Community In The Midst Of Chaos

In this episode, I dive into the deep-rooted loneliness that many academics experience, particularly around writing and publishing. With years of experience coaching academic women and non-binary scholars, I explore how vulnerability and community are essential for sustainable success in academia.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re drowning in writing due dates, unsure how to unclog your publication pipeline, or just tired of doing it all alone, this episode is your invitation to reimagine what’s possible when scholars come together. Community is closer than you think. Tune in to discover how building connections in academia is essential for creating the career you want. 

Academia is a Lonely Career

I unpack just how isolating academic life really is. It’s not just you—there’s a deeply ingrained cultural narrative that we’re supposed to know everything already. That myth of the lone scholar? It’s ingrained into the culture of academia, and it keeps us siloed, afraid to be vulnerable, and hesitant to ask for help.

We’re surrounded by people—students, colleagues, committees—but still feel profoundly alone, especially when it comes to writing and publishing. But community—someone saying, “I struggle with this too”—can change everything. In academia, community isn’t just nice to have; it’s a critical tool for success and stability, especially during these ridiculous and tumultuous times.

How to Build Community and Connections in Academia

How do we build that community we so desperately need? I offer practical ideas:

• Host informal writing meetups or on-campus retreats.
• Create spaces where vulnerability is not just allowed but expected.
• Reach out across institutions—Zoom makes that easier than ever.
• Don’t wait for your university to make it happen—grassroots is powerful.

I also share how my Navigate program is built on real-time connections. No Slack threads or Facebook groups—just live, weekly meetings where we show up, do the work, and hold space for each other. We share writing and publishing wins, frustrations, and questions that otherwise stay bottled up. 

“People are really afraid to be vulnerable in academia. It is really difficult to admit you don’t know something, to admit that you have a problem, to ask for help because of the fact that academia so highly regards knowledge. If you don’t know something, then maybe you shouldn’t be there. That individualistic part of academic culture really impedes community and makes people feel lonely.”

“Connections are the thing that is going to get us through difficult times, always – but especially now. There is power and agency in creating community inside of academia where you can share, be vulnerable, and work out problems together in the face of these really ridiculous, trying times.” 

We’re receiving applications for our next cohort of Navigate: Your Writing Roadmap®. Check out the program details and start your application process here.

CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION:

1. 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. Apply here!
2. 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!
3. 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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