HEALING + SPIRITUALITY

Designing your Soulbbatical

How Shelley Paxton’s Soulbbatical spurred me into action

Earlier this year, Shelley Paxton’s Soulbbatical book came out to much fanfare. I was one of those people who had been waiting for it. I was entranced by the idea that this successful, trail-blazing marketing executive not only could but wanted to walk away from her career to nurture her soul and find her purpose. I loved the simple yet powerful mantra that accompanied her book, her company and her way of life:

Liberate your soul. Step into your power.

I spent many hours after reading the book pondering what my own Soulbbatical would look like if I could muster up the courage to go forward with it. Then COVID happened and two opposite things happened — I felt defeated by the world and couldn’t imagine “finding myself” without doing big, exciting things like traveling or going to see a revered shaman… yet I also felt compelled to keep coming back to the idea. After discovering a new and delicious part of myself (spirituality), I realized that I didn’t need the external things at all… what I really needed was the intention and desire to change the way I wanted to think and live life, and the permission to work toward it.