A Practical Plan for Taking a Meaningful Career Break

The Career Break Playbook helps mid-career professionals evaluate if a break is realistic, worthwhile and feasible.

Powered by The Intentional Gap

Take the Career Break Readiness Quiz
Take the Career Break Readiness Quiz

Some clients ultimately take extended breaks. Others redesign work, negotiate greater flexibility, pursue new opportunities, or simply gain clarity on what comes next.

The goal is a more intentional decision

WHO IS THIS FOR

✔ You've been thinking about a career break for years

✔ You're feeling restless, burned out, or ready for a change

✔ You need help figuring out how realistic this is, not encouragement to quit a job

✔ You worry about finances, logistics, re-entry or the long-term career impact

✔ You want a practical plan before your making your next move

  • Complete the Career Break Readiness Assessment to better understand what’s driving your interest in a break and draw out the biggest unanswered questions that need to be tackled.

  • During a series of structured strategy conversations we'll identify what might be standing in your way, trade-offs, key concerns. We will build a personalized Feasibility Snapshot to evaluate a realistic path forward.

  • Build a phased plan, timeline and decision framework for moving forward responsibly.

HOW IT WORKS

    • Readiness Assessment

    • Two 60-minute strategy calls

    • Career Break Feasibility Snapshot

      $595

    • ‍Career Break Diagnostic

    • Timeline & Checklist

    • Scenario Planning

    • 90-Day Action Plan

    • Two 30-minute check-in calls

      $1,195

PRICING

FAQS

  • No. Many clients are still deciding whether a break makes sense at all.

  • The process begins with the Career Break Readiness Assessment, a short questionnaire designed to surface key issues linked to career satisfaction, finances, timing, family dynamics, future goals, and perceived risks.

    From there, we work through a structured process designed to isolate these issues, help you weigh your options, clarify what's driving your interest in a break, and determine what makes the most sense for your life and career.

    Some clients ultimately take extended breaks. Others redesign their work, negotiate greater flexibility, pursue a new opportunity, or simply gain clarity about what comes next.

    The goal isn't to push you toward a specific outcome. The goal is to help you make a more informed, intentional decision.

    Depending on your situation and the level of support you choose, the process may include a combination of:

    • Career Break Readiness Assessment

    • Career Break Feasibility Snapshot

    • Scenario Comparison & Tradeoff Analysis

    • Decision Criteria Framework

    • Timeline & Checklist

    • 90-Day Action Plan

    • Planning Templates

    • Follow-Up Strategy Sessions

    Every engagement is designed to provide structure, reduce the decision into management chunks, and help you move towards a decision with more confidence.

  • That’s a successful outcome if it’s an informed, intentional decision.

  • Neither.

    The Career Break Playbook is a structured planning process designed to help you with the decision.  

    While conversations often touch on identity, fulfillment, stress, and transitions, the focus is practical: helping you evaluate feasibility, timing, trade-offs, logistics, and next steps.

Have More Questions? Text Me!
Have More Questions? Text Me!

After a career of more than 20 years helping teams and leaders think through difficult decisions, and having made the decision myself to take an intentional break from my own career three times (2000, 2013 and 2022), I’m excited to help other professionals who may be considering a career break. Each time I’ve stepped away from my career, in particular while planning how my family and I could live in Argentina for a year, I’ve realized how few practical resources exist for those considering some form of break from their career.

Each of my own experiences involved hard questions about identity, career, finances, family and timing. None of it was easy, but it required a deliberate process to be able to make an informed, intentional choice.

This isn’t about escaping reality or convincing people to quit their jobs. My goal is to help working professionals thoughtfully visualize what a break might look like, gain valuable clarity on key decision factors, and create a framework to make a decision.

Rob Vaughn