Your LP Reflections - Looking back, Looking forward (CAL115 S6E9)

Geri: 00:00:05

Welcome to Changing Academic Life.

2

: 00:00:08

I'm Geraldine Fitzpatrick and this is

a podcast series where academics and

3

: 00:00:12

others share their stories, provide

ideas and provoke discussions about what

4

: 00:00:17

we can do individually and collectively

to change academic life for the better.

5

: 00:00:34

A pop quiz question for you.

6

: 00:00:37

Do you remember the LP?

7

: 00:00:41

Or do you even know what an LP is for

those of you who maybe aren't old enough?

8

: 00:00:47

Well, an LP is a long play vinyl record.

9

: 00:00:50

And it used to be our source

of music when I was a teenager.

10

: 00:00:55

This was clearly a long time before

online music streaming services.

11

: 00:01:00

Though, I believe LPs are

making a bit of a comeback.

12

: 00:01:05

I can still hear a song from,

I don't know, John Denver's

13

: 00:01:09

back home again, album.

14

: 00:01:11

Or Susie Quattros Quatro album.

15

: 00:01:15

And I'm immediately taken back to 1974.

16

: 00:01:19

And I can even remember particular

occasions when we played these or who

17

: 00:01:24

I was with and what we were doing.

18

: 00:01:30

In this episode, I want to play with

LP as a template for reflecting on

19

: 00:01:36

and celebrating what will be our

ng play mix or compilation of: 2024

20

: 00:01:47

And also as we look forward to what might

our next long play album for: 2025

21

: 00:01:54

I'll explain how I'm playing

with L and P as I go along.

22

: 00:02:00

And you'll also be able to

find a template that you can

23

: 00:02:03

download and use for yourself.

24

: 00:02:06

And you can find this on the

episode, webpage that you can access

25

: 00:02:09

via www.changingacademiclife.com.

26

: 00:02:16

I'm going to first walk through the

template and explain the L's and the P's.

27

: 00:02:22

And then I'm going to go on and

use that as a template for myself

28

: 00:02:25

to reflect on my past year.

29

: 00:02:28

And to look forward to next year.

30

: 00:02:31

I've set it up for myself as a table.

31

: 00:02:33

And the labels on the

columns reflect the PS.

32

: 00:02:38

And the Ps are personal,

people, play and projects.

33

: 00:02:45

And for myself, I've added in

podcasts, and the L's reflect the rows.

34

: 00:02:53

And I've got different Ls for

reflecting upon the past year.

35

: 00:02:57

And for thinking about the next year.

36

: 00:03:00

So the L's for reflecting upon

this last year on those P areas

37

: 00:03:06

are land, love, labor and learn.

38

: 00:03:13

And for thinking about

what we want for: 2025

39

: 00:03:18

The Ls are look forward to,

let go, let grow, and let be.

40

: 00:03:27

Now I've been playing

with these just for fun.

41

: 00:03:31

So you could create column

labels to reflect whatever

42

: 00:03:35

areas are important for you.

43

: 00:03:37

And if those Ls provide questions

that don't connect for you create

44

: 00:03:42

your own questions or your own labels.

45

: 00:03:45

So let's start reflecting

on this past year.

46

: 00:03:48

And to give you a little bit more

of an explanation of the P's and

47

: 00:03:52

the L's are the L's and the P's.

48

: 00:03:55

For the Ps.

49

: 00:03:58

Personal is about where you're

currently at in your life and career

50

: 00:04:02

and, and how you look after yourself.

51

: 00:04:04

Thinking about what makes you, you.

52

: 00:04:07

People is pretty obvious.

53

: 00:04:09

And that's both people who

support you, who make life fun and

54

: 00:04:12

worthwhile, and people that you've

been able to support and serve.

55

: 00:04:16

Both directly and indirectly.

56

: 00:04:19

And we're thinking about friends,

family, colleagues, peers, here.

57

: 00:04:23

Play is about doing things that

aren't work, that are fun, that are

58

: 00:04:28

hobbies or passion projects, or just

hanging out or things that just don't

59

: 00:04:33

have any direct, functional purpose.

60

: 00:04:38

And projects is my catch-all

for all things work.

61

: 00:04:41

What you're paid to do or projects that

you've chosen to take on for yourself

62

: 00:04:45

that contribute in some work-like way.

63

: 00:04:49

And the L's just by expanding a bit more.

64

: 00:04:53

Land is about what have

you landed this year?

65

: 00:04:57

And we could think about that

in terms of what have you done?

66

: 00:04:59

What went well?

67

: 00:05:00

What are you proud of?

68

: 00:05:03

Love is standing back and reflecting

on what you've landed and looking

69

: 00:05:07

at: what are the high points?

70

: 00:05:09

When were you at your real best?

71

: 00:05:12

What did you particularly love doing?

72

: 00:05:14

When did you feel particularly

energized in the flow and what patterns

73

: 00:05:18

do you see across those moments?

