Self-Compassionate Professor

Dr. Toyosi Onwuemene describes how healing from her people-pleasing behavior impacted the dynamics of her relationships at work, how she learned to find more supportive spaces and leave behind toxic ones, how she now invests in herself and those around her, and what she means by "fighting" for her career. Find Dr. Toyosi Onwuemene on Facebook and LinkedIn as well as Instagram @coagcoach.

I re-release my 2021 interview with Dr. Angela Gist-Mackey. She explains that her career journey began in advertising, but eventually she realized that not only was academia a better fit for her, it paved a path for her to fulfill a larger purpose. While in her advertising career, she experienced bullying by supervisors and was struck by the sharp differences in the organizational cultures in which she worked. Angela was fascinated by these organizational dynamics and so began her PhD in organizational communication some years later. Now, as a tenured professor at the University of Kansas, Angela has much wisdom to share about the career wellness lessons she has learned over the years. At the core of it all though, her sense of legacy and purpose steers her career as both a professor and co-founder of her family business. Find Dr. Angela Gist-Mackey at https://angelagistmackey.weebly.com/ or https://www.mackeyconsultingllc.com/. 

Professor of STEM Education at the University of Colorado and creator of the Whole Professor Project Blog, Dr. Erin Furtak tells the origin story of her blog, the epiphany she had that her approach to work was exacerbating her migraines, her commitment to feeling whole, and her ongoing journey to feeling well. Erin insists that wellness among academics is an important conversation that must be sustained. Find and subscribe to the Whole Professor Project at https://wholeprofessorproject.net/ and find Dr. Erin Furtak at https://www.colorado.edu/education/erin-marie-furtak. (Register for the "digest, rest, and envision" workshop series at https://selfcompassionateprofessor.com/).

Dr. Geneviève Taylor, Associate Professor of Career Counseling at the University of Quebec in Montreal, discusses the foundational role mindfulness has played in her career wellness journey, saving her time, inviting clarity and creativity to her work, helping her to set boundaries with ease, among other benefits. Find Geneviève at https://professeurs.uqam.ca/professeur/taylor.genevieve/.

I describe the ways academic institutions socialize us into deficit thinking where we often come to believe we are not enough. And while having a deficit thought or story is not a problem in and of itself, believing such stories and allowing them to drive our careers is a big problem. I talk about how to disrupt this type of thinking as well as how to regulate your nervous system when you find yourself in a fight/flight state due to deficit thinking. Enroll for the sabbatical program here: https://danielledelamare.com/?page_id=1047

In this interview conducted by Dr. Sanne Frandsen in her Facebook group, Next Level Career Community for Women in Academia, Sanne interviews Dr. Patrice Buzzanell. Patrice explains what led her to academia, how her motherhood journey began in graduate school, her struggles, and the great success she has enjoyed overall in her academic career while also raising six children. Patrice also discusses her research about motherhood, women, and career as well as her experiences of being truly lit up by the coming together of her research in a way she had not imagined. Find Dr. Patrice Buzzanell at pmbuzzanell@usf.edu and Dr. Sanne Frandsen at https://www.sannefrandsen.com/ or find her Facebook group. Reach out to me, Danielle De La Mare, on LinkedIn or email me at danielle@selfcompassionateprofessor.com.

Continuing with our theme of connections, I discuss how all roads lead back to Dr. Sanne Frandsen! In this episode, I introduce Sanne as next week's guest host and tell several fun stories of connection and coincidence. I also re-release my interview with Sanne where she describes the power of narrative, explaining how many of our career problems manifest from the stories we tell ourselves. She offers two specific examples: how feelings of inadequacy and time poverty are often issues of mindset and can likely be managed by telling a new story. Sanne also explains that in career crises, people must navigate through messy and ongoing narrative changes until they are able to find something that fits. Find Dr. Sanne Frandsen at https://www.sannefrandsen.com, on LinkedIn at Sanne Frandsen, and in her Facebook group, Next Level- Career Community for Women in Academia, a group open to academic women anywhere in Europe.

In the spirit of connecting to those beyond our immediate circles, I re-release my interview with Dr. Alex Ketchum, author of Engage in Public Scholarship: A Guidebook on Feminist and Accessible Communication. Alex explains the value of engaging in public scholarship--a hopeful message for individual scholars, the academy generally, as well as society at large. She also describes her own experiences doing public scholarship, the need for broader engagement with academic research in our society, as well as the risks and challenges of doing such work. Follow Dr. Alex Ketchum on Twitter: @ketchum22.

Dr. James Hedges, Dean of the Division of Online and Continuing Education at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, discusses his career journey from faculty to administration. He also offers lessons learned: chaos can create opportunities, negotiation and confidence is key, discussing workplace issues with colleagues is important and therapeutic, and opening to and accepting ambiguity and failure is necessary, among others.

I argue that spiritual practice allows you to relax into the task of paving a self-compassionate career path. Drawing on Brené Brown's definition of spirituality, I offer examples of spiritual practice and explain how such a practice may support a person in career crisis. 

I discuss Parker Palmer's notions of career discernment and how his philosophy aligns with my group coaching program, The Sabbatical Program. I also describe how the program is intended for those who want to do the deep work of connecting deeply to self and others as well as my intention to cater to those who are willing to turn into a slower pace and a pause. Registration for Sabbatical begins January 13 and closes January 30. Find details here: https://danielledelamare.com/?page_id=1047

In an effort to contextualize last episode's trauma discussion, I re-release my interview with Dr. Sara Taylor who explains that academia was a perfect holding container for her trauma. Since trauma affects every aspect of our lives, including our career decisions, Sara makes a convincing case for all of us to do the deep inner work required to release our trauma. She offers examples, questions, and truths to consider as you begin this work for yourself. Find Dr. Sara Taylor at https://sarabtaylor.com/.

Stephanie Lagana and I intentionally create space for "whatever conversation needs to happen." She describes what healing looks like on individual and collective levels and what we can do to begin and continue the healing process. Find Stephanie Lagana on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/steph-lagana/ or on her website at https://www.thedianacollective.co/. (Register for "self-compassion for academics" at https://danielledelamare.com/?page_id=1066).    

