Self-Compassionate Professor

Dr. David Weill shares his story about quitting his job—at the prime of his career—as the Director of the Heart-Lung Transplant Program at Stanford. Wanting more balance and a more contemplative life, he says, “I had a real sense that it was time to go.” He now writes in the mornings and does consulting work with transplant hospitals in the afternoons. His new novel about a transplant doctor, All That Really Matters, just came out. 

Dr. Yvette Martinez-Vu shares her childhood realization that anything can happen and discusses how this insight has shaped her career and life. She describes difficult times where she felt unwell in her work and in her body, explaining that in each situation--from burnout to a covid-inspired career pivot--she continually chose her own wellness and wholeness. Yvette emphasizes the importance of self-trust, leaning on her own values, the strength embedded in her support system, and the resources available to her through the privileges she has been afforded. Find Dr. Yvette Martinez-Vu on LinkedIn, Instagram @gradschoolfemtoring, and https://gradschoolfemtoring.com/.

Dr. Katharine Stewart shares her story about choosing to leave her position as Sr. Vice Provost and return to faculty, explaining that while she loves her administrative work, she also loves (and misses) her work as a teacher and scholar. Katharine urges academics to let their values lead, to bring their whole selves to their work, to honor the career seasons they find themselves in, and to foster trust among those they work with. From this place, she tells us, we thrive and our institutions of higher education also thrive.

Dr. Sheena Howard tells how the president of her institution called faculty into a room and announced the shut down of certain departments and the letting go of certain faculty. She describes the experience as scary and eye-opening, realizing that even though she was able to keep her job this time, that may not always be the case. From there, Sheena invested herself in building side hustles. She now teaches other faculty how to brand themselves for increased income. Find Sheena at on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/drsheenahoward/ or email her at [email protected].

Dr. Jia urges us to create more space in our careers and lives: space for recovery, rest, compassion, self-compassion, and more. She shows us that space is not absence, but presence. Find Dr. Jia at publishedMD.com or email her at [email protected]

Dr. Felice Russell describes how she navigated the difficult relationship she has always had with academia, leaning on self-trust, leaps of faith, and one-degree shifts to make the many career decisions that have gotten her to the place she is now: a school librarian who feels settled and content both at work and at home. Find Dr. Felice Russell on LinkedIn.

Sign up for coffee chats at https://danielledelamare.com/.

Marny Requa explains that life transitions such as becoming a parent and menopause are not just short-term changes and then everything returns to "normal." They are major life transitions that deserve to be acknowledged, honored, and planned for. However, as Marny explains, we are not doing these things well on institutional, cultural, nor societal levels. She tells her own story about how she internalized these larger societal notions as a professor transitioning into parenthood, the challenges it presented, and the importance of giving ourselves grace. Marny also shows the huge positive impact available to our society if we shift our thinking and see life transitions for what they are (see the resources she mentions below). Find Marny at [email protected], on Instagram @worklifeshifts , or  linkedin.com/in/marny-requa

Marny offers these resources for exploring this topic further:

Nancy Schlossberg on life transitions: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gYXeH2MnzatL3oIeglQGG_kRDBLIx5-l/view 

Neuroplasticity & father's brains: Abraham et al academic article linked here: https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1402569111

Slate article on neuroplasticity that mentions the above research here: https://slate.com/human-interest/2018/06/fatherhood-makes-men-better-at-work-and-at-home-research-shows.html

Center for Parental Leave Leadership website for resources on support during parental leave: https://cplleadership.com/

North American Menopause Society: https://www.menopause.org/

"Time is so precious," says Dr. Martha Kenney. In this episode, Martha describes the importance of finding your why--a process of pausing, going inward, getting re-acquainted with yourself, and naming your values. Once you know your why, you can allocate your time accordingly, aligned to the intentions you have for your life. Martha explains that her faith softened her to this process. And ultimately, as she explains, time management cannot work well until you know your purpose.

Happy Equinox!! Welcome to the Spring 2024 Season of Self-Compassionate Professor!

First, I talk about how honoring the change of seasons invites a more intentional approach to work and life generally: 1) helps us to see beyond the academic calendar, 2) opens us to a sense of spaciousness, 3) gives us a sense of "punctuation" between seasons, 4) gives us permission to let go and let the seasons inform our timelines, and 5) anchors our daily, weekly, and monthly planning in seasonal goals, strengthening our commitment to seasonal goals.

Secondly, I discuss the importance of detoxing (broadly defined) during early spring so as to ready yourself for the season.