Zero To Travel Podcast

How to Start Planning Your First (Or Next) Career Break Today (Using 5 Simple Steps) with Cali O´Connor

Sep 10, 2024

Cali O'Connor, a former chemical engineer who embraced a life of travel after leaving the oilfield, shares her transformative journey. She outlines five practical steps to planning a career break, addressing common fears like financial insecurity and job stability. Listeners learn about the importance of intention behind a break, overcoming the 'achiever' mindset, and how to make the most of their travel experiences. Cali also reflects on her biggest mistakes, offering valuable insights to help others embark on their own adventures.

01:06:15

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Episode guests

Cali O'Connor

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Deciding to take a career break is crucial for transforming dreams into actionable plans that address burnout and dissatisfaction.

Understanding the deeper motivations for a career break helps individuals create a meaningful and purpose-driven travel experience.

Developing a financial plan and budgeting effectively is essential to alleviate fears and ensure a stress-free travel experience.

Deep dives

Taking the Leap to a Career Break

Making the decision to take a career break is crucial, as it transforms a distant dream into actionable steps. Individuals often approach the idea of a career break as a someday goal, but committing to it can lead to tangible planning today. It involves recognizing the need for change, especially when feeling burned out or dissatisfied with one's current job. This decision serves as a foundation for the subsequent planning and preparation needed for a successful career break.

Intro

2min

Navigating the Journey of a Career Break for Travel

5min

The Transformative Power of Career Breaks

12min

Navigating Career Changes and Embracing Non-linear Paths

4min

Planning Your Career Break

17min

Navigating Career Transitions Gracefully

3min

Navigating Career Breaks and Hostel Life

15min

Embracing Career Breaks and Travel

6min

Have you thought about hitting pause on your career to travel the world but are unsure how to make it a reality? It's not as unattainable as you may think!

Cali O'Connor shares her experience of taking multiple career breaks and offers 5 practical steps to start planning your own career break today.

Cali is a former chemical engineer who traded her career in the oilfield for a life-changing adventure of quitting her job to travel around the world. Now, Cali helps working professionals find clarity in their lives by taking a career break that gives them the freedom to travel, explore, and realign with their life goals.

Whether you dream of quitting your job or taking a temporary pause, this episode will give you the confidence and strategies to take that leap. You'll hear about her biggest mistakes during her first career break (and how to avoid them), insights on overcoming common fears such as financial insecurity and leaving a stable job, travel advice to save time and money, and lessons on concurring travel burnout.

If you could take a career break tomorrow, where would you go, and why? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you'll share them by sending me an audio message.

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Tune In To Learn:

What led to leaving her career and how she was able to get out of the "achiever" mindset
The most important but obvious step in taking a career break
The purpose of having goals for your time off
Insight on when to start your career break and deciding how long to go for
How to budget and financially plan for long-term travel
Advice on talking to your boss about your decision
Her experience working for a hostel and why they're not just for young travelers
3 places she'd visit again in a heartbeat
And so much more

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Zero To Travel Podcast

How to Start Planning Your First (Or Next) Career Break Today (Using 5 Simple Steps) with Cali O´Connor

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Taking the Leap to a Career Break

Defining Your Purpose

Setting Goals and Timelines

Facing Financial Concerns Head-On

Communicating with Employers

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts