• 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?
  • Coaching
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter

storytelling

It’s More than End-of-the-Year Exhaustion: Semester Rhythms and Recurring Burnout

Filed Under: Emotional Literacies, Higher Education By Beth Godbee April 25, 2019 Leave a Comment

This image from the Inside Higher Ed article (credit: Istockphoto.com/malchev) represents seasonal change. A single nature scene (life of a tree) is divided into quadrants: moving clockwise from the lower-left through a snowy landscape to pink blossoms to green leaves to fallen autumn leaves.

Today Inside Higher Ed published my article, “Semester Rhythms and Recurring Burnout,” reflecting on the exhaustion that many educators and academics face at the end of each school year. This article weaves together multiple threads of feeling, thinking, and doing (heart-head-hands) from my past few weeks, including: attention to my body’s fluctuating energy levels, seasonal changes, and continued recognition of semester rhythms; ongoing reflection on career ... Read more ...

Learning from and Healing Scars, Both Personal and Collective

Filed Under: Emotional Literacies, Everyday Feminism By Beth Godbee February 7, 2019 Leave a Comment

This image shares the quote: “Collectively, our bodies are scarred (and scared).” against a background of footprints in sand.

Over the past year, my body has experienced a few physical injuries, including a concussion from falling last January and a cut from stepping on a broken bowl back in August. The fall left both knees badly scraped and bruised so that scars are still visible on the surface. The puncture in my foot has involved months of getting ceramic out—piece by piece—and an MRI now confirms that “only scar tissue remains.” That scar tissue isn’t visible like the scars on my knees, ... Read more ...

Living in Shutdown USA

Filed Under: Emotional Literacies, Everyday Feminism By Beth Godbee January 10, 2019 2 Comments

This image shows a sign that reads "Sorry we're closed" against a dark and shadowy background.

In recent weeks, friends have been asking about my experience with the government shutdown. I’m feeling and experiencing a lot, living in DC, or “America’s lightning rod” (thanks to Katharine Weinmann for this language from a recent comment). Certainly, the city feels on edge and reminds me of the urgent need for resistance, for visioning, and for choosing alternative paths, if we are ever to stop the perpetuation of injustice. I look to everyday life for direction, ... Read more ...

Planning a Career Change in 3 Stages

Filed Under: Higher Education By Beth Godbee November 28, 2018 Leave a Comment

Screenshot of the article “Planning to Leave?” as it appears in Inside Higher Ed, showing the first few paragraphs and an icon of an arrow, representing exit from academia.

Today my third installment of “Outside Higher Ed” appeared in Inside Higher Ed: This piece shares my process of planning a career change in three stages: beginning to plan while feeling uncertain getting serious about planning putting plans into action I share stories of re-orientating myself through counseling, allowing myself time to grieve, and experiencing a concussion as the physical manifestation of the mental exhaustion that motivated my decision to ... Read more ...

My Heart Hurts on Election Day

Filed Under: Emotional Literacies, Racial Justice By Beth Godbee November 8, 2018 2 Comments

Against a cream background reads navy blue text: “There are many, many things wrong with U.S. elections.” Under this text is a sticker with a white background; American flag (red, white, and blue); and the words: “I voted. Yo vote.”

Election day morning: I join a line that snakes around my new polling place. Like others, I pull my raincoat tighter against the cold and damp morning air, as kids squirm, jump, and cry around us. After 40+ minutes and only few feet of movement, I step out of line, knowing that if I stay, I’ll miss a hard-to-reschedule doctor’s appointment. I feel frustrated, disappointed, and angry. Election day evening: I re-join the line and, again, wait outdoors in the rain. ... Read more ...

Deciding to Leave Higher Ed: Strategies for Career Discernment

Filed Under: Contemplative Practices, Higher Education By Beth Godbee October 10, 2018 3 Comments

This hyperlinked screenshot shows the article (black text against a white background) as it appears in Inside Higher Ed.

Today the next installment in “Outside Higher Ed” appears in Inside Higher Ed, focusing on career discernment: As the title promises, this piece shares seven steps for career discernment. These include: Talking with confidants. Making lists, and writing to learn. Pairing downside with upside risks. Finding my “strong yes.” Taking steps toward a new career. Seeking a reality check. Processing grief and other emotions. For each, I describe how the ... Read more ...

Loving to Read Again

Filed Under: Contemplative Practices, Higher Education By Beth Godbee October 4, 2018 5 Comments

Compilation of book covers showing what I'm reading now: Rankine's Citizen, Gay's Hunger, Reynold's Long Way Down, Grahl's Running Down a Dream, and Nelson's A Wreath for Emmett Till.

