Why did you go on sabbatical?

Books can be dangerous things.

I was working on my startup in London when I received a book from a friend. 

"You might like it," he said to me. 

"Might I?" – I was skeptical. 

I loved it! The book was Martijn Doolard's "One Year On A Bicycle". Doolard had cycled from Amsterdam to Singapore, then from the north of North America to Patagonia. 

His journey wasn't just a travel narrative; it was an invitation to reimagine life's possibilities.

At the time, I was not burnt out, but I was certain there was more to life than my current trajectory. All of my self-worth had become intrinsically linked to my Monthly Recurring Revenue. The more MRR I accumulated, the more my ego bloomed. I was working passionately, even vigorously, but something fundamental was missing. My emotional cup wasn’t being filled.

Were there other ways to live?, I wondered to myself.

Yes! One way is to travel on a bicycle, camping under a glowing white moon in the middle of the eastern desert in Egypt. 

Ah, the romance!

Where did you go and what did you do?

Eight months after reading Doolard's book, in August 2023, I left the UK, and cycled from London to Bangkok. I rode past Martijn's cabin high in the Italian Alps, and stopped for tea to say "Thank You" for the inspiration.

I wound through to Istanbul, then Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Oman. After Sri Lanka, I spent six months in India, moving gently on my bicycle from Kanyakumari, the southern tip, to Leh, Ladakh, and then to Nepal, the top of the world. Finally, I reached Bangkok, and rode up to Chiang Mai.

What are you doing now?

Now 31 and I'm moving to Geneva to work on SabbaticalHQ. 

The pre-sabbatical me would have been nervous of uncertainty – so much change! – but now I’m excited. There's a pregnant unknown: Where will life lead? 

I am thrilled to be working with Selman, helping others discover sabbaticals for themselves. When I'm not working on SabbaticalHQ or cycling, I love running (I'm training for the Barcelona marathon), I *adore* writing.

My sabbatical taught me that life is about experiencing, learning, and remaining open to the unexpected. 

I also learned that sometimes the strangest things begin with a single book.

Favourite Quote

"Life wants to be lived, and I live it, even though it goes against logic.", Dostoyevsky in The Brothers Karamazov