I Just Needed A Break.
But I didn’t know how to actually take one.
Or what I was even taking a break from.
From the outside, my life looks pretty “easy” and “good.”
I know this because I’ve heard this from those “closest to me.”
I used quotation marks, because those comments rarely come from people I connect with in real life. They come from people I used to be very close with but since moving away from California to Portland, Oregon, they only really gauge how I’m doing by what I or my partner share on social media. (one more reason I’m contemplating another break from that as well.)
There were parts of me that thought,
“What do I actually need a break from? I have it so much easier than most people …”
(cue the mental list of how my life isn’t as challenging as others’, how much privilege I hold, etc)
But the real question I was swimming through was,
“How can I justify taking so much time off, to others who have a “harder” life than I do?”
Ughh … my internalized patriarchal, capitalistic bullshit that productivity = worthiness & value is something I am constantly working to deconstruct, dismantle & abolish. But this shit runs deep.
In December of 2025 I got an email from my dear friend and mentor Maegan Megginson, that she was hosting a FREE workshop called, “Press Pause.”
Before I even read what it was all about, I felt an immediate internal, “Yes please!” ring through me.
I read the email that outlined how it was a space to get clear on your vision in your business.
Hell yes, sign me up. I love a good business planning sesh.
(“Hey, do you wanna talk about business ideas?” is definitely a love language of mine & pumps me full of oxytocin✨ and dopamine✨).
But as I read more of the email, I was intrigued when I read about Sabbatical School 🤔 …
“Who doesn't like a well-organized plan?
Knowing what to do next without having to think about it is a gift in a world that is constantly demanding more of your attention.
Having a plan also makes it easier to complete really big projects.
For example, creating Sabbatical School and designing the Press Pause workshop simultaneously has been a gargantuan amount of work in a short amount of time. The vision was clarified in October; we started working earnestly on the project in November; and now, in mid-January, we're prepping next week's workshops and preparing to open enrollment for Sabbatical School on Monday!”
I was so curious.
Sabbatical School? What even is that?
I’ve known other colleagues who’ve taken sabbaticals and to be honest, I sorta of rolled my eyes at their announcements about them.
I judged them.
I made up all these stories about, “must be nice to take off so much time and do nothing.”
I was kind of an asshole about the whole things (quietly & to myself, of course) but here I was super curious.
So, I attended the FREE 2-hour ‘Press Pause’ workshop (which was fan-fucking-tastic, if I do say so myself) and learned more about Sabbatical School at the end.
And, you guessed it - I was hooked.
Yep, sign me up!
Take my money, Meagan!
I’m pretty sure those were my exact words in my email to her, and the next week I enrolled in the 6-month long Sabbattcal School.
FUCK YEAH!
And here’s what happened next:
I did the thing I usually do when I invest more than $100 in myself …
I immediately regreted it. 🫨
I wondered, WTAF was I thinking signing up for a 6 month program where I take a full month off at the end?
How can I get out of this thing I just said yes to?
How can I get my money back?
And how can I do all these things without hurting my friendship with Maegan & not drowning in my shame, every step of the way?
Oddly enough, that “thing that usually happens,” the “WOOSH” (imagine a wave rushing over me) of regret, subsided almost as immediately as it made it’s way into my consciousness.
WEIRD … but ok, I’m here for it.
And so I did it.
I joined the 6 month program, with 9 other women, all over the world.
And month by month, I planned, I processed, I vizualized, I asked all the questions, I shared openly about my fears (there was so many), and I gave myself permission to get excited.
Excited to take an entire month to do ONLY what I wanted.
(Of course there are exceptions: I still live with a partner and we’ve got responsibilities. But as a child-free & pet-free by choice human, there weren’t many that couldn’t be completely or mostly paused for 30 days,)
Because of the extreme care & consideration Maegan put into each month’s topics, I feel adequately prepared for this next month “off.”
