How to Decouple Identity from Career for a Mini-Retirement
Retire Often
Mitch shares his journey towards a mini-retirement, discussing the challenges of decoupling his identity from work, the role of therapy in his transition, and the planning involved in their adventure. He reflects on the joy of spending quality time with family while traveling and the unexpected return to work with a new perspective. Mitch offers encouragement for others considering a similar path, emphasizing the importance of self-evaluation and planning for a fulfilling life beyond traditional work. Takeaways Mitch and his wife were both working demanding jobs before considering a...
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Mini Retirements: A Lifetime of Adventures by saving 6.5%
Retire Often
Jillian discusses the concept of mini-retirements, exploring how much one needs to save to enjoy these experiences throughout life. She emphasizes the importance of planning, budgeting, and finding ways to increase income or reduce expenses to make mini-retirements feasible. Jillian provides practical calculations and strategies for saving, encouraging listeners to think creatively about financing their adventures and maximizing their experiences. Takeaways How saving an additional 6.5% of your income can fund mini-retirements. Finding ways to increase income or reduce expenses is key to...
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Developing Failure Immunity with an around the World Trip
Retire Often
In this conversation, Charles shares the inspiring journey of taking a seven-month mini retirement with his family, exploring the motivations behind their decision, the planning process, and the transformative experiences they encountered along the way. He discusses the impact of travel on his children, the importance of adaptability, and how the trip allowed them to reconnect as a family. Charles also highlights the lessons learned about resilience, the value of pausing in life, and his upcoming book that documents their adventure. Takeaways Travel was a shared dream that started on their...
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Seasons of life with expiration dates
Retire Often
In this solo episode, Jillian discusses the necessity of taking mini retirements to engage in meaningful activities that have expiration dates, such as family adventures. Jillian reflects on her own experiences and the unpredictability of life, encouraging listeners to prioritize these moments before they pass by. Takeaways Mini retirements allow for experiences that can't fit into weekends Some life experiences have expiration dates that can't be postponed until 65 Life is unpredictable, and we should seize opportunities when they arise Regrets often stem from not taking chances when we had...
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When the dream job becomes soul crushing
Retire Often
Jacob Wade shares his transformative journey from a high-stress tech sales job to a life of travel and family connection through a mini retirement. He discusses the mental health challenges that led to his decision, the planning and execution of a year-long RV trip with his family, and the profound impact it had on their lives. Jacob reflects on the shift from a corporate career to entrepreneurship, emphasizing the importance of embracing risk and prioritizing personal fulfillment over financial metrics. Takeaways Jacob experienced a mental breakdown due to work stress and...
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Embracing the Three Phases of a Mini-Retirement
Retire Often
In this conversation, Stacy shares her experiences part way through her mini retirements. She shares how she created distinct phases. While explaining the importance of having a structured yet flexible approach to this career break. We cover how she overcame one more year syndrome and the fear of losing out on that extra income. Takeaways She felt the need for a better work-life balance due to her stressful job. The group coaching provided valuable support and perspective. Hesitations about leaving a stable career are common but manageable. Volunteering unexpectedly became a...
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Your Guide to Negotiating A Month Off
Retire Often
In this episode, I explain that a month is an ideal starting point due to the ease of negotiation, lower costs, the ability to achieve significant personal goals, and the chance to practice for longer breaks. The conversation then moves into strategies for negotiating time off, emphasizing the importance of a collaborative approach and the recognition that negotiation is often a multi-step process. I then detail the importance of crafting a compelling narrative when negotiating a mini-retirement. She outlines four key elements for framing the story: it should be positive, interesting,...
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Building Freedom for Mini-retirements into Your Business
Retire Often
In this conversation, Jillian speaks with Ken and Mary from The Humble Penny about their journey of taking mini-retirements as business owners. They discuss the impact of COVID on their work-life balance, the transition from corporate jobs to entrepreneurship, and the importance of building systems that allow for freedom in their business. They share insights on the creative energy that comes from taking breaks, the dynamics of family life as business owners, and the mindset shifts necessary for success. TakeawaysL COVID prompted a reassessment of priorities and the desire for more...
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Do you have the Capacity to Suffer or the Courage to Change?
Retire Often
In this solo episode, Jillian Johnsrud covers one of the tools that she uses with her coaching clients, focusing on the dual skills of courage for change and the capacity to stay and suffer. She emphasizes the importance of developing both skills to navigate life transitions effectively. Jillian provides actionable steps for listeners to clarify their goals and take necessary actions towards change, while also highlighting the significance of building resilience for future challenges.
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The Rest You’ve Earned
Retire Often
Frances Benjamin shares her mini-retirement story and the transformative impact it had on her life. Before her mini-retirement, Frances was working multiple jobs and juggling the responsibilities of being a single mom. The catalyst for her decision to take a break was the pandemic and the realization that her daughter would soon be leaving the nest. Frances prepared for her mini-retirement by decluttering, saving money, and paying off debt. She embarked on her break with her daughter, traveling to Mexico and Thailand, immersing themselves in the local culture and enjoying the freedom to do...
info_outlineIn college, Joe fell in love with hiking and climbing. He loved the community and time in nature. He tried pursuing a corporate life, but a mini-retirement where he hiked the Appalachian Trail shifted his path. He realized that corporate life wasn’t how he wanted to spend the rest of his life. But he also wasn’t drawn to the “dirt bag” life of taking odd jobs to pay the bills between adventures. So he rapidly saved money from the corporate job to pursue financial independence. After taking another long mini-retirement to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, he made an even more significant life shift.