Taking a Career Break with Katrina McGhee

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...

Episode 40 - Escaping the 9-to-5: Proving Worth vs. Finding Devotion In this episode of the podcast  Taking a Career Break with Katrina McGhee , Katrina reflects on one of the biggest questions people face when considering a break from their careers:  Are you working to prove your worth, or are you devoting yourself to what truly matters? Katrina shares how this powerful question surfaced during h...

Episode 39 - Katrina Reflects on BreakSpace: What 100+ Members Taught Us About Career Break Success In this episode of  Taking A Career Break With Katrina McGhee , Katrina reflects on the first year of running  BreakSpace , the community she co-founded with her partner Lyndall to support people in taking intentional and transformative career breaks. Over the past twelve months, more than 100 membe...

Episode 38 - Katrina Answers Your Questions on Career Breaks: Money, Mindset & Stigma Welcome back to  Taking A Career Break With Katrina McGhee ! In this episode, Katrina answers your questions about career breaks, from how much money you really need to budget to how to ask your employer for a sabbatical, and even how to overcome the stigma that still surrounds taking time off work. Katrina i...

Episode 37 - Career Break Mindset: Overcoming Guilt, Finding Joy & Redefining Success Taking a career break isn’t just about money, logistics, or checking off boxes—it’s about mindset. In this episode of the  Winging It Travel Podcast , James Hammond sits down with career break coach  Katrina McGhee  to dive into the mental and emotional side of stepping away from work. Together, we unpack the...

Episode 36 - The Cost of Waiting: A Powerful Story on Dreams Deferred and Why You Shouldn't Wait For Retirement In this powerful and profoundly moving episode, James Hammond sits down with career break coach and author Katrina McGhee to explore the true cost of waiting to chase your dreams. Katrina shares a personal and emotional story about one of her earliest clients — a man who had big plan...

Episode 35 - Sabbatical vs. Career Break: What Kind of Break Do You Need and For How Long? In this episode of the  Winging It Travel Podcast , James Hammond sits down with career break coach  Katrina McGhee  to explore one of the biggest questions professionals face:  what type of break should I take—and how long should it last? From stacking paid time off for a mini reset to negotiating a leave o...

Episode 34 - Burn the Bridge: The Mindset Shift You Need to Finally Take Your Career Break In this episode of  Taking a Career Break with Katrina McGhee , we dive into one of the most powerful mindset shifts you can make when you’re dreaming about – but not actually taking – your career break. It’s called “burning the bridge,” and it’s about removing the escape hatch that lets you walk away when t...

Episode 33 -  From $0 to $120K: What People Actually Spend on a Career Break How much does a career break really cost? In this eye-opening episode, Katrina McGhee and James Hammond unpack the actual numbers behind taking time off work—ranging from breaks that cost absolutely nothing to those that hit the $120,000 mark. Whether you're just beginning to think about a sabbatical or already mappin...

Episode 32 - Career Break Travel Hacks: Bucket Lists, Upskilling Abroad & Phone Boundaries Thinking of taking a career break or sabbatical? This episode is packed with practical tips and mindset shifts to help you make the most of your time away from the 9–5 grind. Katrina McGhee, sabbatical coach and author of  Taking a Career Break for Dummies , joins James Hammond to talk about how to turn...

Episode 31 - Mixing It Up: Smart Ways to Keep Travel Fresh on Your Career Break In this episode of  Taking a Career Break with Katrina McGhee , we dive into the challenge many travellers face during extended trips: boredom and burnout. Katrina and James share honest stories about moments of travel fatigue—from cathedral overload in Europe to quiet days in Thailand—and offer smart strategies to kee...

Episode 30 - Why Routines Matter on a Career Break: Find Balance, Create Bedtime Habits & Have Regular Check-Ins Taking a break from your career can feel expansive and freeing — but sometimes that much freedom can also feel overwhelming. In this episode, Katrina and I dive into the importance of routines and rhythms while on a career break or sabbatical. Whether you're a structure-loving p...

Episode 29 - Why Career Breaks Are the Key to Mental Health, Wellness & Radical Prioritization In this honest and inspiring episode, Katrina McGhee and James Hammond dive deep into the emotional and physical realities of taking a career break to reclaim your mental health and overall wellness. Katrina shares her powerful story of investing $6,000 into a health coaching program, losing 21 pound...