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  • How to Actually Plan a Sabbatical That Works

    How to Actually Plan a Sabbatical That Works
    2026/06/30
    Most leaders walk into sabbatical with a vague idea and a hope. They imagine they'll figure it out as they go. A few weeks in, they realize each day is bleeding into the next, the time is slipping away, and they're not entirely sure what they're doing with it. The leaders who walk out of sabbatical transformed do something different. They build a plan. Not a rigid, hour-by-hour itinerary. A framework. Part structure, part freedom. Enough order to give the time shape, enough space to let the rest actually land. In this episode, Alan Briggs walks through five practical blocks every sabbatical plan needs and shows you how to sketch yours out on a single piece of paper. Who this episode is for If you're getting closer to your sabbatical and starting to realize "I'll figure it out as I go" isn't a plan. If you've blocked the time off but you have no idea what to actually do with it. If you're worried you'll get a few weeks in and feel bored, restless, or guilty. If you've already started planning and want a clear framework to test it against. This one is for you. What you'll take away The sabbatical philosophy that separates a transformative experience from a forgettable one: part structure, part freedomWhy detox week comes first, what it should actually look like, and why sweatpants and your own couch beat a beach in week oneA clear timeline structure you can draw in your journal today, from the 50% week before your sabbatical to the 50% week as you returnThe five blocks every sabbatical plan needs: something for you, something for your spouse, something for the two of you, something for your family, and something for your soulWhy co-designing this with your spouse changes everything, and how to push past the "this is your sabbatical, you decide" responseThe thaw process every leader experiences and why your soul shows up freshest at the very end (which is exactly why reflection time belongs at the back)How to plan a re-entry that doesn't undo everything your sabbatical just gave you Quotes worth sitting with "This does not have to be exotic. This does not have to be expensive." "Usually the most restorative stuff is the cheapest stuff." "Your soul tends to be freshest at the very end of the sabbatical." "We want you to come back ready to risk some new things based on what God revealed during your sabbatical." "Your heart and soul need time between these. Try to space them out." Reflection questions If you sketched out your sabbatical timeline today, where would the gaps be? What's missing that you haven't given yourself permission to plan for? What does your spouse actually want from this season, and have you asked them yet? What kind of reflection space have you built in at the end of your sabbatical to capture what God is showing you, before you walk back into work? Resources The Sabbatical Journey by Alan Briggs is the field guide that turns this conversation into a full process, including the timeline structure, coaching questions, and reflection prompts referenced in this episode. Available on Amazon and through Barnes & Noble online. The Sabbatical Journey self-paced coaching journey walks you through the planning process at your own pace, with video sessions from Alan and the SCG team. If you want to talk through your specific plan with someone who's walked dozens of leaders through this, book a free sabbatical clarity call. It's a real conversation about where you are and what your next step looks like. Find all three at sabbaticalcoachinggroup.com.
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    18 分
  • The 5 Areas That Make or Break Your Sabbatical (And They All Happen Before It Begins)

    The 5 Areas That Make or Break Your Sabbatical (And They All Happen Before It Begins)
    2026/06/16
    When most people picture a sabbatical, they picture the destination. The beach. The trail. The cabin in the woods. The Instagram-worthy moment in front of the Alps. The leaders who actually come back from sabbatical transformed will tell you something different. The destination doesn't make the sabbatical. The preparation does. The work you do in the months before stepping away is what separates a season that changes you from a season that quietly disappoints you. In this episode, Alan Briggs walks through five specific areas every leader needs to prepare. Skip any one of them, and the gap between what you hoped for and what you actually experience starts to grow. Prepare them well, and you walk into your sabbatical clear, free, and ready for what God wants to do. Who this episode is for If you're sabbatical-curious and starting to wonder what the work actually looks like. If you've been quietly planning a sabbatical and you're starting to feel the weight of everything you need to figure out before you can leave. If you've been promised a sabbatical by your organization and you don't want to waste it. If you're months or weeks away and you're starting to wonder whether you've prepared the right things. This one is for you. What you'll take away Why preparation, not the destination, is what determines whether a sabbatical actually transforms youThe five areas every leader must prepare: your heart, your schedule, your family, your mind, and your teamThe identity work most leaders skip and pay for later, including the honest question of what you'll actually miss about being away from workHow to co-design your sabbatical with your spouse so it isn't something they tolerate from the sidelines, but something they're invested in alongside youWhy your team gaining new leadership capacity while you're away is one of the most overlooked benefits of sabbatical, and how to set them up for itWhat kind of reading, learning, and rest your mind actually needs (hint: not a stack of leadership books)The communication plan that lets your organization handle your absence with clarity, confidence, and even prideA practical action step that turns all five areas into one simple timeline you can start drafting today Quotes worth sitting with "The hard work is in the preparation." "Sabbatical is a gift, but it comes with the responsibility to steward it well." "Your team will develop new leadership capacity because you're away." "This does not have to be exotic, and it does not have to be expensive to be incredible." "Whether you're 18 months out, 18 weeks out, or 18 days out, you've got some preparation work to do." Reflection questions If you were honest with yourself, which of the five areas (heart, schedule, family, mind, or team) are you most likely to under-prepare? What does that reveal? What do you think you'll actually miss about your work when you step away, and what does that tell you about where your identity is right now? Who on your team has been quietly ready to carry more, and what would it look like to use your sabbatical to give them that opportunity? Resources The Sabbatical Journey by Alan Briggs is the field guide that turns this conversation into a full process. It includes the coaching questions, the communication plan, and the timeline structure Alan references in this episode. Available on Amazon and through Barnes & Noble online. The Sabbatical Journey self-paced coaching experience walks you through our entire coaching process on your own timeline, with video sessions from Alan and the SCG team built around the same five areas. If you want to talk through where you are and what your next step looks like, book a free sabbatical clarity call. It's a real conversation, not a sales pitch. Find all three at sabbaticalcoachinggroup.com.
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    23 分
  • What to Actually Do With a Sabbatical: The Six Things Every One Needs

