The realities of taking a sabbatical and its impact on your personal growth, your professional identity, and building a blended career - Vinamrata Singal

In this episode I chat with Vinamrata Singal about her decision to take a sabbatical after seven years in the tech industry. We delve into the motivations and fears people have when thinking of taking a sabbatical, as well as the impact a sabbatical can have on your life and your career. 

As always we dive into the deep stuff - we explore what it means to relinquish your professional identity and deal with the battle of the ego and status that comes with that. We also talk about the challenges of publishing work online and the struggles of marketing yourself. Vinamrata also shares a bunch of great resources for online creatives and for anyone thinking of taking a sabbatical. I’m a big fan of Vinamrata’s writing so it was an absolute pleasure to have her on the show - hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did! - Mike.

CHAPTERS 

(00:00) Introduction

(01:15) The decision to take a Sabbatical

(05:06) What even is a sabbatical?

(07:45) Planning a sabbatical

(11:30) The journey to quitting

(13:18) Scarcity mindset & financial anxiety

(14:22) Struggling with losing your identity

(15:10) The “what do you do?” question & investing in yourself

(16:00) Is taking a sabbatical “brave”?

(18:20) The pebble in your shoe

(19:40) Advice for people considering a sabbatical

(22:45) The door is more open than you think

(25:40) It’s easier to feel the downsides

(27:05) Struggling with professional labels

(30:10) Pride and ego

(35:40) Pursuing a Blended Career

(37:05) Is success as a full-time creative in your control?

(42:30) What is failure for creative work?

(44:00) Does having an audience matter?

(47:20) Self-promotion vs doing the work

(50:10) Starting a coaching side-hustle

(55:00) Growing intentionally & the Sh**ty Marketing Ratio

(58:12) Book Recommendations

(61:55) Key Takeaways 

MORE FROM VINAMRATA SINGAL

• The Next Chapter (Vinamrata’s Blog) 
• Get Coaching with Vinamrata 
• Vinamrata on LinkedIn

MORE FROM IMPERFECT CREATIVES

• Sign-up to the Imperfect Newsletter
• Mike on LinkedIn

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• https://moretothat.com/take-the-leap/ 
• The Pathless Path - Paul Millerd

VINAMRATA’S BOOK PICKS

• The Bhagavad Gita
• The Catcher in the Rye - J. D. Salinger
• In Other Words - Jhumpa Lahiri
• The Stranger - Albert Camus
• Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow - Gabrielle Zavin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.