Dr. Leslie Wang helps listeners to re-conceptualize their relationship to academia so they may make intentional decisions about the future of the relationship (look for her upcoming book on this topic!), shares her own "break-up" story, as well as describes how the relationship she once had to her work negatively impacted her physical health. Find Leslie at https://yourwordsunleashed.com/. (And register for"semester unplug" as well as "self-compassion for academics" at https://danielledelamare.com/?page_id=1066).  

In this episode, I offer an update about Dr. Matthew Goodman's unfolding entrepreneurial career now that he has stepped out of his academic position as well as re-release the interview we did prior to his exit. Based on Dr. Kristin Neff's research in Mindful Self-Compassion, Matthew defines self-compassion, describes its power, the benefits and challenges of practicing self-compassion, and he even leads us in a self-compassion exercise! Matthew talks too about how he uses self-compassion and other daily practices to navigate the challenges he faces in his own academic career. Find him on Instagram @MatthewGoodmanPhD or on his business website, https://www.the-middle-way.com/. 

Last in the "August 2022 choosing wellness series," I re-release my conversation with Dr. Kerry Ann Rockquemore. After having earned tenure, left academia, and built a wildly successful company (the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity), Kerry Ann retired at the age of 45. In this episode, she shares her deep wisdom about how she grew into a life grounded in purpose and health: pausing every year to reassess her life and ensure that she's on track to fulfill her own definition of success, working to let go of her entrenched childhood fears around financial insecurity, and willingly embracing a life free of attachment to particular identities and roles. In this episode, you'll hear and feel the unwavering commitment she has to living up to her own potential and helping others to do the same.

Second in the "July 2022 vision series," I re-release my interview with Dr. Kemi Doll. Kemi explains that we need to clear our own compasses so that we know how to navigate our academic careers with meaning and purpose. She describes how she keeps her own compass clear with self-care, self-examination, taking time with herself, as well as planning and prioritizing her academic work according to her own true north. Kemi notes that many academics lose themselves to academic culture and institutional expectations, allowing external pressures to cloud their purposeful reasons for wanting to be academics in the first place. In this way, as they settle and allow the things that were once personally meaningful to them to be stripped away, Kemi explains that they experience burnout in slow motion. She also offers rich and focused advice about how academics can find and dust off their internal compasses. In addition to her academic work, Dr. Kemi Doll also coaches women of color faculty in academic medicine and is the creator of the weekly podcast, Your Unapologetic Career. Find her at https://kemidoll.com.

In preparation for the vision workshop on July 13, 2022, I describe how to take yourself on a vision quest by setting aside one day to take your own journey inward. I also include instructions about how to open the journey, how to deepen the journey, and how to close the journey. And in that process, I explain how to regulate your nervous system, dream big, and articulate a vision. Caveats include: remaining psychologically flexible, letting go of self pressure, listening to your body/mind/spirit, offering yourself compassion, and taking many breaks. Good luck! 

For a list of questions to ask in mid-journey, visit the welcome page on my website: https://danielledelamare.com/. 

Happy Solstice! During this seasonal transition, I discuss the importance of going inward to process the past, notice where you are presently, as well as imagine where you might want to go in the future. Over the next few days, spend some time processing regrets, longings, and other emotions (and do so with self-compassion!). In the next episode, I'll show you how to conduct your own vision quest so you may be prepared for the upcoming vision workshop on July 13, 2022.  

As we begin to talk vision in the upcoming vision quest episode as well as the upcoming vision workshop on July 13, I re-release my interview with Dr. Jennifer Scott. Jennifer tells her story about turning down her dream job for her  "dream life." She also discusses how her love for teaching sustained her while she was on the difficult academic job market and describes how her post-ac job presented itself after someone who liked her tweets offered her a job. Jennifer also imparts invaluable wisdom about creating and sustaining a career/life vision including feeling your way  into a vision, living the vision in bite-sized portions even before it's come fully into fruition, and giving the vision structure. Find Dr. Jennifer Scott at https://www.jenniferelizabethconcepts.com.

Since being on the show almost two years ago (in Episode 36), Dr. Eric Stephens offers an update about his entrepreneurial journey. At the time of his first interview on the podcast, due to covid, he had lost his job in higher education and was trying to find stability after great upheaval. Two years later, Eric has founded Educators.Network, providing support to educators who are making career pivots. As Eric builds his team and raises funds from a growing number of investors, he is now living the entrepreneurial reality he had dreamed of previously. Eric stresses the importance of human connection and explains how he continues to make time on his calendar for educators who are experiencing dark moments. Above all else, Eric's message offers hope to those who feel lost. Find Dr. Eric James Stephens on LinkedIn and at https://www.educators.network/. 

Drawing on the work of psychologist, Dr. Richard C. Schwartz, I explain how you can facilitate inner dialogue with yourself so as to improve your mental health, resilience, and psychological flexibility. If you feel stuck in your career, this practice offers a way out of rigid thinking and opens up a wider range of possibilities. For help facilitating this practice more deeply, work with me! You can schedule a consult here: https://danielledelamare.com/. 

In this solo episode, I explain how self-pressure negatively impacts our relationship to self and to others as well as how it negatively impacts the trajectories of our daily lives and career development. For the sake of personal growth, career development, and a more peaceful existence, I advocate for a short period of doing nothing daily. First, I discuss how to begin a practice of doing nothing. And second, I discuss how such a practice can positively impact your career and life. 

It's spring break and I'm resting! In that spirit, I re-release my interview with Dr. Caitlin Faas. Caitlin tells a fascinating story about how she finally found peace in her job as a tenured professor--a job that once felt stifling. Interestingly, that peace opened up new opportunities for Caitlin and she eventually walked away from her academic job with grace and ease. In this episode, Caitlin describes how she has been able to talk herself through difficult life and career challenges as well as how she's able to facilitate that process for her clients. More than anything, Caitlin emphasizes the power of presence as we navigate both the good and bad times. Find Caitlin and her meditations at https://www.drcaitlinfaas.com/.  

