Academic Woman Amplified

What will get you from the start of the tenure process all the way to full professor? What worries do you have and what should you focus on instead to achieve your career goals? I’m often inspired by concepts from the entrepreneurial space. I see a lot of parallels between entrepreneurship and academia. A recent inspiration came from a business coach of mine, Rachel Rodgers. Her entrepreneurial growth scale shows the steps for business growth, what entrepreneurs are worried about at each step and what they should be worried about to achieve the growth they”re looking for. I love this model, and am working on adapting it to the process of growth during an academic career.  In this podcast episode, I’m using this model to break down the tenure (permanence) process into career stages. In each stage I look at what might be happening for you in terms of research, teaching and service, what some common worries are, and what you should be focusing on instead. What you’ll gain is a better understanding of what it tak

Are you still exhausted after getting tenure and don’t know why things haven’t changed? Feeling like you’ll never not be tired? I’ve got 3 steps to take to help you take control.    Are you tired? Like, really tired? Maybe you're moving toward total exhaustion, or are already there. In this episode I’m digging into why you are still tired after receiving tenure, and what you can do about it. Yes, you can do something about it! For full notes, visit www.cathymazak.com/episode96.

I’m joined on this episode by wonderful Elevate graduates Debra Gombert and Sonia Cabell. We talk about the most impactful parts of the program, tangible versus intangible benefits, and where they’re going from here. They each share great insights and inspirational takeaways to remind us all that we are worth investing in, and that growth and change never stop.  Key points discussed: What each of their careers looked like and what wasn’t working before Elevate What the most impactful part of the program was for each of them Shifting to bigger picture thinking rather than single answer solutions Zones of genius and leaning into strengths in all areas of life and career 1:1 coaching and the difference it made for each of them Discovering patterns of scarcity What made each of them hesitate before signing up, and why they signed up anyway Tangible versus intangible benefits and the impact of each Going back to the toolkit of skills Elevate equipped them with Continued growth, and individual benefits of the co

What if being a leader in academia doesn’t have to mean taking on an administrative role? Listen in for my take on what it means to be a leader in your mid to late career. When we hear people talking about leadership in academia, what they often mean is admin. Leadership to your institution probably means a department chair or associate director, or other role that helps the university to function. But if admin just isn’t a fit for you, does that mean you’re not a leader? No way.  For the full show notes, visit cathymazak.com/episode94 Connect with me: Website Facebook Group Facebook Page Follow me on Clubhouse: @cathymazak

It is our second podcast-iversary! Thank you SO much for listening. To show my appreciation, I’m sharing part of my Career Design Workshop with you-free-on this episode!   It is our second anniversary on the podcast, and I want to say thank you so much for listening and for helping us reach 207,832 episode downloads! That is amazing, and I am truly grateful.    As a thank you, I want to share part of my Career Design Workshop with you. Normally, you need to attend one of the retreats included with our Elevate or Amplify coaching programs, which are a significant investment. But since we are celebrating, I want you to have this sneak peek! I hope you enjoy and find it helpful.  For the full show notes, visit https://cathymazak.com/episode93 How a Designed Career Feels I’m going to illustrate how a designed career feels vs. an undesigned career using bookshelves.    This first picture is of my living room bookshelves at home.                                              These shelves started out organized, clea

Does spending time and money on your own development feel selfish? What if investing in ourselves actually improved not only our lives, but spilled over to improve the lives around us too? Elevate graduate Despina Stavrinos joins me to share how investing in herself helped her to create time in her schedule, energized her career, and improved her relationships.    Key points discussed: Despina’s background, career as a founding lab director and family situation The role of technology as a tool for career and personal development What made Despina apply for the Elevate program How the program changed her definition of “winning” Impacts on her time management and calendar including her first unplugged vacation Creating space in her day and how pulling back contributes to a better view of the big picture Returns on investment and the importance of investing in ourselves The value of a community that is engaged, understanding and willing to share knowledge while cheering her on Key Quotes: “I decided to do som

Today I have for you an amazing conversation between my 3 rockstar academic coaches Rocío Caballero-Gill, Gina Robinson, and Thea Racelis. They’re sharing what challenges, struggles, and growth they see from our mid-career/post-tenure Elevate participants, and what they love most about the program.   If their conversation piques your curiosity at all, don’t miss out on the info session for the next cohort of Elevate! Click here to learn more and sign up.   Key points discussed: Who Elevate clients are: mid to late career academics from a variety of fields who have tenure, some who have full, some who have admin or leadership positions, some who are not in traditional academic institutions. Common challenges our clients face. Helping clients find clarity and certainty in the direction they are going. Learning to pause, own, and celebrate accomplishments. The feeling of plateau that can come with tenure, and how to move past it. Managing scarcity mindset, the need for rest, and the pressure to perform at a cer

