• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Heart - Head - Hands logo

  • About
    • Beth Godbee
    • Commitments
    • Offerings
    • Publications
  • Blog
    • Contemplative Practices
    • Emotional Literacies
    • Everyday Feminism
    • Higher Education
    • Interviews
    • Racial Justice
    • Recipes
    • Why Vegan?
  • Courses
  • Coaching
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter

practices

Reframing Burnout and Recognizing the Collective Experience

Filed Under: Emotional Literacies, Everyday Feminism, Higher Education, Racial Justice By Beth Godbee May 6, 2022 Leave a Comment

This screenshot shows Inside Higher Ed’s preview of the article and reads: “Career Advice. Honoring Ourselves and Each Other Through Burnout. Dealing with burnout should not be an individual responsibility but a collective one, Beth Godbee writes.” Text appears against a white background with the orange and white Inside Higher Ed logo and a small figure propped against a tumbling stack of papers.

Today, I have a new article published in Inside Higher Ed: “Honoring Ourselves and Each Other Through Burnout.” Here’s the opening: In the past few months, nearly all my conversations have focused on burnout. One friend is running on fumes, another wonders how to keep teaching when her body says no and still another rattles off a near-endless list of what’s not getting done. Such stories are nearly endless, too. The recent Inside Higher Ed opinion piece “Academe, Hear ... Read more ...

Small-Group Coaching: Aligning Career with Commitments

Filed Under: Contemplative Practices, Everyday Feminism, Higher Education By Beth Godbee April 20, 2022 Leave a Comment

Image shows an image of me smiling and reads: “Join me (Beth Godbee, Ph.D.) for one-with-one and small-group coaching in summer 2022 focused on career discernment: "Aligning Career with Commitments." Together, we'll discuss common challenges, engage a range of contemplative practices, and make decisions about how to approach the new school year. Contact me for a free consultation to see if coaching feels right to you: Heart-Head-Hands.com/Contact.”

This summer I’m hoping to try something new: small-group coaching focused on career discernment. After several years of facilitating “Career Discernment for Academics: Aligning Career with Commitments,” I’m reflecting on how career discernment can be a lonely experience. This is true even while many people are experiencing similar frustrations and asking similar questions. How do we shift time toward priorities? How do we navigate unjust workplace conditions? How do we ... Read more ...

Interrupting Writer’s Block: Writing (and Pausing) Through Resistance

Filed Under: Contemplative Practices, Everyday Feminism, Higher Education By Beth Godbee April 13, 2022 Leave a Comment

This image shows a yellow pencil snapped in half with crumpled paper in the background. It shares the blog post's title: "Interrupting Writer's Block: Writing (and Pausing) Through Resistance."

This blog post responds to a question I received recently and offers some ways to interrupt writing resistance or writer’s block. My hope is that it offers support for writers (because we all face resistance, right?), while also providing a glimpse into one-with-one coaching. I offer this post with gratitude for the writer who shared permission to use the question and response. And I offer many good wishes to writers feeling the pressure of due dates. The Question: ... Read more ...

Microaggressions: Too Sanitized, Too Safe, and Too Small?

Filed Under: Everyday Feminism, Higher Education, Racial Justice By Beth Godbee March 4, 2022 Leave a Comment

This screenshot shows the article published at Ms. Magazine with the title “Do We Really Understand Microaggressions?” 3/4/2022 by Rasha Diab and Beth Godbee and the tagline: “No microaggression I’ve ever faced felt micro. It’s aggression, plain and simple.” A photo of two people sitting side-by-side with laptops shows expressive facial expressions and hand gestures.

I’m grateful to share a new article: “Do We Really Understand Microaggressions?” which is published online with Ms. Magazine. This piece is co-authored with Rasha Diab and part of our ongoing research on countering microaggressions. Here’s the opening: In recent years and especially since summer 2020, in the aftermath and reckoning of George Floyd’s murder, the term “microaggression” has become commonplace. Every week, new stories highlight racial microaggressions in ... Read more ...

Commitment Statements: Questions and Answers Pointing Toward Action

Filed Under: Contemplative Practices, Everyday Feminism, Higher Education, Racial Justice By Beth Godbee February 28, 2022 Leave a Comment

This image shares folded paper in the shape of a leaf surrounded by the words: “Small-group commitment statement coaching. Part II. Wednesday, March 2nd 1:00-3:00pm ET (2 hours). Heart-Head-Hands.com. Email to get registered.”

Commitment statements are living documents: a way to clarify deep dedications and priorities and to make them actionable both in everyday life and for the long haul. For several years now, I’ve been working with commitment statements as a way to better understand my own commitments and where I’m out of alignment with them—and, importantly, to realign and strive toward justice. This work has grown out of my collaborative research on “Making Commitments to Racial Justice ... Read more ...

