Taking a Career Break with Katrina McGhee

Episode 64 - Listener Question Episode - How to Pivot to Self-Employment on a Career Break? (And Other Questions) In this listener Q&A episode of  Taking A Career Break with Katrina McGhee , Katrina and James dive into a powerful and relatable question:  how do you pivot into self-employment while on a career break—without feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or held back by fear? Katrina unpacks the e...

Episode 63 - The First Interview: Katrina McGhee & Lyndall Farley on Career Breaks, Sabbaticals & BreakSpace In this milestone episode of  Taking a Career Break with Katrina McGhee , we celebrate a first for the show—our  very first guest interview . Joined by BreakSpace co-owner Lyndall Farley, Katrina and James dive into the real story behind building BreakSpace, what it takes to step aw...

Episode 62 - The Simple “Container” Hack to Stay Consistent on Your Career Break (Stop Procrastinating Today) In this episode, James sits down with career break expert Katrina McGhee to unpack a powerful yet simple strategy that can completely transform how you approach change, challenges, and personal growth. If you’ve ever struggled with staying consistent, committing to new habits, or navigatin...

Episode 61 - Podcast & Business Update: Career Break Trends, YouTube Launch & What’s Coming Next In this behind-the-scenes episode of  Taking a Career Break , hosts James Hammond and Katrina McGhee share exciting updates, real-time insights, and emerging trends in the world of career breaks and sabbaticals. From record-breaking revenue months and powerful client transformations to the laun...

Episode 60 - The Hardest Step of a Career Break: How to Finally Decide to Take One Deciding to take a career break might be the hardest step of the entire journey. In this episode of  Taking a Career Break , career break coach  Katrina McGhee  and co-host  James Hammond  dive into the moment that stops so many professionals in their tracks:  how to actually decide whether to take a career break or...

Episode 59 - Having The Audacity to Take a Career Break: Why High Achievers Feel Guilty Resting (And Why You Shouldn’t) Why does taking a career break feel so… audacious? In this powerful (and fiery) episode,  Katrina  and  James  unpack the hidden guilt high achievers feel when they consider stepping away from work — even temporarily. From societal pressure to “earn” rest… to the subtle shame aro...

Episode 58 - How to Start Your Career Break the Right Way (What to Do in Your First Week) What should you actually do in the  first week of a career break ? In this episode, career break and sabbatical coach  Katrina McGhee  and co-host  James Hammond  break down how to start your break the  right  way — without pressure, guilt, or rushing into the next thing. Drawing on real examples from the Bre...

Episode 57 - How To Overcome The Uncertainty Of Taking A Career Break Uncertainty is one of the biggest barriers stopping people from taking a career break—and it doesn’t just show up before you leave. In this episode, James and Katrina unpack why uncertainty feels so uncomfortable, why trying to eliminate it never works, and how learning to sit with the unknown can actually transform your life. K...

Episode 56 - Why Job Searching Too Early Can Ruin Your Career Break Taking a career break or sabbatical is meant to restore your energy, clarity, and sense of purpose — but what happens when job searching sneaks in too early? In this episode, James and career break coach Katrina McGhee unpack one of the most common (and sneakiest) mistakes people make during a break: starting the job search before...

Episode 55 - Why Celebrating Your Wins Matters More Than You Think In this episode, James Hammond is joined by career break and sabbatical coach  Katrina McGhee  to unpack one of the most overlooked tools for sustainable success:  celebration . High achievers are often wired to move the goalposts, downplay progress, and focus on what’s missing rather than what’s working. Katrina explains why this...

Episode 54 - From 3am Work Calls to a Life Rebuilt: A Career Break Client Success Story What does it really take to step away from a career when burnout feels overwhelming and stopping feels impossible? In this powerful client story episode,  career break and sabbatical coach Katrina McGhee  is joined by  James Hammond  to unpack a real-life journey from chronic burnout to a completely reimagined...

Episode 53 - What happens when your career break is coming to an end… and instead of feeling refreshed or excited, you feel dread? In this episode, James Hammond and career break & sabbatical coach  Katrina McGhee  respond to a powerful listener question: What if you’re dreading going back to work at the end of your career break — and don’t know why? Together, they unpack the emotional crash m...