    What to Actually Do With a Sabbatical: The Six Things Every One Needs
    2026/06/09
    What if you stepped away from work. Not for a week. Long enough that the constant hum finally goes quiet. Long enough that you stop reaching for your phone. Long enough to remember what you used to love doing before life filled up. For most leaders, that idea creates two reactions at once: deep longing, and total panic. Longing for the rest. Panic at the thought of an open stretch of time and no clear sense of what to do with it. That's the gap this episode fills. Alan Briggs walks through the six elements that turn a sabbatical from "extended time off" into something that actually changes how you lead, how you live, and who you are when you come back. If you've ever quietly wondered whether you need a sabbatical, or wondered what one would even look like, this is the conversation that makes it concrete. Who this episode is for If you've never seriously considered a sabbatical but the word keeps catching your attention. If you know you're running on fumes and you're starting to wonder if a vacation isn't going to be enough this time. If you're a pastor, executive, or leader and the idea of stepping away for an extended season sounds amazing and impossible in equal measure. If you've already started planning a sabbatical and you're stuck on the "but what would I actually do" question. This one is for you. What you'll take away The six elements that shape a meaningful sabbatical (recreation, rest, reconnection, relocation, relationships, and resources) and why missing any one of them leaves the experience hollowWhy the projects and hobbies you take on during sabbatical have to be a "get to," never a "have to," and how to tell the differenceWhat rest really means in this context, and why it's not just sitting on the couchThe kind of reconnection with God and with people that most leaders haven't experienced in years, the kind with no agenda and no outcomeWhy relocation doesn't require a plane ticket, and how even a 30-minute drive can shift your perspectiveHow to make a "get-to" relationships list (instead of a "have-to" list of donors, clients, or congregants) and use sabbatical as the rare invitation to actually call your people inA practical look at what sabbatical actually costs and the resources that make or break the experience, including why most leaders shouldn't attempt this without a coach Quotes worth sitting with "Make sure it's a get-to, not a have-to." "Change of pace plus change of place equals change of perspective." "You don't have to have an extravagant sabbatical for it to be an amazing sabbatical." "Sabbatical coaching isn't an expense. It's an investment." Reflection questions If you had an extended stretch with no work obligations, what's the first thing that would come up in you (excitement, anxiety, guilt, all three)? What does that reveal about where you are right now? What's the difference, in your own life, between rest you've earned and rest you've actually received? If you were honest about your current pace, how long could you sustain it before something has to give? Resources The Sabbatical Journey by Alan Briggs is the field guide that turns this conversation into a full process. It walks you through every element you heard about in this episode, with space to write, plan, and prepare. Available on Amazon and through Barnes & Noble online. The Sabbatical Journey self-paced coaching journey takes you through the same framework Alan uses with the leaders he coaches, with video sessions you can move through on your own timeline. If you want to talk through what a sabbatical could look like in your life, book a free sabbatical clarity call. It's a real conversation about where you are and what might be next. Find all three at sabbaticalcoachinggroup.com.
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    20 分
  • The 4 Types of Sabbatical: Which One Do You Actually Need?

    The 4 Types of Sabbatical: Which One Do You Actually Need?
    2026/05/26

    Not all sabbaticals are created equal. If you're trying to figure out how to plan a sabbatical, the type of sabbatical you need depends on your life stage, your context coming in, and what would actually be a gift to you and your family right now.

    In this episode, Alan Briggs walks you through four distinct types of sabbatical: adventurous, reflective, connective, and hybrid. He shares honest stories from his own sabbatical experiences, breaks down which type of sabbatical fits which season of life, and gives you a key warning for each one so you don't fall into the most common sabbatical planning mistakes leaders make when preparing for extended time away.

