182: DJ DiDonna: How Sabbaticals Help Us Build Sustainable Lives
Overview
Have you ever wondered what might happen if you stepped away from work for more than just a vacation?
I'm a believer in sabbaticals. But as glorious as they can be, they're also a lot like life: they rarely go exactly as planned. I have found that having a plan going into one can make all the difference: thinking about how you want to use the time, how you'll make choices, and how you'll move with whatever unfolds along the way.
Which is why I’m excited to be in conversation today with DJ DiDonna about his experiences with and research on sabbaticals. We talk about why sabbaticals are critical for Sustainable Ambition, the sabbatical archetypes he identified in his research, and, of course, practical steps for planning one.
Listen below or on your favorite podcast player.
More About Our Guest
DJ DiDonna is a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School, where he teaches MBA courses on entrepreneurship and building meaningful lives. In 2019, he founded The Sabbatical Project to research and advance the role of sabbaticals in modern work. He has advised organizations worldwide—from nonprofits to Fortune 50 companies—on designing sabbatical policies. His work has been featured in The Atlantic, Harvard Business Review, Time, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. Previously, he cofounded EFL Global, a fintech company that expanded access to capital across 20 countries. On his sabbatical, DiDonna walked nine hundred miles on pilgrimage in Shikoku, Japan.
Listen to the full episode to hear:
How DJ defines sabbaticals
The sabbatical archetypes that DJ identified in his research and the traps they fall into
The impact of taking a sabbatical on how you navigate life
The case for proactively planning for a sabbatical rather than waiting for burnout or life circumstances to force it
How sabbaticals benefits organizations, not just the individuals taking them
Learn more about DJ DiDonna:
Resources Mentioned
Big Time Off: The Transformative Power of Sabbaticals and How to Take One
193: Sabbatical Planning with DJ DiDonna — Free Time with Jenny Blake
Thanks for Listening!
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