Most of us think of retirement as something we wait 40 years to enjoy and receive the proverbial gold watch. We dream of sleeping-in, having a long, leisurely breakfast and spending the remainder of the day in a rocking chair, playing golf or traveling. But that image has become an empty promise for many retirees, forced to find a second job or side hustle to make ends meet amid an uncertain economy. Gen-Z has introduced another version of retirement, known as mini-retirements or micro-retirements, and other generations are jumping on the bandwagon.
The CEO Who Took 3 Mini-Retirements In Her Career
The mini-retirement trend is gaining traction since Gen Z introduced the concept of taking numerous breaks over the trajectory of your career. Instead of waiting until you hit traditional retirement age (if you live long enough), SideHustles.com describes mini-retirements as well-planned, extended career breaks from work to rest, travel or explore personal and career goals.
I spoke with Pam Joseph, CEO of Xplor Technologies , who told me the story of why she retired three times. Joseph has had the luxury of spending her entire career in the payments industry. After graduating from college with a business degree, she moved from Chicago to San Francisco and spent time at a large bank launching debit cards. Then she joined the merchant-acquiring side of the industry and landed at VISA.
Joseph continued building her career in payment acceptance, eventually got married, had three boys and moved to a startup in Atlanta. She says the company performed well, went public and in 2004 was acquired by a large bank. “Having worked at a bank before, I committed to staying two years after the sale—ultimately remaining for 11,” she recalls. “I became vice chair, overseeing roughly 30% of the bank’s revenue and earnings. At 55, I decided to officially retire. I loved both the people and the bank, but the regulatory side of the industry was grueling.”
Joseph told me she had made enough to retire for life, but more importantly, she said she wanted to spend meaningful time with her boys before they left for college and started their own lives. She traveled extensively with her boys and her husband. “I remember one six-week stretch where I didn’t even bring my phone,” she mentions.
“During retirement, I received many calls and requests to return to work,” she told me. “Instead, I joined several public company boards before ultimately deciding to join a large payments company undergoing a strategic overhaul—which I found compelling. Roughly two years in, the owners opted to sell the company, and I happily retired again.”
She always loved the payments industry and stayed closely connected to many people in it. Rather than returning to full-time work, she became an operating partner at a well-known private equity firm active in the payments space, describing it as a great fit, working with the partners on several acquisitions.
“In one case, they needed a CEO and asked me to step in. By then, my children were grown, and my passion for the payments industry—and its constant evolution—was still strong. The timing felt right to return to full-time work once again, leading Xplor Technologies.”
After each mini-retirement, Joseph says what draws her back is how business is always reinventing itself. Now, when she thinks about retiring, she says she thinks of all the things she’d still like to do—primarily travel, reconnecting with friends and family and non-profit work. In her next mini-retirement Joseph plans to restart her non-profit efforts.
7 Steps To Take Mini-Retirements Often In Your Career
After speaking with Joseph, I was curious about the steps to plan mini-retirements. I was fortunate to reach the author of Retire Often , Jillian Johnsrud. I asked her to break down the steps for how you, too, can take multiple career breaks to unlock adventure, advance your career and find financial freedom. Johnsrud responded with seven steps:
1. Start with a heads-up email.
Johnsrud recommends, before any formal conversation, that you give your boss time to process the prospective, reduce resistance and boost the chance of a creative, productive conversation. She provides an example email on how to present the heads-up:
Hi [Manager], I’d love to find a time next week to talk. I have some personal plans coming up and would like to explore the possibility of a short leave of absence. Let me know what works for you!
2. Use the ‘sandwich method’ in your first meeting.
The author suggests that you structure your ask with good news by stating how much you enjoy your role and being part of the team. Insert the ask by explaining the purpose of the mini-retirement, using the four elements of crafting your mini-retirement story: Positive, Interesting, Specific and One-time event. The closing emphasizes your commitment and excitement to return refreshed and contribute long-term.
Johnsrud provides an example of the sandwich method:
I’ve really loved working here. I’m hoping we can find a way for me to take four weeks off this fall to join my brother on a trek we’ve dreamed about since we were kids. He just beat cancer, and we want to celebrate. I’d love to come back energized and ready to tackle big goals with the team.
3. Anticipate challenges and come with solutions.
“Your manager shouldn’t have to solve the logistics,” Johnsrud points out. “That’s your job. Before the meeting, write down potential concerns and how you’ll handle them ahead of time.”
4. Make a small concession if needed.
Johnsrud advises that if one specific task is holding your boss back, find a way to accommodate it with minimal disruption to your mini-retirement. She suggests offering to be on call for emergencies (with clear boundaries) or to come in one day mid-month to close out a critical task.
5. Time it strategically.
She recommends that you choose a slower season or a time when your absence will be least disruptive and to highlight that timing in your pitch.
6. Frame it as the easier, cheaper option.
“Replacing you is expensive,” Johnsrud admits. “Emphasize that letting you take a month off is far less costly than recruiting, hiring and training someone new.”
7. Treat it like a process, not a one-and-done.
She advocates setting the expectation that the plan will likely take a few conversations over a couple of weeks, adding that you don’t expect a yes on the spot.
A Final Reminder On Requesting Mini-Retirements
Johnsrud explains that mini-retirements don’t require you to have a perfect plan. “You need a creative, collaborative attitude and a story your manager can say yes to,” she concludes. “Show that you’ve made it easy to say ‘yes’—and harder to say ‘no.’”
By Bryan Robinson, Ph.D., Contributor © 2025 Forbes Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. This Forbes article was legally licensed through AdvisorStream.