career break compass: navigating your path to a balanced life through intentional time off

Reignite your career passion with Career Break Compass: a strategic guide to reclaiming work-life balance through meaningful breaks, complete with actionable plans and a supportive community.

＂For those grappling with burnout and the uncertainties of recovery, this compass emerges as an indispensable guide, offering strategic insights that navigate the journey toward renewal and a purpose-driven future.＂ --Dr. Tamara Beckford, Burnout Prevention Expert, and CEO of UR Caring Docs

Career Break Compass is for mid- to high-level executives who are high achievers and goal-oriented decision makers finding themselves losing momentum and drive from overwork, lack of work-life balance, emotional exhaustion, and more. By telling her own story, the author shows how after recognizing that she was burned out in her career, she decided to take a three-month break. Rather than just taking the time off, she planned that time, breaking it into four sections: Play, Pause, Plan, and Pursue. She felt it was essential first to take the time to disengage from work and spend time with her family in Play. For Pause, she spent time on her own to slow down, meditate, and work on herself. That got her ready to Plan, where she investigated her core values and how she could incorporate those into her career. Pursue prepared her to re-enter the workforce.

By interviewing others who have taken career breaks and sharing their stories, Laura gives readers a wide variety of options to take their own breaks-short or long. There are even a series of bite-sized break ideas for those who need a pause but don’t have the time or money to take off for three months.

Each chapter ends with questions for the reader that will help them thoughtfully plan a break that works for them. A QR code at the back of the book will lead readers to templates and worksheets online plus a developing community of like-minded people.

By the end of the book, readers will have the tools they need to plan and execute a career break and then return, either to their existing job or maybe something completely new, refreshed, motivated, and ready to work with a plan that will keep them from falling into old burnout traps.

MORE PRAISE FOR CAREER BREAK COMPASS

＂Laura’s carefully thought-out strategies for taking an intentional break. . . offers actionable and sustainable practices that will recharge you--at home and in the office.＂ --Fran Hauser, Author, Keynote Speaker, Leading Career Expert, and Former Fortune 500 Media Executive

＂Laura Nguyen offers smart, take-you-by-the-hand guidance to pause, recharge, reevaluate and, ultimately, reemerge to work that is aligned with your strengths and values. This is the map you need when contemplating what’s next!＂ --Becky Vollmer, author of You Are Not Stuck: How Soul-Guided Choices Transform Fear into Freedom

Laura Nguyen is an experienced growth-focused marketing executive with an extensive background in data-driven marketing, demand generation and branding for DTC and B2B Fortune 500 companies. With 18 years of experience, she has led high-performing teams to achieve organizational growth and market share dominance. As an advocate for diversity and inclusion, Laura led business resource groups at the corporate level. Laura received her Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science at Truman State University, and her Master in Business Administration from Rochester Institute of Technology. She lives in Des Moines, Iowa, with her wife and four kids and cat, Olive.