Sabbatical 101

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, she’s been busy working on all the arrangements for sabbatical and hasn’t had a lot of time to think about what she’s actually going to do while she’s in Berlin. What Elizabeth was most concerned about is how to create structure in her days to ensure she uses her sabbatical time well. Her goals are to rest and recover from burnout, finish a few writing projects, and spend some time reading and generating a list of possible new projects. If you’re wondering how to create structure in your days or how to balance personal and professional goals during your sabbatical, then I think you’re going to find this episode really helpful! 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’re wondering how to figure out what to prioritize during your sabbatical, click here to download my free Sabbatical Clarity Toolkit!

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 members, whose experiences were in some ways very similar to mine but in other ways quite different. The purpose of this episode is to help sabbatical-goers and sabbatical spouses or partners think about what a sabbatical looks like from the other side. We talk about what it was like for Daniel as I was planning our sabbatical, how he deliberately chose to follow my lead and not get too attached to any one outcome, what Daniel’s day to day experience was like on sabbatical – living in a new place and working remotely, and how Daniel thinks it’s changed him and our family. I think this conversation is really rich and insightful, but I’m also biased, so I’ll let you be the judge of that. I hope you take some insight away from it that will help you think in new and different ways about your sabbatical. 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!

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 this, check out my Sabbatical Clarity Toolkit, which you can find on my homepage, and here: https://bethanywilinski.com/freebies/ This season I’ll be dropping new episodes every other Wednesday, so be sure to subscribe! I’m really excited to share the 7 live coaching sessions I recorded this spring with faculty who are at different stages of sabbatical planning. I hope you enjoy them! If you like what you hear on the podcast and you’re looking for more support, please reach out to me using the contact form on my website (https://bethanywilinski.com/contact/) or grab a spot on my calendar for a free, no pressure, consultation (https://bethanywilinski.com/discovery-call).

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-to-day grind. Plus, I’m sharing a sneak peek at what’s coming this fall: a series of live coaching sessions with academics who are facing real-life sabbatical planning challenges. You won’t want to miss it! Here are the key takeaways from my first year as a sabbatical coach: There’s No “Right” Way to Sabbatical Forget the one-size-fits-all model. Sabbaticals don’t have to mean moving abroad or doing research in a specific location. Your sabbatical should reflect your goals and circumstances. Your Sabbatical Application Is Not Your Sabbatical Plan Submitting your application is just the beginning. A truly restorative and productive sabbatical starts with identifying your purpose—and letting that purpose guide your decisions. Sabbatical is a time to Reconnect with Your Whole Self Sabbaticals are a powerful opportunity to rediscover non-academic interests and parts of your identity that often get sidelined. A Sabbatical Can Be a Turning Point The boundaries, habits, and insights you develop during sabbatical can shape your work and life long after it’s over—if you let them. 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: Your Life-Changing Sabbatical, click here. You can also schedule a Free Consultation with me here. I hope to hear from you soon!

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 talk about how to set reasonable expectations for doing a good enough job, how the culture of academia keeps us in pursuit of perfectionism and ways to recognize and interrupt that trap, including helpful mindset tips. You can learn more about Rebecca’s coaching work and find her podcast at: http://www.academicimperfectionist.com Just a quick reminder that this is the second to last episode of the podcast before I take a break for the summer. Next week I’ll talk about how to come back from sabbatical, and I hope over the summer you’ll revisit past episodes or read my blog for even more sabbatical ideas and insight. As always, you can find me at http://www.bethanywilinski.com.

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 confident in her plan. Learn all about Amy’s sabbatical in this episode! If you’re listening to think and thinking, “hmmm, maybe my sabbatical needs to be rescued,” please get in touch! I’d love to hear what’s going on and share more about how I can support you in making the most of your sabbatical, whether you’re just getting started or halfway through. As Amy mentions in the episode, she also has a side business! Amy is a travel planner specializing in Disney destinations. Learn more at https://www.amydoesdisney.com/ or follow Amy on Instagram @thetravelingdisnerd!

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 and how, exactly, it changed my life and the way I approach my work. If you’d like to talk more about how your sabbatical can be life-changing, book a Free Consultation to learn more about my signature program, Reignite: Your-Life Changing Sabbatical! You can also read more the Reignite program here.

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 what they need from their sabbatical, in this episode I share 3 tips that will help you think about how to strike the right balance for your sabbatical. Here are the resources I mention in the episode: Episode 27: What should I actually do on my sabbatical? Blog post: How to rest during sabbatical Information about my sabbatical program: Reignite: Your Life-Changing Sabbatical Link to book a Free Consultation with me: https://bethanywilinski.com/discovery-call/ If you’re wondering how to figure out what to prioritize during your sabbatical, click here to download my free Sabbatical Clarity Toolkit!

