Shows
Publish Not PerishThe Hidden Cost of Too Many Projects at Once | Ep. 29How many writing projects are you holding in your head right now—like, actively holding—not just the one on your desk, but all the others tugging at you in the background?In this episode, I’m talking about the hidden cost of carrying too many writing projects at once: the almost-finished article, the chapter that needs revision, the proposal you keep meaning to start, and the project you feel guilty for neglecting. Individually, each one might be manageable, but together they create a constant background hum of obligation that drains your cognitive and emotional bandwidth—even on days...
2026-02-1911 min
Publish Not PerishWhy I Don’t Tell Scholars to “Just Sit Down and Write” | Ep. 28Today I’m unpacking a piece of advice that sounds simple—and sometimes even motivating—but often leaves scholars feeling worse when it doesn’t work: “Just sit down and write.”If you’ve ever tried to follow that instruction and immediately felt your brain seize up, your confidence drop, or your draft suddenly look unfamiliar, you’re not alone. In this episode, I talk about why the problem usually isn’t effort or discipline—and why it makes perfect sense that writing can feel hard to restart, even when you care deeply about your work.I share a gentler...
2026-02-1212 min
Publish Not PerishWriting is a relationship, not a test | Ep. 27In this episode, I’m sharing a shift that quietly changes everything for a lot of academic writers: moving from seeing writing as just a skill you perform to recognizing it as a relationship you live inside over time.So many of us are technically capable of writing and still feel stuck, resistant, or exhausted by it—and that disconnect isn’t a personal failure. It’s often the result of how we’ve been taught to approach writing as a transaction: produce the output, meet the deadline, get evaluated. When writing “works,” the relationship feels fine. When it doesn’...
2026-02-0512 min
Publish Not PerishLetting Go of the Writing That Got You Here | Ep. 26There’s a particular kind of grief that comes with deleting pages you fought to write. In this episode, I talk about why that feeling is so common when you’re turning a dissertation into a book and what it reveals about the shift from writing to be evaluated to writing in service of an argument and a reader. I reflect on why cutting isn’t a sign that something went wrong but an essential part of how book projects take shape.I also spend time with the emotional and practical side of letting go: why we cling...
2026-01-2911 min
Publish Not PerishDiagnosing Dissertation Mode in Your Book Manuscript | Ep. 25If revising your dissertation for a book feels harder than you expected, there’s nothing wrong with you or your project. In this episode, I talk about why dissertation writing trains you into very specific habits—and why those habits can linger long after the degree is done. I reflect on the deeper shifts required when moving from dissertation to book, not just in structure or scope, but in how you relate to your authority as a writer and how you imagine the reader on the other side of the page.I also focus on how to star...
2026-01-2211 min
Publish Not PerishWhat Coaches Notice That Academia Often Misses | Ep. 24In today’s episode, I talk about a part of writing that academic training rarely asks us to examine: how writers actually move through their work. We’re taught to evaluate arguments, evidence, and outcomes—but much less attention is given to what happens between drafts, or how writers interpret difficulty as it arises.I share how coaching shifts attention from the finished product to the writer in motion, changing the way progress unfolds—not by lowering standards, but by making it easier to respond to the real sources of friction. I also explore how this way of payin...
2026-01-1509 min
Publish Not PerishWhat to Pay Attention to This Year | Ep. 23Greetings, dear listeners!January has a way of making us feel like we should already have our writing plans figured out—clear goals, steady discipline, and a strong start. Sound familiar?In this episode, I want to gently interrupt that pressure. Instead of asking what you should produce this year, I invite you to consider a different starting point—one that’s quieter, more humane, and often more effective for long, complex writing projects.This episode is about shifting attention away from ambitious promises and toward something that can actually support you as a writ...
2026-01-0810 min
Publish Not PerishWhy Your Old Writing Strategy Isn’t Working Anymore | Ep. 22Today I’m sharing the story of “Fatima”—a composite of so many scholars I’ve worked with over the years (and, honestly, a little bit of me too). Her dissertation sprint “worked.” She finished, defended, and landed a faculty job. But once she stepped into life as a new professor, the same strategies that got her across the finish line suddenly stopped working altogether. I use her story to explore a tension I see all the time: the difference between being productive in the short term and building a writing practice you can actually sustain over a long academi...
