Sabbatical 101

In this last episode of Sabbatical 101 before I take a break for the summer, I review the most common questions I get about sabbatical planning and reflect on what I've learned over two years as a sabbatical coach. I hope you have a restful summer. I know I'll be slowing down and scaling back. If that sounds appealing to you, but you're not sure how to do it, check out my Summer Reset Workbook . I...

In this episode, I talk to Rea Dvakos, an academic librarian at the University of Toronto, about how to intentionally craft a sabbatical that supports personal growth, research breakthroughs, and even retirement planning. Rea’s experience is firsthand evidence that a sabbatical can be more than just a break, but only if you plan it with intention. She shares how her sabbaticals were opportunities...

When it comes to planning a sabbatical there are a lot of logistics to be aware of. This information is often not clearly laid out on institutional websites or faculty handbooks. In this episode, I go over six things you should know about before you start to plan your sabbatical. I discuss: eligibility, sabbatical timing, the application process and deadlines, understanding how to fund your sabbat...

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Kaitlin Clinnin, Associate Professor of Writing and Rhetoric at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. We discuss Kaitlin's ambitious sabbatical goals, in the process, reframe her expectations for what productivity will look like during her yearlong sabbatical. Listen in to learn how we approach structuring sabbatical time, balancing productivity with rest, and refra...

Does this sound familiar? It's the start of summer and you feel like you have nothing but time ahead of you, time to finally get all those things on your to-do list done. Fast forward to August and you feel overwhelmed by how much you still need to get done and vaguely guilty that you didn't get more accomplished. This episode is your invitation to break that cycle. In it, I teach you how to appro...

This episode is a live coaching session with Dr. Courtney Burns about planning a year-long sabbatical at home. Courtney is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Bucknell University and plans to use her sabbatical to submit journal articles, make progress on a book manuscript, and get back in touch with her hobbies. We talk about how to intentionally design a sabbatical at home (instead of...

Do you want to spend your sabbatical living abroad? Figuring out all the logistics of moving away for sabbatical can be challenging. One of the biggest questions I get is how to find funding for a sabbatical abroad. If funding a sabbatical abroad is on your mind, then this episode will give you tons of information and insight into one option that might work for you. This episode will help you thin...

Allison Bloom is an Associate Professor of Anthropology in the Sociology and Anthropology Department at Moravian University. She is a medical and feminist anthropologist and her research centers around social services and gender-based violence, particularly for marginalized populations. Allison has a yearlong sabbatical coming up, and in this episode, we discuss her plan to pursue a professional l...

Setting boundaries is definitely not the most fun part of sabbatical planning, but it's incredibly important. Boundaries are the guardrails that help you preserve your time and energy on sabbatical, so you can accomplish the goals you set and not get bogged down in with meetings and other commitments. In this episode I share why setting boundaries before your sabbatical starts is so important, and...

In this live coaching session, I’m joined by Kathryn Temple, professor of law & humanities at Georgetown University, to explore the practical and emotional dimensions of sabbatical life. Drawing from her extensive experience, Kathryn shares why it’s crucial not to romanticize sabbaticals as total escapes from life’s responsibilities. We talk candidly about planning for disruptions, setting pri...

In this episode, I talk with historian and Denison University assistant professor Julie Mujic about her pre-tenure sabbatical—and how she designed it during a moment of deep burnout and family transition. Julie shares how she balanced the pressure of moving her scholarship forward on a tight tenure timeline while staying present for her high-school–aged daughters. We discuss the boundaries she set...

Wondering why I became a sabbatical coach and how I started my business? I was a guest on the podcast Leaving Academia: Becoming a Freelance Editor with Paulina Cossette, PhD, and today I'm re-airing that episode. If you're curious about working with me, this episode will give a behind-the-scenes glimpse at why I do what I do. If you're thinking about starting your own academia-adjacent side-busin...

