When you meet Adam, you learn one thing very quickly – he is passionate about skiing. After having been an instructor in the Colorado Rocky Mountains in the United States for years, Adam found the woman of his dreams and settled down back in his native Australia. Fearing that he would have to give up his life skiing as he knew it, his wife suggested that he continue his connection with his passion…

For years, Kimberley had always maintained a healthy work-life balance. In her professional life, Kimberley is a Chartered Accountant in New Zealand and had served as a Finance Manager for a variety of organizations. She also had been a successful hotel entrepreneur. In her personal life she traveled, played tennis, netball and volleyball. But, by her late 30s, her life fell out of balance…

Tamsin’s year-long career break highlights the fact that sometimes working professionals happy with their career just need a break to recharge and refocus. Always a driven professional, Tamsin tackled her career break in 2001 with the same passion that she approached her career…

Sjoerd had been planning his career break for some time when he met Daphne; 2 weeks before his departure date. Despite the chemistry between the two, he left on schedule in October 2007 for South America to travel and study a little bit of Spanish. Daphne was so excited about the trip (and Sjoerd) that she joined him in January for the final part of the journey…

Before Paul knew it, Paul was in his 30s and managing his career without having taken time to take a big trip like he had always wanted. One day while sitting in a meeting at work, he had his epiphany. It dawned on him that he could quite comfortably spend the rest of his life working for the British government agency where he was. Or, he could take the time now to go to South America, learn a bit of Spanish and learn more about Latin American culture…

Kathryn’s story shows that sometimes a break in your current career can give you the chance to try out a potential new career you’ve been thinking about. A lawyer from Australia, her first break in 2000 was more open-ended and less structured allowing her to work in the UK and the US where she spent several months working for a non-profit women’s rights organization in the United States…

Deepa’s story shows that your career break can be as individualistic and eclictic as you want it to be. Deepa left her job in Chicago as an Account Director for an advertising agency. The combination of being wedded to her career and her upcoming nuptials led Deepa to visit family and friends all over the world to have some much-needed quality time with them…

Before taking their career break, Fabian and Melanie toyed with the idea for years. Fabian had been thinking about taking a break for years, but Melanie remained unconvinced, not knowing what to expect on such a long trip. Eventually, the decision to move in together provided Melanie with the catalyst to say, “OK. Now is the time if we’re going to do this”…

Kent took a three-month career break to escape the post-merger acrimony after the consulting firm where he was employed was purchased. He originally intended to quit, but the partners of his firm convinced him to take a few months off and return to the firm after the upcoming summer…

Caroline exemplifies the kind of transformation that can happen to people on their career break. Leaving the US in January 2000, Caroline sought time to decompress and escape the burnout she felt after years in corporate sales for a local television station in Austin, Texas. She and a good friend left to pursue an endless summer. After leaving India where she spent time volunteering, she was haunted by memories of conditions of the Indian orphanages where she worked…