Description

Come learn a few practices for navigating burnout and be in community with others finding pathways through burnout.

Why practices for navigating burnout?

The two of us (Beth and Candace, co-facilitators) have experienced burnout, and we know we’re not alone. So many of us are experiencing burnout at this time. Perhaps you, like us, can’t count the number of times you’ve been running on fumes. Or pushing past the point of “no!” Or rattling off a near-endless list of what’s not getting done. 

We hold a number of personal stories of burnout. Perhaps you do, too? 

Some of these are shaped by experiences in academic contexts and toxic workplaces. Some are connected to experiences as caregivers. Many are related to our embodied experiences—racial, gendered, economic, and intersectional positioning—in the world. We find both connections in these experiences and can trace differential risks, options, and areas for unlearning. 

As we process our own experiences with burnout, we know that burnout is much more than individual. It is always related to conditions of oppression: being burned up—used up, taken for granted, overworked, devalued, exploited, enraged, and inflamed. It can also hold many lessons for us, signaling long-held patterns to unlearn. Moving through burnout can involve reconnecting with ourselves and living with more awareness, intentionality, and inner knowing. And these personal changes are only part of the story. Micro- interventions happen alongside the need for meso- (family, department, group) and macro- (systemic, institutional) change. Navigating burnout, therefore, can point us in multiple directions, toward multiple pathways.

What are our guiding beliefs for navigating burnout?

• Burnout can happen during many phases/stages of one’s life.
• Burnout is not (NOT!) a sign of failure, laziness, or lack.
• Burnout can impact all facets of life—from work and home life to relationships with family, friends, and ourselves. 
• Burnout is a multi-faceted experience: emotional, embodied, intellectual, relational, economic, and spiritual.
• There is no one-size-fits-all approach to navigating burnout. 
• Navigating burnout invites self-work and intervention into systemic injustice.
• The pathways through burnout can take us in many directions, calling for many sorts of small and BIG changes.
• Pathways through burnout arise best when journeyed together in community.

Read more about the two of us and how we’ll approach this workshop and the related cohort experience on pathways through burnout. 

What can I expect from this workshop?

This 90-minute workshop is interactive ~ a small group coming together to play, plan, and practice. We’ll begin with a welcome and introductions. Then we’ll share three practices for navigating burnout: (1) a somatic/grounding practice, (2) a ritual/art practice, and (3) a contemplative writing practice. We’ll close time with time for group conversation and Q&A.

We encourage you to bring a journal, sticky notes, or scrap paper for jottings; a container of some sort (e.g., an old jar or shoebox); and optionally, markers, colored pens, or crayons.

To learn more about our approach to burnout, read about the accompanying cohort experience. Or check out Beth’s articles about burnout in Inside Higher Ed or Candace’s blog post “Caring for a Writer.” We’re also available for questions. Reach out anytime.

When will the workshop be offered?

Currently, there are two workshop dates. We will open additional dates throughout the year, so check for announcements.

We’ll share different practices at each workshop, so feel free to join each new workshop as it is announced:

Friday, November 3rd 3:00-4:30pm ET (starting at 2pm CT | 1pm MT | 12pm PT)
Friday, December 15th 3:00-4:30pm ET (starting at 2pm CT | 1pm MT | 12pm PT)

After registering, you’ll receive information about how to join via Zoom. Participants are encouraged to join with video because workshops are interactive experiences. We’ll be a small group, so expect to introduce yourself and share how you’re navigating burnout.

Because there’s often vulnerability and intimacy involved in talking about burnout, there will be no recordings. Thanks for holding space for your own process and for others as well.

What is the cost?

There are three registration options:

$10: Sign me up!
$50: Register + provide scholarship support.
$120: Register + provide scholarship support + join a writing retreat.

This workshop is offered in connection with the larger cohort experience: Pathways Through Burnout: A Cohort Experience. Because the cohort experience involves intensive support, we want to provide sliding-scale and scholarship registration options. We especially want to prioritize access for BIPOC and for people whose marginalization or life circumstances create financial barriers. One way that you can support financial access is by registering for this workshop at the $50 or $120 rates. We really appreciate you considering these options, especially if you have access to institutional funding or an income that’s financially sustaining. 

As thanks for this support, the higher rate of $120 includes participation in a one-day writing retreat—for you or for a friend (Beth can coordinate a gift card with you).

And if you’d like to register at a different amount, just let us know. We regularly create custom invoices and pair offerings as part of subscriptions.

Who will facilitate the workshop?

This offering is co-created and co-facilitated by Beth Godbee, Ph.D. and Candace Epps-Robertson, Ph.D.. 

Beth Godbee, Ph.D. is a public educator, writer, and coach (previously tenured professor) with commitments to social, racial, and environmental justice. Beth left a faculty position in 2018 after years of burnout and has written about her experiences with both career discernment and burnout in Inside Higher Ed. Like Candace, Beth brings experience with and commitments to contemplative writing, meditation, and intuitive + embodied decision-making.

Candace Epps-Robertson, Ph.D. is a writer and educator who has also been a caregiver for most of her working life. She’s contended with various stages of burnout on the tenure track as a writer, teacher, and caregiver for aging parents with terminal conditions. Her commitment to helping others manage burnout is grounded in mindfulness practices, experiencing writing as a practice of self-discovery, and believing in the power of shared stories and experiences for transformation.

How can I learn more?

Contact Beth with any questions, concerns, or accessibility considerations.

Or navigate over to Candace’s web page on support for writers.

And read our collaborative blog post: “Q&A with Candace Epps-Roberts: On Seasons of Life, Writing, and Career.”

If you know others who might be interested in this workshop, please share with them. 🙂 We really appreciate referrals, as this work happens through personal connections and word-of-mouth recommendations. 

Thanks!