Burned out, overworked, and secretly Googling "alternative careers for PhDs"—but not sure what you actually want to do next? This episode is for you.

In this conversation, I sit down with Jen Polk, one of the most well-known and trusted post-academic career coaches, to talk about what it really takes to figure out your next move after academia.

Jen has been doing this work since 2013, and she has helped dozens of PhDs—from postdocs to full professors to tenured department chairs—find career clarity and build lives they enjoy.

Here's what we get into:

🖋️ Why so many tenured professors (not just grad students) are leaving academia right now

🖋️ The #1 mistake academics make when starting a job search—and why "converting your CV to a resume" is a symptom, not a solution

🖋️ The self-reflection question that Jen uses with every single client (it's deceptively simple yet powerful)

🖋️ Whether you need coach training to become a coach—and Jen's honest, no-BS answer

🖋️ What Jen's PhD Career Clarity Program looks like and who it's for

🖋️ Why small-group coaching can be more powerful than one-on-one support (backed by what actually happened in her program last week)

If you've been feeling lost, stuck, or like academia has wrung every last bit of joy out of you, this conversation will remind you that you're not alone—and that there's a way through.

👉 Subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Resources Mentioned:

Jen Polk's PhD Career Clarity Program: https://fromphdtolife.com/

Jen Polk on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-polk-phd/

Want to end burnout and become an academic editor or coach? Go to AcadiaEditing.com/BecomeAnEditor

2:40 - Academic Background to Coaching

7:00 - How Coaching Changed Her Life

10:00 - The Rise of Post-Academia

14:00 - Why Tenured Faculty Leave

18:00 - Global Higher Ed Challenges

22:00 - Finding Your Next Career Path

27:00 - What is "Flow" State?

31:00 - Resume vs. Clarity

36:00 - The Power of Community

42:00 - Coaching vs. Mentoring

47:00 - PhD Career Clarity Program

53:00 - Finding Your True Calling

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

💡 When you're starting your freelance editing or coaching business, the instinct is to offer everything to everyone. But what if niching down is what gets you more clients?

In this episode, I walk you through the counterintuitive truth about developing a profitable niche—and why your credentials aren't what's going to sell your services.

What You'll Learn:

💡 Why "being for everyone" is actually limiting your income

💡 The common mistake I made when I started my business

💡 How emotions—not analytics—drive hiring decisions

💡 Why your first niche WILL change (and why that's okay)

💡 How to journal your way to discovering the people you're obsessed with helping

💡 The 6-month feedback loop: when to expect clarity on your niche

Key takeaway: Your niche isn't about your credentials. It's about the collection of people who hear what you say and feel hope. It's the people drawn to you because of how passionate you are and the real solutions you've discovered. This is what you should lead with in your marketing to land consistent clients.

Resources Mentioned:

Map Your Academic Business Workbook – Download at AcadiaEditing.com/map

BAE Program – 12-week live cohort for academics becoming freelance editors or coaches

Want to end burnout and become an academic editor or coach? Go to AcadiaEditing.com/BecomeAnEditor

2:14 - Stop Being for Everyone

4:32 - Why Broad Messaging Fails

7:02 - Credentials Don't Sell Services

9:26 - Emotional Connection Drives Hires

11:30 - How to Start Niching Down

14:05 - Map Your Academic Business

16:27 - Journal Your Ideal Client

19:19 - The Non-Traditional Scholar

22:17 - Burnout Mom's Struggle

24:20 - Find Relief Through Your Services

27:40 - The Messaging Feedback Loop

31:07 - Listen to Your Customers

33:51 - Refine Your Messaging

36:30 - What People Truly Want

40:24 - Offering Hope and Relief

42:33 - Your Unique Solution

44:20 - Be Real Be Passionate

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when everything looks perfect on paper but your life feels like it's falling apart?

Today's guest, Daniel DeRock, was a successful assistant professor of international political economy at a "dream" university—yet he walked away. Why?

In this episode, Daniel shares the truth about burnout, the hidden costs of chasing credentials, and how he's now building a thriving freelance business that finally honors all of who he is.

In this conversation, you'll hear:

☑️ Why Daniel left academia despite appearing to "have it all" on paper

☑️ The moment he decided to quit (spoiler: it was sudden and definitive)

☑️ How health problems and work-life balance pushed him to the breaking point

☑️ Why he's now doing a fiction book coaching certification alongside academic editing

☑️ How to build a business around what you actually want, not what you "should" want

☑️ The power of claiming your full identity when you leave academia

Daniel's journey is a reminder that success in academia doesn't equal happiness. He was doing everything "right"—defended his dissertation, got the postdoc, landed the faculty job at the university where he'd studied abroad. Yet the constant task-switching, budget cuts, isolation, and unsustainable workload made him reach his limit.

What's beautiful about Daniel's story is that he didn't just escape academia—he's actively building a business that brings together both his academic expertise AND his passion for fiction writing and the literary world. He's not abandoning his credentials; he's leveraging them in a completely new way.

This episode is for anyone who's been told they should be grateful for their academic position, or who's struggling to admit that their "dream job" isn't actually working for them.

If you're considering leaving academia or starting an editing/coaching business, watch this episode. And if you're ready to take the leap, check out my program, Becoming an Academic Editor or Coach—a 12-week group coaching program paired with lifetime access to the course materials.

Resources Mentioned:

Daniel's website: flowstateediting.com

Connect with Daniel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-derock-988883302/

Want to end burnout and become an academic editor or coach? Go to AcadiaEditing.com/BecomeAnEditor

[2:30] Daniel's Academic Background

Double major in political science and English, studying in the Netherlands

[5:45] Graduate School Journey

Master's degree and PhD in Amsterdam, field work and teaching experience

[9:20] Burnout During PhD

Teaching full-time while finishing dissertation and applying for jobs

[12:15] Landing the Dream Job

Assistant professor position at his study abroad university

[15:40] Health Deterioration

Stress-related health problems and work-life balance issues

[18:30] Budget Cuts and Increased Workload

Doing the work of multiple people without support

[21:00] The Decision to Leave

Abrupt departure from academia after reaching breaking point

[24:45] Early Interest in Editing

Proofreading for colleagues, freelance editing during PhD

[28:20] Discovering the Path Forward

Finding Paulina's course and realizing editing could be viable

[32:10] Starting the Business

Registering Flow State Editing, first clients from colleagues

[35:50] LinkedIn as Marketing Platform

Returning to LinkedIn and building presence

[38:40] Types of Editing Work

Copy editing, developmental editing, coaching for academics

[42:15] Expanding into Fiction Editing

Interest in creative writing and book coaching

[45:30] The Challenge of Niching Down

Balancing academic editing with fiction editing interests

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.