During graduate school, there were many weeks of being so overloaded by assigned reading that I couldn’t do it all and felt constantly behind. I recognized that the goal was to learn to skim and to put my hands on more and more research, even if I couldn’t savor many pieces. The trouble was that the more I couldn’t savor what I was reading, the more I associated reading itself with feelings of being overwhelmed and behind. When I shared with a mentor how stressful ... Read more ...

Inside the Chrysalis, or Experiencing Mess, Mess, and More Mess

Filed Under: Emotional Literacies, Everyday Feminism By Beth Godbee September 22, 2018 7 Comments

Image of a fuzzy yellow-and-brown caterpillar with black and white hairs sticking out of its body, positioned on a wooden stick. This photo was taken along a hiking trail, so there’s faded grey and green in the background.

It’s not uncommon for me to ride emotional roller-coasters with swings from sweet to sour as I go about my days. More and more, I’ve noticed these swings as I’ve tuned in with my emotions and embodied self through Reiki, yoga, and other contemplative practices. The more I do inner work and the more I embrace mess, the more the messiness of being an always-incomplete, imperfect human inevitability shows up. Still, if I’m being honest with myself, the past few weeks have ... Read more ...

Announcing “Outside Higher Ed” in Inside Higher Ed

Filed Under: Higher Education By Beth Godbee September 12, 2018 3 Comments

This hyperlinked screenshot shows the article (black text against a white background) as it appears in Inside Higher Ed.

Today the first of four articles about my experience leaving academia appeared in Inside Higher Ed. As a series of articles, “Outside Higher Ed” seeks to identify processes that can be used by academics questioning whether and/or when to leave academia. Over the next four months, I hope to share my chronological process of leaving a tenure-track position, walking through four stages: (1) origin—recognizing the seed or origin of the idea to leave, (2) ... Read more ...

Do It Scared

Filed Under: Emotional Literacies, Everyday Feminism By Beth Godbee August 24, 2018 5 Comments

One large black rock sits at a diagonal, dominating the left-side of the photo. To its right is a trail marker (wooden stake in the ground). A green bush is to its right, and a light blue sky stretches above the rock, trail marker, and bush (with shades of blue becoming lighter toward the top).

“Do it scared.” I have Dr. E (Dr. Elaine Richardson) to thank for this mantra that I keep close at hand. A couple of years ago, Dr. E talked with my “Writing for Social Justice” class about her book PHD to Ph.D.: How Education Saved My Life, and students asked Dr. E to share advice for writers. Similar to the advice Luvvie Ajayi shares in the TED talk “Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable,” Dr. E talked about pushing through fear and showing up for the work anyway. ... Read more ...

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Go to page 4
  • Go to page 5
  • 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

featured offerings

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. Tuesday afternoons & Friday mornings. Come Write Together: Heart-Head-Hands.com.”

This image shows a scene of wrapped packages, a pine cone, and evergreen branches. A white text box shares the circular logo for Heart-Head-Hands: Everyday Living for Justice, and another text box reads: “gift cards available.”

Categories

  • Contemplative Practices (60)
  • Emotional Literacies (83)
  • Everyday Feminism (103)
  • Higher Education (50)
  • Interviews (9)
  • Racial Justice (62)
  • Recipes (22)
  • Why Vegan? (12)

Footer

bethgodbee

Last call for tomorrow's workshop on planning summ Last call for tomorrow's workshop on planning summer writing projects:
https://heart-head-hands.com/product/planning-summer-writing-projects-prioritizing-purpose-over-productivity/ —> link in bio. ✏️

I'm here if you'd like support with prioritizing writing this summer and releasing those habits (from self-doubt to overwhelm) that derail us as writers. Good #writing wishes! 💛

[Image shares this same “last call” text with a link to the registration page.]
Final call for summer writing groups! We (@cusew Final call for summer writing groups!
 
We (@cusewinters and I) are trying out a new time on Tuesdays 2-5pm. Hoping this group reaches those of you who’ve asked for later times.
 
For more information and to sign up: https://heart-head-hands.com/product/online-writing-group/ --> link in bio.

There’s still a little time to join before Tuesday. :-)

[This image shows writing tools (phone, keyboard, journal, pencil, and pen) along with the event information: “Join one or both days: Tues. @ 2pm ET or Fri. @ 10am ET. Come Write Together: Heart-Head-Hands.com.”]