Episode 52 - Revisiting Episode 21 - What Most Career Coaches Get WRONG About Career Breaks This week, in the final episode of our revisited series, we look back at Katrina’s second appearance on the podcast—Episode 21—and a conversation that’s more relevant than ever. At the time, Katrina noticed a surge of career break advice coming from media-facing career coaches, much of it well-intentioned b...

Episode 51 - Revisiting Episode 12 - Are You On A Career Break Or A Fake Break In this week's episode we are revisiting James' second episode choice and it is Episode 12. Are you really on a career break or are you faking it? This is one of the most hard-hitting episodes as it brings home the reality to people when they assess their own career break. Katrina gets a lot of messages from peo...

Episode 50 - Revisiting Episode 19 - Letting Go of Career Break Expectations: Why 3 Months Is the Magic Number Welcome to Episode 50, and as we approach the end of the calendar year, Katrina and James are going to pick two episodes each from our catalogue that people should definitely check out.  This week, it is Katrina's turn, and she picks Episode 19 - Letting Go of Career Break Expectation...

Episode 49 - Revisiting Episode 4 - Can You Afford A Career Break? Welcome to Episode 49, and as we approach the end of the calendar year, Katrina and James are going to pick two episodes each from our catalogue that people should definitely check out. This week, it is James' turn and he picks Episode 4 - Can You Afford A Career Break? If we are honest with ourselves, any subject relating to m...

Episode 48 - The Future of Career Breaks in 2026: Trends, Data & Why More People Are Taking Sabbaticals In this episode, James and Katrina explore an important question as 2026 approaches:  Are career breaks becoming more accepted and normalised, or is the movement slowing down?  The conversation reveals a clear answer — the momentum behind sabbaticals is stronger than ever. James invites Katr...

Episode 47 - The 5 Essential Ground Rules for a Successful Career Break In Episode 47 of  Taking a Career Break with Katrina McGhee , Katrina and James sit down  in person  to explore the  five essential ground rules for creating a successful, fulfilling, and regret-free career break . Together, they walk through what it truly means to define a personal version of success, why planning the re-entr...

BLACK FRIDAY SPECIAL ALERT! If you've been thinking about joining BreakSpace, the global community for current and aspiring career breakers and sabbatical takers, get ready for an amazing deal. We're offering 40 % off your first month for the first 20 people who sign up. This means you'll be welcomed into the BreakSpace community with full access to our courses, live coaching, and expe...

Episode 46 - There Were Signs: How We Learned to Break the Status Quo and Lessons in Courage, Authenticity, and Going Your Own Way In this reflective and deeply personal episode, Katrina and James explore the moments in their lives when the signs were there all along—the nudges, red flags, and inner whispers that pointed them away from the status quo and toward a more aligned, authentic life. Thes...

Episode 45 - How to Build Your Break Blueprint: 5 Elements of a Successful Career Break In this episode of  Taking a Career Break with Katrina McGhee , we’re laying the foundation for your most successful break yet. Katrina walks through her signature framework — the  Break Blueprint  — revealing the five essential elements that help you plan, live, and return from your career break with purpose a...

Episode 44 - I Might Get Bored… or Love It Too Much: Two Unexpected Career Break Fears Are you secretly worried you’ll be  bored  on a career break — or even worse, that you’ll  love it too much  to ever go back? In this week’s episode of  Taking A Career Break with Katrina McGhee , Katrina and James unpack two surprising fears that stop people from taking the break they’ve been dreaming about. Th...

Episode 43 - Finding Freedom: The Art of Balancing Structure and Spontaneity on a Career Break In this episode, James and Katrina dive deep into one of the most common and misunderstood challenges people face when they finally decide to step away from work:  how much structure do you actually need when you take time off? We’ve been conditioned to think freedom means doing whatever we want, wheneve...

🎧  Episode 42 – When Nobody Supports Your Career Break (Do It Anyway!) What happens when everyone around you — your friends, your colleagues, even your partner — tells you  not  to take a career break? In this powerful and honest conversation, I sit down with Katrina to explore what it really takes to follow your intuition when no one else understands your decision. Katrina shares a moving story...

🎙️ Episode 41 -   It’s Never Too Late to Take a Career Break: An Inspiring Story with Katrina McGhee In this week’s episode, James Hammond sits down with  career break coach and author Katrina McGhee  to explore one of the most empowering truths about work and life —  it’s never too late to change direction.  Fresh off celebrating her 46th birthday, Katrina shares how a chance encounter with an in...