we measure our success by the fruits of our labors. what would happen if we looked at the health and sustainability of our gardens?
what if there was a place where you could really slow down and think deeply about whether this human and scholarly life you’ve built is sustainable? if it is aligned with what’s important to all of you?
tend your garden: sustainability circle is for anyone and everyone who wants to address issues like burnout, work life balance, boundaries, rest, creativity, and play NOW and doesn’t want to wait until a totally collapse, or totally convenient time to do so.
“I love the emphasis on being a human and a scholar; I had really been suppressing the former in service to the latter, and it just wasn’t working anymore. I get a lot of emails from academic/alt-ac coaches. But most of them are so career-based, and everything they suggested tending to stress me out. Whereas Thrive PhD was about *my* goals and what *I* needed.
Now I don’t beat myself up for having hobbies! I don’t work til bedtime. I am not so enmeshed in my work that I forget to live. I actually took a break over winter break. And I’m out of my slump. I had thought that I needed to grind to get out of it, when what I really needed was to stop pushing.”
this group is for you if…
you’re feeling disconnected from what made you want this job / this life / these things in the first place
you keep meaning to take a break, or reevaluate your schedule, or change your priorities, but it never seems to make it to the must do list
you know that the “publish or perish” and “just keep working and hope it all works out” culture in academia has not worked for you, but you don’t know another way to do it
you want concrete steps and prompts to think through sustainability questions because it’s not resolving itself in the background
you feel left out of typical discussions around and solutions for burnout (rest more! quit! do more hobbies! self careeeeeee!) because they’re not accessible for you, your brain, or your life situation
you value your human stuff and your work stuff and you want them to coexist outside of an either/or mindset
this might not be for you if…
you’re looking for a ten step action plan to cure burnout and release stress forever (no one plan works for everyone so i can’t give you that, unfortunately)
metaphors and imaginative thinking turn you off (i find these really powerful frames to think through and with, but they’re not for everyone)
you don’t like an experimental approach (try this - what happens?) or you don’t like collecting data about yourself (sleep, time spent on things, emotions - all things you’ll be invited to look at)
you really hate open ended questions or journaling prompts (there will be a lot of those!)
you want a really structured program with aggressive accountability mechanisms (i’ll be inviting you to reflect and there will be lots of engagement, but it won’t be compulsory)
you don’t want to question the logic or culture of the systems we’re all embedded in (we’re gonna get into that for SURE - these are not individual problems with fully individual solutions!)
circle materials
every two weeks i will release:
a workbook (fillable and printable) full of:
resources to explore around the topic at hand (suggested articles, podcasts, books, and more so that you can pick and choose what piques your curiosity)
questions to go deeper into the topic, explore your own thinking, and open up new ways of considering the ecosystem of your life
suggestions of experiments to run over the course to the two weeks - go beyond thinking about sustainability and into doing things to gather data and see what works for you, and in what conditions
and an an audio coaching track (transcribed of course) to illuminate the workbook material, go deeper into the topic, and give you more perspectives on the topic
community spaces
there will also be a private community space (hosted on discord) where:
i'll post prompts so you can go deeper with the material, encouraging conversation and learning from each other
there will be affinity groups to help you connect with people who are traveling similar paths (like caretaking, faculty roles, disability, neurodivergence, minoritized identities, and so on) and be honest about how those roles and identities impact your rhythms
and i’ll host accountability threads, where we will cheer on your wins and be with you through the hard stuff
we are all growing our own plants, but we can benefit from our neighbors in dirt - seeing how other people are growing, tending, and composting to help us think differently about our own plots.
it’s very important to me that this group be flexible temporally - so there are NO required meetings, NO pressure to complete the workbooks on any specific schedule or to answer every question. but as we all know, without any structure or prompting, it is so easy to let these concerns and considerations fall to the very bottom of the list, if they make it on at all.
so, enough flexibility so that this doesn’t become just another thing you’re not getting to, but enough structure so that you don’t get overwhelmed by what to do, or when to do it.
topics explored:
the circle will officially be open on july 1, and run through august 31. the pre-group workbook will be available on june 20th.
syllabus:
pre group workbook - where you are now
containers (releasing july 4) - what containers of time, energy, importance, and value are in your life right now? does the size of the container match its contents?
borders (releasing july 18) - what makes it easy for you to spend your time and energy where you want to? what makes it harder? which of these are negotiable boundaries, and which are not?
seasons (releasing august 1) - what do various seasons feel like in your garden? how do you plan for the transitions? what kinds of changes feel welcome, and which are harder?
plant identification (releasing august 15) - what kinds of behaviors and habits support you? which make it harder? how do you know if something is a plant or a weed - or is there a difference?
post group workbook - how to take it with you
as usual, there is a no-questions-asked sliding scale so you can choose the price that works for your budget, and there will also be a payment plan for those who prefer monthly payment options.
“my whole approach to work - academic and otherwise - has shifted since working with Katy. my energy has shifted away from frazzled, stressed, and feeling endlessly behind with work towards being more compassionate to my whole self, knowing that i’m better able to show up for my work and my people when i’m taking care of myself.”
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as private as you need to be! you can set your display name in our community to be something you’re comfortable with, and you’ll never be obligated to share beyond what you’re comfortable with there. i will also be setting explicit expectations for the group about privacy and confidentiality.
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nope! this group is for anyone who considers themselves a scholar and a human. but if you have questions, feel free to email or book an appointment (below)!
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you can either pay all at once or in monthly installments - both are completely the same, and both options are sliding scale. just select the price option from the drop down that works for your budget, no questions asked.
because this is an experiment for me in both style of coaching/support and topic, this is a lower beta trial price (in exchange for your honest feedback about the group!) and as a special thank you, i'll also include a free 45 coaching session with me ($100 value) as a thank you, for you to use any time before october 1, 2022!
Questions? Let’s talk.
Nervous about committing? Not sure if this is the tool you need? Want to meet me first to see if we click? Have a question and just need to talk to someone?
Schedule a 30 minute consultation - we'll talk about where you are, where you want to go, and what you are looking for in terms of coaching to see if we are a good fit! No pressure, just more information.
Do not worry about “wasting my time” with an appointment - these are here for you!