Dr. Shaun Marq Anderson offers a clear and compelling rationale about why saying no to extra university work is necessary, the importance of clarifying both your professional and personal values, and strategies he uses to say no with tact and kindness. Shaun explains that his upbringing and career journey showed him the power of his own vision and the need to play by his own rules. In this way, he dismisses the institutional and cultural messages that keep many academics stuck in a cycle of overwhelm and burnout. Drawing on his expertise in organizational culture, he also explains why institutions must do a better job supporting faculty. Find Dr. Shaun Marq Anderson at https://www.shaunmarqanderson.com/ or email him at shaun.anderson@lmu.edu.   

Based on Dr. Kristin Neff's research in Mindful Self-Compassion, Dr. Matthew Goodman defines self-compassion, describes its power, the benefits and challenges of practicing self-compassion, and he even leads us in a self-compassion exercise! Dr. Goodman talks too about how he is using self-compassion and other daily practices to navigate the challenges he faces in his own academic career. Find his book, Simple Stress Reduction: Easy and Effective Practices for Kids, Teens, and Adults, on Amazon and find him on LinkedIn and Instagram at Matthew Goodman, PhD. Also, check out his personal website, https://www.matthewgoodmanphd.com/ as well as his podcast, The Middle Way with Dr. Matthew Goodman. 

Dr. Pylin Chuapetcharasopon describes her journey from PhD to corporate, her career/health/life crisis, and the clear commitment she eventually made to herself to redesign her life so that she could live without regrets. Pylin has spent two years healing, growing, and building a foundation for the life she wants and today, she works with unfulfilled corporate humans to help them find purpose, passion, freedom, and fulfillment. To listeners who are considering a pivot to corporate, she offers a free career audit call (Thank you for this, Pylin!). Find Pylin at pylin@drpylin.com and make sure you mention you heard her on the podcast! 

Dr. Patricia Bonnard explains how her career has been shaped by her multipotentialite tendencies, driving her to multidisciplinary studies, consultancy work around diverse issues, and later, energy healing, embodiment work, and coaching. She explains the importance for humans to find answers to life's questions by going inward, which as she notes, results in greater empowerment, authenticity, connection, and compassion. In other words, finding solutions within connects you more closely to your humanity. Find Dr. Patricia Bonnard on LinkedIn and on her website at https://www.starchaser-healingarts.com. 

Dr. Alex Ketchum, author of Engage in Public Scholarship: A Guidebook on Feminist and Accessible Communication, explains the value of engaging in public scholarship, offering much hope and a sense of possibility for individual academics, the academy generally, as well as society at large. Alex describes her own experiences doing public scholarship, the need for broader engagement with academic research in our society, as well as the risks and challenges of doing such work. Pre-order her book in paperback now and receive a 20% discount using the code, ketchum20. Also, follow Dr. Alex Ketchum on Twitter at @ketchum22. 

In this solo episode, I discuss the need to unpack the values embedded in your career goals and notice, in micro-moments, how your mind will often tell you lies that derail you from aligning with your values. I encourage listeners to notice such lies so they can free themselves to pave a career and life path with meaning and intention as well as expand their capacities to do what they want to do and be who they want to be. If you want help improving your own career wellness, please feel free to schedule a free coaching consult on my website: https://danielledelamare.com/    

In this solo episode, I discuss the challenges of the holiday season and how to begin practicing self-compassion during this time. I argue that the deep inner work of self-compassion is essential to processing emotion and re-orienting along a self-compassionate career path. Drawing on Dr. Kristin Neff's work, I discuss the essential elements of taking a self-compassion break: a) acknowledging your suffering, b) noticing that you are not alone on this difficult human journey, c) showing yourself kindness. If you want  to find more career wellness, schedule a free consult here: https://danielledelamare.com/

In this solo episode, drawing on elements of Polyvagal Theory, I discuss how self-care anchors you in a calm and connected nervous system state. I also discuss how for many of us, after a long semester, our nervous systems become dysregulated and as a result, we become not only disconnected from our bodies and from others, but we also become disconnected from our career visions: we either cannot see our vision or we are furiously chasing an elusive vision. If your nervous system is dysregulated, I explain how you can return to a more connected state. If you want  to find more career wellness, schedule a free consult here: https://danielledelamare.com/  

Dr. Olga Vvedenskaya is a co-founder of Dragonfly Mental Health where she and her colleagues offer mental health support to academics. She tells about her own struggle with depression and explains how the disease distorts reality, convincing a person that they are totally alone. Olga reassures listeners who are struggling with depression and other mental health issues that they are indeed not alone and explains how to find support in a number of ways, offered by Dragonfly Mental Health. Find Dr. Olga Vvedenskaya and Dragonfly Mental Health at https://dragonflymentalhealth.org/. 

Dr. James Hardt discusses his exit from academia, the founding of the Biocybernaut Institute, as well as the help he and his team provide to people who go through his neurofeedback training. He explains that such training changes people's brain waves so that they experience much greater creativity and calm--similar to long-time meditators. Apply for Dr. Hardt's neurofeedback training at https://www.biocybernaut.com/.  

In the spirit of self-care, self-compassion, and wellness, I re-release my interview with Dr. Özgün Ünver.

Dr. Özgün Ünver explains how academics may be at greater risk of burnout compared to the rest of the population. She also describes how burnout manifests differently for different people, types of support one might want to seek when in burnout, as well as her own experience with  burnout. Özgün also discusses the necessity of turning into difficult  emotions as well as practicing self-acceptance and self-compassion when  healing from burnout. Sign up for her newsletter and get the updates about when her next burnout course will be offered at https://www.mindyourownrevisions.com.

In the spirit of self-care, self-compassion, and wellness, I re-release my interview with Dr. Laura Froyen. 

Dr. Laura Froyen discusses a powerful moment where she was flooded with compassion for herself and in that moment, she realized leaving academia would be in her family's and her own best interests. She talks also about her life purpose: helping families to make respectful parenting  decisions and the critical need for children to learn how to make healthy and productive life choices. Laura offers fantastic advice about creating stronger boundaries and finding a more balanced life.

In the spirit of self-care, self-compassion, and wellness, I re-release my interview with Dr. Rebecca Shisler Marshall. 

