Ep 63: Creating the"Perfect"Sabbaticals for Peak Experiences | DJ Didonna [Founder, the Sabbatical Project] - a podcast by Ling Yah

Have you ever thought about taking a sabbatical? Or have taken one yourself?

If so, then this week’s STIMY guest will be of interest to you. 

DJ DiDonna is the founder of the Sabbatical Project, which is the first-of-its kind research into when and why sabbaticals are being taken by professionals, and how they lead to positive outcomes and an opportunity to tap into their inner self. 

DJ shares his personal story of first completing his MBA at Harvard Business School before spending the next 7 years of his life building Entrepreneurial Finance Lab: a microfinance startup he founded because was deeply passionate about pursuing access to finance and credit. It was a highly successful startup and they succeeded in unlocking over $1 billion for entrepreneurs and individuals that would otherwise not have access to such funding. 

However, no one told him that you could burn out from doing the job you loved.

And that’s exactly what happened.

In this episode, we dive deep into DJ’s experiences being burnt out, what he did during his sabbaticals as well as the findings that the Sabbatical Project has produced to date.

Highlights:

• 4:08 Doing an MBA at Harvard Business School
• 6:37 Launching a microfinance startup that would unlock over $1 billion for entrepreneurs & be featured in the New York Times
• 8:58 Burning out from doing a job you love
• 10:01 Burning out versus just needing a vacation
• 12:13 Guilt
• 12:49 Maximising productivity during his sabbatical as a Type A
• 15:10 Completing the 900 mile (1200 km) Shikoku Pilgrimage in Japan 
• 16:13 “Ossentai”
• 22:51 Collaborating with Professor Matt Bloom
• 24:00 Founding the Sabbatical Project
• 26:26 Defining what a “sabbatical” is
• 27:33 Is there such a thing as a sabbatical that’s gone on for “too long”?
• 30:06 Travel doesn’t guarantee disconnection 
• 33:11 Getting in touch with your inner self 
• 34:20 Testing your assumptions with others
• 35:52 Has anyone ever regretted taking a sabbatical?
• 37:19 Sabbaticals help to fight FOMO
• 38:03 How to structure a sabbatical
• 40:08 Designing a system to capture your learnings from your sabbatical
• 43:16 Employers who want to implement sabbatical policies in their companies
• 45:24 Forced sabbaticals
• 46:56 When people should think about taking sabbaticals (without waiting for burnouts or something bad to happen in life)
• 48:13 Best way to ask employers for sabbaticals
• 50:42 Functional workaholism 

📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/63

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