New Year Reflections: Hanging by a Thread Is Better Than No Thread at All

Filed Under: Emotional Literacies, Everyday Feminism, Recipes By Beth Godbee December 31, 2021 Leave a Comment

Image reads “2022 downloading,” alongside a spider dropping down on a single thread. Confetti lights appear at the top and bottom against a dark blue background.

In these weeks leading up to the new year—during the holidays and covid surge—I’ve found myself saying, “I’m hanging by a thread.” And friends have reminded me that one thread is better than no threads at all. It’s true. I’ve witnessed spiders suspended in air by a single thread. I’ve seen them descend to the ground gracefully with that same thread and use it as a first step to rebuilding webs. (Spiders teach me a lot!) As we welcome the new year, I’m reminding myself ... Read more ...

Grief and Gratitude: Reflections on a 3-Year Anniversary

Filed Under: Emotional Literacies, Everyday Feminism By Beth Godbee December 17, 2021 Leave a Comment

Image says “Subscribe for the New Year” with a light pink background of a blanket, tray with tea, candles, and open book.

This Saturday (December 13th) was my 3-year anniversary as a Patreon creator, and this week I'm reflecting on how much has happened and changed over these three years. In the midst of this internal review, I am grieving bell hooks, who I know will continue to guide so many of our lives, though I'm experiencing her loss as magnifying the many losses of this year and the last. I recognize again—through emails and text messages and phone calls and blog posts (like this one ... Read more ...

The Holidays Are Hard: Naming What’s Hard and Offering Support

Filed Under: Emotional Literacies, Everyday Feminism, Higher Education By Beth Godbee November 22, 2021 Leave a Comment

I share this view of lights on my balcony as another support during hard holidays. May we find nourishment in the winter, light on dark nights.

The holidays are always hard for me, as I know they are for many of us. There are so many expectations, longings, memories, disappointments, and things to grieve. At the same time when the days are shorter and seasonal depression kicks in, there are additional demands on our time and emotional capacity. There are broken boundaries and boundary violations. Family conflicts and forced happiness. Over-consumption, over-indulgence, and over-exhaustion. Loneliness, ... Read more ...

Walking Meditation for Writers: A Contemplative Writing and Walking Practice

Filed Under: Contemplative Practices, Emotional Literacies, Everyday Feminism By Beth Godbee November 5, 2021 Leave a Comment

This cover image for the YouTube video shows a photo of Beth looking down toward the screen. The photo is framed by a yellow-orange-pink border and the text: “Walking Meditation for Writing Motivation: Walk & Reflect. Contemplative Writing Practice, Beth Godbee, Ph.D., Heart-Head-Hands.com.”

Sometimes serendipity and unexpected connections make for excellent contemplative writing moments. To close this series of posts on contemplative writing (for now—more posts are sure to come in 2022), I want to share another guided meditation: a walking meditation for writers. I was presented with the unexpected opportunity to record this meditation during a recent writing retreat. A participant asked for guided meditation during a mid-day walk. I love walking and ... Read more ...

What Is Contemplative Writing? A Definition and Guided Meditation for Writers

Filed Under: Contemplative Practices, Emotional Literacies, Everyday Feminism, Higher Education By Beth Godbee October 23, 2021 Leave a Comment

This cover image for the YouTube video shows a photo of Beth with eyes closed (in meditation). The photo is framed by a yellow-orange-pink border and the text: “Guided Meditation on Motivations for Writing: The Five Whys. Contemplative Writing Practice, Beth Godbee, Ph.D., Heart-Head-Hands.com.”

What is contemplative writing?What is not contemplative writing?And why do I want to prioritize contemplative writing in my life? While teaching the “Contemplative Writing” workshop series this October, the importance of definitions has become increasingly clear. “Contemplative writing” invokes a range of interpretations, so this blog post defines the term and shares questions for exploring your relationship with writing. From there, I offer a guided meditation for ... Read more ...

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

About This Site

Embodied knowledge matters. So do commitments. And especially acting on commitments as part of everyday life, BIG and small. This website—a mix of blog posts and research writing, courses and offerings—shares ongoing efforts toward everyday living (feeling, thinking, and doing) for justice.

Subscribe via Patreon

This button from Patreon says “Become a Patron” in white font against a bright orange background.

Subscribe to Newsletter

courses, webinars, and writing groups

This grid shows four colorful cacti (two above and two below) the event information (black font against white background): “Monthly Gathering Space: Recharge and Recommit. For details, see Heart-Head-Hands.com.”This e-course announcement shows a yellow sunflower and blue sky. It includes a textbox with the following information: “E-COURSE AVAILABLE NOW! Career Discernment for Academics: Aligning Career with Commitments. Self-paced study, exercises, coaching, and more ...”

