflected on the experience, it deepened my empathy for the people I work with. This led to my second major insight:

For many of us, the decision to pursue an alternative path, whether personally or professionally, doesn't begin with what you’re going to do or a clear plan of action. Instead, it starts with acknowledging that the existing plan isn't working and being okay with changing it. While I've always been aware of this concept and it informs the coaching I provide, this situation placed me directly in that moment again in a way I haven't experienced in a long time, reminding me of how it feels.

So… those are my two reflections! 

Now that I’m back I’m looking forward to catching up with past clients, getting prepared for our Career Mapping Workshop on Dec 5th, re-connecting with the teams and orgs I’ve supported over the past year, and working on a few new offerings to support your career growth.