An Associate Professor at University of Georgia, Dr. Rebecca Shisler Marshall introduces herself not just by academic title, but also as "a  life coach, a Reike practitioner, a mindfulness instructor, and a  Shamanic practitioner." In this episode, she explains feeling powerfully drawn to integrative wellness work and after some years as an academic, she finally surrendered to a wonderfully unique career path--a path  that was paved with self-compassion, self-care, a surrender to a deep and powerful calling, and an absolute willingness to step fully into her integrity. Rebecca blends together all of who she is in order to create a career that fits well. Check out Rebecca's podcast, Centered Living, and find her at https://www.centeredyou.com/. 

Cheryl Lau is a PhD student who runs a six-figure business as a side-hustle coach. She explains how learning how to take care of herself was an important first step to building a strong and thriving business and she argues that people with a lot of other responsibilities from full-time jobs to caring for children can build their own side-hustle businesses with very little time by keeping it simple. She advocates for trying on new career pieces and letting them help you to grow into the best version of yourself. Find Cheryl on her podcast, The Side Hustle Club, on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/cheryltheory/, or on her website at https://cheryltheory.com/program/. 

(If you are interested in starting a side-hustle and want to hear other stories about academics with side hustles, check out Episodes 22, 46, 68, 77, and 84. All use their side-hustles to contribute to the world in ways they most care about.) 

Dr. Sarah Hutchinson once felt stuck in her academic job, but began exploring her options and trying out different positions. And as she followed her curiosity over the years, she gained a unique set of skills. Now, after having moved from Toronto to Oregon for family reasons, she was excited and surprised to find the job search much easier than it had been in the past, noticing that her expertise was quite sought after. In this interview, she discusses how she built her confidence, how she networked, how she developed her career in small manageable pieces over time, and the mindset shifts she made that helped her to pivot out of academia.  

Dr. Anna Clemens describes the differences she felt in her PhD program between her lab work and her writing work, realizing that when she was writing, she felt happier and more accomplished. It was at this point, after completing her PhD and taking some time to reflect on where her career might go, that she realized writing would be a center piece. Over the next three years, Anna tried on many different pieces of scientific writing and eventually, after much learning and experimenting, she built her own business as a scientific writing coach. She attributes much of her success to her optimism, vision, and the clarity she has about her own needs. Find Dr. Anna Clemens on LinkedIn or at her website, https://www.annaclemens.com/. Also, check out her course, "The Researchers Writing Academy" for STEM researchers at https://www.researcherswritingacademy.com/. 

Dr. Angela Gist-Mackey explains that her career journey began in advertising, but eventually she realized that not only was academia a better fit for her, it paved a path for her to fulfill a larger purpose. While in her advertising career, she experienced bullying by supervisors and was struck by the sharp differences in the organizational cultures in which she worked. Angela was fascinated by these organizational dynamics and so began her PhD in organizational communication some years later. Now, as a tenured professor at the University of Kansas, Angela has much wisdom to share about the career wellness lessons she has learned over the years. At the core of it all though, her sense of legacy and purpose steers her career as both a professor and co-founder of her family business. Find Dr. Angela Gist-Mackey at https://angelagistmackey.weebly.com/ or https://www.mackeyconsultingllc.com/. 

Sarah Dobson tells her story about how her health challenges changed her career trajectory, how she maintained a foot in her research even after leaving the traditional academic path, and how she ultimately turned that work into her own business: helping researchers to write strong and persuasive grant proposals. Sarah also discusses how she has learned--and continues to learn--about self care. She explains that we live in a challenging moment in history, where we are all at great risk of burnout and in light of this, she offers advice about how to approach our work with wellness in mind, from listening to our bodies to working within our own unique zones of genius. Find Sarah Dobson on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/sarahcdobson or Twitter at @sarahcdobson.    

Michelle Wilson describes her own experiences with toxic workplaces and bullying as well as her research and coaching on the topic. She explains that people who find themselves in such environments should do four things: 1) find a support system, 2) document, document, document, 3) engage in self-care, and 4) create an exit plan as soon as possible, even if it's ultimately not used. Find Michelle Wilson on LinkedIn and/or email her at highimpactstrategiesllc@gmail.com.  

Dr. Jane Jones discusses her work as a book-writing coach to academics, how she came to create and build a business, and the identity work she did in order to feel strong and stable in her new work. Jane talks about why academia was not a good fit and how once she left, the heaviness of the burnout she had accumulated in academia dissipated quickly. Jane also explains why "alt-ac," as a term, is problematic and argues that her career pivot was simply a career change, not an "alternative" to academia. Find Dr. Jane Jones at http://www.upinconsulting.com/. 

Dr. Jennifer Scott tells her story about turning down her dream job for her "dream life." She also discusses how her love for teaching sustained her while she was on the difficult academic job market and describes how her post-ac job presented itself after someone who liked her tweets, offered her a job. Jennifer also imparts invaluable wisdom about creating and sustaining a career/life vision including feeling your way into a vision, living the vision in bite-sized portions even before it's come fully into fruition, and giving the vision structure. Find Dr. Jennifer Scott at https://www.jenniferejones.work.  

Angela Han talks about how she navigates two careers: lawyer and life-coach. She also talks about how breakthroughs often come after breakdowns, the discomfort of listening to and following your intuition, how she has found a way to rest on a foundation of self-trust, how personal growth is ongoing, and the importance of challenging your closely held beliefs. Angela's philosophies and practices are both practical and inspirational for anyone who feels stuck in their career/life. Find Angela Han on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsangelahan/.  

Dr. Nicole Papaioannou discusses her journey from academia, to full-time work in instructional design, and finally, to freelancing/consulting work in instructional design. She discusses the wellness gap in her life when she was an academic and how, in her first full-time post-ac job, she was able to finally not only meet her needs for meaningful and challenging work, but also satisfy her needs for financially secure and stable work. Nicole offers interesting tidbits about instructional design as a career and describes what she misses about academia. She also explains how today, her entrepreneurial work offers her freedom to strike a work-life balance--a type of freedom she believes she would not have had in academia. 