This ad reads: “Time to write! Writing Retreats. Learn more @ Heart-Head-Hands.com.” A white coffee mug and table appear in the foreground, with golden chairs and walls in the background.

This image shows writing tools (phone, keyboard, journal, pencil, and pen) along with the event information: “Online Writing Groups. Friday mornings 10am EST | 9am CST | 8am MST | 7am PST. Come Write Together: Heart-Head-Hands.com.”

Categories

  • Contemplative Practices (57)
  • Emotional Literacies (76)
  • Everyday Feminism (91)
  • Higher Education (45)
  • Interviews (7)
  • Racial Justice (56)
  • Recipes (22)
  • Why Vegan? (11)

Footer

bethgodbee

I’m really excited about @soulsupportlc and hope I’m really excited about @soulsupportlc and hope you’ll check out David (@dgs425)’s coaching support. 💗 See you at the launch?

#Repost @ericdarnellpritchard with @make_repost
・・・
Congratulations, David! 💜😭✨🌻🎉💃🏿💕 Today my beloved announced that he has decided to leave his position as a tenure-track faculty member in order to create more space to serve his purpose as a healer. Doing so, he has formally launched his life coaching practice, @soulsupportlc. I say formally because David has been a life coach to me and many of our kindred for a very long time. I am so glad he has chosen to share his gifts and serve his purpose more widely. Please follow his work at @soulsupportlc AND if your time permits, please register and attend the Soul Support Life Coaching virtual launch on June 30. Link in my bio!
vacation mode = cloud watching [Photo is taken l vacation mode = cloud watching 

[Photo is taken looking up at trees, clouds, and blue sky.]

#learningfromnature #cloudwatching #lookingup #trees #sky
I'm starting some time off for hiking and visiting I'm starting some time off for hiking and visiting family this week. And here's a photo of me at a North Carolina welcome center, high in the Appalachian Mountains, standing before a wall of blooming rhododendrons. I'm tired from all-day driving, but so happy to be deep in the mountains and surrounded by blues, greens, and even pinks! <3

#appalachianmountains #rhodadendron #blueridgemountains #home
Today’s newsletter points in multiple directions Today’s newsletter points in multiple directions, much like this turkey tail mushroom. (I love the striations of copper, cream, and olive green on these curly tails.)
 
Here’s a link to the newsletter on tending to brokenheartedness and burnout: https://mailchi.mp/99bd4ad2e962/burnout --> link in bio, too.
 
And if you aren’t receiving my newsletter but would like to, there’s a link to subscribe at the email’s end (just scroll to the bottom).
 
#LearningFromNature #HeartHeadHands #newsletter #brokenheartedness #burnout #resources
🧡🧡🧡 This touches my heart. Grounding and 🧡🧡🧡 This touches my heart. Grounding and guiding.

#Repost @yallaroza with @make_repost
・・・
The first person to show me the power of bearing witness was Helen, my first year Women and Gender Studies professor. Helen was a fierce feminist whose lectures felt more like prose, poetic and passionate. She made me want to take a hammer to patriarchy, and I loved it. 

With Helen, I felt safe enough to say the things I could barely articulate to myself. To name my wounds, to language hard truths, to let someone else in on my hurt. And with Helen, I felt held in those lived and living realities. There were no therapeutic interventions, no life adages, no solutions. There was simply a human being listening, honouring and affirming my experiences of misogyny, racism and sexual violence.

Years later, I forgot this wisdom. I went through therapeutic training(s) that, over time, left me feeling like that wasn't enough. That listening, and presence, and holding space for hurt wasn't enough. And in many aspects of life, I started to feel like I always needed a brilliant intervention that would offer an "aha moment." 

This week, I was reminded in many ways of the power of being present, of listening, of bearing witness. That you don't always need to have the answers, or offer your critical feminist thinking on a topic. You don't always need to have a solution, or advice. And you don't always need to intellectualize what someone's going through. Sometimes, you can just climb into the emotional fort they've built, grab a pillow, and be there. 

Yup, you can just be there, friend. And that's enough. 

(Consensually*)

♥️✨ Gratitude Tag: tag someone in your life who shows up in meaningful ways.
Load More... Follow on Instagram

About Beth Godbee

I'm an educator and former college professor who believes our fully embodied selves matter in the world. We can’t just think our way out of the incredible injustices, dehumanization, violence, and wrongdoing that characterize everyday life. We must feel and act, too. [Pronouns: she/her.] Read more ...

This image shows books alongside the words: courses, coaching, consulting. learning + unlearning.

Copyright © 2022