Meredith for Real: the curious introvert
Each episode explores a taboo question or cultural blind spot with an expert who is themselves, a paradox -
Like the atheist doctor who studied near death experiences for 50 years (ep 224)
Or the deeply religious man studied by NASA who sees UFOs regularly (ep 261).
The mission is to inspire the kind of curiosity that looks for & celebrates nuance, because we all deserve a more curious future.
So tune in each week (new episodes every Monday) to question things like American individualism (ep 260), trigger warnings (ep 208) & circumcision (ep 178).
Still not sure where to start?
Other listeners loved ep 230 - Can a sexless marriage survive? and ep 237 - Black man who attends KKK rallies: race & friendship
Meredith for Real: the curious introvert
Ep. 319: Micro-retirement: Cynicism, Burnout & Logistics
Is this the answer to burnout? How are mini-retirements even possible?
Kira Schabram, PhD, is the Assistant Professor in management & organization at Pennsylvania State University & historian of work who has been studying the details & impacts of a phenomenon called micro-retirement – people treating breaks from work of three or more months.
In this episode, you’ll hear how others are doing this idea, why it’s worth talking about & how it could be the solution to widespread burnout among American workers. We compare American attitudes on work compared to our European counterparts, what makes a micro-retirement “successful” & why what we call it matters.
If you like this episode, you’ll also like episode 190: DOES A CAREER CHANGE MEAN YOU’RE A FAILURE?
Host:
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Sponsors:
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00:00 — Why “micro-retirement” even matters
00:27 — The work-first culture problem
01:41 — “Cute but inaccessible?”
02:10 — Who actually takes micro-retirements
02:46 — The two paths into a micro-retirement
04:33 — Life milestones as wake-up calls
04:59 — Why reflection only happens off the treadmill
05:27 — Is micro-retirement just rebranding unemployment?
05:56 — Why the word matters more than you think
06:30 — The need for a new term
07:53 — Why nonprofit leaders burn out fastest
10:39 — Training future leaders by stepping away
11:12 — Sabbatical-as-benefit on a shoestring budget
11:40 — Why employers resist the idea
12:07 — The costs of quiet quitting
12:34 — Why micro-retirements can increase productivity
13:02 — Sabbatical vs micro-retirement: the naming problem
13:35 — Why “3 months minimum” actually matters
14:29 — Why Americans don’t recognize their own burnout
16:18 — The France comparison that changes everything
16:46 — “Where do you vacation?” as identity
17:18 — Pandemic shifts in work culture
18:22 — Could the US ever adopt the August model?
19:57 — What Europe gets right—and wrong—about work
21:20 — Has work become meaning or misery?
21:55 — The generational gap in purpose
24:48 — What happens if cynicism wins
25:54 — A German lens on work meaning
28:12 — FIRE vs micro-retirement mindsets
29:05 — The “aunt at Thanksgiving” argument
30:01 — The burnout-pushed retirement pattern
30:29 — The “do nothing” phase no one expects
30:58 — When nothingness reveals burnout severity
32:02 — Skill-building in the wild
33:40 — The danger of over-planning time off
34:40 — Handling the “yeah but my bills” barrier
35:06 — Micro-retirements aren’t résumé gaps
38:01 — What would happen if 60% of employers offered this?
40:19 — Could mini-retirements reshape whole industries?
41:00 — The hidden cost of burnout recovery
42:46 — Closing reflections on culture, work & wellbeing
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