Interested in taking a career break but not sure where to begin? Below you will find my reflections on my career break experiences, as well as a list of resources that have helped me embark on this journey!

Documenting My Career Break

Career Break Chronicles (my substack specific to my personal experiences and stories)

Resources

The Sabbatical Project: A webpage that provides career break stories, sabbatical research, and a database of coaches and mentors to connect with.

Breakspace: A community-based platform to support people towards planning and taking their career breaks.

Books

For career break planning:

• Taking a Career Break for Dummies by Katrina McGhee
• Career Break Compass: Navigating Your Path to a Balanced Life Through Intentional Time Off by Laura Nguyen
• The Art of Sabbatical: A Money and Mindset Guide for Your Next Work Break by Cady North

For living a life with intention:

• Slow Living: The Secrets to Slowing Down and Noticing the Simple Joys Anywhere by Helena Woods
• I Don’t Want to Grow Up: Life, Liberty, and Happiness. Without a Career by Scott Stillman
• Adventures in Opting Out: A Field Guide to Living an Intentional Life by Cait Flanders
• Saltwater Buddha: A Surfer’s Quest to Find Zen on the Sea by Jaimal Yogis
• The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life: Before 8 AM by Hal Elrod
• The Mountain is You: Transforming Self-Sabotage Into Self-Mastery by Brianna Wiest

Travel and adventure memoirs for inspiration:

• Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
• Nala’s World: One Man, His Rescue Cat, and a Bike Ride Around the Globe by Dean Nicholson
• Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
• Nowhere for Very Long by Brianna Madia
• Elsewhere: A Journey to the World’s Least-Visited Countries by Gunnar Garfors
• Sola: One Woman’s Journey Alone Across South America by Amy Field
• Brave-ish: One Breakup, Six Continents, and Feeling Fearless After Fifty by Lisa Niver
• Unhinged in Ethiopia: Two Thousand Kilometers of Hell and Heaven on a Bicycle by George Balarezo
• Into the Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver by Jill Heinerth
• A Drop in the Ocean by Jasna Tuta
• The Pants of Perspective: One Woman’s 3,000 Kilometer Running Adventure Through the Wilds of New Zealand by Anna McNuff (really anything by Anna!)

Podcasts:

• Taking a Career Break with Katrina McGhee
• Sabbatical Stories by Rebecca Thomas
• Zero to Travel Podcast with Jason Moore
• JUMP with Traveling Jackie
• Lessons from a Quitter by Goli Kalkhoran
• The Pathless Path with Paul Millerd