Podcast Episode
Summer Series #9 – Jessica Walked Away From a 60-Hour Week and Discovered a Whole New Life
About this episode
Summer Series #9 – Jessica Walked Away From a 60-Hour Week and Discovered a Whole New LifeWhat happens when you're really good at your job, you're making a difference in the world, and yet you know deep down that the life you're living isn't good for you anymore?In this episode of the Summer Series, I talk to Jessica O'Neill about one of the most incredible career-break transformations I've encountered.Jessica had spent years building and leading a community food-access organisation in Western Massachusetts. As executive director, she was working 60–80 hrs a week, managing staff, writing grants, working with the board and carrying the weight of an organisation that meant an enormous amount to her. She was successful, but exhausted. The hardest part wasn't knowing she needed a change. It was letting go.Jessica feared that everything she'd built would fall apart if she stepped away. Through her work with me, she began to challenge those fears, create a concrete plan for her career break and ultimately give herself permission to choose herself.What happened next was far beyond what she could have predicted.During her break, Jessica travelled to England to study equine healing and communication, spent time with her twin sister in Italy, rediscovered writing and gardening, and most importantly, learned how to slow down, breathe and reclaim her own time. That experience eventually became the foundation for an entirely new career working with horses, combining equine energy work, communication, nutrition, plants and sound therapy into what Jessica and her twin sister developed as the TwinErgy Method.Follow Jessica - https://www.orchardbrookfarm.com/🎙️ Enjoying the podcast?⭐ Follow or subscribe on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode!💬 If the show has helped or inspired you, leaving a quick 5-star review genuinely makes a huge difference and helps more people discover the podcast.📲 And if you know someone feeling burned out, stuck in their career, or dreaming about taking a career break, share this episode with them — it might be exactly what they need to hear.❤️ Your support helps us continue creating honest conversations, practical advice, and inspiring stories for people ready to make a change.▶️ Watching on YouTube? Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and turn on notifications so you never miss future episodes and career break conversations - https://www.youtube.com/@TakingaCareerBreakwithKatrinaTimestamps00:00 – Jessica's incredible career-break transformation
03:37 – Working 60–80 hours a week as an executive director
05:46 – Knowing something had to change
07:18 – The fear of walking away from everything she'd built
09:35 – Leaving the organisation and finally taking the break
16:45 – Saying no to six figures and choosing the unknown
17:27 – The big goals Jessica achieved during her break
21:01 – Recovering from burnout and learning to relax
22:30 – Studying equine healing in England
26:54 – Creating a holistic approach to healing horses
29:24 – The TwinErgy Method
33:00 – What Jessica's work with horses actually looks like
38:56 – Learning to value your work and charge for it
41:18 – The highs and challenges of taking a career break
45:54 – The biggest impact of coaching
50:17 – What Jessica would tell someone considering a career break
51:37 – Saying yes to yourself and opening new doors
53:56 – Where to find Jessica and her workReady to stop "running on empty" and start running toward a life you actually love?🫶🏼Join the BreakSpace community - www.gobreakspace.com🎁Order Katrina's book (w/ special bonus!) - https://www.kmcgheecoaching.com/book🔔 Subscribe for more deep dives into career growth, work-life balance, and mental resilience.🎧Produced by Winging It Productions - https://www.wingingitproductions.com