To give you an idea of what this looked like, this was the breakdown that helped me say YES to this:
Month 1: FINANCIAL FOUNDATIONS: Building the financial safety net for your sabbatical
Month 2: TRANSFORM YOUR MINDSET: Redefine your relationship with productivity and identify your time and energy drains
Month 3: COMMUNICATE THE PLAN: Prepare your clients, collaborators, and loved ones for your sabbatical
Month 4: BUILDING SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS: Set up business systems that run while you rest
Month 5: DESIGN THE EXPERIENCE: Craft the mindset and the environment for your sabbatical
Month 6: TAKE YOUR SABBATICAL: Live the sabbatical experience you’ve prepared for
Month 7: INTEGRATION: Bring your sabbatical-gained wisdom home to your business and life
Curious about Sabbatical School? Yeah I would be too if I were you 😉… CLICK HERE or HERE to learn more.
What I found to be most surprising with the process, is how long it took me to FEEL truly ready to take the month off.
I was sooooooo ready for a break from ALL the things … but taking off a full month from work, required way more planning than just setting up my out of office email reply & outgoing voicemail. (shit, I still need to do those things 😆)
Weird, it’s almost like Maegan knew that it would take ambitious, creative yet exhausted humans 6-ish months or so to be totally ready for a (sober) altered state experience 😝. (she’s a sharp one, that Maegan. An old-souled witch, with a youthful essence, is how I describe her).
Every month we filled out a little questionnaire, and each time one of the questions was:
Why does this matter to you?
And the verbiage (like with every other part of what Maegan does in all of her offerings) felt so deeply intentional.
It didn’t ask,
“What are you hoping to get out of this?” or “What would make you feel successful at the end of this?”
It was an invitation to go inward to those really soft, squishy, tender, (and let’s be honest, fucking exhausted) parts of myself to offer up the microphone for them to answer honestly…
Why does this matter so much to me?
Why does this matter so much to the people I love most?
Why does this matter to my business, the thing I tend to like a beloved child or pet that depends on me to exist & thrive?
When I reviewed my answer to that question at the very start of this, I was both amused and not surprised.
My exact words were:
“Taking time off regenerative.”
What, does that even mean? 😵💫
It feels so reflective of where I was at the time of writing that.
It was January of 2026.
I was tired.
I knew I wanted a break.
I couldn’t even find the words. (perimenopause was kicking my ass 😩)
And I wasn’t slowing down for shit!
I was actually revving things up, getting ready for my Winter session of my “Now What?” Witchy Women, Femmes & Thems Helper & Healers groups. (which was magickal as ever 🥰)
So, with TODAY being 5 days away from the start of my 31 days of Sabbatical, I will leave you with this …
I have no idea how I will actually feel, as I navigate these next 31 days.
But what I am sure of, is that I’m giving myself full permission to listen carefully to my body, my heart, my soul & lastly, my mind.
I will ask mysefl every single day,
This is my magickal Sabbatical Altar - that I plan to sit at each morning. And that photo in the back is little me & my best friend (and older sister) making mud pies. Even then, we were dabbling in magick 🥹 And I will be channeling that little girl this month, remembering to cherish the whimsy that is all around me.
“What do you want today, Robyn?”
And I will listen to all the parts of me, that have ideas, opinions, needs, wants, fears, and mostly the parts of me that have DEEP desires that I rarely make time for.
So, let’s chat again in 31-ish days and I’m sure I’ll have some sweet & magickal moments to share with you.
And in the meantime, I will leave you with this self reflection:
Where in your life can you slow down & ask yourself, “What do you want right now?”
And what would it take for you to actually listen & tend to that part?
See you in a month! ✌🏻
If you want to get on my calendar for when I return in September send me an email at Hello@RobynCullen.com
and I will lovingly move through those upon my return.
Or you can schedule a consultation call using the button below & we’ll chat in September.
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with Maegan Megginson or Sabbatical School or any of its subsidiaries or its affiliates. I share this in hopes that this resource & information can benefit readers. Feel free to share with others.
