This as-told-to essay relies on a dialog with Sharonda Scott, 37, an LA-based stuntwoman. It has been edited for size and readability.
Two years in the past, at 35, I made a decision to take what I now name my “radical sabbatical.”
My life in Los Angeles had become a whirlwind of auditions, stunts, and fixed coaching. I had been working within the leisure business as a stuntwoman and actor since I used to be 30, however by early 2024, after the writers’ and actors’ strikes, I hit a wall.
The business had slowed to a trickle, my financial savings had been tight, and I noticed the way in which I used to be residing — chasing gigs, having fun with luxurious, but continuously harassed — simply wasn’t sustainable anymore.
I’ve at all times loved touring
I grew up in Detroit because the youngest of 5, raised by a single mother. Faculty took me to the College of Miami, the place I switched from pre-med to worldwide research and hung out in Brazil studying Spanish and Portuguese.
After commencement, I labored in prostate most cancers analysis however knew it wasn’t my path. I bounced between singing, vogue design, and volunteer work in Rio earlier than transferring to LA — the place a background performing job unexpectedly led me into stunt work.
My first huge break got here after I bought employed to be Miranda Bailey’s stunt double on “Gray’s Anatomy.”
However by January 2024, the business was quiet, and I discovered myself anxious about payments regardless of cautious saving.
I felt trapped. It was a dialog with an in depth buddy that modified all the pieces: “What do you really need?”
I admitted I needed out
I needed to journey and expertise the world beyond LA. So I began imagining a sabbatical — not for a couple of weeks, however for a full yr or extra.
I did not have an in depth plan. I wrote down 12 nations I hoped to go to, offered all the pieces in my LA apartment, broke my lease, and located somebody to hire my automobile to cowl the funds.
My family and friends had been supportive; they helped me pack and even purchased a few of my issues to assist fund the journey. My rule was to spend not more than $500 per aircraft ticket, which wasn’t too arduous since most had been one-way.
Supplied by Sharonda Scott
First cease, India
Individuals warned me about traveling solo as a woman in India, however from the second I arrived, I felt welcomed.
What I assumed could be a brief keep turned transformative. Two younger ladies who had skilled trauma arrived the identical week, and we rapidly turned inseparable.
From there, the journey unfolded organically. My sister joined each time she may get day without work — she ended up touring with me to 13 nations. Even my mother, who had feared flying for many years, caught up with me alongside the way in which.
We zip-lined alongside cliffs in Cape Verde, rode camels in Morocco, and cage-dived with sharks in South Africa. In Zimbabwe, we even cage-dived with crocodiles. We paraglided over Rio throughout Carnival and danced for hours at a salsa congress in Paris.
However I additionally discovered magic within the quieter moments — sharing meals with locals in Vietnam and Thailand, wandering Moroccan souks, and experiencing festivals and ceremonies by means of invites from folks I met on the highway.
Supplied by Sharonda Scott
Some experiences had been deeply private
Within the Philippines, I accomplished my divemaster certification, mastering abilities I had been working towards for years. In Scotland, I celebrated a buddy’s marriage ceremony, reconnecting with folks I hadn’t seen in years.
Traveling solo compelled me to problem-solve continuously: exchanging foreign money, navigating transportation, discovering meals, and making pals in unfamiliar cultures.
As an introvert who thrives on connection, I found I may construct group wherever, and people relationships formed my expertise as a lot because the locations themselves.
Supplied by Sharonda Scott
Journey reshaped my perspective
I slowed down, discovered to belief the method, and stopped striving for the American dream as outlined by society: the home, the automobile, the white picket fence. My dream turned freedom — the power to maneuver, discover, and expertise the world alone phrases.
Now, again within the US, I am navigating reverse culture shock. Hollywood is just about decentralizing itself; auditions are scattered. I am exploring new initiatives in journey filmmaking and documentary work.
However my long-term imaginative and prescient is clearer than ever: I want to live abroad.
Trying again, my recommendation for anybody contemplating an grownup hole yr is straightforward: do not overthink it. Cut back your monetary anchors, embrace flexibility, and belief the method.
Do you’ve got a narrative about taking a spot yr that you just need to share? Get in contact with the editor: akarplus@businessinsider.com.
