The Interview: Katrina McGhee
How a 20-month career break inspired her coaching practice and a book on helping other mid-career professionals embrace their own right to rest.
Katrina is the author of Taking A Career Break for Dummies and coaches individuals seeking to take a sabbatical of their own through Katrina McGhee Coaching. Hope this sparks some reflection for you. Connect with Katrina on LinkedIn. —Steph
Tell us about yourself.
I’m a career break and sabbatical coach. My purpose is to help people rethink their lives and encourage them to take transformative breaks that lead to more happiness, health, and fulfillment. It was all born from having taken my own break more than ten years ago—and obviously, it was life changing. It was amazing. It leveled up every part of me, from the personal to the professional, and I was like, oh, more people need to do this.
My first career was as an actuary, which didn’t feel very “me.” Then I got my MBA from the University of North Carolina and moved into market research at General Mills. I was learning and growing until, at some point, I’d stopped thriving and didn’t love my life—so saved $40,000 in 18 months, sold all of my things, and traveled around the world for the next 20 months. When I returned, I knew I wanted to help people in some way.
After my break, I rebuilt my home and life. Then, when I left my corporate job completely three years later, I sold all my things for a second time. I’ve been a digital nomad the past six years, and currently float all over the US, Canada, and Mexico. I haven’t been across an ocean in a while but hopefully that will change soon.
What is your training and certification as a coach?
I trained with people you probably haven’t heard of—in 2016, I trained with Cheryl Bartlett’s Life Coach Academy. Before that, I’d attended a community education class in Denver about building a life coaching business. Later, I completed a master-level program with Susan Hyatt.
Tell us more about your previous career; how does that influence you as a coach?
I think my influences began even before I had a career. I'm biracial. My dad is Black; my mom is white. I grew up in a small town in rural West Virginia, and it was a hard journey, so my upbringing taught me to be open and accepting, and to bring fewer biases with me into life. I strive to identify with people and meet them without judgment.
My previous careers then amplified this strength. They gave me greater understanding of the rat-race mentality or the high achiever syndrome that we can all get caught up in. I unpacked all of that—what is true of me and that I want to keep, and what I no longer want to believe and release—during my sabbatical. It was huge growth.
What was it like to sell all of your belongings?
I learned there are layers to it. Getting rid of the first half of everything was easy, but the last half was difficult. The last half included stuff from places like Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel, items that I'd had for many years and lovingly picked out, and which had begun to symbolize my old life—like will I ever be able to have something this nice again? There are so many memories and feelings attached to things: the way I felt when I finally got my amazing, beautiful dining table, for example. All the parties I'd hosted and the people it fed . . .
Now I feel very free not having stuff. Stuff is cool as shit, and I like having stuff, but there's a new awareness of how little I actually need to be okay.
Did you have an “a-ha” moment when you realized the power of the coaching model for yourself?
Yes, it was working with my coach in 2011. At the time, I was at General Mills. I’d spent all of this money to get my MBA but inside I felt like I was dying faster, and I didn’t know how to fix it. I didn’t know how to get off the runaway train. But from the very first conversation with my coach, it felt like, wow! What a relief to know that one’s perspective is malleable and can be so much more expansive, forgiving, gracious, and compassionate than can be imagined—I was like, oh my god, it's so good to be on this side of the universe.
Then I had a gigantic epiphany because of the work we'd done together over six or seven months. I went to my coach originally to figure out my third career because my first two were not it. One day, as she was talking, I heard this voice inside of me say, you don't want another job. You want to break. It was so clear.
At the time, I had $1,500 in my bank account, $50,000 in school loans, and I owned a townhouse that was underwater. I thought, there’s no way. This is an idiot’s dream. But I was also living in the moment and figuring out how to make my dream possible rather than just dismissing it. I credit the work I’d done with my coach to get to the point of peeling back layers of expectations and stories until my truth could emerge.
What are you like as a coach?
I'm high energy. I can meet someone where they are if their life just fell apart, but a lot of my clients come to me because they’re seeking belief and positive energy around the idea that they can break out of the rat race paradigm too—that they can do something big and bold—so I allow myself to be high energy in my sessions. My clients usually like borrowing that energy. Also, as I mentioned, I try to be very open: I work hard at not bringing biases into my coaching.
I've also had to work on accepting that I'm not an abrasive coach. Some coaches are very assertive and will call you on your bullshit but in a way that can be harsh—and sometimes coaches like that get results fast. But people get broken in that experience too, and I had to collect evidence that my gentler approach is just as valuable. It's like an act of love and acceptance, right? I'm diplomatic. I'm a very devoted and loving coach. When somebody invests money to be my client, it feels like a sacred connection.
What do you wish everyone knew about coaching?
I wish I could help people understand its power. Don’t wait. Do it today. The benefits amplify over time and can change the trajectory of your life.
It's hard to know how much is at stake when you can't envision what’s possible for your life, and that's part of what I talk about: yes, you're risking something by taking a break, but you're also risking a lot by not taking a break.
What is your dream or vision for the coaching industry?
My dream is that coaching has a high level of integrity and efficacy. But more than that, I would love for coaching to be a tool that is accessible to everyone instead of only people with a lot of money. I think accessibility includes coaches that look like and are reflective of all the people in the world.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.