Dr. Kemi Doll explains that we need to clear our own compasses so that we know how to navigate our academic careers with meaning and purpose. She describes how she keeps her own compass clear with self-care, self-examination, taking time with herself, as well as planning and prioritizing her academic work according to her own true north. Kemi notes that many academics lose themselves to academic culture and institutional expectations, allowing external pressures to cloud their purposeful reasons for wanting to be academics in the first place. In this way, as they settle and allow the things that were once personally meaningful to them to be stripped away, Kemi explains that they experience burnout in slow motion. She also offers rich and focused advice about how academics can find and dust off their internal compasses. In addition to her academic work, Dr. Kemi Doll also coaches women of color faculty in academic medicine and is the creator of the weekly podcast, Your Unapologetic Career. Find her at https://kemidoll.com. 

Dr. Emily Crookston describes her reasons for becoming an academic and her realization, in a yoga class, that her life as an academic was one of suffering. In this episode, Emily describes the joys and challenges of pursuing an entrepreneurial path, including the freedom she has to create anything she wants and live wherever she wants as well as the uncertainty that characterizes such a path. She describes the important role self-examination plays in building and sustaining a business, how her work day is freeing and usually very focused on the present moment, and how she is working toward securing for herself more time and space to create more of what she wants in her life and career. Find Dr. Emily Crookston on LinkedIn or at https://www.thepocketphd.com. 

Dr. Brandy L. Simula explains how pandemic burnout is still very much with us and that it's important for us to give ourselves space to be human as opposed to expecting ourselves to show up fully--with 100% effort and totally on top of it--in everything we do. She explains how to make choices about what we put full effort into and what we don't, how to acknowledge to ourselves and others that life is often messy and hard, and to connect to people that can support us as we navigate the challenges of being human in the midst of a pandemic. Brandy also discusses her own career pivot and the moment she realized academia did not offer her the life she wanted--that it was too much of a sacrifice to continue down that path. Find Dr. Brandy Simula at https://www.brandysimula.com. 

Dr. Suchitra Shenoy Packer left her tenure-track job in order to relocate for her husband's new job. She did not want to give up her academic job, but she was committed to her family and marriage. Although she describes her exit from academia as emotionally difficult, she was comforted by her research about the diversity of meanings people attribute to their work and as she grappled with her changing identity, she started a blog for multicultural families, became an artist, and began working toward elementary teaching. She is now grateful for all the opportunities for self-discovery she has had since leaving academia and explains that had she not left, she would never have known all that she was capable of. You may reach Dr. Suchitra Shenoy Packer at suchitraspacker@outlook.com. 

Dr. Özgün Ünver explains how academics may be at greater risk of burnout compared to the rest of the population. She also describes how burnout manifests differently for different people, types of support one might want to seek when in burnout, as well as her own experience with burnout. Özgün also discusses the necessity of turning into difficult emotions as well as practicing self-acceptance and self-compassion when healing from burnout. Registration for her 4-week free course on burnout closes August 1, 2021. Sign up at https://www.mindyourownrevisions.com. 

Dr. Carol Parker Walsh explains the importance of listening to the inner voice that is telling you to do something else in your career. If you do not listen, she explains, you will not only continue an unmotivated and uninspired existence in your current career, but you will likely experience a spiritual-emotional-intellectual death. Carol explains that we regret not what we have done, but what we haven't done in our lives. Her coaching work addresses these issues, helping high-achieving (mostly) women to develop deeper relationships with themselves so they not only hear their inner voices, but listen to them, and take action on their behalf. Find Dr. Carol Parker Walsh at https://www.carolparkerwalsh.com. 

Dr. James Hedges, Director of Professional and Continuing Education at Westminster College, is devoted to understanding, negotiating, and managing the relationship his institution has to the chaotic and shifting environment within which it now finds itself. James describes his work, compares it to the work he did as a faculty member, and offers lessons learned from his current role: chaos can create opportunities, negotiation and confidence is key, discussing workplace issues with colleagues is important and therapeutic, and opening to and accepting ambiguity and failure is necessary, among others.  

In this solo episode, I continue what I started in Episode 62: I walk you through how to answer the questions on the decision guide about whether or not to leave academia for tenure-track faculty (Find the decision guide at https://selfcompassionateprofessor.com). I discuss how to create enough space for yourself so that you can answer the second set of questions as fully as possible. And drawing on research in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Mindful Self-Compassion, and Organizational Behavior, I show you how to create space for your career vision by clearing space in your mind, identity, emotions, and present experience as well as explain how to make space for your values and inspired career actions. Creating such space will help you to answer the second set of questions in the guide and help you to begin building a vision infused with integrity. 

Randy Olson left his tenured professorship twenty-five years ago to attend film school in California. There, he learned how to use narrative to improve science communication and now, as he puts it, he runs "Randy Olson University," where he teaches scientists and others to communicate using the framework he has poured many years of work into, writing five books on the subject. The career transition he made was long and difficult, but as he explains, having fun and accepting "slow periods" when they emerge are key to resilience.  

Dr. Malik Boykin discusses the important role "self-authorization" has played in his career as both an academic and hip hop artist. That is, rather than allowing others to direct his path, he authorizes himself to do the things that are important to him: setting big career goals, prioritizing his mentorship and research, and being willing to change course if his academic career becomes nothing more than stress. In this conversation, Dr. Boykin explains how his music is heavily influenced by his academic work as well as how self-authorization helps him to find wellness and balance. Find him at https://www.malikstarx.com/.  

Interpersonal development coach, Thomas Gelmi, explains how cultivating a deep relationship to self is key to fostering safe working environments, connecting authentically to others, collaborating, as well as experiencing clarity, creativity, and peace. Whether you are trying to repair broken working relationships, feel healthier in your academic career, decide whether or not to leave academia, or make a career pivot, this episode offers helpful tools and inspiring advice.  

Dr. Liz Smith explains how women often discount their own potential to run for public office, the necessity for women to be surrounded by a supportive community when taking the leap into a political career, and the challenges of running a campaign. Liz also talks about being called to run for office and how, despite great risk and uncertainty, she summoned the courage to do so and won! Liz Smith now holds the Office of Gunnison County Commissioner in Colorado. This episode is full of hope. 

Dr. Shikta Das tells her story about transitioning from academia to industry. She talks about the challenge and importance of breaking free of social and cultural expectations as well as the necessity of acknowledging and acting on her own values so that she can leave a legacy she is proud of. 

