64: Using Writing to Design the Career You Want -- A Behind the Scenes Interview with Cathy Mazak

I'm in the hot seat on this episode of The Academic Womxn Amplified! I'm sharing an interview of yours truly by Anna Clemens of Scientists Who Write. We cover everything from how (and why) to get writing done inside your work week to changing the patriarchal culture of academia to my coaching philosophy and program offerings.

Key points discussed:

• Writing as career currency and why academics should put it at the center of their careers
• Why I work with womxn and non-binary folx and systemic challenges in academia
• How I started my coaching business and my coaching philosophy
• What structural changes we should work toward in academia
• How to move away from fear-based decision making
• Driving change in a wider arena by focusing on individual career goals
• How to keep writing time inside your work week and the message you send yourself when you push it to the periphery
• Why waiting for big blocks of time to write doesn't work
• Soaring states, co-writing and how to be more productive in less time
• The glorification of overwork and drilling down to what's important
• My writing coaching and career direction programs for academics at every level

Key Quotes:

• "In the end, what has currency inside of academia is our published work."
• "Change has to happen top down and bottom up simultaneously."
• "If you're waking up early, staying up late, or writing on the weekends, what you're doing is you're pushing writing to the periphery of your career."
• "Is writing less important than the things you do from let's say 9 to 5?"
• "I want people to start organizing their schedules around their writing blocks instead of trying to fit writing in."
• "If you want to create, you have to rest."
• "You can't sustain the level of overwork that is currently being glorified inside of your institution."

Pulled in a thousand directions and can't seem to carve out time to write? Download my 10 Ways to Make Time to Write cheat sheet for ideas to implement today!

Connect with Anna Clemens:

https://www.annaclemens.com/

Connect with me:

Website

Facebook Group

Facebook Page

This episode was first published at cathymazak.com/episode64.