Sabbatical 101

Alisa B. Lin is an assistant professor who also writes on the intersection of productivity and caregiving. In her Substack newsletter, at wewhotend.substack.com, she takes an inclusive and feminist approach to productivity advice. She is also writing a book on productivity that is explicitly inclusive of parents, caregivers, and people with disabilities.

In this episode Alisa shares applies her work on productivity to sabbaticals. She provides advice and strategies for: balancing personal and professional goals during sabbatical, managing unstructured time, feeling like you don’t have enough time to accomplish all your sabbatical goals, estimating how long things will actually take, dealing with unexpected changes that arise during sabbatical, and so much more.

I hope you’ll find advice and inspiration you can use, and that you’ll check out Alisa’s Substack newsletter!

If you’re wondering how to figure out what to prioritize during your sabbatical, click here to download my free Sabbatical Clarity Toolkit!

To learn more about my signature coaching program, Reignite, check out my website: www.bethanywilinski.com.

Alisa B. Lin is an assistant professor who also writes on the intersection of productivity and caregiving. In her Substack newsletter, at wewhotend.substack.com, she takes an inclusive and feminist approach to productivity advice. She is also writing a book on productivity that is explicitly inclusive of parents, caregivers, and people with disabilities.

In this episode Alisa shares applies her work on productivity to sabbaticals. She provides advice and strategies for: balancing personal and professional goals during sabbatical, managing unstructured time, feeling like you don’t have enough time to accomplish all your sabbatical goals, estimating how long things will actually take, dealing with unexpected changes that arise during sabbatical, and so much more. I hope you’ll find advice and inspiration you can use, and that you’ll check out Alisa’s Substack newsletter!

If you want to learn about how to plan your own sabbatical, head over to my website, https://bethanywilinski.com, for more information about my sabbatical coaching program. You can also download my free guide to start planning your sabbatical today or schedule a call to talk about your sabbatical!

Amy Parks is a professor of elementary education at Michigan State University and the author of four middle grade and young adult books. She writes stories about smart girls falling for feminist boys in quirky Midwestern settings and likes using One Direction lyrics as the inspiration for entire novels. You can find her latest book, Averil Offline, and others at https://amynoelleparks.com/.

In this episode, Amy talks about why she decided to pursue her MFA during her sabbatical, and how she creates space for both her scholarly and creative work. Amy’s year-long sabbatical took place during COVID, and she shares how that shifted her plans and how she spent her time on sabbatical.

I hope Amy’s story will inspire you to think expansively about what could be possible for your sabbatical.

If you’re wondering how to figure out what to prioritize during your sabbatical, click here to download my free Sabbatical Clarity Toolkit!

If you want to learn about how to plan your own sabbatical, check out my website, www.bethanywilinski.com, for more information about Reignite, my signature sabbatical coaching program.

If you'd like to talk more about your sabbatical and learn about how I can help, you can schedule a Free Consultation here.

Amy Parks is a professor of elementary education at Michigan State University and the author of four middle grade and young adult books. She writes stories about smart girls falling for feminist boys in quirky midwestern settings and likes using One Direction lyrics as the inspiration for entire novels. You can find her latest book, Averil Offline, and others at https://amynoelleparks.com/.

In this episode, Amy talks about why she decided to pursue her MFA during her sabbatical, and how she creates space for both her scholarly and creative work. Amy’s year-long sabbatical took place during COVID, and she shares how that shifted her plans and how she spent her time on sabbatical.

I hope Amy’s story will inspire you to think expansively about what could be possible for your sabbatical. If you want to learn about how to plan your own sabbatical, head over to my website, https://bethanywilinski.com, for more information about my sabbatical coaching program. You can also download my free guide to start planning your sabbatical today or schedule a call to talk about your sabbatical!

Kristine Bowman is a professor of law and education policy at Michigan State University. After taking a 6-month sabbatical in Australia with her family, she wrote the book that is a must-read for anyone planning a sabbatical away. The book is called Modern Sabbatical: A Step-by-Step Guide to Moving Temporarily to Another City or Country. The book is an incredibly helpful tool that lays out everything you need to think about and do to make your dream sabbatical away a reality. I relied on this book heavily as I planned the logistics of my sabbatical semester in France, and it was a lifesaver!

In this episode, Kristine talks about how she and her family ended up taking a sabbatical in Australia, which included aligning her sabbatical with her partners, how her son, who was 7 at the time, adjusted to being on sabbatical, and about some of her family’s fondest memories from sabbatical. We also dive into her book, and what inspired her to write it.

I hope you’ll listen in to learn more about how to organize and fund a sabbatical away and that you’ll purchase Kristine’s book if you’re planning your own sabbatical away.

If you’d like to hear more inspiring stories about sabbaticals abroad, check out Episode 2: David’s Sabbatical in Florence and Episode 5: My hybrid sabbatical with kids: France and Michigan.

