DP&L Episode 229 - Tips for Academic Mom Summer Planning
Defend, Publish & Lead Podcast
Release Date: 05/24/2025
DP&L Episode 254: Four Tweaks for Academic Writing Month 2025
Defend, Publish & Lead Podcast
Christine Tulley, President and Executive Writing Coach, explores how to use Academic Writing Month (November) not to add more work, but to improve your writing habits and practices. She shares four strategic tweaks that can help academic writers become more satisfied with their work as the calendar year closes: finding one ideal writing day, creating a dream project list, taking stock of nine satisfaction areas, and taking advantage of free learning opportunities. Rather than pushing harder, these tweaks focus on reconnecting with what makes academic writing fulfilling. Resources Mentioned: ...
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DP&L Episode 253: How I Used AI to Make a Book Writing Plan
Defend, Publish & Lead Podcast
Christine Tulley, President and Executive Writing Coach, shares her experience using AI (Claude) to create a comprehensive writing plan for her upcoming book on sabbaticals, commissioned by Princeton University Press for their Skills for Scholars series. With a deadline of February 20th and only 18,000 of 65,000 words written, she demonstrates how AI can be a powerful project management tool for academic writers while maintaining ethical boundaries about what content to share with AI platforms. Episodes Mentioned: Resources HOLIDAY COACHING HOURS - All hours at lowest prices for the...
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DP&L Episode 252: How to Decide if You Have a Viable Idea
Defend, Publish & Lead Podcast
Christine Tulley, President and Executive Writing Coach, discusses how academics can determine whether they have a viable publication idea by examining four key factors: first, whether you can execute the project with available resources including time, materials, and access to necessary data; second, whether the idea fits with a target journal or publication outlet and potentially a backup option; third, how the idea aligns with your scholarly positioning, expertise, and research agenda; and fourth, whether the idea has potential impact with an identifiable audience who would actually read...
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DP&L Episode 251: Overwhelmed as an Academic Parent
Defend, Publish & Lead Podcast
Christine Tulley, President and Executive Writing Coach, addresses the mounting pressures academic parents face as they juggle grading, writing deadlines, children's activities, caregiving responsibilities, and the approaching holiday season. She offers four practical strategies for managing overwhelming periods, including leaving margin in your schedule, connecting with other academic parents for support, and seeking guidance from those who have successfully navigated similar challenges. While acknowledging that opting out is always an option, this episode focuses on resources for those who...
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DP&L Episode 250: My Top 5 Favorite Episodes
Defend, Publish & Lead Podcast
Christine Tulley, President and Executive Writing Coach, counts down her favorite episodes in this 250th episode of the Defend, Publish & Lead podcast. Starting at number five, she highlights "Your Writing Project Mix" (Episode 108), which helps academic writers strategically plan which projects to tackle each semester. Number four covers "5 Steps for Effective Writing and Research Collaborations" (Episode 43), featuring advice on contingency planning when co-authors fall behind. Number three discusses "Reasons for Source Support" (Episode 62), based on the book "How Scholars Write," which...
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DP&L Episode 249: Keep Writing Top of Mind
Defend, Publish & Lead Podcast
This episode shares three ways to keep thinking about scholarly writing when you are not actually doing it. Recommendations for podcasts and books on academic writing are shared, along with suggestions for joining an organization or other initiative where regular contact with your writing is encouraged. Episodes Mentioned Books Mentioned: by Leonard Cassuto by Bec Evans by Thomas Deetjen Resources: - contact christine@defendpublishandlead.com for subscription information Set your writing goals with us! . Check out our current and past workshops at for writing support...
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DP&L Episode 248: Don’t Let Grading Steal Your Writing Time
Defend, Publish & Lead Podcast
In Episode 248 Christine Tulley, President and Executive Writing Coach AT Defend, Publish & Lead, shares four practical strategies for managing grading responsibilities while protecting writing time: front-loading writing at the beginning of the semester before grading intensifies, leaving detailed notes after each writing session to facilitate re-entry after breaks, prioritizing writing before grading whenever possible to ensure it happens and to capitalize on fresh mental energy, and proactively blocking backup writing slots in future weeks to compensate for reduced productivity during...
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DP&L Episode 247: Do You Need a Restart?
Defend, Publish & Lead Podcast
In Episode 247 Christine Tulley, Defend, Publish & Lead President and Executive Writing Coach, shares multiple strategies for a resetting a day, a week, a project, a mode of writing, and more. Resources: - contact christine@defendpublishandlead.com for subscription information Set your writing goals with us! . Check out our current and past workshops at for writing support content. A FREE webinar is posted each month. Missed a workshop? Request a workshop or webinar recording from christine@defendandpublish.com Don't forget about the wonderful resources at Textbook and Academic...
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DP&L Episode 246: Three Lessons from Tuesday Toolbox
Defend, Publish & Lead Podcast
In Episode 246 Christine Tulley, Defend, Publish & Lead President and Executive Writing Coach, shares three insights the Tuesday Toolbox writing initiative including: Academic writing benefits from formulas as starting points, writing sessions need single focuses beyond project selection (like argument clarity or sentence variety), and surprisingly, academic writers lack opportunities to regularly refresh their writing skills. Christine encourages listeners to actively seek ways to strengthen their craft through resources and continuous learning. Related Episodes Resources...
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DP&L Episode 245: Leave Margin
Defend, Publish & Lead Podcast
This episode describes the critical importance of building adequate margin into academic schedules. After a week that went "off the rails" due to unexpected emergencies including children's health issues, emergency dental work, and even a mouse invasion, Christine Tulley, President and Executive Writing Coach at Defend, Publish & Lead, discovered that while she thought she had built sufficient 30-minute buffers into her daily schedule, she hadn't accounted for how tightly stacked her days were against each other. When one day explodes due to emergencies, there's insufficient margin in...
info_outlineIn this longer episode, President and executive writing coach Christine Tulley and coach Heather Witcher share valuable insights on balancing academic writing with parenting responsibilities during summer breaks. Drawing from their personal experiences, they discuss strategies for maintaining scholarly productivity while managing childcare for children of different ages - from preschoolers to college students.
The episode explores how to create effective summer routines that accommodate both professional goals and family needs. Christine and Heather share their summer writing plans and offer practical advice on carving out productive time amid the parenting demands of summer. From creative activities to keep children engaged to community-based childcare solutions, they provide realistic approaches for academic parents to make progress on their professional work.
This conversation highlights how different institutional contexts shape summer writing strategies - whether using summer for intensive writing to meet annual review requirements or focusing on smaller projects while recovering from a demanding academic year. The hosts share honest perspectives on managing the logistical challenges of summer while acknowledging the importance of enjoying this special time with children.
Resources Mentioned
- Related Episodes: EP 227: Summer Writing Strategies for Restoration and Project Completion (if you missed the summer planning 2026 webinar, email christine@defendpublishlead.com and ask for a copy).
- Don't miss our upcoming FREE webinar! Join us Monday, June 2nd at 11 am Eastern for "Academic Parents: Summer Time Management Strategies” where we'll expand on these strategies in more detail. Register now or email christine@defendpublishlead.com for the recording if you miss the live event.
- The Textbook and Academic Authors Association (TAA) conference is approaching on June 6-7 with full virtual access. Christine highlights an especially valuable session on "Succession Planning, Onboarding and Training New Co-authors" - perfect for academics managing collaborative projects. Registration includes TAA membership and provides access to numerous valuable resources for academic writers.
- Need personalized support with your book proposals? Our team of experienced writing coaches can help you develop strategies tailored to your needs. Email christine@defendpublishlead.com to learn more.