    In this episode you'll learn:

    • The three questions every leader must answer before planning a sabbatical
    • The four types of sabbatical and how to know which one fits your life right now
    • The biggest sabbatical planning mistake people make with an adventurous sabbatical
    • Why a connective sabbatical does not mean relaxing, and how to protect your own time within it
    • How to know if a hybrid sabbatical is right for you and how to plan it well

    Resources mentioned:

    • The Sabbatical Journey Field Guide, the companion resource to this podcast (available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble)
    • Sabbatical Coaching Group: one-on-one sabbatical coaching, group sabbatical programs, and a self-paced sabbatical coaching journey (sabbaticalcoachinggroup.com)

    Reflection questions:

    • What type of sabbatical do you need right now?
    • What factors in your life stage and context are pointing you there?

    If this episode helped you think differently about sabbatical planning, subscribe and leave a review. It helps more pastors and ministry leaders find the rest and renewal they need.
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    19 分
  • Why The Best Leaders Take Halftime Seriously. Retire Often, with Jillian Johnsrud

    Why The Best Leaders Take Halftime Seriously. Retire Often, with Jillian Johnsrud
    2026/05/19
    Jillian Johnsrud has taken thirteen mini retirements (sabbaticals) over the last twenty years. She's raised five kids (three adopted), built and renovated rental properties that changed her family's financial trajectory, and coached hundreds of leaders through their own sabbaticals. Her new book Retire Often might be the most practical and philosophically rich thing written on the subject. She joins Alan Briggs for a conversation about something most leaders get wrong: the assumption that caring about your work means never stepping away from it. Who this episode is for If you're a leader who runs hard and assumes the operation falls apart without you. If you've watched peers burn out and quietly wondered when it's coming for you. If you're caught between a 60-year-old generation that grinds and a 25-year-old generation that won't, and you're trying to figure out a third way. If your identity is so wrapped up in what you do that you're not sure what's underneath it. This one is for you. What you'll take away The halftime analogy that reframes extended rest as competitive strategy, not indulgence, and why the leaders running sprints through their break aren't the ones winning long termA clear three-part definition of a mini retirement (one month or longer, away from your primary profession, focused on something meaningful) and how that differs from a vacationHow to address the four objections that stop almost every leader from doing this: money, work obligations, "what would I even do," and "what if it goes badly"Why "my whole identity is my work" isn't a badge of honor, it's a problem to solve before it solves itselfThe "spring cleaning" effect on your business or team when you step away, and why most leaders come back to a tidier, more efficient operation than the one they leftWhy your sabbatical plan is a hypothesis and your sabbatical reality is an experiment, and how that one reframe eliminates the emotional suffering most leaders inflict on themselvesWhat Jillian thinks AI is about to change about leadership, and why the companies that figure rest out are going to dominate the next twenty years Quotes worth sitting with "The only options are you figure it out or you die at your desk." "Machines are getting better at being machines. Humans need to get a lot better at being human." "No one looks at the basketball players running sprints during halftime and goes, oh, they're the ones who really care. No, they don't. They're being stupid." "You're always more tired than you think." "You don't include yourself in the people first." Reflection questions If your identity is entirely defined by your work, what would it take to start building meaning and purpose outside of it before life forces the issue? What season are you actually leading from right now (spring, summer, fall, winter), and is your current pace honest about that? What would have to be true for you to take a real break with purpose? And what's actually stopping you from making that true? Resources Retire Often by Jillian Johnsrud, available wherever you buy books. The Sabbatical Journey field guide by Alan Briggs, available from Amazon & Barnes & Noble Schedule a free sabbatical clarity call: https://www.sabbaticalcoachinggroup.com/sabbatical-services-request-form#sabbaticalstart This episode is also featured on The H2 Leadership Podcast from our sister organization, H2 Leadership, which helps leaders live and lead both healthy and with high impact. Learn more at www.h2leadership.com For coaching, frameworks, and tools to help you demystify sabbatical visit www.sabbaticalcoachinggroup.com
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    43 分
  • Business Leaders and Sabbatical: The Hidden Case Nobody Makes

    Business Leaders and Sabbatical: The Hidden Case Nobody Makes
    2026/05/12

    Most business leaders think sabbatical is something that happens after the exit. Sell the company, cash the check, then maybe rest. Alan Briggs wants to flip that assumption on its head.

    In this episode of The Sabbatical Journey, Alan goes directly at the business leader. The CEO. The founder still in the weeds. The owner-operator who looks at the P&L and concludes there's no way to step away. Drawing on his own experience leading businesses and three personal sabbaticals, Alan makes the case that sabbatical isn't an escape from the business. It's one of the most strategic moves a leader can make for the business.

