Episode 177

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Published on:

27th Aug 2025

Mini-Retirements: Retire Often, Not Just Early | E177 Jillian Johnsrud

We’re all waiting for the day we hit financial independence. That’s when we’ll finally quit our jobs and have time to learn a new hobby, start that house project, take longer vacations, or prioritize our health.

You probably have a list of things you’re saving for after FI—but what if you don’t want to wait another decade to start? Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. The challenge is that your career eats up most of your time and energy, and since you’re not financially independent yet, walking away isn’t an option.

But what if you didn’t have to choose between all work now and all freedom later? What if you could work for a few years, take a break, then return to work—and repeat that cycle? Instead of one long career followed by one long retirement, what if you took mini-retirements along the way?

It’s not just a theory—today’s guest has done it. Jillian Johnsrud has taken over a dozen mini-retirements throughout her life and now helps others do the same.

In this episode, Jillian shares how to organize your time off, why some employers actually say yes to these breaks, and how a mini-retirement might even improve your career. She also provides examples of how mini-retirements speed up, rather than slow down, people’s path to FI.

Mini-retirements are one of my favorite concepts—I’ve taken one myself, and I always encourage my friends to consider them too.

So today, I’m making the case to you: maybe it’s better to retire often than to retire once.

Key Takeaways:

  • What a Mini-Retirement Actually Looks Like
  • How to Plan a Mini-Retirement with Purpose
  • A framework for organizing your mini-retirement using Jillian’s “Dream To-Do List”
  • Signs It’s Time to Step Away
  • How to Talk to Your Employer About Taking Time Off
  • Why some employers say yes to mini-retirements—and how to make your case
  • Tips for framing the request in a way that shows mutual benefit
  • Making the Financial Trade-Off Worth It
  • Surprising ways mini-retirements can actually improve your career or lead to new income opportunities.
  • Why “Retire Often” Might Be Better Than “Retire Once”

More of Jillian:

Read Retire Often: https://lnk.to/retireoften


More of FI Minded:

Connect with Justin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinleepeters/

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About the Podcast

FI Minded - Financial Independence, Early Retirement & Lifestyle Design
Achieve Financial Independence & Have Fun Doing It
Pursuing financial independence, financial freedom, or early retirement often leads to the same questions: How do I become financially independent? How much should I save? What happens after I reach FI?

FI Minded helps you use money to create more freedom, without turning your entire life into a financial optimization project.

Host Justin Peters explores the decisions behind building a flexible, work-optional life, from reaching financial independence and navigating Coast FI and Slow FI to spending your money, changing careers, stepping away from work, and figuring out what comes after FI.

Each episode combines practical personal finance with conversations about early retirement, lifestyle design, work, spending, healthcare, self-employment, and life after financial independence. The goal isn't simply to reach FI as quickly as possible. It's to make progress toward financial freedom while actually enjoying your life along the way.

On FI Minded, you'll learn how to:
- Reach financial independence without burning out
- Build a flexible, work-optional lifestyle
- Navigate Coast FI, Slow FI, and other paths to FI
- Make smarter decisions about spending and saving
- Prepare financially and emotionally for early retirement
- Figure out what life can look like after financial independence
- Think through the tradeoffs behind major money and lifestyle decisions
- Make progress toward financial independence while actually living your life.

Some of our past guests include Carl Jensen (1500 Days), Jeremy Schneider (Personal Finance Club), Nick Loper (Side Hustle Show), Andrew Giancola (The Personal Finance Podcast), Jordan Grumet (Earn & Invest), Rachael Camp (Work Optional), Jillian Johnsrud (Retire Often), Sean Mullaney (FI Tax Guy), Jill Sirianni (Frugal Friends), Jackie Cummings-Koski (Catching Up to FI), Joel Larsgaard (How to Money), Cody Garrett (Measure Twice), Jesse Cramer (Personal Finance for Long-Term Investors), Jess (The Fioneers), Chris Hutchins (All The Hacks), Diania Merriam (EconoMe), Andy Hill (Marriage Kids Money), Fritz Gilbert (Retirement Manifesto), Maggie Tucker (Inside Out Money), Cody Berman (The Financial Independence Show), Joe Saul-Sehy (Stacking Benjamins), Doug Cunnington (Mile High FI), and and others helping you rethink how to approach financial independence.
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