74

: 00:05:21

And similarly labor is reflecting on

when did feel a little bit like hard

75

: 00:05:26

work or, you know, going through treacle.

76

: 00:05:29

What didn't you enjoy doing so much?

77

: 00:05:31

And what patterns do you see here?

78

: 00:05:35

And learn is pretty self-explanatory.

79

: 00:05:37

It's what did you learn?

80

: 00:05:39

And that could be, what did you

learn from what didn't work so well?

81

: 00:05:43

Or what did you learn from

your mistakes or failures?

82

: 00:05:47

And what are those lessons for next

time or what would you do differently?

83

: 00:05:52

And in particular, what did

you learn about yourself?

84

: 00:05:57

I found it really useful

before embarking on this.

85

: 00:06:01

Just to spend some time.

86

: 00:06:02

Going back and looking at my photos

and looking across my calendar entries.

87

: 00:06:08

And skimming across the journal that

I've been keeping, surprisingly.

88

: 00:06:13

Because I haven't usually been a journal

keeper, but I found it really useful that.

89

: 00:06:18

Just to have a commitment

to myself though.

90

: 00:06:20

At least write a phrase

or a sentence every day.

91

: 00:06:27

So, how do I reflect on my own 2024?

92

: 00:06:32

I won't go into all the details.

93

: 00:06:34

Just pull out a couple

of illustrative points.

94

: 00:06:38

On a personal level.

95

: 00:06:40

I finally finished my employment

contract end of September, this year.

96

: 00:06:47

And it really is then the finish

of that transition period between

97

: 00:06:51

my formal academic position.

98

: 00:06:54

And now.

99

: 00:06:55

Being more freelance and

being able to explore.

100

: 00:06:58

Being in so-called

retirement and also working.

101

: 00:07:03

So that has been a big deal because

it really represents stepping

102

: 00:07:07

into a new phase of my life.

103

: 00:07:10

Another big deal for me was running

my first half marathon in April.

104

: 00:07:18

And really being surprised too.

105

: 00:07:22

That I could do that, that I

could take on that challenge

106

: 00:07:25

and do it and, and enjoyed it.

107

: 00:07:30

And that's been part of a

commitment to try to keep up regular

108

: 00:07:33

exercise and take better care of

sleeping well and eating well.

109

: 00:07:39

Because, especially as I get older,

I'm aware that my health is really

110

: 00:07:44

critically important and can make all

the difference to quality of life.

111

: 00:07:49

And I've also been able to enjoy

lots of learning experiences.

112

: 00:07:54

I love learning.

113

: 00:07:56

And apart from informal learning, in

terms of reading books or listening to

114

: 00:08:00

various podcasts, I've also undertaken

particular trainings and certifications

115

: 00:08:05

that will go towards supporting the

work that I want to continue doing.

116

: 00:08:10

And so I'm now a certified strength

scope coach practitioner for

117

: 00:08:14

individuals and teams and leaders.

118

: 00:08:18

And that's about working with people

to help them understand what their

119

: 00:08:22

particular strengths are and how

they can work with them and use

120

: 00:08:26

them to craft their good life.

121

: 00:08:29

And their impactful life.

122

: 00:08:33

And also undertaking courses

around creating better cultures.

123

: 00:08:38

And also facilitating peer learning

experiences and action learning sets.

124

: 00:08:45

We could also talk about that

as peer coaching group coaching.

125

: 00:08:52

Moving on to people where.

126

: 00:08:54

Where do I start?

127

: 00:08:55

When I look across the photos,

they're just packed full of wonderful

128

: 00:08:59

people, wonderful relationships,

lots of people visiting.

129

: 00:09:03

Um, people in various courses,

amazing people I've had the privilege

130

: 00:09:07

to work with my own work group.

131

: 00:09:12

And there are also some sad memories

there of having lost people.

132

: 00:09:15

You will have heard some of those

discussions in the podcast.

133

: 00:09:19

And also recognizing that for many

of the people that I care about,

134

: 00:09:22

they've also been dealing with various

hardships and losses this year.

135

: 00:09:27

But people have been really

important in just getting through

136

: 00:09:30

collaborators, friends, my partner.

137

: 00:09:36

So I'm really appreciative

of people's friendships.

138

: 00:09:42

I won't go through the play, but

there's been lots of opportunities

139

: 00:09:45

for playful explorations, which was

one of my themes for: 2024

140

: 00:09:53

able to do some interesting travels.

141

: 00:09:56

And again, many of those

travels were with friends that

142

: 00:09:59

really enhanced the experience.

143

: 00:10:05

I'm also really proud of the

work that I've been able to do

144

: 00:10:08

under the projects umbrella.

145

: 00:10:11

Some of that has been

ongoing peer service roles.

146

: 00:10:15

But I'm also deliberately cutting back

on a lot of other peer service roles

147

: 00:10:19

so that I can focus on where I think

I can make more unique contributions.

