How a leave of absence led to a career in global health security

Lane McAree joined consulting for the same reason many do—to figure out what she actually wanted to do. After years at Accenture, the question of how to make a meaningful impact kept surfacing. It took a leave of absence from work, structured exploration, and a lot of conversations to find the answer.

Today, as Program and Operations Manager at SecureBio, a research organization focused on reducing the risk of future pandemics, Lane helps advance work that could shape global health security. We spoke with her about building the courage to step away, what she actually did during her sabbatical, and why the scariest decisions often feel easier once you're in them.

Let’s start at the beginning. Why did you join consulting?

The biggest driver was not knowing what I wanted to do. In consulting, you have the breadth of every industry and functional role available without committing to a single one. That was very enticing.

I did a few internships in college with both large and small boutique firms, which reinforced that I didn’t know what I wanted to do. There’s a lot out there. Consulting felt like a great learning opportunity — to build transferable skills and learn what I like and don’t like, and hopefully narrow it down.

You probably still had similar core values back then– what was the biggest obstacle preventing you from expressing those?

 I always wanted to do good, but I didn’t yet have a high-impact lens. I didn’t know how to best use my time, money, or skills to create impact. A couple of years into consulting, I was introduced to high-impact career thinking and frameworks like those from 80,000 Hours. That gave me practical tools for prioritizing impact.

Before that, I had the intention to give back, but not a strong framework for how to do it effectively.

When did that shift happen?

My first exposure came through Sarah Pomeranz. We caught up in late 2022 or early 2023. She shared readings, podcasts, and resources, including from 80,000 Hours. I took an intro course and stayed lightly engaged, but the high-impact career lens stuck with me.

I developed a goal of using my career for good, but the big question became: how do I actually transfer consulting experience into something high-impact, and how do I look for a job while working a million hours a week? 

Wait, you already knew our CEO?

Sarah and I worked together at Accenture on our first full-time project! We stayed in touch, and later reconnected after she moved into a leadership role at Consultants for Impact.

How do you look for a job while working a million hours a week?

 Some people find lower-intensity roles or projects that create space, but I wasn’t able to do that. After a few years of trying to carve out time without success, I decided to take a leave of absence. Seeing others succeed with that — including Sarah and people I met at a Consultants for Impact retreat — gave me confidence. 

Hiring rounds and job trials are time-intensive and impractical alongside consulting hours. Taking leave let me dedicate real time to it.

That’s a big leap. How did it feel to make that decision?

It was scary! It’s also a privileged choice — not everyone can pause their income. I didn’t have a mortgage or kids, which made it more feasible.

The decision feels scarier beforehand than it does once you’re in it. You realize work will always be there if you want to return, but extended time off is rare and valuable. I’m now a strong proponent of taking a sabbatical if you can — even without planning a drastic career change,  just to reset, build healthy habits, and spend time on life.

How did you know it was time?

I don’t think people should always wait for their projects to end before taking leave. There are always backfills. Plan around your life first!

For me, that meant looking one to two years out and choosing the least risky timing window. I considered promotion cycles and performance reviews, plus practical logistics like housing, family schedules, and travel.

I assumed I’d be trading off promotion chances by being out — but surprisingly, I was promoted while on leave anyway.

Consulting does keep people on a treadmill of “almost done with this project, almost done with this promotion cycle.”

Exactly. You hit a breaking point, then get a lull and recover — and get pulled back in. Without stepping away, you never get enough distance to think strategically about what you want next.

What made you feel like a change was possible?

I had wanted change for a long time, but didn’t have the capacity to pursue it until I created the space.

Seeing examples of people successfully moving into higher-impact roles made it feel real. Consultants often have broad, generalist skills, and it can be hard to see how those translate into specific impact roles. Seeing others make that shift helped me envision doing the same.

Can you share a playbook of what you did during your leave? You had twelve months available to use.

At the start, I took a good bit of time to decompress. I knew I had a full 12 months of leave, so I took three months to rest and be a person. It might not be the same amount for everyone, but I felt like rest helped give me the passion and the perspective to make a career transition intentionally.

Next, I started working with Lead Exposure Elimination Project (LEEP) on a short-term contracting basis, which lasted over six months. This gave me a chance to test my fit with a specific organization and cause area while I continued exploring my options longer-term.

In parallel, I joined boot camps and programs through High Impact Professionals and the Center for Effective Altruism. Those provided structure and accountability over several weeks at a time. What was most helpful was talking to people who have made career transitions and hearing what their day-to-day is like. Had the opportunity with LEEP not appeared, I would have pursued more job trials to test my fit with other organizations.

You’ve now joined SecureBio, a research organization that works to reduce the risk of future pandemics. How did you choose? 

Through exploration, I kept gravitating toward areas of focus at the intersection of business and technology — especially AI safety and biosecurity. As I learned more about biosecurity, SecureBio stood out as a leading organization. When an opportunity opened and I went through the interview process, the alignment became clear both in mission and role fit.

It’s incredible to look back and see how far you’ve come. Any final thoughts?

If the idea of a career shift keeps coming up for you, it’s worth exploring seriously. If you can take a leave of absence, that’s great. If not, dedicate consistent weekend time and build accountability through a cohort, program, or partner.

Otherwise, the question will keep resurfacing until you hit a breaking point. It’s better to explore proactively than wait for burnout. You can do it!