We get our hopes up for what it might feel like after we finally get tenure, but what is the reality? I’m sharing some of my own story about getting tenure, and what came next.    Are you a mid to late career academic who got tenure (or promotion, depending on your system) and felt a serious let down? You are not alone. I’m sharing a little of my own story on this episode to illustrate what changes, what doesn’t, and what to do about it.    My Story I started out with the University of Puerto Rico just before a recession hit, around 2007. Very quickly, things went from sort of cushy and spacious, to very tight and uncertain. When I went up for associate professor, I was put on a waitlist with other colleagues and basically told, ‘when we have the money, we’ll promote you’. I sat on that list for at least 2 years. I was going up for full tenure by the time I received the final approval notice for associate professor! All the little perks like cost of living increases, materials allowances, accumulated vacation

How can you break projects into tasks to make them easier to manage? As academics we are constantly juggling multiple projects, and being able to approach them with the skills of a project manager can be the difference between smooth sailing and burn out. We’re on a short break from publishing new episodes, so today’s episode is a replay of one of our most popular past episodes. It’s all about learning tools and systems for approaching your writing like a project manager.  I hope you enjoy this replay episode, and we’ll be back with brand new episodes in September. For the full show notes of this episode, originally published as episode 3, you can go to https://www.cathymazak.com/episode3. Is your writing project languishing, mired in the messy middle, or stuck on revise and resubmit? Grab my Writing Sprint Blueprint, a powerful productivity tool to help stalled out publications get out of your pipeline and into the world. As a bonus, you’ll also gain access to my private podcast feed “Stick to the Plan”,

Are you a pre-tenure or early career academic? What should you do to maximize this time in your career without fear? I’m walking you through my Amplify framework for going up for tenure with confidence.   If you are listening in real time and applied for our Amplify program but haven’t secured your spot, time is almost up! Tomorrow is the last day to secure your spot, so don’t miss out on the only time we will be running Amplify in 2021. For those who haven't yet applied, there are still a couple spaces left, so you can still apply and get in by the deadline. Whether you’ve applied or not, I want to share the framework we use in Amplify, to help you think about what you need to have in place to have the career you want moving forward in your tenure process.  For those who have already applied, you can secure your spot here. Before we jump in, why did I decide to name this program “Amplify”? As a member of a bilingual family and a language academic, the significance is twofold. In English, Amplify means to mak

Is it possible to have a weekly schedule that prevents overwork and burnout in academia? How can you create a weekly schedule that works for you? This episode will walk you through a practical exercise to create your ideal week.   We’re on a short break from publishing new episodes, so today’s episode is a replay of one of our most popular past episodes. It’s all about creating a weekly schedule that steers clear of overwork and puts everything in its place.   I hope you enjoy this replay episode, and we’ll be back with brand new episodes in September. For the full show notes of this episode, originally published as episode 4, you can go to https://www.cathymazak.com/episode4. Is your writing project languishing, mired in the messy middle, or stuck on revise and resubmit? Grab my Writing Sprint Blueprint, a powerful productivity tool to help stalled out publications get out of your pipeline and into the world. As a bonus, you’ll also gain access to my private podcast feed “Stick to the Plan”, a 10 episode

How can you successfully ask for and get what you want in academia, particularly when it comes to professional development funding? This episode will provide practical tips and ideas for securing the funding you need.   We’re on a short break from publishing new episodes, so today’s episode is a replay of one of our most popular past episodes. It’s all about asking for and getting what you want, particularly around professional development funding.   I hope you enjoy this replay episode, and we’ll be back with brand new episodes in September. For the full show notes of this episode, originally published as episode 7, you can go to https://www.cathymazak.com/episode7. Is your writing project languishing, mired in the messy middle, or stuck on revise and resubmit? Grab my Writing Sprint Blueprint, a powerful productivity tool to help stalled out publications get out of your pipeline and into the world. As a bonus, you’ll also gain access to my private podcast feed “Stick to the Plan”, a 10 episode series of

Why is investing in ourselves as academic womxn a radical act? And what should you do if your institution doesn’t want to invest in you? Making your career what you want it to be is up to you.   There’s a lot of talk these days about self-care, but what does this mean for us as academics? How do we make sure we are getting where we want to go in our careers, and valuing our own contributions to the world? In order to grow and develop as scholars, we must invest in ourselves. As womxn, this is a radical act, and one I hope you’ll make for yourself.    Self-Care = Self-Preservation The term ‘self-care’ has been co-opted a little bit...people often think of things like bubble baths when they think of self-care. But what I’m talking about here is really self-preservation. What do you need to do to be able to live the life you want? As a writer, I know I need to exercise and keep my back strong or I won’t be able to physically sit in the chair and get writing done. As a scholar, I know I need to keep growing and d

If you want to publish more, you should take on more projects, right? Wrong! You need a publication pipeline, not a funnel.   I’m getting up on my soapbox to tell you why your publications need to be in a pipeline, not a funnel! Building a publication plan from a place of fear leads you to take on every possible project, say yes to all opportunities, and focus on numbers rather than your academic mission. Friends, this approach will backfire. Let’s dig into the metaphors of pipeline and funnel, and how to approach your publishing plan to reach your goals.   Funnel vs. Pipeline: What’s the Difference? Picture a pipeline: the contents flow smoothly, and what goes in comes out the other side at the same volume it entered.    Now picture a funnel: a whole bunch of something put in the top trickles slowly out the bottom. You might dump more and more into the top, but it still trickles out the bottom at that slow rate.   Using this metaphor, you can see that taking on more and more projects for publication does not