2025-11-2012 min
Publish Not PerishThe Urgency Trap—What Feels Urgent vs. What Actually Matters | Ep. 21In this episode of PNP: The Podcast, we’re diving into the urgency trap. You know that feeling that everything needs your attention right now—the ping of an email at 9 PM, the “quick” request that derails your writing time, the sense that you’re always behind no matter how much you do? We’ll explore why academia runs on manufactured urgency, how it sucks energy from your important work and well-being, and what it looks like to reclaim your time for what actually matters. It’s time to step out of the constant rush, take a breath, and st...
2025-11-0708 min
Publish Not PerishFrom Professor to Scholarpreneur: What I Learned Along the Way | Ep. 20Today’s episode is a little different from the rest of my “leaving academia” series—because instead of talking about what I left behind, I’m sharing what I moved toward: building a business as a scholarpreneur, specifically, a writing coach and developmental editor.I’ll walk you through how I found my way into academic-adjacent entrepreneurship, how I reconciled my skepticism about “business,” and what it’s looked like to build something that actually aligns with my values. If you’ve been craving a way to keep your scholarly work alive—just without the institution calling the shots—this episode...
2025-10-3116 min
Publish Not PerishTranslating Your PhD Skills Into a New Career | Ep. 19In today’s episode, I want to talk about something that can feel tender, even somewhat disorienting—but also full of possibility. We’re talking about what it means to think beyond working in academia and how to understand the incredible set of skills your PhD gave you.Because yes, academia gave you expertise—but it also gave you other important skills: the ability to learn deeply, think critically, manage complex projects, and solve difficult problems. And those skills? They’re valuable in more places than you might be able to imagine at this moment.I share so...
2025-10-2417 min
Publish Not PerishWhat to Do When Your Article Gets Rejected | Ep. 18If you’ve ever opened an email from a journal only to see the words “After careful consideration, we regret to inform you,” this episode is for you. In today’s conversation, I’m talking about what to do when your article gets rejected—and more importantly, why that rejection doesn’t mean the end of your project. I know firsthand how gut-punching those messages can feel, but I also know that rejection is one of the most common—and least talked-about—parts of academic life. In this episode, I’ll share why rejection happens far more often than you think...
2025-10-1713 min
Publish Not PerishFour Questions to Reconnect You With the Heart of Your Research | Ep. 17In this episode of Publish Not Perish: The Podcast, we’re tackling one of the most challenging questions in academic writing: why does your research actually matter? Not just within your subfield or to a handful of experts, but to the world beyond it.This episode is a continuation of the newsletter I sent out earlier this week:https://www.publishnotperish.net/p/why-should-anyone-care-about-yourIn this episode today, I revisit four deceptively simple questions I shared in that newsletter—about who’s affected by your research, what might change if people saw it differ...
2025-10-1116 min
Publish Not PerishSticking With Your Writing When the Going Gets Tough | Ep. 16In this episode, I’m continuing the conversation I started in this week’s newsletter called “Writing Should Be Hard.” You can read the newsletter from Tuesday here:https://www.publishnotperish.net/p/writing-should-be-hardIn this follow-up podcast, I go a little deeper into why writing feels so challenging and how we often slip into easier tasks that make us feel productive while sidestepping the harder intellectual work our projects really need. I also share some ideas about how to recognize those patterns, approach them with compassion, and build your capacity to stay with the work tha...
2025-09-2608 min
Publish Not PerishProductive Research or Procrastination? How to Tell the Difference | Ep. 15When it comes to research and writing, many of us struggle to determine whether we're doing necessary intellectual work or simply procrastinating with more reading, thinking, and research.Don’t get me wrong. Reading, thinking, and researching are all essential parts of the process, and it can be difficult to determine how long we should spend in this phase, which I refer to as the discovery phase. I discuss this experience in the newsletter from earlier this week:https://www.publishnotperish.net/p/the-real-reason-your-writing-projects(That newsletter also has a download for paid subscribers on...
