Dr. Cynthia Ganote describes hiding her artistic interests in graduate school, believing that if her academic community found out that she sang, acted, and danced, she would not be taken seriously. When she took her tenure-track job, she put all of her energy and effort into it, letting go of her artistic work completely. While on the outside, Cynthia’s academic career appeared incredibly successful, on the inside, her spirit was dying. Cynthia describes the messages her body was sending at that time and how she came to eventually listen. In this way, Cynthia stresses the importance of “internal belonging”—belonging to yourself, behaving authentically, and letting the messages coming from within guide you in the career discernment process. Find Dr. Cynthia Ganote at [email protected].  And join us in the SELF-COMPASSIONATE PROFESSORS Facebook group!