This week my guest is Professor Leslie Wang, an award-winning author, writing coach, and publishing strategist. She designed Your Words Unleashed to help women scholars develop the practical strategies and unshakable self-confidence to become a published author – one who thrives every step of the way. In this episode, Leslie shares tips for getting more writing done during sabbatical and provides insight into how working with a coach can help support your sabbatical writing goals. You can find Leslie and learn more about her programs at https://yourwordsunleashed.com/. Leslie offers private coaching for scholarly authors and career coaching for overwhelmed academics. She is also host of the Your Words Unleashed Podcast, which has great tips for creating a sustainable writing practice, identifying ideal readers, finding your authentic voice, and getting published by an academic press.

I wasn’t going to record this week, but I couldn’t resist. I launched my business about 10 months ago, and I’m so proud of what it’s become. Every day I’m inspired by the academics I work with, who are planning transformative sabbaticals that will help them continue to do work that matters. This episode is a really quick recap of what I’ve been up to over the past 10 months and where I’m headed. I hope you’ll listen in to hear how many clients I’ve worked with, what disciplines they’re in, and which colleges and universities they represent. To learn more about my signature coaching program, Reignite: Your Life-Changing Sabbatical, click here. You can also schedule a call with me here. If you have any questions, feel free to send me an email: bethany@bethanywilinski.com. I hope to hear from you soon!

Have you ever wondered how much work is enough for an academic sabbatical or what types of projects academics typically work on during sabbatical? In this episode, I talk about how to rethink what counts as a productive sabbatical and walk you through a list of the possibilities you might consider as you think about the professional projects you’d like to focus on for your sabbatical. If you want to see that list, check out this blog post. If you need help determining your sabbatical purpose, check out this worksheet. And finally, if you’d like to chat about what it’s like to work with me to plan your sabbatical, I’d love for you to book a discovery call.

If you're a few months (or maybe even a semester+) into your sabbatical and you're realizing that things are not going as planned, then you need to listen up. In this episode I share the 5 steps you can take right now to start getting your sabbatical back on track. I hope you'll find these strategies helpful. If you'd like even more support, check out my program, Sabbatical Rescue! Through a combination of activities you complete on your own and one-on-one coaching sessions, this intensive program will help you get your sabbatical back on track in two weeks or less! If you'd like to talk more about your sabbatical and learn about how I can help, you can schedule a Free Consultation here. www.bethanywilinski.com

My guest on this episode is Paulina Cossette, owner of Acadia Editing. Throughout her 12 years in academia as a graduate student and tenure-track political science professor, Paulina struggled to find joy while working 7 days a week. She finally found the courage to leave the academy in 2019 and became an academic copy editor. Since then, she has built a thriving six-figure editing and coaching business that allows her to live and work wherever and whenever she wants, take real vacations without any guilt, and collaborate with kind, brilliant clients all over the world. Paulina now shares what she's learned through her digital course and group coaching program, Becoming an Academic Editor. The program teaches burned-out academics how to build a profitable and rewarding academic editing or coaching business so they can have true time freedom and a stable income--without the stress of a toxic work environment. In this episode, Paulina shares more about what it’s like to work with an academic editor and provides insight into the process of becoming an academic editor if you’re looking to start a side-business or thinking about creating a full-time business. If you’re planning a sabbatical (or already on sabbatical), I think you’ll want to seriously consider working with an academic editor after you listen to this episode! To learn more about becoming an academic editor, you can sign up for Paulina’s free video series here: https://acadiaediting.com/becomeaneditor You can also find Paulina on social media: IG: https://instagram.com/acadiaediting FB: https://facebook.com/acadiaeditingservices LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/paulinacossette To learn more about my signature coaching program, Reignite, check out my website: www.bethanywilinski.com. If you'd like to talk more about your sabbatical and learn about how I can help, you can schedule a Free Consultation here.

Setting clear boundaries for your sabbatical is critical to ensuring you’ll have time to achieve what you set out to accomplish during your time away. In the episode, I discuss the importance of sabbatical boundaries and outline four steps you can take to set boundaries, whether you’re planning your sabbatical or already on sabbatical. I love helping clients figure out their sabbatical boundaries; this is one of the most important things we do in my sabbatical planning programs. To learn more about my signature coaching program, Reignite, check out my website: www.bethanywilinski.com. If you'd like to talk more about your sabbatical and learn about how I can help, you can schedule a Free Consultation here.

