Anti-Racism Studies – Week 1 & 2 Recap

I figured that my Work from Home (WFH) series needed a title change to better align with what’s been happening in the past few weeks. But rather than detail my experiences – let me be more specific – rather than detail my white passing experiences, I will elevate the voices of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People… Continue Reading →

Higher Ed Is Boring

Dear Readers, You read that right! I, a higher ed professional and higher ed blogger, think that higher ed is boring. Let me clarify: higher ed is boring to talk about to and with anyone whose not in the field. As such, there’ll be some changes to this blog, but more importantly to the Surviving… Continue Reading →

WFH Week 12 – Learning To Be An Activist

This past week has been a huge learning curve for me. I’ve never considered myself much of an activist, mainly because I never felt confident enough to speak out on issues I felt passionate about. I participated in a few women’s marches in the past and honestly I felt that doing that was enough. I… Continue Reading →

Join the Anti-Racism Book Club

All over social media, black people and white (passing) allies have urged everyone to educate themselves on racism in this country and how to be anti-racist. Lists of must-read books, links to articles and tv show recommendations have flooded every social media channel. With this incredible wealth of information, it can be difficult and overwhelming… Continue Reading →

Send Me Your Questions

Since I started this blog in October of last year, I have had multiple people in the field either reach out to me or come up to me to share how much they like my content. First off, I am always incredibly surprised that people actually read my blog. But secondly, I am so grateful… Continue Reading →

WFH Week 10 – Coping With Loneliness

Did you know this post was part of a series? Check out all of my WFH recaps here! As a professional introvert, I love and value my alone time. I crave it like a cup of iced lemonade on a hot day. I NEED my alone time, okay? I just want to be clear about how much… Continue Reading →

WFH Week 9 – Facing Furloughs

Well, it was really only a matter of time before the F-word was thrown around at my institution. We have no idea what that will look like and I was naive to think that furloughs wouldn’t be coming my way soon. Perhaps it’s because our leadership continues to assure us that we are vital to the operations of the university but all the platitudes in the world won’t solve a huge budget crisis. I do remain hopeful, however naive that makes me. Hopeful and anxious.

I Am Learning to Deal with Negative Feedback

Let me start off by saying that I am notorious for not handling negative feedback very well. I’m the classic Type A perfectionist who hates making mistakes. My usual response is to get defensive and completely shut down any less-than-stellar comments about my performance. Over the last year, though, I have learned that dealing with… Continue Reading →

WFH Week 8 – No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

Did you know this post was part of a series? Check out all of my WFH recaps here! I’ve been fairly content this week, surprisingly enough. After nearly 2 months of working from home, I finally feel like I’ve established a comfortable routine. Mornings are still my favorite, with all its fresh, morning air crispness coupled with… Continue Reading →

3 Steps to Balancing Your Work From Home Life

For those of us fortunate enough to still have a job that can be done from home, there’s no doubt that we’ve had to adapt how we do our work to fit the WFH (work from home) lifestyle. Balancing work and private life is definitely more challenging now because the two are no longer physically… Continue Reading →

WFH Week 7 – Thoughts Unworthy of Your Attention

Did you know this post was part of a series? Check out all of my WFH recaps here! The semester is slowly coming to a close. Tuesday marked the last day of classes. It’s weird to work from home during this time. This is normally such an invigorating and memorable time of the year for so many… Continue Reading →

Exciting Updates Are A’Comin!

My friend Codie and I have some exciting updates in regards to the Surviving & Thriving Podcast. And…well, I’ll let the video explain!

WFH Week 6 – Does This Make Me An Artist?

Did you know this post was part of a series? Check out all of my WFH recaps here! This week I’ve been hard at work with my more creative endeavours. Either that or I’ve been working hard to save Princess Zelda. In any case, I wanted to share with you all some exciting things that are coming… Continue Reading →

How to Stay Connected With Your Students During Covid-19

Building rapport with your students, whether they are your advisees or students in your class, can be challenging even when we’re not going through a pandemic. Take away the in-person connection and it’s easy to lose touch with them during a time when they probably need you the most. Not to mention that it’s even… Continue Reading →

WFH Week 5 – I’m Struggling with Motivation During Covid 19

As an introvert, talking all day is already pretty challenging but for some reason that challenge is amplified when working from home. Ironic, no? Maybe it’s because as an introverted millennial I hate talking on the phone. Or perhaps I struggle because I still identify my apartment as an introvert’s paradise…

I Wrote A Zine About Self-Compassion

Hey! Did you know I wrote a Zine (“small-circulation self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images” – thanks wikipedia) a while ago, all about treating yourself with kindness? Check it out!

WFH Week 3 – I’m Angry

Did you know this post was part of a series? Check out all of my WFH recaps here! I’m going to pull a Lemony Snicket (A Series of Unfortunate Events) and warn you that this post has no happy ending. I am filled to the brim with anger and I’m having a difficult time simply… Continue Reading →

The Right Way to Set Goals & Be Productive During Covid-19

Because let’s call this whole shit show what it is: traumatizing. We’re all working through something traumatic. So, those feelings you’re experiencing such as lack of motivation, depression, anxiety, grief, dissociation – they are all part of your mind and soul trying to process what’s happening. And when you’re working through something traumatic, the last thing you need to worry about is how to be more productive.

