Self-Compassionate Professor

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/.