Taskrabbit CEO Credits Gap Year for Career Boost

Ania Smith, the CEO of Taskrabbit, took a year off with her family in Argentina in 2018, not to escape but to reset. This break helped her rethink the balance between her career and home life, shift household roles, and set the stage for her next big executive moves. Smith was working as an executive at Airbnb when she decided to quit her job, pack up her life, and move to Buenos Aires with her husband and three young children. Despite the stigma that often surrounds résumé gaps, Smith scored a promotion upon her return and has since seen her career go from strength to strength. She credits the big reset the year abroad gave her—and importantly, her marriage—for her career success.

Unlike a typical backpacker on a sabbatical, Smith’s year in Argentina’s capital was less spontaneous. The family stayed in the same apartment so the kids could attend school nearby, maintaining regular routines such as early wake-ups, school drop-offs, family dinners, and bedtimes. Smith and her husband used the long days they had to themselves to enjoy Spanish lessons, horseback riding, languorous restaurant lunches, and even trips to the cinema at 10 a.m. on a Tuesday if they felt like it. However, they realized that they hadn’t actually given themselves the pause they needed. For the second half of their gap year, they spent time rethinking what was important to them, discussing life decisions, and making intentional choices about their future.

The gap year showed Smith’s husband the mental load of running a house, allowing her to elevate her career. Before the gap year, Smith often managed the household despite holding down an executive role. However, without a daily 9-to-5 grind, the roles they had taken on as working parents quickly disappeared. They split responsibilities down the middle completely, and this change stuck even after they moved back. Smith credits the gap year with giving her husband a “profound understanding” of the mental load that typically falls on working mothers. Today, he takes on the lion’s share of managing the children’s routines, freeing her up to advance into more demanding positions at Uber, IKEA, and now Taskrabbit. Smith believes that without the experience in Argentina, they would not have been able to sustainably balance ambition and family life.

Smith’s experience highlights the resurgence of sabbaticals, not just among Gen Z grads but also among leaders. The break allowed her to redefine her life, shift household roles, and advance her career. The bottom line, according to Smith, is simple: “We can’t both be running a C-suite and running a house.”