Dr. Amani Said teaches us that doing the inner work of observing and changing our thoughts is key not only to finding peace, joy, and gratitude in the present, but also necessary for paving a dream career. She describes her own career transition journey, explaining that it was not until she became content in her present situation that she could begin to visualize her big career dreams. We discuss what it looks like to dream big as well as the fears that inevitably come with the dreams. We talk also about academics' general resistance to personal development and how research provides evidence to many of the ideas coaches use to help their clients. 

Dr. Mike Farmer discusses his search for workplace stability over the course of his career in industry and then in academia, where he first served as tenure-track faculty at a public university. More recently, he finds himself at a small private university where, as he explains, the university environment is more collaborative compared to the often competitive nature often found at larger public institutions. 

In this solo episode, I show you how to answer the first set of questions on the decision guide for tenure-track faculty (Find the guide at https://selfcompassionateprofessor.com.). In this episode, we go deep! I ask you to get really honest with yourself about what you like and dislike about your current academic work and because this question may challenge your identity and the culture(s) of which you are a part, it may feel deeply uncomfortable. Rather than being stuck in indecision though, moving through the discomfort is necessary so that you may find yourself on the other side, feeling both clear and confident about the career decisions that emerge in the process. 

After two years unpaid leave from her position as a full tenured professor at the University of Puerto Rico, Dr. Cathy Mazak is about to finally exit the academy. Her once side hustle is now a thriving business where she earns much more money than she ever earned as a professor. In this episode, Cathy argues that academic work is actually more risky than entrepreneurship because at the university, your paycheck depends on the financial health of the university system. She also talks about the unique set of skills each of us has and that it doesn't matter what container we practice those skills in: university, nonprofit, government, own business, etc. Being a professor is not your identity, she explains. It's just the container in which you happen to offer your gifts to the world. Cathy also discusses the importance of self-trust in building a business and how for women, it's a challenge because we have been socialized to mistrust ourselves.  

Although Dr. Meggin McIntosh loved her career in academia, between university politics and an inner knowing that she was destined for something else, she eventually left and started a successful business. In this episode, Meggin describes the moment she knew it was time to leave her academic career, explains the importance of listening to intuition, and offers advice to others about listening to their own intuition. Her conviction to build a meaningful career is clear throughout the interview and toward the end of the conversation, when Meggin describes the gratitude she feels for the coaching career she has built, she says, "THIS is what my whole life prepared me for." Her words are powerful, her conviction strong, and her wisdom deep. 

Victoria Crystal takes us back to graduate school and helps us to remember what actually drove us there and how much of those original longings are still with us now. In this interview, she tells us that she loves science AND that the academic research process felt restricting to her. So after finding the courage to leave her PhD program, she found a way to be a scientist on her own terms. She now teaches science in various ways to various audiences: to students in the college classroom, to the general public who visit national parks, as well as to kids listening to her podcast, Ask a Scientist.

Dr. Stacey Wieland discusses losing her tenured position to covid last summer, how she has grieved and begun to heal, as well as how the experience has opened her to new insights about her strengths as well as new career possibilities. Stacey discusses the importance of being able to hold both grief and hope simultaneously, strike a work-life balance, hold loosely to the future, use discernment to make solid career decisions, and lean into community and relationships. This conversation is full of wisdom for those navigating the loss of their academic jobs/careers. 

Dr. Jillian Powers explains that we do not have to leave our academic identities behind when we leave our academic jobs. Jillian describes how she has been able to hold on to and adapt her academic identity even after transitioning from an academic career to a career in industry. She now integrates, into her business anthropology work, the things about academia she loves. Interestingly, she has even refused to create a résumé and still uses a CV. 

Mark Herschberg shows us how developing new skills—even a tiny bit—can affect one’s impact in a big way. Drawing on his book, The Career Tool Kit, Mark shows us why it is important to recognize our weaknesses, how to develop them, and how to turn them into skills. Similarly, he also shows us how to increase our organizational impact: a process that requires people to open to new ways of doing things and work through challenges collectively.   

Dr. Karen Laurence calls out issues associated with academic isolation—issues academics rarely discuss, but feelings academics know deeply. She describes how her sense of home where she felt connected to close family and friends grounded her during an often intense and competitive graduate school experience. And when she eventually left home and those close connections, she became increasingly attached to her academic identity, which resulted in greater stress, anxiety, and a painful sense of isolation. She speaks also about the difficult road back home. In the end, she urges others who may feel unhappy in their academic careers to contemplate life and career possibilities beyond academia. 

As my first repeat guest, Dr. Margie Serrato and I start by talking about how her experience in academia is only a small part of her story. This insight leads us to a bigger conversation about how we, as academics, actively arrest our own development because we are afraid of what others might think. Margie urges us to expand our beliefs about what is acceptable, dismiss our inner judgments so that we can curiously explore new personal and career possibilities, and get to know ourselves honestly and deeply.   

Dr. Brian Witkowski urges us to think more flexibly about career, explaining how once you understand what you deeply care about, you can then translate your passion into a business model that allows you to do exactly the kind of work you want to do and earn a good living doing it. Brian emphasizes the need for academics to think about their work in new and different ways and shows us that we do not have to think of our careers in rigid and one-dimensional ways. Find Brian Witkowski on LinkedIn at the Lucrative Artist. 

Dr. Caitlin Faas tells a fascinating story about how she finally found peace in her job as a tenured professor--a job that once felt stifling. That peace opened up new opportunities for Caitlin. And eventually, she was able to walk away from her academic job with grace and ease. In this episode, Caitlin demonstrates how she has been able to talk herself through difficult life and career challenges as well as how she's able to facilitate that process for her clients. More than anything else, Caitlin describes the power of presence as we navigate both the good and the bad times. 

Dr. Emily Benson will leave behind her academic career in May/June of this year and begin working full-time in her growing career coaching business. In this episode she explains how her coaching business began, how she finally knew it was time to resign from her faculty position, the challenges of working in academia when you are a creative person, how she plans to say goodbye to academia in a healthy way, and the challenges of mid-career transition. Emily and I also chat about how, as HSPs (Highly Sensitive Persons), we crave meaningful work. We also discuss the importance of listening to our bodies. 

