A career sabbatical group coaching series
In 2020, I took 3 months of my career and went travelling to francophone West Africa. It was a lifechanging experience and I have finally designed a coaching series to support other women to plan for – and TAKE – their own sabbaticals. Enter the career sabbatical group coaching series which will be taking place from January to June 2026.
Is it for me? This coaching series is for you if you:
- know you need a career sabbatical but the thought of taking one terrifies you,
- have been thinking of taking one but you are not sure how to make it happen,
- want to resign from your job but you’re not sure if it is the right decision and a sabbatical would give you some space to gain deeper clarity,
- want to understand why you want to take a career sabbatical, what you want to get out of it, what form it should take and how to make it happen.
What is it? A 6-month coaching series for a minimum of five and maximum of eight women to undergo a structured process to develop a plan for taking a career sabbatical. The group coaching series will take place from January to June 2026.
| January | One-on-one sessions with each coachee for 45 minutes. |
| February to May | Four group sessions of 3 hours every month on a Saturday morning. |
| June | One-on-one sessions with each coachee for 45 minutes. |
All group sessions will take place virtually. The individual sessions can take place virtually or in-person if the coachee is based in JHB.
What will I get out of it? The women attending this series will:
- gain deeper clarity of their current rationale, beliefs, barriers and ideas about a career sabbatical
- define or redesign their intentions and goals for their career sabbatical
- design a plan and begin to implement actions towards achieving their career sabbatical goals
What is the cost? Between ZAR 6 500 per person. Payment of ZAR 1 500 upfront and signing a coaching agreement secures your spot. Payment plans are available for the remaining ZAR 5 000.
How will it work? MORERO follows a structured process to deepen the quality of thinking and generate greater insight for coachees. The table below outlines the coaching process for both the individual and team coaching series:
| Session title | Description |
| Session 1 – Set up (one-on-one) | This session focuses on contracting. Together, you and your coach will establish the coaching relationship and agreement. The coach will meet with each woman and guide them to set inspiring goals for the career sabbatical. |
| Session 2 – Take stock | The take stock session is about understanding and unpacking the status quo. The coach will guide group members to engage in an in-depth analysis of their current situation for each of their goal areas. The coach will draw out common themes for interrogation and unpacking amongst the group. |
| Session 3 – Articulate Vision | The group members will undergo a process to shape and define a vision for the year ahead for each of their goals. The intention is to paint as detailed a picture as possible of what the career sabbatical looks like. |
| Session 4 – Keep exploring and energise action | With clarity on where we are and where we want to go, this session will throw the net wide with the coach guiding group members to produce ideas and options for realising the vision for their sabbatical. The coach will support the group to use the options and ideas to develop a dynamic, pragmatic, and exciting plan. |
| Session 5 – Strong completion | In the last session of the series, the group will review the coaching series in its entirety and reflect on the highlights of the journey including progress, challenges, insights, and learning. |
| Session 6 – The journey ahead (one-on-one) | The coach will meet with each woman and guide them to plan for the journey post the coaching series. This will include a reflection on each woman’s individual journey, identifying immediate next steps and what mechanisms will help them stay accountable to their goals. |
MORERO 