On this episode I’m talking with Melva Treviño Peña and Silvie Huijben, two Amplify graduates, about what brought them to the program, how their careers and lives have changed, their successes, and who they believe can benefit from Amplify. While they came to the program from very different fields and in different phases of their pre-tenure journey, the transformations experienced, tools gained and relationships formed were the same.  Key points discussed: How they each found the Amplify program and why they joined What’s changed for them in the past year as a result of the program Mentality shifts and how they have developed intentionality and clarity  Developing a writing system for the long term Experiencing burnout and learning to develop healthy decision-making practices Tools they continue to go back to Learning to reflect and re-center when things get hectic Writing, publishing and project successes, and a more streamlined timeline to achieve them Gaining self-awareness and spotting problems as they

On this episode I’m talking with Angel Kaur, a member of the founding co-hort of my Amplify program, about what brought her to Amplify, what she learned, and how she has gained the tools and confidence to make the best decisions for her career.    Key points discussed: What brought her to the Amplify program Trying to figure out her path, and deciding between two areas that she loved After she joined Amplify, realizing how overwhelmed she had truly been Learning to purposefully give less in certain areas in order to be able to give more to an area she was focusing on Ah-ha moments during the program The importance of community in helping to solidify decisions and speak truth back to you Creating the career identity she wanted for herself, and what she was able to accomplish in her field Learning systems and processes that worked for her, and learning to accept how she works Addressing the inner critic How productivity jumps when we accept our own personal preferences    Key Quotes: “You talk about that ove

My super-star writing coaches, Rocío Caballero-Gill and Gina Robinson, are taking over the podcast to talk about the pre-tenure period and many of the issues, fears, hopes, accomplishments, and successes they see with our Amplify clients. If you’re pre-tenure, I’m betting you will recognize yourself in this episode, and get a feel for whether this program and these fantastic coaches are a fit for you. Key points discussed: The challenges that our Amplify clients face when they are coming into the program:  Negative, unsure mindsets Isolation, amplified in competitive departments and institutions Self-doubt and fear Lack of community and resources, fear of asking questions Lack of time, systems, and sustainable practices Impacts Amplify has had for our clients Immediate like-minded community  Vision creation and implementation with structured steps, tools and systems Gaining confidence and implementing change Creating a mission allowing clients to trust themselves, recognize what matters and find time

What does the early career, pre-tenure period usually feel like for academic womxn? What should it feel like? With intention, we can steer ourselves toward a better experience.    The early career period of proving yourself to gain that stamp of approval, whether you call it permanence or tenure, is a pivotal time in our careers. What does this pre-tenure period often feel like? What should it feel like? And perhaps most importantly, what do you believe it can be like for you? What the Pre-Tenure Process Feels Like   1. Scary It can feel like your whole career is on the line, and the pressure is enormous. You might worry that if you don’t do enough, or if you aren’t fast enough, you’ll fail.    2. Insecure It might feel like you're walking on eggshells, afraid to say no, or to say the wrong thing and upset someone on your tenure review team.    3. Exhausting There’s so much to learn when you start a tenure-track position! Course preps, service, admin duties, department politics, and unspoken expectations can

I’m joined on this episode by Dr. Anatu Mahama, founder and editor-in-chief of The Academic Woman magazine. She shares her journey through academia as an ambitious and determined woman, always looking for ways to increase her knowledge and increase her reach. She launched The Academic Woman magazine about a year ago to share stories of women who are contributing to the world and not always being seen. Her vision is to create a community of like-minded women who inspire one another, share knowledge, and bring their varied knowledge and experiences to bear on the issues they all face.  Key points discussed: Growing up in Ghana as a chatty, ambitious little girl who loved to read, and going on to study publishing, information and knowledge management  Working at an NGO in the water and sanitation sector, and utilizing her knowledge management skills on each project. Getting pregnant, moving to a more forgiving schedule, lecturing, and going for a PhD with 2 small children  Realizing there were many women doin

The bros and dudes--you know, the archetype that academia was built for? Here are 5 things about academia they don’t want you to know. When I talk about bros and dudes, I’m hoping you got a little giggle, but I also hope you understand who I mean. This is the stereotypical model professor that the academic system was built for and based on. This is the reason that academia needs to change. So I’m sharing 5 things they don’t want you to know, so you can shift your mindset, choose your own path, and design a career you love. 1. There is more than one way to be successful. You don’t have to accept the ‘traditional’ path to success that the patriarchal, racist, ableist system has laid out. You get to define what success means to you, and then design your career to take your own path in getting there. The way we go about this in my programs is through putting your writing at the center.   “There are multiple paths to success, and you get to choose the one that you take.”   2. You have more power to change your car