From Career Breaker to Dream Maker: How to Make Your Sabbatical Work for You

What are the critical questions to ask when deciding a career shift?

I am approaching the end of month 4 of my career sabbatical. The "break" from my successful 20 year sales career (always field based, 6 figure, Senior title, individual contributor roles at 2...

Are you happier now living your best life? What is Portugal like? Do you feel welcomed there?

What, if any, personal discovery strategies did you utilize during your time off to figure out your next move?

What do you need to have in place to even be able to consider something like this? Is there a savings thresh hold? Do you need permission from HR or is this a move you make completely on your...

Looking back on it all, would you have made the same decisions you did?

What was the biggest surprise about Lisbon? Do you have any passive streams of income?

How do you prepare financially for such a move?

For those taking a career break with the intention to return to the corporate world, what is your advice to explaining and even leveraging the time gap that will be present on a resume?

Hello Shar, for individuals working in fields were taking a break could deal a possible blow to their career trajectory how do you suggest incorporating meaningful breaks?

How did you know when it was the right time for you to take a break? Do you wish you had done it sooner?

When you decided to take the career break, did you give yourself a set date to make the shift? What was that process like?

How do you figure out how to earn money using your gifts when you've traditionally made money by working for traditional corporation?

Can you explain the first steps you took to transition from corporate life to a "life well lived"?

How did you make a decision about where to spend your sabbatical year?

How did you know it was time to quit?

Do you believe there is a certain age or period in your career that is reasonable to take a sabbatical?

How to build up the courage and self esteem needed to find work again after countless rejections from job opportunities.

Do you recognize the woman you were a year ago? What advice would your current self give your younger self?

I lost my contract job in March and have been on what I consider a forced break. I've done what I can to make the most of it. What I'm curious about is how does someone who has been self-employed...

What was/were the most important things during your time off?

What did you do with your time while you were on your break? Did you do any work in your previous field? I'm worried that the preoccupation with financial security and "staying relevant" will...

After seven years as a purchasing manager in AG, I left my position because I could not submit to my director's toxicity another day following a near heart attack from stress. I feel like the move...

I feel a bit of imposter's syndrome when I call the last two years a "sabbatical". I am not wealthy, and walking away from my job didn't feel like a choice. I left an incredibly toxic work...

How did you know it was time to go back?

When did you know that you wanted or needed to take a career break?

how do you know when it's time to take a sabbatical? like what is the point of realizing "i need to do this"?

Did you ever think of a career pivot during sabbatical?

How did you determine the length of time that you needed off?

How do you get back into the working world when your break is done? and how do you explain that break as a voluntary one?

Did you have a goal or a direction for how to spend your time during the career break? How did you actually ‘reset’ and found yourself a new way of living?

How did you manage finances?

Would love to know how to financially plan for a break while also keeping retirement plans from derailing!

How did you plan - financially for a sabbatical?

Do you wish you took your sabbatical earlier than you did?

How do you craft a summary for example, in an interview or the about section of LinkedIn to Include the career break?

How’d you handle the fear of “jumping”?

Any advice if you want to do something fun using experience but only 10 hours a week, phasing to retirement? How find companies open to this?

How do you know if it's time to take a career break?

Did you financially prepare for your sabbatical? If so, how did you financially prepare? What would be your word of advice for someone who is feeling burnt out but burnt out at a job that only...

how to position the time off with prospective employers

What are two of the biggest differences between the corporate world and entrepreneurship?

How do you check-in with yourself to determine if you have the things you want/need as your gap year evolves?

How did you prepare financially and lifestyle-wise to make such a huge career pivot? What were the main things you wanted to have in place as a “safety net”?

I personally have found your story to be inspirational. Given that you were far along and progressing in your career, I’m sure you had those who not-so-subtlety discouraged you from deviating from...

Looking back on your journey, what’s one thing you were scared about that was justified? What’s kept you grounded during this time? Did you incorporate any self care activities to manage any stress?

What are you plans for entering back into the work force? (if that's even in the plan)

How did you know it was the right time? How did you friends/family take the news? What’s something you experienced that you didn’t expect?

How did you figure out how much you needed to save before taking your career break? Can you go into details with how you restructured your budget?

What was the driven force that led you to your decision?

Your initial planning/saving for this sabbatical began pre-COVID. How has COVID shifted your financial planning and how you utilize your time with current restrictions?

1. Besides not working, what’s been your favorite or most memorable experience during your gap year? 2. What advice do you have for those wanting to take a gap year but are too afraid to take...

Did you save specifically for your sabbatical? to did you have some type of income when you decided it was okay to do it?

Did you save all of the money that you needed to live prior to leaving? How long have you been abroad?

Did you actively work to have income (passive or even active) during your sabbatical to ensure you didn't come back broke?

How did you decide on Portugal? Have you been able to connect w/a community there? Would you recommend it to others?

After leaving, did you recognize that you had some undercover expectations of living abroad that you had to Adjust?

Did you make a career change or did you find something you could do within your field?

here you nervous when it was time to officially leave?

How did you manage visa and legal things to live abroad

How did you decide, prioritise and execute what all you wanted to in your gap year?

Did you continue to pay off debt while abroad? If so, can you detail how you did it?

Question 1) Was there a shift in how Sharolyn’s family and friends responded to her gap year/move abroad BEFORE and AFTER US departure? Question 2) Going into your gap year, did you have ideas,...

How do you stay focused? I jump around