Academic Writing Amplified

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 time payouts and sabbaticals for tenured professors were all gone at this point. There was no support for adding new programs, no encouragement to take risks.    I felt a pretty big sense of letdown after getting my full tenure. Yes, I had stability, but I felt like I was stuck, with no opportunity for continued growth and no support for the dreams I had for my career. No lightbulb moment, shifting of priorities or workload, or sense of freedom accompanied the tenure award. I feel very fortunate that I was able to find my zone of genius outside the ‘container’ of my institution. After a 2 year self-funded sabbatical I resigned and am now living out my post-tenure career aspirations in a new way.    Is This You? Do you have a similar experience of dissatisfaction post-tenure? Tenure does have its benefits, of course! Stability, stature, and often a pay raise give tenure it’s coveted status. However, these benefits do not necessarily affect how our careers feel after tenure. Many of the academics I’ve spoken to have shared these kinds of experiences: They feel tired, overwhelmed, overscheduled and overcommitted. Their own projects and priorities often fall to the wayside as they continue to put out fires and address the needs of others. They have so many teaching and advising deadlines and responsibilities that there is no time for other things, like writing. They have big dreams, but it seems like no one else on campus thinks the way they do, or has the same kinds of aspirations. They feel restless, uninspired, and question their validity on the path they are on.   We tend to blame ourselves when we can’t get to a place that feels good post-tenure. But let me tell you from experience, that not much changes in the day-to-day unless we make those changes for ourselves.    “If you felt like you were running on a treadmill set too fast pre-tenure, that’s how you will feel post-tenure.” -Cathy Mazak    What Now? If you identify with some of the feelings and experiences above, but what you want is a bigger, more satisfying, impactful and legacy building career, then consider learning more about my Elevate program for mid and late career academics.    My team and I have listened to the needs and desires of post-tenure academics just like you, and created Elevate to help you gain clarity on what you want to come next for you and to help you take the actions to make it happen.   Elevate is a 6-month, high level coaching program that utilizes 1:1 coaching, group coaching, and curriculum based learning to set you up for clarity and action. This legacy building program is full of people who see something bigger for their futures, and want a different experience post-tenure.    Elevate starts in February, but we want to give you plenty of time to learn more, secure your funding and decide if it’s the right step for you. Click here to sign up for an in-depth info session during the first week of October 2021 to get a behind the scenes look at the program and each step of the framework.    If you are mid to late career and feel frustrated but are ready to step into something bigger, sign up to join us at the info session. See you there! Pulled in a thousand directions and can’t seem to carve out time to write? Download my 10 Ways to Make Time to Write cheat sheet for ideas to implement today!   Connect with me: Website Facebook Group Facebook Page Follow me on Clubhouse: @cathymazak  This episode was first published at cathymazak.com/episode90.

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”, a 10 episode series of short, inspirational messages to keep you going. Click here to get the Writing Sprint Blueprint and “Stick to the Plan” podcast series for just $27!   Connect with me: Website Facebook Group Facebook Page Follow me on Clubhouse: @cathymazak 

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 make louder, or bigger. In Spanish, the cognate ‘Amplio’ evokes a sense of comfort and spaciousness. We want to help you expand your impact, and create your career path from a place of comfort and ease. That’s what we do in Amplify! Here is our diagram for the structure of Amplify Clarify Getting clear on who you are as an academic, where you want your career to go and how you want to make an impact has to come first. (We’ll be presenting on this part of the program at our virtual kick-off retreat on 9/10/21, and we can’t wait!)   1. Design Your Career “There’s a big difference between surviving in your career and thriving in it, and that difference is design.” -Cathy Mazak   How do you want your career and life to feel? We’ll help you create a milestone map of what is important to you as you design your career.    2. Power Up Your Pipeline We’ll help you create a pipeline strategy that helps you tell your unique story as a scholar. You’ll learn how to take control of your pipeline and use it to maintain boundaries and stick to your priorities. You’ll always know what to work on next and where each project is in the process through strategic pipeline management.   3. Set Your Career’s Foundation You need a plan for your pre-tenure experience. It’s not just about what you want to accomplish, but also about how you want your career to feel. The time to set foundational expectations for your career is now. We’ll help you create a pre-tenure action plan and write your career narrative.    Demystify Part of the problem in academia is that there is this mysterious, secretive feeling about how things work and how things get done. It’s perpetuated by the (false) lone wolf academic ideal. It does not have to be that way!   1. Resilient Writing We share the processes for dealing with the ebb and flow of a writing practice, how to deal with expected and unexpected disruptions to your writing, the role of rest and how to get back to writing after a break. Create your own resilient writing plan that fits your life.   2. Manage Yourself Uplevel your time management and planning skills to get the most out of your time without overwork or burnout. The critical piece of this part of the curriculum is this: know yourself. We’ll help you get to know what works for you, trust your inner voice, and leverage the rest/restore cycle.   3. Manage Others Professional relationships that are positive and empowering are an important part of an impactful career. We’ll teach you how to relate to others, from people ‘above’ you to colleagues to students, while maintaining boundaries and moving your own career forward.    Multiply Multiply your effectiveness and impact on the world through your career. We’ll give you the tools and help you create the practices you need to accomplish it.   1. Develop Self-Trust This just might be the most important principal in the program. Once you get to know yourself as a scholar, you must practice trusting yourself. As womxn, we’ve been socialized not to trust ourselves, but the good news is: this skill is learnable. We’ll help you practice listening to your inner mentor, and give you a safe space to take risks.   2. Lead For Change It’s time to let your values lead your career. We help you weigh when to take risks and when to conserve your energy, and navigate the different spaces you might occupy as you balance a drive for change with your personal boundaries. You’ll develop your individual values statement to help guide your career.   3. Create Practices Lastly, we’ll help you create personalized practices that will maintain your progress and set you up for continued success on your terms. We want to see you launch into the career you’ve designed, equipped with everything you need to continue to develop and adapt to your changing world.  If you haven’t applied for Amplify, there’s still time if you act fast. Spots for the 2021 cycle must be secured with a deposit by midnight on 8/25/21. A waiting list for the 2022 program will likely open in October.  Click here to learn secure your spot (if you have already applied) Click here to apply today   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 short, inspirational messages to keep you going. Click here to get the Writing Sprint Blueprint and “Stick to the Plan” podcast series for just $27!   Connect with me: Facebook Group Facebook Page Follow me on Clubhouse: @cathymazak 

