July 29, 2025

What I learned from stepping away

by Teresa C. Younger

I had the incredible opportunity to take a three-month sabbatical from January to April, returning to work just before our Women of Vision Awards. Time and time again, we’re seeing that rest and restoration are essential parts of creating sustainability and longevity in this work, and I felt lucky to be able to take advantage of the Foundation’s sabbatical policy* and put this idea into practice. 

When it came to thinking about my sabbatical, prep was everything. It took about nine months to plan for my three month sabbatical, from creating contingency plans, to fast-tracking reports and plans I needed to provide input on, to setting the right tone for my email auto-response message. 

The sabbatical happened to line up almost exactly with the new administration’s first 100 days in office, and stepping away from the day to day during such an uncertain time in our country was nerve wracking. As the leader of a feminist organization funding work in communities that would no doubt be in the crosshairs of the administration’s policies, my sabbital required a tremendous amount of trust in the Ms. Foundation team to weather any storms that may arise. 

While I was gone, the Ms. Foundation team was still able to move dollars and support our grantee partners, plan an incredible gala, and keep the work of the Foundation moving forward. The confidence and trust I had in their ability gave me the spaciousness to truly separate from the work during those three months, though the reality of stepping away and slowing down was more difficult than I expected. 

I’ve been leading Ms. Foundation for over a decade now, and have been moving at full speed much of that time. I had time to reflect, stop, truly rest, and fully exhale. It was winter, so life was already moving a bit slower in New York, which helped. I had the chance to spend some time with my dear friend Betty, and realized that in our 24 years of friendship, we’ve never spent time together where I’m not stepping out to take a call or return an email. The experience was a reminder of the preciousness of time, and an incredible chance to deepen my friendships. In South Africa, I met amazing local and transplanted women who broadened my perspective. 

Now that I’m back, I can confidently say that the sabbatical did its job. I’m returning to this work reinvigorated, inspired, and ready to run – and with new perspective. I’ll close with a metaphor that Graça Machel, the children’s and women’s rights advocate, former freedom fighter, and widow of Nelson Mandela, shared with me during my trip to South Africa in March – a trip the sabbatical made possible. 

She compared our values to the roots of a tree. You can cut off its limbs and its trunk, but as long as the roots are strong and continuing to be nourished underground, the tree will bloom again. At a time where it seems like our proverbial tree is being hacked apart piece by piece, it’s essential that we all find ways to feed our root system – to keep the roots of our democracy strong.

I’m so glad to be back in this space, and feel more ready than ever to keep the roots of our democracy strong. Onward. 

*Our sabbatical policy, which is open to the entire staff, offers a three-month sabbatical after six years of service at Ms. Foundation.