Is it irresponsible to talk about sabbaticals during a workforce crisis or is it exactly the leadership conversation we need to be having?

In this Leadership Insights episode, I return to one theme that stood out in my recent Me, Myself and I reflection: sabbaticals. As a self-confessed sabbatical evangelist, I take 10 minutes to make the case for why stepping away from work - thoughtfully and intentionally - is not indulgent, but strategic. Drawing on my own sabbatical year as a Commonwealth Fund Harkness Fellow in Boston, conversations with colleagues across healthcare, and a robust evidence base, I explore what sabbaticals really offer leaders, clinicians, and organisations.

I share what led me to take a sabbatical after 25 years of continuous NHS service, what I learned from stepping outside my system, and why distance can reveal what proximity conceals. I also address the very real barriers that stop many people even considering a sabbatical and why none of them are as insurmountable as they may feel.

What I Explore

- The Evidence for Sabbaticals: I walk through what research consistently shows: reduced burnout, improved psychological wellbeing, greater creativity, higher retention, and stronger leadership pipelines when sabbaticals are supported.

- Naming the Barriers Honestly: I openly about money, family disruption, career momentum, guilt, and uncertainty and how each of these concerns can be reframed and navigated with planning and clarity.

- Identity Beyond the Job Title: I reflect on how deeply our roles can shape who we think we are, and how a sabbatical can reconnect us with the truth that the job is what we do - not who we are.

- What Distance Makes Visible: From learning new research methodologies at Harvard to understanding health inequities on a global scale, I share how stepping outside my system fundamentally reshaped how I think as a leader.

- The Organisational Case: I make the argument that sabbaticals are not workforce gaps, but investments - strengthening succession planning, innovation, resilience, and organisational culture.

- Different Models of Sabbatical

From policy and leadership fellowships to research, clinical, and restorative sabbaticals, I outline the many ways time away can be structured and why alignment with your values matters most.

As I reflect on my own experience, one truth stands out clearly: rest is not abandonment - it is preparation. For leaders working in high-stakes, emotionally intense environments, sabbaticals protect compassion, restore perspective, and create the space needed for long-term thinking.

Stepping away, when done with intention, can be the most powerful way to step forward.

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Healthcare Leadership Conversations is produced by Urban Podcasts.