Leaving Academia: Becoming a Freelance Editor15 Touko 2025

From Burnout to CEO: How I Left Academia and Built a 6-Figure Editing Business

What if your sabbatical wasn’t just a break from academia — but your way out?

I was recently a guest on Sabbatical 101 with Bethany Wilinski, PhD, and I’m re-airing that episode today.

Bethany is an associate professor at Michigan State who also runs a business helping academics plan the sabbatical of their dreams. During the conversation, I share how I left academia, started working as a freelance academic editor, and built my editing and coaching business to six figures.

If you're burnt out, wondering what’s next, or secretly thinking about launching a business, this episode is your permission slip to consider developing these ideas and stretching your creativity toward entrepreneurship.

You'll learn:

How owning a business has helped me reduce burnout
Why I left academia and how I started editing
What academic editing is and how editors work with clients, and
My hard-and-fast rule for vacation time–and how I ended guilt forever

If you want to stop surviving academia and start building a career that works for you, listen to my conversation with Bethany.

And if you’re considering a sabbatical and want to truly make the most of it–whatever that looks like for you–reach out to Bethany and check out her podcast, Sabbatical 101.

Resources:

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

🎙 Listen to Bethany Wilinski, PhD, on Sabbatical 101: https://bethanywilinski.com/podcasts/sabbatical-101/

1:41 - What You Will Learn in This Episode

2:00 - How a Sabbatical Can Be Your Opportunity

2:21 - Introduction to Sabbatical 101

3:22 - The Benefits of Working with an Academic Editor

3:44 - The Story Behind Leaving Academia

5:25 - The Academic Background and Burnout Experience

6:58 - Transitioning to Freelance Editing

9:18 - Breaking Stereotypes of Business Ownership

10:51 - Understanding the Role of an Academic Editor

11:58 - How the Editing Process Works

12:46 - Clear Pricing for Editing Services

13:14 - The Editor's Goal: Publication

30:54 - Overcoming the Fear of Starting a Business

32:26 - Flexibility of Freelance Editing

35:05 - Starting Your Editing Journey

39:37 - Conclusion and Encouragement to Pursue Editing

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