Lumen Impact Group
Lumen Impact Group

Lisa’s Sabbatical Recipe: 6 Weeks, 0 Screens, and 85 Square Feet

Published: July 17, 2026

After 27 years of running on high gear in the non-profit and education space, I’m doing something I have never done before. I am officially taking a sabbatical!

Before I dive into the chaos of my relaxation plans, I have to give a massive shoutout to the incredible team at Lumen. Because they are absolutely amazing, I am actually able to step back, take a breath, and completely unplug. 

Since I’ve never actually done this before, I don’t have a tried-and-true formula. Instead, I’ve whipped up an experimental recipe for the next six weeks. It’s heavy on the sunshine, packed with adventures, and strictly rooted in being entirely offline.

The “Step Away from the Screen” Menu

My biggest vice? Picking up my phone to “just check an email” or mindlessly scrolling through business and social media platforms. For the next six weeks, the phone is going face down.

Instead, I’m filling my brain with actual pages. My summer stack includes:

Where You’ll Find Me (And My Wide-Brimmed Sun Hat)

I’m not just reading on my couch. I have curated a highly specific, slightly adventurous itinerary to force myself into a state of chill.

Stop 1: Unstructured Bliss in Northern Michigan

I am kicking things off with some beach time alongside my girlfriends. Our collective agenda has exactly zero itinerary items. We plan to sit on a few different Lake Michigan beaches, eat incredibly good food, and laugh until our stomachs hurt.

Stop 2: Testing My Type-A Limits in the Blue Ridge Mountains

Next, I’m heading to North Carolina for a relaxation, meditation, and yoga retreat. Now, let’s be real: those who know me know that a silent retreat would probably kill me, so thankfully, this one involves talking! Still, as a certified Type-A personality, I’m a little nervous about how I’ll handle learning to “be still and just breathe”. But hey, this sabbatical is all about trying new things to bring a whole new level of zen to my life.

Stop 3: The Ultimate “Retirement Dream” Test Run

Finally, the grand finale. It is my absolute dream for my husband, Don, and me to spend part of our future retirement living and exploring out of a camper van. Don, however, thinks I am slightly crazy.

To prove him wrong, we are doing an 11-day test run this summer in a rented camper van! We are road-tripping across Canada, winding through the Finger Lakes of New York, adventuring through New Jersey and Ohio, and then heading back west to Michigan. I have 11 days to convince him that living in less than 85 square feet is “fun.” 

Come on, what could possibly go wrong?

Testimonials

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Barbara Sellinger
Cresthaven Academy
"I’ve been in nonprofits for 30+ years and have used the services of many consultants, but I have never been so comfortable with their commitment to helping us. It was as if the Lumen team shared our need to have a successful outcome and they were committed to the notion that they would indeed bring value to what we were doing. "
Caroline Novak
Alabama School Readiness Alliance
"The Lumen team did a really good job sharing the hard truths with us. Their findings were different from what we were expecting, but they used the information to push us farther than we originally planned. They were candid and didn’t hide anything from us. We’re now on the path to developing products that are very different from what we’ve done before but are hopefully much more useful for the people we serve."
Drew Jacobs
National Alliance of Public Charter Schools
"The management of a federal CSP grant is a really niche area that requires a tremendous depth of expertise and technical know-how. You need to have a microscopic attention to detail when it comes to compliance and reporting timeliness. The Lumen team is excellent at all of the above. "
Tyler Barnett
New Schools for Alabama
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Kristen Forbriger
City Fund
"With everything in the CSP world, Lumen has someone on their team with the experience and focus to guide you through the processes. They partnered with us through what would have been a very difficult process had we tried to stumble through it on our own... we probably could have muddled through it as a team, but with their support it was much more smooth, efficient, and professional."
Shannon Greer
Utah Association of Public Charter Schools
"As I got to know the Lumen team, their questions and willingness to support us made it clear they were a good match. They were very engaged, quick to respond, and aligned with how we think as an organization."
Donterrio Marzetti
KIPP Tulsa Public Charter Schools