148

: 00:10:23

And that's been focusing more of my

work time on the consulting, training,

149

: 00:10:28

speaking, and coaching work that I offer.

150

: 00:10:33

For example with my co-facilitator Austin

Rainer we've run some long form academic

151

: 00:10:40

leadership development courses, both as an

online course, over a number of months and

152

: 00:10:45

as a residential course, over a few days.

153

: 00:10:49

I've also run various

courses for PhD students.

154

: 00:10:52

Many of which are also longer form

that go towards course credits.

155

: 00:10:57

And then there's a whole myriad

of other different workshops and

156

: 00:11:01

courses and facilitated sessions.

157

: 00:11:03

That can run for anything

from half a day to two days.

158

: 00:11:07

When I look back and count these up,

there were 22 of those last year.

159

: 00:11:15

And these have been across

a range of countries.

160

: 00:11:19

In alphabetical order, like Austria,

Denmark, England, Germany, Iceland,

161

: 00:11:24

Luxembourg, Portugal, Italy,

Sweden, Switzerland, and Wales.

162

: 00:11:30

And have been delivered to various groups

from senior leadership teams to people

163

: 00:11:36

in general leadership positions to early

career researchers to PhD students.

164

: 00:11:45

We've covered topics from how to

create an inclusive meeting culture.

165

: 00:11:52

And more general issues around

inclusion and diversity.

166

: 00:11:56

To leadership development issues

specifically around how to

167

: 00:12:00

ask for feedback as a leader.

168

: 00:12:03

Or how to bring a coaching mindset

to your leadership toolkit.

169

: 00:12:09

There also been courses about

how to better know and understand

170

: 00:12:13

yourself and then use that

understanding to lead yourself.

171

: 00:12:18

And how to craft your own good

academic life and make good decisions.

172

: 00:12:22

And that has been around

saying yes and no.

173

: 00:12:26

As well as around managing all areas

of your life and promoting wellbeing.

174

: 00:12:34

And they've also been courses that have

connected to issues around emotional

175

: 00:12:39

intelligence and understanding emotions

as data and working with the voices in

176

: 00:12:44

your head, like the procrastinator and

the perfectionist and the imposter.

177

: 00:12:50

And there've been topics

around women at work as well.

178

: 00:12:55

And I've run sessions on mentoring

mentors and helping to establish a

179

: 00:12:59

mentoring culture in a department.

180

: 00:13:03

I've also facilitated a number of events.

181

: 00:13:06

These include the launch

of a women's network.

182

: 00:13:10

And also a strategic planning workshop

for leadership team in a faculty.

183

: 00:13:15

And I did six different keynote

or invited talks this year.

184

: 00:13:19

Covering issues ranging from leadership

to creating collegial research cultures.

185

: 00:13:24

To diversity and inclusion.

186

: 00:13:26

To mentoring.

187

: 00:13:31

And these have all been

such a pleasure to do.

188

: 00:13:34

I love facilitating groups.

189

: 00:13:36

I love engaging with people in these

sorts of discussions and shared

190

: 00:13:41

learning experiences where I learned

just as much as they may learn.

191

: 00:13:49

And I guess one of the big

projects I've taken on together

192

: 00:13:53

with Austin is writing a book.

193

: 00:13:56

And this is in response to many people

saying to us over the last couple of

194

: 00:14:01

years, about when are we going to write

a book, reflecting what we teach in

195

: 00:14:05

our leadership development courses.

196

: 00:14:07

So we're starting to work on that.

197

: 00:14:11

This isn't particularly my happy place.

198

: 00:14:13

I'm much happier standing up

speaking and facilitating.

199

: 00:14:19

And I also recognize that

we want to write the book.

200

: 00:14:23

Because there is lots that we've

learnt from doing the courses that

201

: 00:14:26

we do and that we want to share.

202

: 00:14:30

Because we know it can be impactful

from the feedback that we get

203

: 00:14:33

from our courses and workshops.

204

: 00:14:36

And now onto my podcast column.

205

: 00:14:39

And there's lots to be

celebrated here as well.

206

: 00:14:43

This, that I'm recording now is

the 16th episode for the year.

207

: 00:14:48

And that includes taking a

break between June and August.

208

: 00:14:53

It also includes the hundredth

episode that I've recorded

209

: 00:14:56

since I started the podcast in

: 2016

210

: 00:15:03

These have been a mix of

interviews and also exploring

211

: 00:15:07

more with some solo episodes.

212

: 00:15:11

A lot of themes have come out of the

interviews and the solo episodes.

213

: 00:15:15

Reflecting topics around how to create

better, more collegial and supportive

214

: 00:15:19

research cultures, the value of values

and recognizing what's important.

215

: 00:15:25

And how to connect to

what's meaningful work.

216

: 00:15:28

Because that's when we're at our best

and can make the biggest difference.

217

: 00:15:33

The episodes were really poignant with me.