Paul Fleming is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Behavior & Health Equity at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. He partners with community based organizations to work on projects that help identify the root causes of racial health inequities and how to address pressing health issues. He is a father of three and his new book is titled Imagine Doing Better: Why...

My guest for this episode is Tom Mullett, a former UK record label manager turned passionate foreign language teacher. Tom took a sabbatical in South America in 2018 and never left. He developed a love for teaching English during sabbatical, so much so that in 2023 he designed his own accredited TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course, and now trains budding TEFL teachers from around...

Jamie Lawler is a clinical and developmental psychologist with expertise in early life stress, self-regulation, and mental health interventions for children. She is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Eastern Michigan University. Jamie's research program is grounded in developmental psychopathology and focuses on the impact of early life stress on the socio-emotional development of children an...

Monika Gulia-Nuss is an Associate Professor in the department of Biochemistry and Molecular biology at the University of Nevada – Reno. In the spring of 2025, she had a Fulbright and spent 3 months in Urugay. Monika used her time to collaborate with colleagues around the study of ticks that affect the cattle population in Uruguay. In this episode, we talk about the impetus for applying for a Fulbr...

This episode is all about writing, something I know many of us have goals of doing more of during our sabbatical. My guest is Dr. Anna Clemens, an academic writing coach who runs the Researchers' Writing Academy. In this conversation, Anna talks about how she helps academics in the natural sciences write better articles through the use of storytelling techniques. Dr Anna Clemens is an academic wri...

In this live coaching session I’m talking to Elizabeth Canning. Elizabeth is an Associate Professor in the Psychology Department at Washington State University. This fall she will begin her first year-long sabbatical in Berlin, Germany with her family. Elizabeth is fortunate that a lot of the logistics associated with moving abroad for sabbatical are being coordinated by the fellowship. Even so, s...

This is a special episode today because it’s one I recorded with my husband, Daniel, about his experience as the trailing spouse on our sabbatical away in France. These episodes with my family are, I hope, helpful to you, but honestly one of the reasons I love them is because I’m creating this record of my sabbatical and getting to hear more about the sabbatical from the perspective of my family m...

Welcome back to Sabbatical 101! I’m so excited for the new academic year and looking forward to sharing new episodes with you! As you’re easing out of summer and getting into new school year routines, you may be thinking about your sabbatical. In this episode I share a few prompts for reflection that can help you start to identify what you need from your sabbatical. If you’re looking for more like...

In this final episode before I take a break for summer, I’m reflecting on a year of sabbatical coaching—what I’ve learned, what surprised me, and what I think every academic should know about planning a life-changing l sabbatical. Whether you’re dreaming about your first sabbatical or actively planning one, this episode is full of insights to help you make the most of your time away from the day-t...

Rebecca Roache is a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of London. She’s also a coach who helps academics ditch perfectionism. Rebecca’s coaching business is called The Academic Imperfectionist, and she also hosts a podcast under the same name. Join us for this conversation about what perfectionism looks like in academia, what causes it, and how it holds us back as academics. We also t...

Amy Belfi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological Science at Missouri University of Science and Technology. When her sabbatical began in January 2025, she had no idea how to make the most of it, and no solid plan in place. Fortunately, Amy and I connected, and she enrolled in my Sabbatical Rescue program . Two weeks later, Amy was ready to head into sabbatical feeling confiden...

If you’ve been listening to this podcast or checking out my website, you know that I talk a lot about life-changing sabbaticals. And yes, I know, that sounds trite to many academics, who tend to be skeptical of such claims. That’s totally fair. And yet… I had a life-changing sabbatical, and I’m convinced that it’s possible. In this episode I talk about some of the lasting effects of my sabbatical...

This episode is inspired by a topic that comes up time and again when I talk to my clients and prospective clients: How to create a balance between rest and work during sabbatical. If you’ve ever wondered about this, then you’re going to find this episode helpful. While no two sabbaticals are going to look the same, and the balance between rest and productivity depends so much on the person and wh...