Self-Compassionate Professor

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.