In this episode of 'Sh*t I Just Quit My Job?', host Maricella Herrera talks about the emotional and practical aspects of taking a career break. She reflects on her breakiversary and discusses her journey with career coach Katrina McGhee, author of 'Taking a Career Break for Dummies.' Maricella asks listeners to share their own career change stories and emphasizes the importance of community in navigating job transitions. Katrina shares her own experience of leaving corporate life, overcoming financial and emotional challenges, and finding her true path. The episode touches on themes like reclaiming one's life, setting personal goals, and redefining success. About Katrina McGhee:Katrina McGhee is a career break and sabbatical coach, speaker and author of the bestselling book, Taking a Career Break for Dummies. With her wealth of knowledge and experience, Katrina helps mid-career professionals design transformative life breaks that lead to happier, healthier and more fulfilling lives.Katrina developed the Break Blueprint©️, a guiding framework she's used to help nearly 100 clients rejuvenate their lives by taking a break to travel the world, launch a business, write a novel, change careers and more.Katrina's work was inspired by her own 20-month career break where she saved $40,000 in just 18 months to quit her corporate job to travel the world. As an avid world traveler and digital nomad, her expertise on career breaks and travel has been featured in prestigious outlets such as NBC, ABC, Forbes, Smarter Travel, Thrive Global, and Yahoo.Key Lessons:* Plan Thoroughly: Assess your financial situation, budget carefully, and prepare emotionally before taking a career break.* Clarify Your Purpose: Define your "why" to stay motivated and focused during your break. Include three to four themes that you can come back to.* Reframing Productivity and Overcoming Guilt: Learn to value rest and self-care as essential components of personal growth and redefine what productivity means to you.* Embracing and Explaining Your Break: Transform your break into a compelling narrative of growth and self-discovery, making you stand out to future employees.Episode Notes:00:00 Introduction and Welcome00:52 Community Involvement and Listener Stories01:54 Introducing Today's Guest: Katrina McGhee03:40 Katrina's Career Break Journey07:08 Navigating Corporate Life and Realizing the Need for a Break10:05 Planning and Taking the Career Break19:06 Reframing Productivity and Self-Worth25:57 Transitioning to a Career Break Coach31:01 The Importance of Reentry Periods31:10 Reflecting on Personal Growth31:45 Embracing Breaks and Self-Improvement32:42 Sharing Your Break Experience34:20 Extending the Break35:11 Financial Management During Breaks36:33 Unexpected Breaks and Self-Discovery43:54 The Power of Permission51:29 Maintaining Break Benefits Post-Reentry57:29 Advice for Aspiring Break-TakersResources:Katrina’s Website: https://www.kmcgheecoaching.com/Taking a Career Break for Dummies: Bookshop.org, AmazonThe Sabbatical Project: https://thesabbaticalproject.org/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit maricellaherrera.substack.com