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 series of short, inspirational messages to keep you going. Click here to get the Writing Sprint Blueprint and “Stick to the Plan” podcast series for just $27!   Connect with me: Website Facebook Group Facebook Page Follow me on Clubhouse: @cathymazak 

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 short, inspirational messages to keep you going. Click here to get the Writing Sprint Blueprint and “Stick to the Plan” podcast series for just $27!   Connect with me: Website Facebook Group Facebook Page Follow me on Clubhouse: @cathymazak 

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 developing best practices for getting my message into the world. That means investing in myself.    “What are the actions you have to take...to make sure that you can keep doing what you want to be doing in your life?” -Cathy Mazak   Why is it Radical? We’ve talked about radical acts in previous episodes, because many things we do as academic womxn operating in a patriarchal system that was not built for us are radical! The patriarchy tells us that womxn should defer to the needs and comfort of others, that our only real contribution to the world is through caring for others. Not true! Investing in yourself, doing what you need to do to preserve yourself and the academic life you want, and growing and developing as a scholar is a radical and much needed act.    You Can’t Can Take It With You Your institution (the “container” through which you do your scholarly work) helps you get your work out into the world, but your career is about your work and your contribution. When your institution refuses to pay for professional development, it can be infuriating, frustrating, deflating...especially if you’re over-working and give them all of those precious extra hours of your life.    You may have (understandably) developed an attitude of “I just won’t do anything they don’t pay for”. But don’t forget! Your career belongs to you. Your personal and professional development belong to you. And just like with publications, learning, growth and connections you make enrich your career and come with you wherever you go. Professional development programs like my Amplify program can even teach you how to cut down overwork and create a regular workweek, which means you are essentially giving yourself a raise. You and your career are worth it!    Taking the Next Steps 1. Advocate for yourself! Ask your institution to cover expenses for your professional development and tell them why making you a better and happier scholar benefits them.   2. If they refuse, remember that you can take it with you! Consider the pay off of investing in yourself, in terms of happiness, in terms of contribution to your field, in terms of pay. You are worth it!    3. Consider applying for Amplify: Faculty Writing Accelerator, my 6-month long program designed for you, whether you want to build a sustainable, scalable writing system, go up for tenure with confidence and ease, take control of your career direction, or find a supportive community that understands your struggles. Click here to apply, but don’t wait, applications close soon and we get started on September 1st, 2021.  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 short, inspirational messages to keep you going. Click here to get the Writing Sprint Blueprint and “Stick to the Plan” podcast series for just $27!   Connect with me: Website Facebook Group Facebook Page Follow me on Clubhouse: @cathymazak  This episode was first published at cathymazak.com/episode89.

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, in fact, result in more published work! If you are (understandably) acting from a place of fear, and taking on all the possible projects that enter your sphere, you will create a funnel, not a pipeline.    “If you take on more projects you will have fewer publications.” -Cathy Mazak   What’s the Solution? “You must curate your pipeline.” -Cathy Mazak   The answer is careful curation of the projects you choose to put into your pipeline. Your publications are telling the story of who you are as a scholar, to the world and to your tenure committee. What story do you want to tell? You need to be selective, choosing projects that support your academic mission. If you take this approach, you can intentionally oversee your pipeline, and what stage each project is in. The projects you put in will flow smoothly out the other side. Please believe me when I tell you that this approach will not only solidify your academic brand, but result in more publications.    “Create your publication pipeline from a place of confidence.” -Cathy Mazak   Want to learn more?  We teach you all about pipeline management in our Amplify: Faculty Accelerator program for pre-tenure/early career academics. We want to set you up with a solid foundation to help you grow as a scholar and launch into your future. In our 6 month Amplify program, we use a combination of coaching, training and community to give you the tools you need to go up for tenure with confidence.   Enrollment is open now, so head to cathymazak.com/amplify and complete our short application. 2021 cohorts will be running September through February, but once you’re approved, you’ll get access to our first event, an invite-only training in August to give you a taste of what the program is like. Don’t wait, spots are filling fast! Click here to apply. 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 short, inspirational messages to keep you going. Click here to get the Writing Sprint Blueprint and “Stick to the Plan” podcast series for just $27!   Connect with me: Website Facebook Group Facebook Page Follow me on Clubhouse: @cathymazak  This episode was first published at cathymazak.com/episode88.

