Nancy Bearg on Taking a Work Sabbatical After Loss

“Give yourself the gift of time.... You will need to give yourself permission to do it. You know, it’s actually easier to say, I’m just going to keep doing what I’ve been doing. But the better thing is to be able to say, I’m going to give myself and my children the gift of time.”

— Nancy Bearg

I had such a great discussion with my friend Nancy Bearg for this episode. Nancy is the co-author of “Reboot Your Life: Energize Your Career and Life by Taking a Break.” I invited her to be on the show because I’ve heard from a number of listeners who are wondering if it’s ok to take a sabbatical-type break from work after becoming a widowed parent, and looking for ideas on how to make that work.

I knew right away when I first got a listener question on this topic that I just had to talk to Nancy about it. I’ve read her book several times in the past few years, so I knew it was full of information and examples that would be helpful to my listeners who are thinking about taking time off work.

Some topics that Nancy and I discussed include:

  • The benefits of taking a sabbatical, both personally and professionally;

  • Common concerns that people have about taking a sabbatical;

  • Advice for talking with employers about taking time off;

  • Considerations about how much time to take;

  • Suggestions about how to structure your time off;

  • How taking time off can help you reconnect with yourself and what is meaningful to you; and

  • How giving yourself the gift of time can be incredibly important for anyone, including widowed parents.

I hope you enjoy my discussion with Nancy Bearg.

 
 

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Jenny Lisk

Jenny Lisk is the founder of the Widowed Parent Institute. She is an award-winning author and widowed mom who is dedicated to helping widowed parents increase their family's well-being. Jenny’s books, Future Widow and Widowed Parents Unite, and her show, The Widowed Parent Podcast, guide the journey of solo parenting after loss.

https://jennylisk.com/
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