Self-Compassionate Professor

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. 

In this episode, Dr. Ron Shapiro talks about his unique and effective job search methods, the importance of writing results-oriented and relevant resumes, the need for people to step up and find a mentor, and the fundamental cultural clashes between corporate and academic organizational cultures. Most notably, he challenges academics to see how their own university-trained worldviews may keep them stuck in limiting paradigms.

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. 

In this episode, Dr. Jessica Garrett Mills describes how she created a fulfilling career and balanced life by following an interest she started to develop soon after earning her PhD. Twelve years later, she draws on her expertise in executive functioning to coach and facilitate workshops for students, parents, educators and other professionals. And as if that's not enough, she lives a life of work-life balance among family and friends in her hometown of Columbus, Ohio--a place she longed to return to after initially leaving to pursue an academic career. Jessica seems to naturally follow her inner voice, a lesson many academics could learn from.

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.