Self-Compassionate Professor

I invite you to participate in the half-day retreat, "Academic Year Detox," where we'll help you to process the year's toxins, release them from your system, and create the space you have been craving: in body, mind, and community. Join us May 13, 2022 at 9:15am PDT/12:15pm EDT. Register here: https://danielledelamare.com/?page_id=1023

Dr. Corey Latta discusses his experiences with toxic workplaces from corporate to higher education, explaining that while toxicity comes in different shapes and flavors, all such environments lack one major ingredient: people centeredness. He offers wise and empowering guidance for those navigating toxic workplaces and in the end, we discuss the ways healing, growth, and inner work (and lack thereof) may shape our career choices. Find Corey on LinkedIn at Corey Latta, PhD and check out his blog, The Thing Beneath at https://thethingbeneath.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. 

Dr. Shoba Subramanian demonstrates the power of mentorship on individuals, institutions, and society, arguing for environments where kindness, empathy, trust, and sharing are embraced, a “personal board of mentors” philosophy is normalized, great focus is placed on the professional growth of mentees, and space is made for a natural cycle of mentees eventually becoming mentors themselves. It is in these environments, as Shoba explains, where professional growth, positive institutional change, and wellness thrive.

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. Eliane Boucher discusses the ways academic institutions fail to support the health and wellness of faculty. We talk about the unaddressed mental health issues among professors, how the culture of academia often breeds toxic workplaces, as well as the ways parenthood often goes unacknowledged and unsupported. Eliane also talks pointedly about the issues facing academic single parents and the need for institutional policies that support them. Find Dr. Eliane Boucher on LinkedIn.

Dr. Jenn Berg explains how her work as a tenured math professor came to take over her life. After developing a meditation practice however, she started noticing patterns that indicated she had an unhealthy relationship to work. As she watched herself in a new way, she realized it was time to walk away and she made the bold decision to leave academia altogether. She's now working on "Project Jenn," where she is unlearning bad habits, processing emotions when they emerge, and actively making choices about what she wants. - P.S. This is the photo we were talking about early in the interview. It's my husband, Dan, literally stuck on the wall after attempting to jump out of the crawl space in the basement. LOL.