Margaret Sallee is a professor of higher education at the University at Buffalo. She's taken two sabbaticals—one at home and one away with her two children. In this episode we talk about Margaret’s sabbaticals and she shares insight and advice about taking a sabbatical away with kids. You’ll find this episode helpful if you’re considering taking a sabbatical away with kids or if you’re in the midst of planning one. Margaret shares her experience arranging all the logistics – housing, schools, visas, insurance – and all about what she and her daughters loved about their sabbatical. Margaret’s sabbatical is also a great example of how to pivot and make the most of a sabbatical when things don’t go as planned, both personally and professionally. If you want to learn more about planning a sabbatical away with kids, I talk about this in Episode 5. You can also hear about Kristine's experience in Episode 10 and Courtenay's story in Episode 15. 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! To learn more about my signature coaching program, Reignite, check out my website: www.bethanywilinski.com. 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 share three steps you can take to start planning your academic sabbatical. Following these three steps is going to help you get clarity about what you want to get out of your sabbatical and more confident in your sabbatical plan. So, pull up a comfy chair, get out a pencil and paper, and start making your sabbatical plan now! If you’re wondering how to figure out what to prioritize during your sabbatical, click here to download my free Sabbatical Clarity Toolkit! 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! To learn more about my signature coaching program, Reignite, check out my website: www.bethanywilinski.com. If you'd like to talk more about your sabbatical and learn about how I can help, you can schedule a Free Consultation here.

Here's another take on going away for sabbatical, this time from my daughter, Clara. Clara was 5 when we went to Bordeaux and started kindergarten in France. In this episode, she shares her favorite things about living in France (spoiler alert: it's mostly food-related!). If you want to hear more about kids' experiences on sabbatical, check out Episode 6. If you want to learn more about planning a sabbatical away with kids, I talk about this in Episode 5. You can also hear about Kristine's experience in Episode 10 and Courtenay's story in Episode 15. 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! To learn more about my signature coaching program, Reignite, check out my website: www.bethanywilinski.com. If you'd like to talk more about your sabbatical and learn about how I can help, you can schedule a Free Consultation here.

Alison is recently tenured associate professor who worked with me to plan her first sabbatical. In this episode, Alison talks about what she has planned for her Spring 2025 sabbatical, and about which aspects of the Reignite program were most beneficial to her as she created her sabbatical plan. One of the things I love about this conversation is that Alison talks about the specific steps of the program she found most useful. These included creating a calendar for her sabbatical, which is something we do in Week 5 and setting boundaries, which we do in Week 6. Alison also talks about going back to her Guiding Principles, which she created in Week 2 of the program, and using them as a guide to determine what to take on and what to say no to during her sabbatical. Identifying the purpose and priorities of your sabbatical is such a critical starting point, but most people skip over this step when they plan their sabbatical. If you’d like to learn more about how to do this, you can download my free Sabbatical Clarity Toolkit and listen to Episode 14 of the podcast. To learn more about my signature coaching program, Reignite, check out my website: www.bethanywilinski.com. If you'd like to talk more about your sabbatical and learn about how I can help, you can schedule a Free Consultation here.

And we’re back! I’m kicking off 2025 with an episode about how you can gift yourself a solid sabbatical plan for the new year. If you’re someone who’s thinking about planning a sabbatical, or if you’re already on sabbatical and it’s not going well, then this episode is for you. I mention a lot of different links and resources in the episode, and here they are: My website: www.bethanywilinski.com Book a Free Consultation here: https://bethanywilinski.com/discovery-call/ If you’re wondering how to figure out what to prioritize during your sabbatical, click here to download my free Sabbatical Clarity Toolkit. Learn more about Sabbatical Rescue Read my blog

Whether you’ve been listening for awhile or this is your first episode, you may be wondering what a sabbatical coach does, and why someone would want to work with one. In this episode, I tell you all about what it’s like to work with me and why my clients have found it beneficial. I give concrete examples from my clients’ experiences so you can see exactly what I’m talking about. In the episode, I mention links and free guides, so here they are: To learn more about my signature coaching program, Reignite, check out my website: www.bethanywilinski.com. To schedule a Free Consultation, click here. Listen to this podcast episode to learn more about identifying your sabbatical purpose, and this one for an example from Beth, one of my clients. If you’re wondering how to figure out what to prioritize during your sabbatical, click here to download my free Sabbatical Clarity Toolkit!