Dr. Sara Branch tells an open and honest story about reaching burnout as a tenure-track faculty member, including the challenges she faced in navigating intense mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion as well as depression. Sara describes having lost herself at that time. But Sara's life changed dramatically in 2018 when she left academia and found herself again. The joy and freedom she now feels is tangible in her voice during this conversation. She urges listeners to think about their values and decide whether or not their personality is a good fit for academia. 

Dr. Alissa Ackerman describes the healing power of finding her own personal voice within her academic work—a change that facilitated deeper connections to her research, her students, and herself. Having built deeper connections, Alissa found herself better positioned  to offer healing to a wider public audience and ultimately, able to create much greater healing impact in the world than she was able to do with her standard academic voice. She imparts that wisdom to listeners, asking them to get really still about what they want to do, notice whether or not their goals are congruent with the space they find themselves in, and accept responsibility to make necessary changes. 

Whether faculty, postdoc, or grad student, Allison explains the value of seeking support from career services on your campus, describes the dartboard strategy for networking, and tells her own career transition story. We also talk about the importance of paying attention to your emotions and keeping yourself organized throughout the career transition process.  

Dr. Andre Marques-Smith explains the absolute necessity of engaging with your passion throughout life: staying focused on the things that nourish your passion, noticing when your passion starts to wane and when it does, assessing the situation and making decisions that will open up new paths of passion once again. He talks about his changing interests over the course of his life and how he has easily let go of old habits in order to embrace new and emerging interests. Dr. Marques-Smith argues that we will achieve only mediocrity if we stay in a place after our passion dissipates and that moving on is essential despite fears and sunken costs.   

Last week, in Episode 38, we heard from Dr. Jacob Kashiwagi, who discussed the components of good mentorship and leadership. In this week's episode, we hear from one of Dr. Kashiwagi's mentees, Dr. Jake Gunnoe. Dr. Gunnoe talks about how to be a good mentee, how to find a mentor, how to navigate the relationship, and he explains the many benefits of seeking out mentors. Few of us have had a mentoring relationship as deep and as enduring as the one Jake and Jacob have had, but, as Jake explains, a mentoring relationship doesn't have to look any certain way. It simply needs to be helpful and in that way, as Jake discusses, "greatness is your back pocket." Find Dr. Jake Gunnoe on LinkedIn and reach out to him via email at jake.g@leadaz.org. Also, check out Leadership of Arizona's YouTube Channel.  

Dr. Jacob Kashiwagi describes his model for success, including finding a mentor, listening, making mistakes, and getting out of your own head. The model he lives that led him to creating a successful course at Arizona State University as well as building a successful nonprofit business came from his father's academic research--research he applied practically to managing his own home and children. Growing up, Jacob watched the effects of living the model on his family and now, in his organization, teaches these principles to others. Email him at team@leadaz.org or find him on LinkedIn. Also, check out his books, "No Influence Mentoring" and "In Search of Truth" as well as Leadership Society of Arizona's YouTube Channel. 

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Dr. Vicky Sherwood describes how she started down an academic career path without ever making strategic decisions about where she wanted to go. Having earned her PhD and completed a post-doc, Vicky says she was "hell-bent on becoming a professor," yet over the course of her academic career, she carried an ongoing and nagging sense that she should explore other career possibilities. Eventually she left her job as a tenured professor and now speaks of her present career in freelance medical writing as ever-changing and always in process. Dr. Vicky Sherwood offers great advice to others who want to leave. Check out her blog called, "Biomed Badass" and find her on LinkedIn.

Drawing on the work of Dr. Adriana Cavarero and other ethics philosophers, Eric argues that humans exist to support one another. He discusses the necessity of human connection and how we, as "unique unrepeatable" humans, are called into being by the unique unrepeatable conversations we have with others in unique unrepeatable moments. Within the context of finding post-ac work, we discuss the importance of connecting to others through informational interviews where in an interview, the interviewee hears their own story reflected through the interviewer and vice-versa. And when the interaction is treated as unique and unrepeatable, we open the door for greater authenticity and thus connection. And in this way, Eric explains, we find our own anchor and our own value.  

Dr. Jake Livengood speaks about the importance of preparing for uncertainty in the career/job-search journey. He makes a convincing case for career transitioners and job seekers to develop a "yes and" mindset--a mindset grounded in improv theatre where one accepts uncertainty and play; and in the process, finds foundational elements of career wellness and resilience: self-compassion, presence, and letting go of control. This episode will help listeners to ease up on self-pressure and show up more fully in their careers and lives.   

Dr. John Southard describes his difficult transition out of academia and into the business world and offers advice to others in similar situations. He discusses how he found the strength to move through the "academia hangover" he experienced, the challenges of hitting rock bottom financially, how he began his career transition journey by networking, and how he discovered that his research prepared him well for his new role in business. For PhD candidates, John emphasizes the importance of having a back-up career plan, the necessity of coming to grips with your financial reality, and the power (and drudgery) of networking. Find him on LinkedIn. 

Dr. Tracy Costello tells the story of waking up one morning and realizing she no longer wanted to be an academic. Particularly astute at networking, Tracy went on to find new opportunities, explaining that networking is simply relationship building. She also talks about how "altac" is both an inaccurate and derogatory term, the importance of trying on new career identities, as well as her current work as a postdoc career coach and trainer. 

In this episode, Dr. Margie Serrato talks about the thread running through her life and career. She describes being motivated by self-analysis from the time she chose her double major in psychology and anthropology as a college student; to the dissertation topic she chose in graduate school; to her discovery of the professional world of coaching. She also describes the extremely positive impact such self-analysis and self-knowing can have on people's lives, offering questions listeners might ask themselves in order to clarify their own paths.

In this episode, Dr. Ashley Wellman gets REAL, sharing her story about the difficult and often dark ways her academic career has punctuated her personal life. After losing her husband suddenly though, Ashley found that creative writing helped her process her grief. And through this process, as she gained strength and realized her own worth, she also found herself closing the door on her academic career. Despite the heavy career and life challenges she describes in this interview, Ashley leaves listeners feeling inspired, empowered, and hopeful. She tells us that we, if we desire, get to redefine who we are. 