218

: 00:15:36

were connected to people, good peers

and colleagues that we lost this year.

219

: 00:15:42

It was reading Volkmar

Pipek's final reflections and

220

: 00:15:45

advice to other researchers.

221

: 00:15:48

It was also my interviews

with Liam Bannon.

222

: 00:15:52

And I know it was particularly important

for him to share his experiences and

223

: 00:15:56

insights, despite the difficulties

of the final interview context.

224

: 00:16:03

And that he really did want to

urge us to pay attention to what's

225

: 00:16:06

important and who's important.

226

: 00:16:11

So when I look across all these areas

and think about what did I really love?

227

: 00:16:16

Like when did I really feel alive in that?

228

: 00:16:20

I can see how I really love

taking on challenges and I

229

: 00:16:24

love learning and developing.

230

: 00:16:27

Also, I love just being with people and

I love listening to people's stories.

231

: 00:16:33

I love being outdoors and being active.

232

: 00:16:36

When I think about my play areas.

233

: 00:16:40

And when I think about my

project areas, I love speaking.

234

: 00:16:43

And standing up in front and working

with groups and facilitating shared

235

: 00:16:47

learning experiences and shared exchanges.

236

: 00:16:55

In contrast to what I've loved, I can

also recognize some of the areas that feel

237

: 00:17:00

more like labor, feel more like hard work.

238

: 00:17:06

And this was clearly some of

the bureaucratic work that we

239

: 00:17:09

had to go through to navigate

the pension systems in different

240

: 00:17:12

countries and in different schemes.

241

: 00:17:15

Really complex.

242

: 00:17:17

And I also recognize I'm not so

strong on structure and processes.

243

: 00:17:22

And so the administrative work

around the courses and workshops

244

: 00:17:25

like scheduling calls and writing

up proposals and following up on

245

: 00:17:30

people and getting contracts drawn up

and doing the invoicing and working

246

: 00:17:35

out pricing schedules and so on.

247

: 00:17:38

Not particularly what I love doing,

but I know I need to do them in order

248

: 00:17:42

to do the work that I care about.

249

: 00:17:44

And then there's the promotion

and business development work.

250

: 00:17:49

And here, I can't even say it's

been hard work because I'd sort

251

: 00:17:52

of been dragging my feet and

putting my head in the sand really.

252

: 00:17:57

Um, Don't feel so

comfortable on social media.

253

: 00:18:01

And I also recognize that part of

it is I'm not quite sure how much

254

: 00:18:05

work I want to do relative to other

opportunities at this new phase of life.

255

: 00:18:15

And I can also reflect on similar

labor experiences around the podcast.

256

: 00:18:21

Scheduling has ended up being

a real challenge this year.

257

: 00:18:24

I've had many people that I've been

trying to line up and we've had trouble

258

: 00:18:28

finding dates or had dates agreed.

259

: 00:18:30

And then one of us gets sick and so on.

260

: 00:18:34

And then the enormous amount of time

and effort it takes to process the

261

: 00:18:40

recording and to get it out as a podcast

episode So I love the conversations

262

: 00:18:46

and the talking with people, but the

work to actually get the podcast out is.

263

: 00:18:52

Yeah, it's work for me.

264

: 00:18:54

Again, though I know that it's

work that needs to be done in

265

: 00:18:58

order to get the podcast out.

266

: 00:19:02

I'm also dragging my feet on the work

to get the new podcast website opened.

267

: 00:19:09

Another story for another day.

268

: 00:19:13

Because I want to move on and

reflect on the many things

269

: 00:19:16

that I learned this last year.

270

: 00:19:19

Just as an example is

from a mistake I made.

271

: 00:19:24

And we'd been at a friend's

birthday party and we ended

272

: 00:19:28

up having a really late night.

273

: 00:19:31

And the next day I was feeling

really tired and out of sorts, I

274

: 00:19:36

felt low energy and I struggled

to string two thoughts together.

275

: 00:19:40

And ironically, the course I was

facilitating that day was on issues

276

: 00:19:44

of wellbeing and the importance

of things like eating well and

277

: 00:19:47

sleeping well and moving and

looking after your relationships.

278

: 00:19:51

So I was walking the talk in so far as

I was illustrating directly, what are the

279

: 00:19:56

consequences of not having good sleep.

280

: 00:20:00

That was a big learning to really take

more deliberate care, intentional care.

281

: 00:20:07

Of looking after the basics, especially

in advance of being able to stand up and

282

: 00:20:14

do my best for the people I want to serve.

283

: 00:20:19

Another learning was about

how important my everyday

284

: 00:20:23

interactions with people are to me.

285

: 00:20:27

And it was because I noticed that

I really missed the people that I'd

286

: 00:20:31

had the pleasure and the privilege

of interacting with every day

287

: 00:20:34

when I was going into the office.

288

: 00:20:36

And I'm not doing that anymore.

289

: 00:20:39

So one of my learnings here is

that I'm going to need to be much

290

: 00:20:43

more deliberate now in making

an effort to connect to people.

