Dr. Toyosi Onwuemene describes how healing from her people-pleasing behavior impacted the dynamics of her relationships at work, how she learned to find more supportive spaces and leave behind toxic ones, how she now invests in herself and those around her, and what she means by "fighting" for her career. Find Dr. Toyosi Onwuemene on Facebook and LinkedIn as well as Instagram @coagcoach.

I re-release my 2021 interview with Dr. Angela Gist-Mackey. She explains that her career journey began in advertising, but eventually she realized that not only was academia a better fit for her, it paved a path for her to fulfill a larger purpose. While in her advertising career, she experienced bullying by supervisors and was struck by the sharp differences in the organizational cultures in which she worked. Angela was fascinated by these organizational dynamics and so began her PhD in...

Professor of STEM Education at the University of Colorado and creator of the Whole Professor Project Blog, Dr. Erin Furtak tells the origin story of her blog, the epiphany she had that her approach to work was exacerbating her migraines, her commitment to feeling whole, and her ongoing journey to feeling well. Erin insists that wellness among academics is an important conversation that must be sustained. Find and subscribe to the Whole Professor Project at https://wholeprofessorproject.net/...

I offer an update about Dr. Melva Robertson's academic career as well as re-release her 2021 interview. In it, she describes both her research about Covid and the Great Resignation as well as her own career pivot into academia after the Covid pause provided ample reflection time and insight. Melva explains that self-care, mental health, and finding calm are foundational pieces to career transition. Find her at http://www.melvarobertson.com/. (Register for the "digest, rest, and envision"...

Dr. Geneviève Taylor, Associate Professor of Career Counseling at the University of Quebec in Montreal, discusses the foundational role mindfulness has played in her career wellness journey, saving her time, inviting clarity and creativity to her work, helping her to set boundaries with ease, among other benefits. Find Geneviève at https://professeurs.uqam.ca/professeur/taylor.genevieve/.

Check in with yourself, take a self-compassion break, and sign up for the FREE "Digest, Rest, and Envision" workshop series May 23-25, 2023. Register here: https://danielledelamare.com/?page_id=1066

I announce my FREE workshop series, "Digest, Rest, and Envision," which will be offered May 23, May 24, and May 25 in one-hour sessions. Tuesday's workshop will help you to process emotions left over from the academic year. Wednesday's workshop will help you to rest and trust the process of rest. Thursday's workshop will help you to envision a new way of doing your career, based on wellness and self-compassion. In this episode, I also offer a strategy to navigate end-of-semester stress: 1)...

Dr. Kimine Mayuzumi discusses her graduate school journey as an advocate for change in academia, her research and blog writing about the need for academics to slow down and be lazy, and how academics may apply elements of the Japanese Tea Ceremony to their work so they can come to enjoy their work more. Find the blog post she refers to here:  https://lazyslowdown.com/where-are-our-feelings-of-guilt-and-shame-coming-from/. Find Kimine at https://lazyslowdown.com/. Sign up for Kimine's free...

I describe the ways academic institutions socialize us into deficit thinking where we often come to believe we are not enough. And while having a deficit thought or story is not a problem in and of itself, believing such stories and allowing them to drive our careers is a big problem. I talk about how to disrupt this type of thinking as well as how to regulate your nervous system when you find yourself in a fight/flight state due to deficit thinking. Enroll for the sabbatical program here:...

In this interview conducted by Dr. Sanne Frandsen in her Facebook group, Next Level Career Community for Women in Academia, Sanne interviews Dr. Patrice Buzzanell. Patrice explains what led her to academia, how her motherhood journey began in graduate school, her struggles, and the great success she has enjoyed overall in her academic career while also raising six children. Patrice also discusses her research about motherhood, women, and career as well as her experiences of being truly lit up...

Continuing with our theme of connections, I discuss how all roads lead back to Dr. Sanne Frandsen! In this episode, I introduce Sanne as next week's guest host and tell several fun stories of connection and coincidence. I also re-release my interview with Sanne where she describes the power of narrative, explaining how many of our career problems manifest from the stories we tell ourselves. She offers two specific examples: how feelings of inadequacy and time poverty are often issues of...

In the spirit of connecting to those beyond our immediate circles, I re-release my interview with Dr. Alex Ketchum, author of Engage in Public Scholarship: A Guidebook on Feminist and Accessible Communication. Alex explains the value of engaging in public scholarship--a hopeful message for individual scholars, the academy generally, as well as society at large. She also describes her own experiences doing public scholarship, the need for broader engagement with academic research in our...

