Big careers without tears:
Self-study course about taking charge of your working life and start thriving in academia
What is the course all about?
Do you know the feeling that your work is in charge of you rather than the other way around? Feeling spread too thin, spending time putting out fires and helping others? Life has become so rushed that there is no time to breathe – let alone time to do the things that move the needle towards your ambition of making a change in the world that extends beyond academia. Academia lacks role models, support, and resources to help women be in charge of their careers and make important contributions to research, students, and society. I want to change that – and this online course is the first step on our woman-centered journey toward a more empowered academic work/life.
Who is it for?
This course is ideal for female academics at the crossroads of their career. In particular, those who no longer want to feel like they are spreading themselves thin on unrecognized tasks and instead wish to begin focusing on defining and advancing their research, so they can achieve the joy, impact, and recognition they deserve.
Course description
This self-study course provides you with practical shortcut instructions, coaching questions, and exercises on how to take control of your work/life and career in academia. You’ll learn to define your unique research profile and “zone of genius,” so that you can work with what you do best in the way that works best for you. You’ll also to envision your ideal career and dream research project and get tips on how to plan to make it a reality .You’ll learn to take charge of your time so that you work smarter – not harder. And finally, a lot of beautiful dreams, visions, and plans have been killed by the inner critic and lack of confidence. Therefore, importantly, you will also learn to quiet the inner critic enough to be able to pursue your academic aspirations with more confidence.
Big careers without the tears: 4 modules
How it works
The self-study course includes four modules - one for each week of the 28 days.
You will gain access to the modules via our community website.
Each module consists of a 20-40 minute lesson, three different assignments related to the module, and a recorded "community, onversation and coaching" session from the latest live round of the course.
The community website also offers the opportunity to ask questions, get them answered by Sanne and share experiences with other participants.
Who Am I?
I'm an associate professor in organization and management studies and an academic coach who has guided many women in academia to clarify their academic profiles, replacing self-doubt and setbacks with excitement, purpose, and productivity. My coaching approach is enriched by the principles of Women-Centered Coaching developed by Dr. Claire Zammit.
What am I all about?
I focus less on traditional masculine approaches such as goal setting and pushing through, and more on nurturing female values like community, connection, process, and creativity. I believe that to enact change in our lives, we must work with intention, shift our mindsets, and enhance our practices. From my own experience – having navigated through near-burnout twice as a post-tenure academic – I am passionate about helping others craft the academic careers they've dreamed of. I've successfully secured over 1 million euros in research funding, served as head of a section, been involved in professorial recruitment, published consistently, and still found joy and time with my family, friends, and hobbies outside academia, such as yoga, nature walks, arts and crafts, writing poetry, and yes, indulging in the guilty pleasure of Netflix!
Q&A
Q1: Who is this course for? This course was originally designed for mid-career, female academics - but I have found that also post-docs, lecturers and other more junior scholars looking to take charge of their work and career as found it helpful to sharpen their research profile and step confidently towards their career goals. It is not for early Ph.D. students, who typically work on their own projects.
Q3: How does it work? 28 days, or four weeks, to complete 4 modules. For each module, there is a recorded video with my instructions for the week. It takes 30-45 minutes to watch and you can watch it in your own time. You also receive the recordings of a previous live “Community, coaching and conversation” in which you get insight into the ways previous participants have worked with the module. You can watch the recordings at your convenience. You will be invited to a community website, where you can find all recordings and engage with the other amazing female academics doing the course.
Q4: What is the focus of the course? You'll learn to define your unique research identity, create a vision/plan for your work, manage your time effectively, tackle the inner critic, and much more. Each module focuses on practical strategies to take charge of your academic journey and coaching conversations in the group to help you thrive in academia.
Q5: I don't have time, what do I do? I know you have a busy schedule! The course is designed to be impactful yet manageable, requiring about 1-2 hours of your time each week over 4 weeks time. Think of the course as a first step in protecting some time for YOUR priorities for a change.
Q8: How do I sign up? Sign up below to register.
Q9: Can I share this with colleagues? Yes, please do! The more, the merrier.
Popular
Big careers without tears
149
Self-study online course
Valid for one month
4 MODULES
4 video lessons
4x3 assignments
4 recorded "community, coaching and conversation sessions"
Access to community website (ask any question, any time )