291

: 00:20:50

And I think in terms of the work

as well, one of my big learnings.

292

: 00:20:55

Is to trust myself a little bit more.

293

: 00:21:01

Because one of my love of learning

is I genuinely do love learning.

294

: 00:21:05

And part of it though is also feeling

like I'm a bit of an imposter and I need

295

: 00:21:09

to have all these formal certifications

and degrees to underpin or justify

296

: 00:21:15

my right to stand up and speak.

297

: 00:21:18

And.

298

: 00:21:19

This last year has helped me gain much

more confidence in what I already know,

299

: 00:21:25

the foundation that I already have on what

I've experienced myself and what I know

300

: 00:21:30

from all my formal and informal studies.

301

: 00:21:34

And to trust myself.

302

: 00:21:38

I've been reflecting lately on the fact

that a lot of this work feels like when

303

: 00:21:43

I was a midwife in a previous career.

304

: 00:21:46

Being a midwife is all about being with.

305

: 00:21:51

Where it's women and birthing it's

about you being there to support and

306

: 00:21:55

encourage and to scaffold the process.

307

: 00:21:59

And to also have provided them

with information and resources so

308

: 00:22:02

that they could work with their

bodies to birth their own babies.

309

: 00:22:07

And I feel like I'm doing that a lot

with the development and consulting and

310

: 00:22:14

training and coaching work that I do.

311

: 00:22:18

And that is also helping equip

people with the knowledge, concepts,

312

: 00:22:24

tools, and resources that they need.

313

: 00:22:27

So that they can find their own ways

to develop their own potential and

314

: 00:22:32

to take control of their choices, to

develop a life that they care about.

315

: 00:22:38

And that is about finding

who they are at their best.

316

: 00:22:44

And it's such a privilege to witness.

317

: 00:22:48

And be with someone as they

go through this process.

318

: 00:22:53

I'm also learning more practical,

pragmatic things like, Appropriate

319

: 00:22:58

pricing, which I'm never comfortable with.

320

: 00:23:01

And I know that I will need to learn

more about engaging with social media.

321

: 00:23:06

That's one of my actions for next year.

322

: 00:23:12

So there's much more I could

talk about here because there's

323

: 00:23:14

much more that I've written into

my own review of the last year.

324

: 00:23:18

But that was just to give a flavor.

325

: 00:23:21

What I want to do now is encourage us all.

326

: 00:23:24

Once you've done this.

327

: 00:23:26

Just to stop.

328

: 00:23:28

And take a moment to stand back and

reflect on how much you've done.

329

: 00:23:34

And how much you've achieved.

330

: 00:23:37

How much you've learned.

331

: 00:23:41

And to celebrate that.

332

: 00:23:43

Because it's pretty impressive.

333

: 00:23:47

It's pretty impressive.

334

: 00:23:49

And we're so quick to focus

on what we haven't done.

335

: 00:23:52

Or what still to do or what we got wrong.

336

: 00:23:56

That we forget to take that

precious moment to actually stop

337

: 00:24:00

and celebrate what we have done.

338

: 00:24:07

And it can also be useful to

take a moment to think about.

339

: 00:24:11

What are we particularly grateful for?

340

: 00:24:15

And who might we be

particularly grateful for?

341

: 00:24:21

It could also be useful to

step back and think about.

342

: 00:24:25

What if you were your own best friend?

343

: 00:24:28

And you were looking at the

review that you've just captured.

344

: 00:24:33

What would that friend say to you?

345

: 00:24:37

And they're likely to

be pretty blown away.

346

: 00:24:39

Aren't they.

347

: 00:24:40

So I think we should just take

a moment to pat ourselves on the

348

: 00:24:43

back and say, well done, you.

349

: 00:24:47

And also recognize the fact that we're

human and that we're on a learning

350

: 00:24:52

journey for the whole of our life.

351

: 00:24:54

And that we're never perfect.

352

: 00:24:56

So we can celebrate still what we have

done and what we have learned and the

353

: 00:25:02

impact that we have been able to have.

354

: 00:25:06

And towards this, I want to take this

moment to express my gratitude to you.

355

: 00:25:12

The many listeners who've taken the

time to give feedback on the podcast.

356

: 00:25:18

. Because that has really encouraged me.

357

: 00:25:21

I said before that it takes

a lot of work to do this.

358

: 00:25:25

Every time, I would start to think

about maybe stopping the podcast.

359

: 00:25:31

I would get an email or a contact

from someone, or I'd run into someone

360

: 00:25:34

and they'd share some of the ways in

which the podcast has helped them.

361

: 00:25:40

So I'd like to share some

of the particular feedback.

362

: 00:25:44

To also encourage you.

363

: 00:25:48

I haven't got explicit permission

from people to use their name.

364

: 00:25:51

So I will just do these as anonymous

for the moment, but just to give

365

: 00:25:57

some examples of the feedback.

