287: Hot Take: Stop Rewriting Your Grants And Write Papers
Academic Writing Amplified
What should take priority in your academic career right now: rewriting grant proposals or getting your papers published? In this episode, I offer a hot take that might make you pause—and rethink – how you’re spending your precious writing time. Grants are, of course, essential for research. They fund our projects, sustain our labs, and provide the indirect costs universities depend on. But in today’s climate—especially with the instability of many federal grant programs—pouring endless hours into resubmitting proposals may not be the most strategic move. At the same time, your...
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286: What If The Hard Work Is Hard?
Academic Writing Amplified
Have you ever sat down to write and felt completely stuck, frustrated, or drained—wondering why it feels so much harder than any other part of your academic work? In this episode, I dive into the reality that writing is hard because it’s meant to be. The intellectual work of interpreting data, structuring arguments, and expressing your ideas clearly is inherently challenging. I explore why the very things that make writing feel difficult are exactly what make it meaningful, impactful, and essential to your scholarly growth. Listen in to reframe your relationship with writing, honor the...
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285: Suffering From Your Own Success
Academic Writing Amplified
Have you ever found yourself buried under the weight of the very success you worked so hard to achieve? Winning a giant grant or getting the opportunity to head your own research center are amazing accomplishments. With success comes new responsibilities that demand unique skillsets – good problems to have, but ones you need to manage to avoid burnout and overwhelm. Today, I am offering a sneak peek from the Scholar’s Voice® Alumni Podcast, an exclusive feed available only to academics who have taken Navigate 12-week program, Elevate, Amplify, or Leading Now. In this episode,...
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284: Emotions and Leadership
Academic Writing Amplified
What happens when the most challenging part of leadership isn’t the work, but the weight of emotions you’re expected to carry? In this episode, I dive into the hidden emotional labor of leadership, sharing stories from my own life—both at home and in professional settings—to explore how leaders, especially women, navigate the delicate balance of awareness, empathy, and action. I reflect on moments when stress and frustration threatened to derail me, and I show how cultivating self-coaching and grounding practices can help turn emotional turmoil into clarity and calm. If...
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283: Creating An Intentional Writing Season With Dr. Anna Clemens
Academic Writing Amplified
In today's special episode, I share a conversation with my friend and fellow writing coach, Dr. Anna Clemens. Anna helps scientists write their articles, and she invited me to join a live stream on her YouTube channel to discuss the benefits of creating an intentional writing season. Anna and I explore how to transform writing from a source of anxiety into a manageable, enjoyable part of your scholarly career. Learn practical strategies for building positive writing habits, navigating the challenges of work-life balance, and creating intentional writing seasons that fit the demands of your...
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282: Matching Energy To Tasks with Dr. Abby Hogan
Academic Writing Amplified
If you’ve ever thought “it’s not just about time—I don’t have the energy” when it comes to your writing, you are not alone. In this episode, Dr. Abigail Hogan joins me to talk about how she’s learned to align her writing practice with her energy patterns, and why doing so has been transformational for both her scholarship and her well-being. Dr. Hogan shares what drew her to the Navigate program after participating in Amplify, and how she used the tools and coaching support to break through perfectionism, release the emotional weight of a long-stalled paper, and publish...
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281: "I'm Afraid I Won't Make Time"
Academic Writing Amplified
If you’ve ever said, “I’d love to join Navigate, but I just don’t have the time,” this episode is for you. Today, I’m joined by Dr. Janet McCabe, who brings honesty and real-world insight into what it looks like to invest in your writing during a busy and emotionally challenging season. We talk about her initial hesitation to join Navigate, the fear of adding one more thing to her plate, and how she ultimately found structure, clarity, and unexpected ease in her academic writing process. Whether you're mid-career, managing administrative responsibilities, or simply struggling...
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280: Increasing Your Capacity For Writing And Publishing
Academic Writing Amplified
Do you want to take on new projects or tackle more writing and publications but feel like the number one thing holding you back is time? What if I told you capacity isn’t fixed, you can build it? Today, I’m sharing what capacity building means and how intentionally growing your capacity can help you do more of the work that matters without burning out. In this episode, I share my own experiences juggling personal and professional responsibilities. I share vivid, real-life examples of how my capacity expanded over time, from parenting multiple children to managing a large farm...
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279: Choosing Your Next Season
Academic Writing Amplified
Is the next academic year a writing season for you? A mentoring season? An administrative season? Too often, scholars fall into the trap of trying to do everything at once—writing, grant-getting, mentoring, teaching, program-building—on full blast. But sustainable success comes from focused seasons, not constant hustle. In this episode, I introduce the concept of “academic seasonality” and walk you through how to select your next season with purpose. Whether you're heading into a writing-intensive fall, supporting graduate students, or bracing for a new admin role, this mindset shift...
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278: Writing On- and Off- Ramps
Academic Writing Amplified
Are you struggling to get back into academic writing after a break? Or maybe you’re afraid to change your writing schedule because you think you’ll lose momentum. In this episode, I’ll show you how to step away from your writing without derailing your progress and how to return to it without losing your rhythm. In this episode, I explore the concept of writing off-ramps and on-ramps—a metaphor (and practical toolset) for how to put your writing down with intention and pick it back up with ease. Whether you’re heading into a planned vacation or returning from an unexpected pause,...
info_outlineAre you struggling to get back into academic writing after a break? Or maybe you’re afraid to change your writing schedule because you think you’ll lose momentum. In this episode, I’ll show you how to step away from your writing without derailing your progress and how to return to it without losing your rhythm.
In this episode, I explore the concept of writing off-ramps and on-ramps—a metaphor (and practical toolset) for how to put your writing down with intention and pick it back up with ease. Whether you’re heading into a planned vacation or returning from an unexpected pause, learning to manage transitions is a key part of building a sustainable academic writing practice. You’ll learn how to exit your writing flow gently, leave strategic breadcrumbs for your future self, and design a smooth, flexible re-entry that supports your long-term goals without burnout or self-judgment.
If you're craving a writing practice that feels stable, resilient, and empowering, this episode is a must-listen. Stop treating breaks like setbacks, and learn the tools and mindset you need to turn your writing pauses into powerful pivots.
And don’t forget: our next Navigate information session is happening on July 23, 2025. To get all the details, make sure you’re on my email list—sign up at scholarsvoice.org.
For full show notes visit scholarsvoice.org/podcast.
We’ve opened the waitlist for our next cohort of Navigate: Your Writing Roadmap®. Check out the program details and get on the waitlist here.
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Our 12-week Navigate: Your Writing Roadmap® program helps tenure-track womxn and nonbinary professors to publish their backlog of papers so that their voice can have the impact they know is possible. Get on the waitlist here!
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Cathy’s book, Making Time to Write: How to Resist the Patriarchy and Take Control of Your Academic Career Through Writing is available in print! Learn how to build your career around your writing practice while shattering the myths of writing every day, accountability, and motivation, doing mindset work that’s going to reshape your writing,and changing academic culture one womxn and nonbinary professor at a time. Get your print copy today or order it for a friend here!
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If you would like to hear more from Cathy for free, please subscribe to the weekly newsletter, In the Pipeline, at scholarsvoice.org. It’s a newsletter that she personally writes that goes out once a week with writing and publication tips, strategies, inspiration, book reviews and more.
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