#writing #writinginspiration #writingcommunity #writer #writersofinstagram #WritingResources #WritingSupport #WritingLife #WritingCenterLife #WritingTime #TimeToWrite #writinggoals #writersblock #writingmotivation #writerscommunity #writers #WritingCoach #WritingGroup #communitywriting #WritingTogether
#Repost @charisbooksandmore with @use.repost
・・・
Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month with a new book! Need some guidance on where to start or what to read next? We have three separate booklists for you to look through: AAPI Fiction (and a little poetry!), Non-Fiction, and Children’s/YA! ⁠
⁠
You can find the complete lists at the link in our bio!⁠
⁠
FICTION AND POETRY:⁠
· All This Could Be Different: A Novel by Sarah Thankam Mathews (@smathewss)⁠
· Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai (@mia.tsai.books) (@tachyonpub)⁠
· The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On by Franny Choi (@fancyrhino)⁠
· Togetherness by Wo Chan (@theillustriouspearl)⁠
· Hula: A Novel by Jasmin Iolani Hakes (@jasminiolani)⁠
· Late Bloomers: A Novel by Deepa Varadarajan (@deepavaradara)⁠
⁠
NON-FICTION:⁠
· A Living Remedy: A Memoir By Nicole Chung (@nicolesjchung)⁠
· The Trauma of Caste: A Dalit Feminist Meditation on Survivorship, Healing, and Abolition By Thenmozhi Soundararajan (@dalitdiva)⁠
· Asian American Histories of the United States By Catherine Ceniza Choy (@catherinecenizachoy)⁠
· Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life By Alice Wong (@disability_visability)⁠
· I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki: A Memoir By Baek Sehee⁠
· Biting the Hand: Growing Up Asian in Black and White America By Julia Lee (@profjulialee)⁠
⁠
CHILDREN’S AND YOUNG ADULT:⁠
· An Asian American A to Z: A Children's Guide to Our History By Cathy Linh Che (@cathylinhche), Kyle Lucia Wu (@kylelucia), & Kavita Ramchandran (@kavitaramchandran) (@haymarketbooks)⁠
· Milloo's Mind: The Story of Maryam Faruqi, Trailblazer for Women's Education By · Reem Faruqi (@reemfaruqi) & Hoda Hadadi (@hodahadadi_artpage)⁠
· Maizy Chen's Last Chance By Lisa Yee (@lisayee1)⁠
· You Are Here: Connecting Flights edited by Ellen Oh (@elloecho) (@tracicheeauthor) (@allidabooks)⁠
· She Is a Haunting By Trang Thanh Tran (@nvtran_)⁠
· A Scatter of Light By Malinda Lo (@malindalo)⁠
⁠
#AAPIHeritageMonth⁠
We’re a week away from the final workshop on pla We’re a week away from the final workshop on planning summer writing projects. It’s next Wednesday, May 24th 1-3pm ET (starting at 12pm CT, 11am MT, 10am PT).

These workshops are interactive and responsive to what emerges, much like small-group coaching. One participant shared this reflection from last week’s workshop:

“Thank you for the lovely session today. It really made me reevaluate the way that I schedule my day and how I am (or at the moment, how I am not) prioritizing the writing I want to be doing.”

Registration is on a sliding scale and includes a one-day writing retreat. Learn more and sign up here: https://heart-head-hands.com/product/planning-summer-writing-projects-prioritizing-purpose-over-productivity/ —> link in bio 💛

[Image shows a row of colored pencils, fading in color from green to brown, against a teal background. The top half shares the workshop’s title: “Planning Summer Writing Projects: Prioritizing Purpose over Productivity” and the URL: Heart-Head-Hands.com …]

#writing #coaching #priorities #prioritizing #productivity #planning #projects #summerwriting #writingplans #writingoals #writingcommunity #writers #writinggroup #writingretreat #writingretreats #summerretreats #writingworkshop #workshop #smallgroupcoaching #learning #unlearning #summer #academia #highered #writingchallenges #reflection #purpose #purposedriven #commitment
This May is not what I expected, but it is growing This May is not what I expected, but it is growing me, for sure! And I continue to find grounding in nature. Here are a few recent photos of where I've been walking:

1. The word "MAY" arranged in pebbles on a larger rock, welcoming me to my birthday month?
2. Rainbow from my last trip into the mountains (looking into an open valley).
3. Shallow and rocky creek surrounded by trees.
4. View of tree-covered walkways along the national mall.
5. Looking across the reflecting pool toward the Washington Monument.
6. Waterfalls (part of the WWII memorial) with the Lincoln Monument in the background.
7. Water lilies at the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens.
8. Wider view of the aquatic gardens: green and blue.
Load More... Follow on Instagram

About Beth Godbee

I'm an educator and former writing studies 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 © 2023