WFH Week 2 – Slowly Losing My Sanity

Did you know this post was part of a series? Check out all of my WFH recaps here! Here we are, at the end of week 2 of working from home and social distancing. It was during this week that I slowly started losing it… I made a Tik Tok Yes, you read that right…. Continue Reading →

My WFH Essentials

Working from home has, no doubt, been an adjustment for many of us. Some of us love it and others not so much. But either way, the transition has been interesting to say the least. In order to make the shift easier for myself, and perhaps for you as well, I have put together this… Continue Reading →

A Cynic’s Guide to Surviving this Dumpster Fire

Well, to say that shit hit the fan real quick is probably an understatement. Only a little over a week ago, I was rolling my eyes at all the doomsayers, saying that corona is just like the flu. Fast forward a few days and here we are. What a dumpster fire! Among the never ending… Continue Reading →

Coping During The First Month of a Pandemic

Did you know this post was part of a series? Check out all of my WFH recaps here! I went to Kroger at 9pm last night to stock up on my emergency coronavirus supplies which, for me, meant Saint Pellegrino water, juice and canned peaches. Today, I cleaned my entire apartment and washed all blankets… Continue Reading →

Coping with Doubts as a Content Creator

Something interesting happened this week and I couldn’t not write about it. I have been feeling a little blue these past few weeks, mainly because January and February are the Monday of the year and inched by slower than a tortoise with scoliosis. With this feeling of perpetual blueness comes a slight lack of motivation… Continue Reading →

Higher Education According to Ron Swanson

Because my last gif post was so popular, I figured I’d do one more. I was looking for general Parks and Recreation gifs but then realized that pretty much all of the ones I identified with were of Ron Swanson. Not sure what that says about me…

Navigating My Biracial Identity

I never thought I’d be writing about this, to be quite honest. Quite frankly, I never thought I had the right to write about it because I pass for white most of the time and thus “enjoy” the privileges that come with that. But a recent incident pushed me to share my experiences. I grew… Continue Reading →

Professional Development From Home – How To

Ah, professional development! We all want it but who’s got the time? Between student appointments, prepping for class, teaching said class, administrative tasks and self-care – where is there time to squeeze in for professional development? Don’t worry – I got you! Here are 5 ways to grow professionally without ever needing to change out… Continue Reading →

Advising & Teaching Tools I Can’t Live Without

Let’s just jump right in because I cannot wait to share these tools with you! Canva I use Canva for literally everything – EVERYTHING! I use it to make promotional flyers for our events & workshops, to create presentations for my class and to make all of my instagram posts and various social media promos…. Continue Reading →

How to Include Family in Advising

Working with the families of our students can be challenging. They want nothing but the best for their children but sometimes what they want is not always within our scope to provide. Then, of course, there is FERPA or the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act that limits how much, if anything, we can share… Continue Reading →

Running on “E” – A letter to my readers

Hi friends, I was trying to figure out what to write about this week. Several ideas floated around in my head but none of them felt quite right at this moment. I’ve been feeling quite tired lately – not physically but emotionally and mentally. I thought about writing about burnout in higher ed but when… Continue Reading →

Life Is A Beach

I’ve been officially adulting for two years now, ever since getting my first post-grad job and moving into my first apartment. It’s been quite the journey so far and, while I enjoy most parts of being an adult, I also feel like adulting is a lot like walking along a beach littered with tiny rocks,… Continue Reading →

Why You’re Not Getting Hired – Part 1

*This post will be part of a series. Check my blog each week (or follow to be notified) to read the next part. As I peruse some of the higher education related facebook communities I’m apart of, I’m noticing a common theme: the struggle to get to the next step of the job application process…. Continue Reading →

Advising With Anxiety – My Experience

I’ve lived with anxiety for pretty much my entire life. As a small child, I used to get frequent tummy aches and did not realize until my freshman year of college that the proper term for that feeling was “anxiety”. That same semester, I paid my university’s counseling center a visit and officially began my… Continue Reading →

Coming Soon – The Real Higher Ed Podcast!

Join colleagues and friends Dani and Codie as they share their real, honest, unedited experiences as entry-level higher ed professionals. Find out how they survive and thrive as academic advisors and how you can go from just surviving to thriving too! They will cover topics from silly to poignant, from how to live on this… Continue Reading →

Speak Up! – Advocate for yourself as a professional

It’s no secret that working in any helping profession, such as higher education, can be exhausting work. Working with a diverse student body, with all of the modern challenges that exist in our society, is emotionally draining. It is not at all uncommon to work long hours, to answer emails from home and to stay… Continue Reading →

Updates – Exciting Things Are Coming!

Friends! I am so excited to share some really important updates with you. I have been working hard to create some cool, new stuff and while I should probably wait until everything is done and ready to go, I’m too excited and too impatient. So, without further ado: Mock Interviews I’ve gained so much insight… Continue Reading →

Mock Phone Interview

The best way to prepare for an interview is by doing mock interviews. Phone interviews, in particular, can be the most awkward and stressful part of the application process. There are no social cues, body language or facial expressions to read. Then there’s the awkward talking-over-each other-because-we-don’t-have-the-aforementioned-cues thing happening. Don’t let the phone interview be… Continue Reading →