    What you'll hear:

    • Why selling a company creates a "hinge and pinch point" where money is high but meaning is low
    • The real financial fear of stepping away, and how to plan two or three years out for a "sunny day"
    • Why four weeks is the floor and six to eight is where the real reset happens
    • The secret nobody tells business leaders: sabbatical is a leadership development tool for your whole team
    • How space creates clarity, and clarity creates courageous action on the team, the vertical, and the next season

    A real sabbatical story: You'll also hear from a leader who entered his sabbatical struggling and came out the other side healthier, more at peace, and with the long-game perspective he didn't know he was missing. His words: it helped him loosen his grip and stop letting short-term pressure drive his decisions.

    Mentioned in this episode:

    • The largest study on sabbaticals ever conducted, published by Harvard Business Review
    • The Sabbatical Journey field guide (available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble)

    If this episode landed for you, the best thing you can do is send it to a leader who needs to hear it. Research shows people are far more likely to pursue sabbatical when they've heard from someone who has gone before them. You could be that someone.

    Ready for a next step? Book a free Sabbatical Clarity Session at sabbaticalcoachinggroup.com. And if you have 30 seconds, leave a rating and review wherever you listen. It's one of the simplest ways to help normalize the conversation around sabbatical and get this content in front of more leaders.
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    15 分
  • Pastors and Sabbatical: The Unique Challenges Nobody Prepares You For.

    Pastors and Sabbatical: The Unique Challenges Nobody Prepares You For.
    2026/04/28

    Pastors carry a weight most people don't fully see. In this episode Alan Briggs speaks directly to the unique challenges pastors face on sabbatical and why this gift matters more than most will admit.

    Alan spent 13 years as a full-time pastor before founding Sabbatical Coaching Group. He coaches pastors every week. In this episode he draws from that experience to address the things pastors rarely say out loud.

    In this episode:

    How long it takes to develop a mature pastor — and how quickly exhaustion can take one out. Why reading the Bible as throughput is one of the hardest habits for pastors to break during sabbatical. The get-to versus have-to framework for navigating congregational relationships while you're away. Why introverts and extroverts both need social rest, even when it looks different. The false pressure to return with a massive epiphany — and why reminders are greater than epiphanies. What it means to not go back to ministry but go forward into it.

    You'll also hear from Josh, a pastor of 25 years from Southwest Louisiana who was depleted after COVID and two back-to-back hurricanes. Alan asked him one question that changed the trajectory of his leadership. Josh shares what happened on the other side.

    Resources mentioned:

    The Sabbatical Journey Field Guide available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble Free Sabbatical Clarity Session — sabbaticalcoachinggroup.com Monthly Demystifying Sabbatical Webinar

    Subscribe, rate, and review. Reviews in the first weeks of a new podcast matter more than most people know. If this episode helped you, take 60 seconds and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps other leaders find this content.
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    17 分
  • The Sacred Work of Sabbatical: Trading Marketplace Work for Relational Work

    The Sacred Work of Sabbatical: Trading Marketplace Work for Relational Work
    2026/04/13

    Leaders resist sabbatical for a lot of reasons. But one of the biggest is this: they don't like doing nothing.

    Good news. Sabbatical isn't nothing.

    In this episode Alan Briggs reframes what work actually looks like during sabbatical. You don't stop working. You trade one kind of work for another. You move from financial and transactional work in the marketplace to something deeper, more connective, and honestly more meaningful. Alan calls it sacred work.

    He also introduces seven types of rest from physician Sandra Dalton Smith's book Sacred Rest that will stretch how you think about what replenishment actually requires. Most leaders are only thinking about one or two of them. The other five might be exactly what they've been missing.

    If you've ever told yourself you're not the kind of person who can just stop and do nothing, this episode was made for you.

    In this episode:

    • Why sabbatical is not nothingness and what it actually asks of you
    • The sacred work waiting for every leader below the surface
    • Why work has become an identity issue and what sabbatical does about it
    • The vertical and horizontal relational work of sabbatical: God, family, and friends
    • Alan's most meaningful moments from his own three sabbaticals
    • The seven types of rest most leaders have never considered: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social, sensory, and creative
    • Why creative rest might be the most surprising gift sabbatical offers

    A question to sit with: What relational work do you need to do below the surface during your sabbatical? And what are a few ways you could plan that into your time?

    Resources mentioned: Sacred Rest by Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith : https://a.co/d/08K7cJdh The Sabbatical Journey Field Guide: https://a.co/d/0eZY6Yj2 Free Sabbatical Clarity Session: sabbaticalcoachinggroup.com

    Follow us on social Facebook: @sabbaticalcoachinggroup Instagram: @sabbaticalcoachinggroup
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    21 分