Day 1

Today is my last day at Atlassian before starting a 2 month sabbatical. I'm in my feelings about it for the following reasons:

1) In almost 7 years, other than maternity leave, (which all parents will tell you is not "time off" by any stretch of the imagination.) I have never taken an extended leave.

2) These are uncertain times in tech. However, they are also defining times for teams. Look at the armed forces, you fight together, you come together. Teams get bonded in battle. I'm going to miss those pivotal connection moments.

3) I'm scared.

I'm choosing not to elaborate on the reason for the leave until I have more information, but there is a medical necessity. Aside from that, a lot of the reason I chose to take leave was because I needed a mental reset. A chance to organize my priorities and take stock of my work/life.

I feel the need to Marie Kondo my life - pursue and keep the things that bring me joy and shed the dead weight. One of things that brings me the most joy is being a positive, motivating voice in my industry. Which is why I have decided to document the ups and downs of this sabbatical, starting with this post.

I will be posting once a day, every day for the entirety of my leave. Each post capturing the key takeaway from that day. And I'm getting real! The good, exciting, raw, controversial, depressing, boring...whatever that overall feeling for that day was...I'm sharing it. I'm challenging myself to be vulnerable and open up to this community so hopefully I can normalize self care and work/life balance. Two things I'm notoriously TERRIBLE at. I'm hoping this practice will expose my most authentic self and inspire others to share theirs.

Here goes nothing. ❤️