The Art of the Sabbatical is a guidebook showing you the paths you can take to have a successful break from work. Whether you’re between jobs, taking intentional time off, or planning to make a big career change, this book will enlighten you on what you need to do to get your finances right, how to communicate with colleagues and loved ones, and how you bring your best self when you return to the workforce. 

My name is Cady North and I am the author of The Art of the Sabbatical. I wrote this book because soon after embarking on my sabbatical, I reluctantly learned how to “just be” without needing to achieve all the time. The experience gave me the time and space to evaluate options for starting my own successful financial planning company. Since then I’ve coached dozens of people through taking their own sabbatical. COVID-19 has shown many of us that work is not the primary purpose of our lives and a sabbatical is a great way to explore what is or should be primary. 

My hope is that you will discover the transformative power of sabbaticals. In reading this book, I hope to instill in you the same sort of passion and excitement that I have for work breaks as a catalyst to discover, learn and grow professionally and personally. Ultimately, I want you to see this book as a tool to help you navigate the inevitable challenges and joys of taking extended time from work.  

What to Expect:

The book is written in 3 parts. All chapters include call-outs for key lessons learned and a workbook with questions for reflection to help you sort through your thoughts.

• Part 1 will focus on acquainting you with sabbaticals, their history and their benefit as a catalyst to bring lasting changes in your life. These changes can certainly help buffer against future burnout, but the stories I will share show how they can also bring more meaning and happiness into your life.

• In Part 2, we explore how to plan a sabbatical for yourself. The fears you may have about taking an extended work break (whether related to the future, family, or finances) can be petrifying. So we’ll tackle those head on and share ways of overcoming them.

• In Part 3, we will review some in-depth case studies which will further help you on your journey and feature sabbatical scenarios that I commonly encounter in my work as a financial planner: changing careers, practicing retirement, supporting a spouse, or capturing the feeling of a sabbatical without taking time off.

Cady North always knew she wanted to help others find financial resilience. Her parents were small business owners, and she learned to balance a business checkbook by the age of 13. After spending more than a decade in corporate roles, she took a life-changing eight-month sabbatical. The time off gave her the courage to found her own financial planning business in 2015 helping women from all over the country act on big dreams while building wealth for their future. 

As an investment advisor, public speaker and author, her work has been featured in Bustle, Business Insider, The Washington Post, and Forbes. She is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®, Registered Life Planner®, has an MBA from Georgetown University and BA from the University of Texas at Austin.