A rising star in graduate school, who was highly sought after for tenure-track positions, Dr. Shahaf describes the exhaustion and stress she experienced navigating a tenure-track job while also learning how to be a new mother. Caught up in the culture of overwork in academia, her peers and mentors celebrated the career opportunities that were opening for her, never cautioning that she may be doing too much. So with everyone's blessing and a track record of solid scholarship, Sharon took her first tenure-track job. Today, after a very difficult journey on the tenure track, Sharon explains how she has finally stepped into her power. She's no longer an academic, but a writing and life coach who has learned intimately that self-pressure robs academics (and others) of their creative flow. Listen in. This interview is full of golden nuggets about life, writing, and how to step fully into yourself. 

An Associate Professor at University of Georgia, Dr. Rebecca Shisler Marshall introduces herself not just by academic title, but also as "a life coach, a Reike practitioner, a mindfulness instructor, and a Shamanic practitioner." In this episode, she explains feeling powerfully drawn to integrative wellness work and after some years as an academic, she finally surrendered to a wonderfully unique career path--a path that was paved with self-compassion, self-care, a surrender to a deep and powerful calling, and an absolute willingness to step fully into her integrity. Dr. Marshall blends together all of who she is in order to create a career that fits well.  

In this episode, Dr. Dan Olson-Bang, Director of Professional and Career Development at Syracuse University, discusses his own journey out of academia after earning his PhD as well as offers expert advice to PhDs who are currently seeking their own alt-ac opportunities. In this discussion, Dan emphasizes the need for PhDs to recognize their own employability and viability, explains how to get beyond the fear of networking, and describes the necessity of figuring out what it is you like and value. 

Former professor, Dr. Beth Godbee, joins me for the first episode of Season 2! Dr. Godbee describes how to live life and career in process: open to imperfection, mindful of our bodies' messages, and grounded in the process of ongoing decision making based on personal commitments. She discusses her move from professor to entrepreneur, her discomfort with our productivity-based culture, and the ongoing need for emotional literacy and social justice work. This episode demonstrates that a good life is always messy. 

Carolyn Mackey discusses how she realized her work in higher education was harming her mental and physical health and how she made the decision to walk away. Influenced by her training in entrepreneurship, Reiki, and A Course in Miracles, she created a career that gave her peace and a sense of freedom. In this episode, Carolyn reminds us to keep it simple, to recognize when we're making decisions out of fear, and to stay open to ideas and opportunities that might seem strange at first. If you feel stuck, confused, or hopeless about your career, you'll find this episode inspirational.  

In this episode, Dr. Lenwood Hayman, Associate Professor of Behavioral Health Sciences at Morgan State University, describes to me the essential practices of love, self-love, self-examination, and meditation as he creates a career focused not on competition, self-interest, and perfectionism, but on compassion, listening, interdependence, and love. So many insights! 

Today, I offer a "compassionate breathing" meditation from the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion. It's been a tough week, a tough month, a tough year. The racial justice revolution and pandemic are calling us to pause. This is my way of pausing. And if you need to pause and offer yourself some self-compassion, you're invited to meditate with me. I also unexpectedly gift you with a cameo from my noisy family  upstairs. LOL.   

This episode concludes my conversation with Dr. Marissa Floyd. In this interview, recorded two days ago, we catch up since we spoke eight months ago about her recent pandemic-related job loss. Although her life circumstances are much more challenging now, she continues to exude groundedness, wisdom, and humility. In this episode, she teaches us how we can do the same by harnessing a positive mindset, communicating with potential employers from a place of strength and hope, building strong networks, practicing self-compassion, and more. It's all so good, especially if you're looking for a job now--during this particularly difficult historical period.    

So much great advice in this episode! Dr. Marissa Floyd picks up where she left off in Episode 13 and tells us about why she loves her job and why she loves working in Costa Rica. She also offers advice to others who want to create their own career opportunities. This is Part 2 of a three-part series. We'll get an update from Marissa in the next episode. 

Dr. Gloria Walker is an expert in career reinvention. While she helps others to reinvent themselves, she also has had three major career reinventions of her own. In this episode, she describes how with each change, she becomes clearer about who she is and what she cares about. She even discusses how her latest career has helped her to rediscover her intuition after having had it previously beat out of her by culture. "Everything changes and that's OK" is her guiding mantra, which as she explains, keeps her grounded. If you're in the midst of reinvention, this episode is for you. 

Because pandemic weirdness has taken over, I found that I needed a self-compassion break this week. Most of us need one right now so in this episode, I offer instructions about how to take a self-compassion break. My instructions are based on research in the area of Mindful Self-Compassion. 

In this episode, Dr. Erin Willer, Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Denver, draws on Stephen Cope's book, "The Great Work of Your Life" to discuss how it shaped her own career journey as an academic. One of my favorite questions she asks in this episode is this: "What is this doing for my heart and soul as opposed to my vita?" This is a question all of us should be asking ourselves. Enjoy the interview!

In the trailer, I tell my own career-wellness story, explain how self-compassion has changed the shape of my own career, and describe my vision for the Self-Compassionate Professor community--a place where, above all, faculty, grad students, and those in altac careers feel supported by others to take counter-cultural career paths. #careerwellness #selfcompassion #happyhealthyfulfilled  

In this episode, Natasha Thomas-Jackson and I talk about her balanced and truthful way of navigating life and career. As a social justice advocate, she says, “...social justice is internal and external. It’s psycho-spiritual as well as socio-political...All of my work, at its root, involves healing… healing ourselves, homes, communities, political system, and our world…My why is that I’m in love with people. I want all people to be free and my tools are love and truth.” In this episode, Natasha offers tangible strategies for healing ourselves and our world. PLEASE listen! It will make you a better person. 

In this episode, Shawna discusses how she lives by her own rules and how she created her own career in her own way! In this episode, we talk about the flexibility and freedom she's been able to create and how she's stayed resilient during the hard times. Unlike most, Shawna doesn't abandon her own needs, values, and happiness in pursuit of culturally-defined rules. This is a great episode!

In this episode, I talk to Dr. Ginger Moran, former Professor of English Literature. She describes her transition from an academic career to creating her own own career, involving writing, coaching, and entrepreneurship. Ginger emphasizes the challenges of living your dreams, but she also emphasizes the pain of living a small life.