Overview

You've taken the two-week vacation. It didn't work. You came back and the same weight was sitting there waiting. What you need is months. Enough time to recover, recalibrate, or change direction, without blowing up your finances, blindsiding your family, or torching your reputation on the way out. Your Sabbatical is that plan. 17 chapters. Every phase covered. Christopher Grossmeier took a sabbatical in 2025 after years of burnout he kept outrunning. He planned it, funded it, negotiated it, survived the first weeks off, did the identity work, and figured out how to come back. This workbook covers rest, reset, and pivot sabbaticals of 3 to 18 months. Every exercise runs 15 to 45 minutes and ends with something tangible. Part One: Before Your Sabbatical (Ch. 1-5)Build a real budget, calculate your runway, pitch your employer, align your household, and count down your last 30 days. From vague idea to a plan you can act on in 4 to 8 weeks.Ch. 1: Why You're Here, defining your typeCh. 2: The Money Conversation, burn rate, three budgets, healthcare, runwayCh. 3: The Conversation with Your Employer, three departure paths, pitch languageCh. 4: The Conversation with Your Family and FriendsCh. 5: Timeline, Logistics, and the Last 30 Days Part Two: On Sabbatical (Ch. 6-12)The companion for while you're away. Decompression, rhythm, identity work, learning, relationships, wellness, and the mid-sabbatical slump. It probably will happen.Ch. 6: The First Two Weeks, decompression and phantom workCh. 7: Finding Your Rhythm, anchor habits and sleep debtCh. 8: Who Am I Without the Title? Identity workCh. 9: Learning, Creating, and Going DeepCh. 10: Relationships During SabbaticalCh. 11: Wellness, Rest, and the BodyCh. 12: The Check-In, weekly reflection and the mid-sabbatical slump Part Three: Returning to Work (Ch. 13-17)Where most sabbatical resources fall flat. Take stock, make the career decision, build your narrative, run the job search if needed, and protect what you gained.Ch. 13: Taking StockCh. 14: The Career Decision, return, pivot, or something elseCh. 15: Telling Your Story, handling the gap without apologyCh. 16: The Job Search, 8 to 12 weeks for the modern marketCh. 17: Sustaining the Change, protecting what you gained ""This book provides the structure and purpose I wish I'd had from day one. Do the exercises, follow the recommendations, and invest in yourself.""Robert Graves, Principal, Galaxie House, LLC ""It's the book my bumps and bruises would have appreciated before I got started.""Dave Payne, Owner, State Change, LLC, Former Google Open to wherever you are. Do the exercise. The guide you needed exists now.

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Reviews

""Deciding to step away for a sabbatical is a profound act of courage and clarity. In Your Sabbatical, Chris Grossmeier provides a refreshing framework for professionals to take that necessary deep dive into the ""why"" behind their work. By teaching us how to examine our thoughts feeling and actions, Chris helps align our career choices with our deepest personal values, ensuring that the work we do is not just a job but a reflection of who we are. I highly recommend this to any professional looking to re-energize their journey and realign their purpose."" Murray Lynn Harber, Co-Managing Director, Healthcare Disruptions LLC ""If the idea of a sabbatical has taken hold, this guide is a must-read. Chris lays it all out, the good, the bad, the ugly, and sets you up for success."" Laura Topor, President, Granada Health ""Chris has written an essential guide for anyone navigating a career break, whether by choice or due to the recent wave of corporate downsizing. I started my own journey six months before Chris, and found myself wandering aimlessly and chasing squirrels. This book provides the structure and purpose I wish I'd had from day one. Do the exercises, follow the recommendations, and invest in yourself."" Robert Graves, Principal, Galaxie House, LLC ""I took a year to do the hard way that which Chris elegantly guides through in this masterful work. It's the book my bumps and bruises would have appreciated before I got started on what I didn't quite realize was a pivot sabbatical."" Dave Payne, Owner, State Change, LLC., Former Google ""Chris has written an immensely helpful book for working through the thinking process for a sabbatical and for making sense of the emotional ebbs and flows that come with such an important leap! Whether planned or unplanned, this book gives a starting place that fits wherever you are in your sabbatical journey, with the flexibility to focus on the topic areas most meaningful and fitting. Your Sabbatical includes comprehensive tools that make this a necessity for navigating the process and reaching a fulfilling new season of life oriented by purpose and goals, not circumstances."" Rhea Fix, MEd, SPHR, Co-author of Well At Work ""If you are considering taking a sabbatical, making a career change, or retiring, this is a very comprehensive guide for your journey to your new endeavors."" Tom Becchetti, Sales Engineer""Chris has captured a great deal of practical insight for anyone considering a leave or a significant break from work. I had a great experience during my sabbatical from Microsoft, with real lessons learned that Chris has surfaced in this work."" Pete Fox, President & CEO, Ascent Solutions

Author Information

Chris Grossmeier is a technology and product leader who has spent more than 30 years working through career pivots, industry shifts, and the kind of change that forces you to rethink what matters. His work has ranged from starting an internet service provider in the 1990s to building products in modern enterprise and AI environments. In 2025, after years of high-pressure work and growing burnout, he stepped away for his own sabbatical. That experience became the foundation for Your Sabbatical.Chris writes for people who need more than vague encouragement. He focuses on the real questions behind a career break: money, identity, recovery, relationships, and what it takes to return to work with better clarity and stronger boundaries. His approach is practical, honest, and shaped by lived experience.The subject and content of this book were also shaped by his spouse, Jessica Grossmeier, a writer, workplace wellbeing researcher, and author. Her work, questions, and perspective helped sharpen how Chris thought about burnout, recovery, and what sustainable work can look like after a major pause.When not writing non-fiction, Chris also dabbles in fiction writing. Chris lives in Gilroy, California, with his wife and prefers to travel somewhere new whenever possible.

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