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 arise Planning for the future with intention Their favorite parts of the Amplify program Who they believe can benefit from being a part of Amplify   Key Quotes: “What comes first is feeling comfortable, less stressed, understanding who you are as an academic and who you want to be.” -Melva Treviño Peña “I thought I was the only person that had graduated without the publication skills and I started to learn that that is not true.” -Melva Treviño Peña “It helped me transform how I see myself and how I see the writing system.” -Melva Treviño Peña “I was worried that after the program is done..the benefit is done; but that’s not the case at all...I changed the way that I work and I’m definitely not going back to the way I was.” -Silvie Huijben “It’s a continuous work in progress, all the time.” -Silvie Huijben “In this program, I have the tools that, if I start to feel more frazzled, now I know what to do.” -Silvie Huijben “Not all hours are created equal.” -Silvie Huijben “With coaching and with programs, what you get is...facilitated speed.” -Cathy Mazak “Getting a guilt project out of the way was such a sense of relief.” -Silvie Huijben “It’s such a beautiful part of the program: to find out that you’re not alone.” -Melva Treviño Peña “I learned a lot from Cathy and the coaches, but I learned a lot from the other people in the program.” -Melva Treviño Peña   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 short, inspirational messages to keep you going. Click here to get the Writing Sprint Blueprint and “Stick to the Plan” podcast series for just $27!   Connect with me: Website Facebook Group Facebook Page Follow me on Clubhouse: @cathymazak This episode was first published at cathymazak.com/episode87.

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 overwhelm, and how it doesn’t have to be how academia works.” -Angel Kaur “I really wanted some support that came from outside my institution.” -Angel Kaur “You can’t be 100% of yourself for all the things that you’re responsible for.” -Angel Kaur “Academia doesn’t have to be toxic...it can be a calling without being all of that.” -Angel Kaur “Mindset work has been my secret weapon.” -Angel Kaur “We put the bar so high, in our heads, for everything.” -Cathy Mazak “There was an opportunity to connect with people in a way I hadn’t seen before until Amplify.” -Angel Kaur “Writing is bigger than words on a page.” -Angel Kaur “You have to know you and how you work.” -Cathy Mazak “Everyone is a three-dimensional human being.” -Angel Kaur “You’ve  become an expert on yourself and that is really powerful!” -Cathy Mazak Connect with Angel Kaur: Twitter Etsy shop Connect with me: Website Facebook Group Facebook Page Follow me on Clubhouse: @cathymazak   This episode was first published at cathymazak.com/episode86. 

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 for it Recognizing their own wisdom and power   Specific client results Publications completed using peer review, co-writing and support, including stubborn revise-and-resubmits, and languishing or difficult projects Completed books and deciding to write books Funding secured Getting tenure, promotion, and new jobs Skills gained to continue with a sustainable writing practice and strong mindset Main hesitations about applying for Amplify Money: the importance of investing in yourself, and a good return on investment Time: how a time commitment is also investing in yourself, and balancing time needs with the value of the program What our coaches enjoy most about the program The people. Watching clients come into the program unsure, frustrated, unclear and leave with vision, a mission, and a way to get there Seeing the achievements clients make while part of the program, and hearing back from them later on continued success   Key Quotes: “As soon as you come into the Amplify program, you’ve got this automatic community.” -Gina Robinson “Once you have a mission, that helps to deal with a lot of the time issues.” -Gina Robinson “You do the job because you’re trying to make some kind of impact.” -Gina Robinson “Going through the program allows you the space to refine that writing process in a way that you can sustain it for later.” -Rocío Caballero-Gill “We’re not competing against each other, we’re doing things together for the better science, better academia, better everything.” -Rocío Caballero-Gill “That’s our goal, is for it to not be such a rare feeling that you are actually in charge of your career.” -Gina Robinson “You can’t think about your career trajectory or your career success without thinking about everything else around it.” -Gina Robinson “We help each other create time.” -Rocío Caballero-Gill “Sometimes, as an adult, building connections and friendships can be difficult.” -Gina Robinson There are just a few slots in the only 2021 enrollment group for Amplify! Applications close August 25, so don’t wait. Go to cathymazak.com/amplify to apply.     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 short, inspirational messages to keep you going. Click here to get the Writing Sprint Blueprint and “Stick to the Plan” podcast series for just $27! Connect with me: Website Facebook Group Facebook Page Follow me on Clubhouse: @cathymazak This episode was first published at cathymazak.com/episode85.