Originally airing on the Papa PhD Podcast with David Mendes, this episode represents our "connections" theme for the month of March 2023.  "...an incredibly insightful conversation about the impostor phenomenon in academia and beyond with Marc Reid, PhD, author of You Are Not a Fraud – A Scientist’s Guide to the Imposter Phenomenon. Imposter feelings are ubiquitous in graduate school and throughout your career, especially after pivots into a new position or a new space. Marc has put a lot of...

Dr. David Mendes, creator and host of the Papa PhD Podcast, explains when and why he began the podcast, the waves of uncertainty he has undergone throughout his career, how he has transformed, and how meaningful conversations have fueled his transformation. Also, catch my interview with David on the Papa PhD podcast on March 2, 2023! Find David on Twitter and Instagram at @papaphdpodcast, on LinkedIn at David Mendes, Papa PhD, or on YouTube at Papa PhD.  (For those seeking greater career...

Dr. James Hedges, Dean of the Division of Online and Continuing Education at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, discusses his career journey from faculty to administration. He also offers lessons learned: chaos can create opportunities, negotiation and confidence is key, discussing workplace issues with colleagues is important and therapeutic, and opening to and accepting ambiguity and failure is necessary, among others.

Corona Pritchard discusses how the burnout she experienced in her work was largely due to organizational dysfunction, her decision to make a career pivot, and the challenges around identity she encountered when she arrived in her new position. She also discusses what a healthy organization looks like as well as how to implement wellness practices into your life. Corona too asks us to consider this difficult question: "How would it change the way you approach your work if you understood that...

Dr. Jen Harrison discusses the challenges of working as a full-time adjunct and how the pandemic forced her to pause and reassess the direction of her career. As she explains, she eventually realized that building a business as a dissertation coach enabled her to be the supportive teacher she always wanted to be. Jen also lists five practices professors may use with their grad students to transform academia's toxic work culture. Find Dr. Jen Harrison at https://readwriteperfect.com/ or on...

I argue that spiritual practice allows you to relax into the task of paving a self-compassionate career path. Drawing on Brené Brown's definition of spirituality, I offer examples of spiritual practice and explain how such a practice may support a person in career crisis. 

In this episode, I discuss the importance of regulating your nervous system in the service of cultivating a relationship to yourself. Drawing on the message in Episode 119 about the power of self checkins, how to do them, and the benefits, I add an additional layer to the checkin process: regulating your nervous system. As we experience more calm, we better connect to ourselves, and from that place, we can see more clearly the the next step to paving a self-compassionate career path. For more...

When you soothe your nervous system, you begin to hear your inner wisdom guiding you in your daily life. And these tiny callings should be taken seriously because cumulatively, they lead to a bigger vision based in self-compassion. Such work requires a practice of pausing, self-study, regulating your nervous system, and focused support from others. All of these pieces are provided in the Sabbatical Program, my one-year group coaching program that will guide you in hearing your inner wisdom so...

I discuss Parker Palmer's notions of career discernment and how his philosophy aligns with my group coaching program, The Sabbatical Program. I also describe how the program is intended for those who want to do the deep work of connecting deeply to self and others as well as my intention to cater to those who are willing to turn into a slower pace and a pause. Registration for Sabbatical begins January 13 and closes January 30. Find details here: https://danielledelamare.com/?page_id=1047

In an effort to contextualize last episode's trauma discussion, I re-release my interview with Dr. Sara Taylor who explains that academia was a perfect holding container for her trauma. Since trauma affects every aspect of our lives, including our career decisions, Sara makes a convincing case for all of us to do the deep inner work required to release our trauma. She offers examples, questions, and truths to consider as you begin this work for yourself. Find Dr. Sara Taylor at...

Stephanie Lagana and I intentionally create space for "whatever conversation needs to happen." She describes what healing looks like on individual and collective levels and what we can do to begin and continue the healing process. Find Stephanie Lagana on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/steph-lagana/ or on her website at https://www.thedianacollective.co/. (Register for "self-compassion for academics" at https://danielledelamare.com/?page_id=1066).    

Mona Penn-Jousset describes the challenges of working at a Dutch art academy, where issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion were either largely ignored or perceived with contempt. Feeling alone in her mission to create safe educational spaces for black, brown, and LGBTQ students while also navigating intense challenges in her personal life, Mona found herself taking the "next best step" on a moment-to-moment basis. Such steps included practicing gratitude, meditating, choosing to support...

Laura Hoyer discusses her career pivot into instructional design, the challenges she encountered, and how she came to more deeply understand (and act in accordance with) her own values. Laura also explains how trusting your gut is an issue of wellness. After the lessons she learned on her own long and difficult journey, she now helps other teachers to make career pivots. Find Laura on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-hoyer/ or on her website here:...