In this final episode of our “back to school” theme for September, I encourage you to take a fresh look at caring for yourself. I redefine self-care as intentional life-sustaining practices that protect well-being, enhance overall health, increase happiness, and promote empowerment, and, for women leaders in higher ed, also produce vitality by making space for curiosity and purpose. I offer suggestions for how to infuse your daily activities with this notion of caring for yourself.

The episode at a glance:

>> 0:07. Trying out a new intro, and still grooving on my new theme music, written and produced by Mark Wampfler.

>> 01:17. In this final episode of our “back to school” month, I turn your focus to…you. I redefine self-care for women leaders in academia, by drawing on Oxford Languages, Oxford Reference, and Morgan Turner LICSW at University of Washington Medicine, and the work of Rebecca Pope-Ruark.

>> 05:39. I’m excited to put these definitions into conversation with Rebecca Pope-Ruark, especially her work on Burnout. Check out her new book: Unraveling Faculty Burnout: Pathways to Reckoning and Renewal.

>> 09:02. Here’s my new working definition of self-care for women leaders in higher ed: self care is engaging in intentional life-sustaining practices that protect well-being, enhance overall health, increase happiness, and promote empowerment, and, for women leaders in higher ed, also produce vitality by making space for curiosity and purpose.

>> 09:30. How can we use this definition to explore what we can do for ourselves to set up our year for success by incorporating intentional self-care practices. One answer: invest in the future version of yourself.

>> 11:03. What would happen in our lives — how would we think and behave differently — if we invested in ourselves by focusing on richness, generativity, and vitality? Here’s your assignment!

>> 12:03. Three ways to analyze your calendar so that your days, weeks, and months, incorporate self-care in ways that get you to your future self. This is not “additive” — you’re not adding in self-care. You’re reframing what you’re already doing.

>> 20:20. You deserve to reap the rewards that come from the compound interest that comes from investing every day in your future self. And you can do this by changing your practices to build purpose and intention into all of your work. Start small. Choose one committee, one task, one project. Bringing your purpose and vitality to that work will be good for you.

>> 20:55. Bonus! Join the FREE Tiny Sabbatical Project, hosted by Shelly Roder and Sarah Moore-Nokes.

>>22:07. October’s theme: looking ahead to the elections, and contemplating our role as higher ed leaders in educating citizens to be active participants in democracy.

Extra readings and resources — no affiliate marketing, just information-sharing:

Oxford Languages definition of self-care: https://www.google.com/search?q=what+is+self-care%3F&oq=what+is+self-care%3F&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i512l9.6009j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8. Accessed September 20, 2022.

Oxford Reference definition of self-care: https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199211777.001.0001/acref-9780199211777-e-8160. Accessed September 20, 2022.

Angela Cabotaje, “What Does Self-Care Mean – And Why is it Important?” @ Right as Rain: https://rightasrain.uwmedicine.org/mind/mental-health/self-care-meaning. Published December 30, 2020; accessed September 20, 2022.

Janet Alexander and Beth Kelch, “Self-Care Strategies for Faculty,” @ Inside Higher Ed: https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2021/07/09/academics-should-make-time-self-care-even-if-just-few-minutes-each-day-opinion. Published July 9, 2021; accessed September 20, 2022.

Koritha Mitchell, “I’m a Black Woman Who Met All the Standards for Promotion. I’m Not Waiting to Reward Myself” @ Time:  https://time.com/5958844/black-woman-self-care/

Erica Lorraine Williams: A Black Academic Woman’s Self-Care Manifesto, @ The Feminist Wire: https://thefeministwire.com/2012/11/a-black-academic-womans-self-care-manifesto/. Published November 5, 2012; accessed 9/20/2022.

Cathleen Beachboard: Small Daily Practices to Boost Mental Health, @ Edutopia: https://www.edutopia.org/article/small-daily-practices-boost-mental-health. Published June 27, 2022; accessed 9/20/2022.

Joe Mullkin: A New Way To Think About Work-Life Balance, @ Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/new-way-think-about-work-life-balance#:~:text=%20A%20New%20Way%20to%20Think%20About%20Work-Life,typically%20feel%20like%20they%E2%80%99re%20the%20most…%20More. Published December 3, 2020; accessed September 20, 2022.

Rebecca Pope-Nuark, the agile academic podcast. https://theagileacademic.com/podcast/

Rebecca Pope-Nuark, Unraveling Faculty Burnout: Pathways to Reckoning and Renewal. https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/12574/unraveling-faculty-burnout

Tiny Sabbatical with Shelly Roder and Sarah Moore-Nokes: https://tiny-sabbatical-project.teachable.com/p/teeny-tiny-sabbatical-reset

Peter Bregman. Leading With Emotional Courage.