Your Fitness Money Coach Podcast - Helping Gym Owners Build Profitable Businesses · Billy Hofacker

How to Design a Mini Retirement with Jillian Johnsrud

·37 min·3 clips

Jillian explains how taking a month off to renovate a house resulted in a $300,000 appreciation.

Host Billy Hofacker, a former debt-ridden gym owner turned financial coach, interviews Jillian Johnsrud, author and founder of the "Retire Often" movement. Jillian advocates for taking planned, extended breaks from primary work to enrich life and business. She defines a mini-retirement as a purposeful break of one month or longer, stepping away from one's main career to focus on meaningful personal or professional projects. Jillian first conceived the idea after reading about sabbatical years in the Old Testament at age 19, despite having $55,000 in debt and a low income. She now recommends aiming for at least one mini-retirement per decade to align with different life seasons, such as before having children or while parents are healthy. A key financial benefit she cites is using a month off to renovate and rent a house, which later appreciated $300,000, accelerating her path to financial independence. She argues these breaks provide the mental bandwidth to tackle wealth-building projects like starting a business or investing in real estate, which feel overwhelming during normal work routines. For the self-employed, Jillian acknowledges planning a mini-retirement is more logistically challenging but forces beneficial business improvements like systemizing operations and training staff. She suggests saving a specific cash amount, like $5,000, to cover a month's expenses for an unpaid break. An example she shares is a self-employed real estate agent who, after her first mini-retirement, built an apartment in her home to generate rental income that would fund future breaks annually. Jillian emphasizes that the first mini-retirement has the steepest learning curve, but subsequent ones become easier as business systems improve. She describes using a 10-week road trip to visit national parks with her five children as a poignant example of seizing a season that "expires," as teenagers wouldn't be available for such a trip later. Jillian counters the perception that constant grinding equals success, comparing strategic mini-retirements to an athlete's deliberate rest periods that enhance performance. She clarifies that "stepping away from your nine-to-five" doesn't mean avoiding all work; meaningful activities can include volunteering, writing, or learning tango, which she did for a month after just two lessons. The conversation is practical and conversational, blending personal anecdotes with actionable steps for business owners. Billy and Jillian's exchange is motivational, focusing on mindset shifts to overcome the perceived risks of taking extended time off. This episode is ideal for fitness entrepreneurs or any self-employed individuals feeling burned out and seeking a structured approach to integrate extended breaks into their lives. Listeners who are in severe financial distress or who prefer strictly tactical business content without lifestyle design elements might find it less immediately applicable.

As heard by us

Mini retirement is framed as a practical cash decision, not a fantasy.

This episode treats mini retirement as a practical business move rather than a daydream. Billy and Jillian make the case for stepping away on purpose, setting cash aside to cover the time off, and using a real break to question how a business is shaping daily life.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Build a break your business can actually pay for.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Your Fitness Money Coach Podcast - Helping Gym Owners Build Profitable Businesses