Are you planning a family sabbatical away from home? My Family Sabbatical Program is a step-by-step guide that will take you through all the steps you need to plan and prepare for your time away!

If you'd like to talk more about your sabbatical and learn about how I can help, you can schedule a Free Consultation here.

Kristine Bowman is a professor of law and education policy at Michigan State University. After taking a 6-month sabbatical in Australia with her family, she wrote the book that is a must-read for anyone planning a sabbatical away. The book is called Modern Sabbatical: A Step-by-Step Guide to Moving Temporarily to Another City or Country. The book is an incredibly helpful tool that lays out everything you need to think about and do to make your dream sabbatical away a reality. I relied on this book heavily as I planned the logistics of my sabbatical semester in France, and it was a lifesaver!

In this episode, Kristine talks about how she and her family ended up taking a sabbatical in Australia, which included aligning her sabbatical with her partners, how her son, who was 7 at the time, adjusted to being on sabbatical, and about some of her family’s fondest memories from sabbatical. We also dive into her book, and what inspired her to write it.

I hope you’ll listen in to learn more about how to organize and fund a sabbatical away and that you’ll purchase Kristine’s book if you’re planning your own sabbatical away. If you’d like to hear more inspiring stories about sabbaticals abroad, check out Episode 2: David’s Sabbatical in Florence and Episode 5: My hybrid sabbatical with kids: France and Ann Arbor, MI.  

And, if you’re feeling inspired and want to learn about how to plan your own sabbatical, head over to my website www.bethanywilinski.com for more information about my sabbatical coaching program. You can also download my free guide to start planning your sabbatical today or schedule a call to talk about your sabbatical!

In this episode I talk about the importance of intentionally creating new rhythms during an at-home sabbatical. This idea applies to sabbaticals away, too, but I think it requires a bit more intentionality if you’re not going to change your physical location during sabbatical.

Listen in to learn how to mark the start of your sabbatical and how to think ahead to what you want your sabbatical to feel like and ensure it happens.

If you're struggling to figure out what you should prioritize during your sabbatical, click here to download my free Sabbatical Clarity Toolkit!

If you want to learn about how to plan your own sabbatical, head over to my website, https://bethanywilinski.com, for more information about Reignite, my signature sabbatical coaching program.

Esther Alarcon Arana is an Associate Professor at Salve Regina University. She had a semester-long sabbatical in Fall 2023. A few weeks into her sabbatical, Esther learned that her father had been diagnosed with advanced cancer. In this episode, she talks about what she had initially planned for her sabbatical, and how she responded when everything changed.

I’m so grateful to Esther for sharing her story, which reminds us that life continues to happen, despite our best plans and intentions. Esther’s story also reminds us about the importance of taking care of yourself and setting work aside during challenging times, reaching out to colleagues for support, and having reasonable expectations for getting back to work during a season of grief.

If your sabbatical has gone sideways, check out my Sabbatical Rescue program. We'll evaluate what's gone off track and create a plan so you can make the most of your remaining time away!

If you'd like to talk more about your sabbatical and learn about how I can help, you can schedule a Free Consultation here.

In this episode I talk to Beth, a client in my Reignite program, about how she got clear about her sabbatical purpose, which led her to decide to take a sabbatical at home rather than in Uganda. Beth describes herself as someone who categorically does not sign up for things, so I’m flattered that she stepped out of her comfort zone and signed up for my program.

Beth shares how she made the difficult decision to not spend her sabbatical away and the unexpected opportunities that decision has created for her and her family. She also talks about creating alignment between her sabbatical and her personal and professional goals and leaning into her current season of her family life and her professional life.

If you’re wondering how to figure out what to prioritize during your sabbatical, click here to download my free Sabbatical Clarity Toolkit!

If you want to learn about how to plan your own sabbatical, check out my website, https://bethanywilinski.com, for more information about my sabbatical coaching program.

If you'd like to talk more about your sabbatical and learn about how I can help, you can schedule a Free Consultation here.

In this episode I talk to Beth Lefebvre, a client in my Reignite program, about how she got clear about her sabbatical purpose, which led her to decide to take a sabbatical at home rather than in Uganda. Beth describes herself as someone who categorically does not sign up for things, so I’m flattered that she stepped out of her comfort zone and signed up for my program.

Beth shares how she made the difficult decision to not spend her sabbatical away and the unexpected opportunities that decision has created for her and her family. She also talks about creating alignment between her sabbatical and her personal and professional goals and leaning into her current season of her family life and her professional life.

If you want to learn more about me and about planning your own life-changing sabbatical, head over to my website www.bethanywilinski.com for more information about my sabbatical coaching program. You can also download my sabbatical purpose guide to start planning your sabbatical today or schedule a call to talk about your sabbatical!