366

: 00:26:00

Someone who discovered the podcast late.

367

: 00:26:02

So they've gone back and been

listening to some of the last seasons.

368

: 00:26:07

And just say, "I must say that this

is such a valuable contribution

369

: 00:26:10

to the academic community.

370

: 00:26:12

I've got so many insights and Eureka

moments from other people's stories.

371

: 00:26:17

It is really a needed discourse in our

field and probably in many other fields

372

: 00:26:22

that we all have our vulnerabilities

in addition to our successes and

373

: 00:26:26

that we have to be more merciful

to ourselves as well to others."

374

: 00:26:32

Isn't that wonderful.

375

: 00:26:34

And I'm so grateful to all the

people who've shared their stories.

376

: 00:26:38

Who've shared their vulnerabilities

in addition to their successes.

377

: 00:26:42

That have enabled this sort of

connection with someone who's listened.

378

: 00:26:47

And that starts to normalize

those conversations.

379

: 00:26:52

One of the episodes that was particularly.

380

: 00:26:59

Impactful for people where the

episodes talking with Liam Bannon.

381

: 00:27:05

And someone who's been going through some

of their own career struggles and personal

382

: 00:27:10

life struggles at the moment wrote and

said, "I'm at an age where you start to

383

: 00:27:15

reflect more on bigger issues in life.

384

: 00:27:19

So your interview and Liam's words.

385

: 00:27:22

I really struck a chord with me.

386

: 00:27:24

I just wanted to say a big thank

you for delivering this podcast.

387

: 00:27:28

Because it's so important to hear

from experienced academics when

388

: 00:27:31

you struggle with your own career.

389

: 00:27:34

But now it feels even more important.

390

: 00:27:37

After listening to your

interview with Liam.

391

: 00:27:39

Because this goes way

beyond working life issues.

392

: 00:27:43

I was really touched by it.

393

: 00:27:45

Thank you."

394

: 00:27:48

And someone else reflecting

on Liam's episodes.

395

: 00:27:51

And I did a solo afterwards

about how what he said made me

396

: 00:27:55

think about the importance of

how we connect to other people.

397

: 00:27:59

And so they write.

398

: 00:28:02

"This is a note of appreciation.

399

: 00:28:03

I'm so enjoying your podcast.

400

: 00:28:05

I'm so sorry to hear that.

401

: 00:28:07

Liam Bannon passed what a wonderful

interview to memorialize him.

402

: 00:28:11

Your reflection on networking through the

lens of that interview was very touching.

403

: 00:28:17

I find your podcast really helpful

for learning about different

404

: 00:28:21

academic careers and trajectories.

405

: 00:28:23

It energizes my imagination

for other ways of being."

406

: 00:28:32

And the other episode that particularly

seemed to resonate and get lots of

407

: 00:28:38

feedback was a solo episode I did

back in January called research

408

: 00:28:43

identity, meaningful work and funding.

409

: 00:28:47

And some of the comments were things

like "thank you for another insightful

410

: 00:28:52

episode that really touched me.

411

: 00:28:54

If you're also a recovering academic

and interested in reclaiming your

412

: 00:28:58

research identity, follow these

nine simple steps to get a clear

413

: 00:29:02

insight into what lights you up."

414

: 00:29:05

And this post, I actually will put

this in the notes, on the podcast

415

: 00:29:10

episode, because it's a LinkedIn post.

416

: 00:29:13

And rachel here did a great

job in summarizing the nine key

417

: 00:29:18

points that I made in that episode.

418

: 00:29:23

And someone else similarly reflected on

that episode and sent a message to say.

419

: 00:29:28

"I had to pause their morning run

because they just finished the episode

420

: 00:29:31

on research identity, meaningful work

and funding, and it hits so close to home.

421

: 00:29:36

Thank you so much.

422

: 00:29:37

Every example, every

tension I was like, yes.

423

: 00:29:40

Been there felt that.

424

: 00:29:42

Thank you also for normalizing, not

only this but often the favorite

425

: 00:29:46

projects we have are the ones that

are not even funded that are side

426

: 00:29:50

projects with passionate colleagues.

427

: 00:29:52

'cause I always feel kind of bad

putting non-funded time into that.

428

: 00:29:56

Now I don't, because these are

the ones that give meaning to

429

: 00:29:59

my work and make me happy."

430

: 00:30:02

Thank you so much for that comment.

431

: 00:30:08

Another comment from

someone around that episode.

432

: 00:30:13

"I've been listening to your

podcast for a while now.

433

: 00:30:15

And as a woman in academia and

a social science researcher,

434

: 00:30:19

find it really valuable.

435

: 00:30:21

I particularly enjoyed today's

episode on research, identity,

436

: 00:30:24

meaningful work and funding.

437

: 00:30:26

What you said on this aligns with

where I tend to land on these things,

438

: 00:30:30

following your passion and values.

439

: 00:30:32

Making decisions and playing the game.

