The Solaris Pathway – Coming Soon

A Self-Guided Course for Intentional Time Away

A sabbatical is more than time off. It is an opportunity to step outside the pace and expectations of everyday life, create room for reflection, and reconnect with what matters most.

The Sabbatical Planning Pathway is a self-paced course for people considering a sabbatical, extended leave, career break or shorter period of intentional time away. It combines reflective guidance with practical planning so that you can shape your time around what you need—not someone else’s idea of what a sabbatical should be.

You do not need to have your dates, destination or entire plan figured out before beginning. The Pathway is designed to help you explore what is possible and make thoughtful decisions one step at a time.

Who It Is For

The Sabbatical Planning Pathway is designed for professionals, leaders and other people carrying significant personal or professional responsibility who feel ready for space but may not yet know what that space should look like.

It may be right for you if:

  • You have been moving from one responsibility or milestone to the next without enough time to pause.

  • You are tired, stretched thin or approaching a transition.

  • You are considering a sabbatical but feel overwhelmed by the financial and logistical questions.

  • You want your time away to be restorative and meaningful without scheduling every moment.

  • You are not ready or able to take an extended sabbatical but want to explore a shorter period of intentional time away.

  • You want room to consider what comes next without forcing yourself to have an immediate answer.

Why This Pathway Exists

Time away takes thought to arrange, especially when you are already carrying a great deal. Questions about work, finances, timing, family, travel and re-entry can make a sabbatical feel unrealistic before you have fully explored it.

At the same time, planning every moment can turn rest into another project to manage.

The Pathway offers enough structure to help you make grounded decisions without prescribing what your time away should look like. It creates a place to consider both the practical realities and the personal questions that accompany an intentional pause.

 Inside the Pathway

What You’ll Explore

Your reason for stepping away

Consider what is drawing you toward time away, what you may need space from and what you hope to make room for. Begin defining an intention without requiring a rigid outcome.

What is possible

Explore the shape, timing and length of your time away. Consider a full sabbatical, extended leave, shorter break or another form of intentional space that reflects your current circumstances.

Your life as it is now

Take an honest look at the areas of your life that feel nourishing, demanding, unfinished or ready to change. Reconnect with your values and identify what deserves more attention.

Financial and practical planning

Think through budgeting, income, benefits, housing, travel, caregiving and other logistical decisions. Identify the information you need and the steps that could make time away more possible.

Boundaries that protect the experience

Consider how you will communicate your plans, respond to expectations and protect your time from becoming filled with obligations, productivity goals or other people’s priorities.

Rest, reflection and renewal

Explore what restoration means for you. Develop a flexible rhythm that allows for rest, curiosity, reflection, meaningful experiences and unstructured time.

Returning with intention

Prepare for the emotional and practical experience of returning. Consider what you want to carry forward, what you may want to change and how to protect the clarity you gained.

What You Can Leave With

By the end of the Pathway, you can have:

  • A clearer understanding of why you want time away.

  • A vision for the type of sabbatical or break that fits your life.

  • A practical list of decisions, questions and next steps.

  • Greater clarity around timing, finances, logistics and boundaries.

  • A flexible framework for how you want to use your time.

  • A thoughtful approach to re-entry and what comes next.

The purpose is not to plan a perfect sabbatical. It is to help you create space, understand your options and move forward with greater intention.

A Pathway, Not a Prescription

There is no single correct way to take a sabbatical.

Your time away might involve travel, staying close to home, caring for your health, pursuing a creative project, reconnecting with people you love or simply allowing yourself to rest. It may last several months or take the form of a much shorter pause.

The Sabbatical Planning Pathway helps you design an experience around what matters most to you. It is educational and self-directed rather than coaching or therapy, and it does not require you to pursue a specific personal or professional outcome.

How It Works

The course is completed independently and at your own pace. You can move through it in sequence or spend additional time with the sections most relevant to your circumstances.

The experience combines guided lessons, practical planning considerations and reflection prompts. You can begin while you are still deciding whether a sabbatical is possible or use it to bring greater intention to time away that is already scheduled.

Clarity Backed by Expertise

  • The Sabbatical Planning Pathway is a self-guided experience. You can work through the material privately and at your own pace.

  • No. You can begin before you have dates or formal approval. Part of the process is identifying what is possible and what decisions need to be made.

  • Yes. The Pathway can help you clarify your intentions, prepare for practical decisions, establish boundaries and consider how you want to approach both your time away and your eventual return.

  • You do not need to have the financial details resolved before beginning the course. The Pathway helps you explore budgeting, timing and practical considerations so you can better understand your options. It does not provide individualized financial advice.

  • No. Your time away can involve travel, staying close to home or a combination of both. The focus is on creating an experience that reflects what you need and what is possible for you.