Ever wondered what it would be like to take an extended break from work in your dream destination?

Here is Robbie reflecting on what has been the most meaningful thing about his EA5 Sabbatical Experience:

As a newly Chartered Physiotherapist in 2019, I was excited about getting my career underway at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. Little did I know that I was about to battle through the fear, stress and uncertainty of working on one of the largest intensive care units during the COVID-19 pandemic…

This period was one of the most challenging experiences I have been through, as was the case for so many frontline workers around the world. During this time however, through conversations with Zak, my close friend now Director and Performance Coach here at EA5, I regularly reflected on my day to day experience on the wards and the stress it was causing myself and my colleagues.

Zak was working in the corporate sector at the time and during one conversation, we made a commitment to turn our dreams of travelling to South East Asia and training martial arts in Thailand a reality. This was a dream that we had both shared since our younger years and this mutual accountability was invaluable.

Two years later, the timings aligned and I decided to quit my job working in the NHS, join EA5 and prepare myself for a one way flight to Bangkok, Thailand.

Unlike a typical backpacking trip I originally thought I was going to experience, my onboarding at EA5 before I left for South East Asia, completely shaped my time away. Working through the “5 Step Real Change Process” allowed me to truly embrace the sabbatical experience and take life long learning from this incredible trip.

In the short video above, I reflect on my time spent immersed in conversation with two incredible psychologists, in Steven and Zak. They brought my attention to areas of my character that I was completely blind to. I was then able to work on these during my travels and really test my character in such a diverse and broad range of situations and circumstances.

Overall, I struggle to put into words how transformational this experience was. The sabbatical trip became a perfect combination of time, space and an opportunity to think differently. To challenge my defaults and learn to express myself with greater freedom.

At EA5 we are thrilled to now be offering our Sabbatical Mentorship Programme to anyone who is also interested in transforming their lives and discovering a greater sense of self-awareness, drive and motivation and most importantly purpose in their lives.

I hope you have enjoyed this blog post. Share it with someone who you would love travel with!
Please reach out to me with any questions or thoughts you may have and I look forward to hearing from you.

All the best,
Robbie