Hello! Welcome to Sabbatical Studio.
My name is Liz Delia. I’m an Associate Professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and I’ve spent over a decade researching identity and meaning. Outside academia, I’m a traveler with a curious mind, always planning my next adventure or creative project while navigating everyday life and family. Sabbatical Studio sits at the intersection of these worlds.
The Story of Sabbatical Studio
Sabbatical Studio began with a simple realization: while sabbaticals are rare and deeply valuable, most universities treat them as isolated, once-in-a-decade breaks. And sure, that’s sort of what they are – but there’s so much potential.
My first sabbatical was full of both discovery and curveballs. I’d imagined uninterrupted time for research and creative work, but life had other plans. During that period, I navigated everyday family responsibilities alongside unexpected caregiving for my parents during serious health challenges.
Over the past decade, I’ve navigated multiple forms of stepping away – formal sabbatical, a research-intensive semester, and unexpected leave – each reshaping how I think about time, purpose, and what it means to pause intentionally.
Through these experiences, I came to see how much potential there is in academic time away, but also how little structured guidance and community exist to support it. While professional development programs cover nearly every stage of academic life, there’s often limited support for the moments designed to help us pause, reset, and reimagine.
Sabbatical Studio grew out of that realization, offering strategies, reflection, and community to help scholars make the most of both formal and self-designed leaves.
Sabbatical Studio is both a resource and a creative space for academics who want to approach sabbatical – and their careers – with greater intention. It’s a place for reflection, creativity, and purposeful planning, grounded in the belief that sabbatical isn’t just time away, but time toward something meaningful.
Here, you’ll find ideas, tools, and frameworks for preparing for, navigating, and returning from sabbatical, as well as strategies for bringing the clarity and energy of leave into everyday academic life. I also share knowledge-informed insights, personal reflections, and creative practices for cultivating renewal and purpose at any stage of your career.
Sabbatical Studio exists to help scholars reimagine their relationship with time, creativity, and purpose, so that renewal and exploration aren’t limited to rare academic leaves, but can become an ongoing part of how we live and work – whether you’re on formal sabbatical or designing your own mini or pseudo-sabbatical.
Sabbatical Studio offers a mix of resources, including blog posts, guides, reflections, and conversations, as well as targeted coaching and other tools. Some resources are practical, offering frameworks for preparing for, navigating, and returning from sabbatical, while others invite deeper reflection on identity, purpose, and renewal.
My approach blends research, lived experience, and conversations with scholars navigating different forms of leave and transition.
Alongside open resources, I also offer paid services for those seeking tailored support in planning, reflecting on, or bringing the energy of sabbatical into their everyday academic life.