440

: 00:30:36

And figuring out why and how."

441

: 00:30:42

As I reflect on the year

and savor and celebrate.

442

: 00:30:45

And do it via this podcast episode.

443

: 00:30:48

I want to thank in particular

all my guests who have shared

444

: 00:30:53

so vulnerably and openly and

honestly about their own journeys.

445

: 00:30:58

And there've been some wonderful

conversations and themes.

446

: 00:31:03

And I want to thank all of you who've

taken the time to write and reflect

447

: 00:31:07

on where and how these connect.

448

: 00:31:10

It helps me also think about

who might be good guests.

449

: 00:31:14

And if you have other ideas,

please let me know or what might

450

: 00:31:18

be good themes to talk about.

451

: 00:31:24

And as a final, thank you.

452

: 00:31:25

I want to thank Pawel Wazniak and

the human computer interaction

453

: 00:31:29

group at TU Wien who provided some

financial support for the tools and

454

: 00:31:35

platforms that I use for this podcast.

455

: 00:31:38

That support really makes a difference.

456

: 00:31:40

Thank you.

457

: 00:31:43

So now we come to 2025.

458

: 00:31:49

I've continued playing with the LP.

459

: 00:31:52

So you might like to

draw up another table.

460

: 00:31:56

And you can put the usual Ps on the

columns, whatever your column labels are.

461

: 00:32:02

For me, they're personal people

play and projects and also podcast.

462

: 00:32:09

And the ELLs we're going to put

for our rows are going to cover.

463

: 00:32:15

Looking forward.

464

: 00:32:16

What are you looking forward to?

465

: 00:32:20

What are you going to let go of?

466

: 00:32:24

What are you going to

let grow and develop?

467

: 00:32:27

And what are you going to let be?

468

: 00:32:35

So again, I'm not going to go

through all these in detail.

469

: 00:32:39

But I can just talk through those

Ls a little bit more to help

470

: 00:32:43

give some questions that might

frame your own reflections.

471

: 00:32:47

Looking forward to 2025.

472

: 00:32:51

And for each of those Ls, you can consider

them again across each of your P areas

473

: 00:32:56

or whatever your columns are labeled.

474

: 00:33:00

The first L is looking forward.

475

: 00:33:06

So, what do you already

know is on the horizon?

476

: 00:33:10

And what would you like to make happen and

what are the opportunities and potentials?

477

: 00:33:19

The second L is let go.

478

: 00:33:23

And I think letting go is a

really important one to consider.

479

: 00:33:28

And that's about what do you want

to leave behind or stop doing.

480

: 00:33:34

That isn't serving you well,

481

: 00:33:38

what do you want to do less of.

482

: 00:33:40

So that you can do more of something else.

483

: 00:33:45

What isn't the best use of your

time and attention and energy.

484

: 00:33:50

For the difference you can

make when you are at your best.

485

: 00:33:56

For me, some of that is uh, need

to let go of feeling inadequate.

486

: 00:34:02

Measuring myself against others and

recognizing that they're in different

487

: 00:34:07

situations and stop doing that.

488

: 00:34:10

Also need to let go of

trying to do it all.

489

: 00:34:13

There are so many things on my list that

I would love to do or try out, especially

490

: 00:34:18

in the project consulting space.

491

: 00:34:20

And I can't do it all.

492

: 00:34:25

Moving on the third, L is let grow.

493

: 00:34:31

What do you want to let grow?

494

: 00:34:34

What do you want to take forward?

495

: 00:34:36

What do you want to develop more?

496

: 00:34:38

What do you want to do more of.

497

: 00:34:42

How do you want to show up for yourself?

498

: 00:34:47

And what will help you

do that in the best way?

499

: 00:34:51

So for me, I want to start being more

intentional about the structure of my day

500

: 00:34:56

and the rhythm of work and play and rest.

501

: 00:34:59

And building in time for

intentional connections.

502

: 00:35:04

And do of reflecting on decisions.

503

: 00:35:07

Cause I get asked to do a lot still.

504

: 00:35:10

I want to do more of asking myself.

505

: 00:35:13

What am I saying no to

if I say yes to this.

506

: 00:35:20

And our final L is let be.

507

: 00:35:24

What are the things that you

just need to be comfortable with?

508

: 00:35:30

And that can be about not knowing

or not having all the answers.

509

: 00:35:35

And that also may be not ever having

all the answers or it could even

510

: 00:35:40

just be not just yet having the

answers or not just yet knowing.

511

: 00:35:46

So can you just let it be okay that

things are open and uncertain for while.

512

: 00:35:53

What do you need to give space

and time for them to work out.

513

: 00:35:59

And what do you need just to

accept that there are some things

514

: 00:36:02

that you can't change and have

absolutely no control over.

515

: 00:36:09

So for me in particular, at this time,

it's letting it be okay with not knowing

516

: 00:36:15

exactly what the future will hold.

