Self-Compassionate Professor

In her third appearance on the podcast over a five-year period, Dr. Melanie Peffer tells us about the gifts of the “inverse academic career trajectory” where she moved from tenure-track faculty, to lecturer, and again to adjunct. While from a traditional academic perspective, she explains, this may look like an unsuccessful career. Yet, as her business has grown, she has found great success in entirely unexpected ways:We discuss her new biology textbook coming out in January 2026, her work as a consultant and freelance writer, as well as her love for teaching. She explains that her unconventional career trajectory allows her to set her own benchmarks for success, enjoy her work, take care of and spend time with her family, enjoy her hobbies, and tend to her values and calling. She also discusses identifying with the term, “neuro-spicy,” explaining that while it has its challenges, her unique brain allows her to make observations and connections helpful to carving out her own unique career path. Find Melanie at https://www.biologyeverywhere.com/

Professor of Higher Education, Kevin McClure, talks about his research and writing of the book, The Caring University: Reimagining the Higher Education Workplace after the Great Resignation. A caring university, he explains, prioritizes employees’ experiences, implements humanizing policies and practice, commits to growth and compensation, empowers rights and voice, and realizes equity and belonging. While Kevin explains that the caring university is only a vision, he emphasizes that bits and pieces of this vision live successfully inside the reality of many institutions. In this conversation, Kevin and I talk about his own commitment to care at his own university (as well as the challenges), the “fire” he felt while researching and writing for the book, the interplay between systemic change and individual commitment, and what “the work” of care actually looks like on a daily basis, in his own experience.

Dr. Erica McIntyre describes her experiences as an “ADHD’er” academic, her research of Australian academics with ADHD, and neurodivergence in academia more broadly. Erica defines neurodivergence and ADHD, explains how academic institutions could better support neurodivergent academics, and shows how institutional environments more supportive of neurodivergence would support all academics more effectively. We also talk about the individual zone of influence and the importance of creating traction on a small scale so that large-scale movements may be realized. Find Dr. Erica McIntyre on LinkedIn.

Dr. Jen Harrison explains how current higher ed systems often undermine the wellbeing of both graduate students and dissertation supervisors, leaving both feeling unsupported. Jen offers suggestions to faculty supervisors about how to better support themselves and their students: -Set expectations for the what, when, how, and why of communication with your students.-Offer students clear how-to guidelines and templates so they are able to see examples of good research and are clear about expectations. -Make space for students to bring their own unique work style to their research and writing.-Be willing to work with students' unique life circumstances. -Notice and feel when you are rushing your advising conversations, try sinking into a listening stance, and engage in genuine dialogue. --Email Dr. Jen Harrison at jen@readwriteperfect.com.

If you are feeling blah in your work, this episode is for you! As we welcome the new season, I invite you to pause so that you can actually FEEL yourself and your relationship to the people and things around you. I build on the concept of a “pausing practice,” which I introduced in Episode 200, where I define pausing as “intentionally doing nothing in particular and letting go of the sense that time is always fixed to an agenda.” I also introduce two other steps to pausing: trusting career wellness and building connections to those places in your work (and life) where you feel disconnected. Happy Solstice! I’m sending a wish that you pause in this seasonal transition.

Dr. LuElla D’Amico describes how her own suffering during the tenure process opened up a whole new joyful adventure where she now shows up more fully for her family, her faith, her teaching, her university, her scholarship, her communities, and her own well-being. She offers inspiration, encouragement, and advice for academics who also aspire to be more whole.

This episode is not an interview, but a chat about the experiences of the Highly Sensitive Person, a designation perhaps overrepresented in academia. Drs. Geneviève Taylor and Danielle De La Mare discuss what it looks and feels like to process everything deeply, get overstimulated easily, feel emotions intensely, and notice the subtler parts of life. We also explore both the gifts and drawbacks of having a sensitive nervous system and ways we practice self-acceptance and self-compassion.

Kelly Miller tells the story about how her identity was deeply entangled with her work, the toxic work environment she found herself in, the suffering that ensued when she left the work, and the breakthrough that happened next. Kelly explains that her faith as well as her work with both the Enneagram and Primal Questions built a foundation for her to leap into the next chapter of her career. While she continues to heal, Kelly now actively leans into new places, people, and ideas that serve her new way of being in the world. Find Kelly Miller at https://www.kellymiller.co/ as well as @socialkellymiller on Instagram and TikTok and Kelly Miller on LinkedIn.

Dr. Mary Mirvis discusses how her unconventional academic career is taking shape and her faith in the journey. First, we talk about writing: the huge role writing has played in her life since childhood, how she used writing to heal from burnout, and how journal-type writing has strengthened the relationship she has to her research. Second, we talk about the purposeful career: finding joy, openness, and freedom in the everyday as well as leaning into your career desires, even when they’re not culturally sanctioned. Find Mary at https://mary.mirv.is/.

Happy Solstice! In this episode, I discuss what mean by solstice-inspired rest, why you should rest over the winter break, how to rest, and what to do if you find rest difficult. Overall, rest can do magic, but takes courage, especially for academics. I have a wish that you practice trusting the process.

Michelle Grosser describes her journey toward a more regulated nervous system, explains how to communicate safety to our bodies so that we feel more whole, more alive, and more intentional in our lives, and describes simple strategies for regulation. Find Michelle Grosser at https://michellegrosser.com/.

In this authentic and inspiring conversation, Dr. Azucena Verdín tells us about how she once did not like the ways she moved in the world, struggled with self-compassion, and easily spiraled into rumination. For a time, she believed leaving her academic career was the answer until she realized--after identifying the role anxiety was playing in her life--that she was only running from herself. She now belongs more fully to herself and is able to work and live with a much quieter mind than in the past. Find her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/azucena-verd%C3%ADn-phd-743605268/