517

: 00:36:17

And that comes down to what mix

of work and play I want to do.

518

: 00:36:22

And it even comes down to

where we might end up living.

519

: 00:36:28

So there's lots that you could think

about for each of your P areas.

520

: 00:36:34

And along those Ls, like what.

521

: 00:36:36

What are you looking forward to?

522

: 00:36:38

What are you letting go of?

523

: 00:36:40

What are you going to

let grow and develop?

524

: 00:36:43

What are you going to let be?

525

: 00:36:47

So wrapping up now.

526

: 00:36:52

What I've tried to share here is a

little bit of a template for reflecting

527

: 00:36:57

on your long play record that was 2024.

528

: 00:37:02

And give some questions to think about

moving forward into this new year.

529

: 00:37:10

To summarize, we talked about

the P's in terms of personal

530

: 00:37:13

people play and projects.

531

: 00:37:17

And for reflecting on the past year.

532

: 00:37:21

I offered the L's of land,

love, labor, and learn.

533

: 00:37:29

And looking forward to the next

year across those same areas, it's,

534

: 00:37:33

as I said, what to look forward

to let, go of let grow, let be.

535

: 00:37:42

You could also play with the whole

LP record metaphor, if you wanted

536

: 00:37:46

to and think about if you're doing a

mixed music pop compilation for your

537

: 00:37:51

last year or for this coming year.

538

: 00:37:54

What would that be comprised of?

539

: 00:37:59

So, as I said at the beginning, There's

a template that you can download by

540

: 00:38:05

going to www.changingacademiclife.com.

541

: 00:38:10

And I'll also link to some of

the other past podcast episodes

542

: 00:38:14

that I've mentioned there.

543

: 00:38:17

And whether you use this template or

not, I just offer it in case it's useful.

544

: 00:38:22

I think it is really good just to take

some time at these transition points,

545

: 00:38:29

artificial as they are in lots of ways,

just to put our head above all the details

546

: 00:38:34

and the messiness of work and life, and

just think about where have we come.

547

: 00:38:40

And to take the time,

as I said to celebrate.

548

: 00:38:42

And then to think about where are

we going and how can we be a little

549

: 00:38:46

bit more intentional about that?

550

: 00:38:49

So that we can better connect

to who we are at our best and

551

: 00:38:53

to what's important to us.

552

: 00:38:55

Because that's when we're going

to make our biggest and best

553

: 00:38:59

contributions by doing that.

554

: 00:39:04

And this may be a reflection that you

do just on your own, or it could be

555

: 00:39:08

something that you do with colleagues.

556

: 00:39:11

Or if you're in some sort of supervisory

or leadership relationship, it

557

: 00:39:15

could also frame a discussion that

you have setting up the new year.

558

: 00:39:23

So I'm curious to hear from you

if this works for you at all, and

559

: 00:39:27

thank you at this end for being with

me on the journey this past year.

560

: 00:39:33

And I'm really looking forward to

what the next year brings us all.

561

: 00:39:36

As we work together to change

academic life for the better,

562

: 00:39:40

both our own academic life.

563

: 00:39:43

And the collective academic life

that we all co-create together.

564

: 00:39:49

And if you will allow me to end with a

little bit of blatant self promotion.

565

: 00:39:55

We have our next academic leadership

development course, our online

566

: 00:39:59

course scheduled for May, 2025.

567

: 00:40:04

The early bird registration

for that closes on 2nd of

568

: 00:40:07

March and places are limited.

569

: 00:40:11

The information about the

courses under the events tab on

570

: 00:40:14

the informatics, your website.

571

: 00:40:16

Which is www.informatics-europe.org.

572

: 00:40:22

And I'll put a link to

that on the web page.

573

: 00:40:26

And if you're interested in exploring

more about any of the offerings

574

: 00:40:31

that I have through my consulting,

training, speaking, coaching work.

575

: 00:40:36

You can go to

www.geraldinefitzpatrick.com,

576

: 00:40:41

Geraldine Fitzpatrick, all one word.

577

: 00:40:48

And I would also ask a final favor of you.

578

: 00:40:52

That you share this podcast

with at least one other person.

579

: 00:40:58

Thank you.

580

: 00:40:59

Have a great 2025!

581

: 00:41:05

You can find the summary notes,

a transcript, and related

582

: 00:41:08

links for this podcast on www.

583

: 00:41:12

changingacademiclife.

584

: 00:41:13

com.

585

: 00:41:14

You can also subscribe to

Changing Academic Life on iTunes,

586

: 00:41:19

Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

587

: 00:41:21

And I'm really hoping that we can

widen the conversation about how

588

: 00:41:24

we can do academia differently.

589

: 00:41:26

And you can contribute to this by rating

the podcast and also giving feedback.

590

: 00:41:31

And if something connected with

you, please consider sharing this

591

: 00:41:34

podcast with your colleagues.

592

: 00:41:36

Together.

593

: 00:41:37

We can make change happen.