2025-09-1911 min
Publish Not PerishBalance as a Practice, Not a Destination | Ep. 14In this shorty episode, I’m unpacking the idea that many of us hold of balance as as a destination that one day we’ll arrive at. We often imagine it as equal time for research, teaching, family, and self-care every week—but real life doesn’t work that way. Balance is a practice that requires constant adjustment and recalibration for different seasons of life. I’ll share how this plays out in academic life and invite you to see balance not as the arrival point, but as presence, intention, and knowing what can slide this week so you can...
2025-09-1206 min
Publish Not PerishThe Hidden Struggle of Becoming a B+ Academic | Ep. 13In this episode, I’m digging into why so many of us feel like we have to give 100% to everything—and why that mindset is especially hard to shake in academia. If you’ve read my recent newsletter, you know I’ve been talking about the “B+ mindset,” or the idea of strategically lowering your standards in certain areas so you can protect your best energy for the work that matters most. Today, I take that conversation a step further and unpack the deeper reasons behind our perfectionism: the A+ student identity many of us carry, the connection t...
2025-09-0416 min
Publish Not PerishFinding Your Joy in Academia | Ep. 12In this episode, I’m digging into a question so many of us wrestle with: how do we make academic choices that actually reflect what we love and want, instead of squeezing ourselves into an institutionally sanctioned version of success? I share a bit of my own story—how I started out passionate about teaching but quickly learned the pressure to publish could push me in a different direction. Along the way, I realized that while trade-offs are inevitable, we can still be intentional about shaping careers that feel like ours.We’ll also get real about the sy...
2025-08-2112 min
Publish Not PerishWhy You Think Everyone Writes Faster Than You | Ep. 11Ever feel like every other scholar is writing faster, better, and with more ease than you while you’re stuck belly flopping into your draft? I’m here to reassure you that you’re definitely not doing it wrong. In this episode, I share the story of 7-year-old me spending eight determined hours trying to learn to dive and how that experience became a metaphor for building a resilient writing practice. We’ll talk about why knowing what good writing looks like isn’t the same as being able to produce it and how reframing your struggles can help y...
2025-08-1419 min
Publish Not PerishA Goal-Setting Method that Might Actually Work for You | Ep. 10Note that I have an error in the episode; the Fall Writing Planning Workshops are Aug. 21 and 25 (not 26!). If you’ve ever felt like writing goal-setting only leaves you feeling behind, this episode is for you. I’m breaking down why so many traditional goal-setting methods fail academic writers—and what you can do instead. I share a framework I teach in my Flourish course called good, better, best goals, which gives you a flexible, reality-based way to define progress. Whether you’re drafting a book, revising an article, or juggling multiple projects, this method helps you stay mot...
2025-08-0809 min
Publish Not PerishThe Myth of "Finding" Time to Write (And What to Do Instead) | Ep. 9What if the phrase “I need to find more time to write” is actually keeping you stuck? In this episode of Publish Not Perish: The Podcast, I challenge one of the most common beliefs about academic writing and explain why that phrase leads us into a scarcity mindset. I share a story from my time as junior faculty at a top research university, where I was constantly juggling research, teaching, and service—each one framed as essential. Like many academics, I tried to squeeze writing into whatever time was left after handling the "urgent" stuff. But the real s...
2025-07-3109 min
Publish Not PerishHow to Shift Your Imagined Audience for Better Writing | Ep. 8Have you ever sat down to write and immediately started second-guessing every sentence? Chances are that the problem isn’t your ideas. It’s the audience in your head.In this episode, I dive into the concept of imagined audience and how it can either support or sabotage your writing. Most academic writers don’t realize they’re writing for someone who’s not actually their reader. Instead, they write defensively for a critical advisor, an intimidating colleague, or a harsh reviewer from years past.You'll learn how to identify when you're writing for the wrong audi...
2025-07-1714 min
Publish Not PerishDo You Need a Writing Coach, an Editor, or Both? | Ep. 7In today’s episode, I’m talking about something we don’t discuss enough in academia: getting professional help with your writing. Whether you're working on a book manuscript or a journal article, there are times when writing groups and peer feedback just aren’t enough. That’s when editors and coaches can make a huge difference. I walk you through the different types of editing, from developmental to copyediting, and explain what each one actually does (because let’s be honest, it’s confusing out there!). I also talk about the difference between coaching and editing, how to determi...
2025-07-1116 min
Publish Not PerishWhat Type of Academic Writer Are You? | Ep. 6In this episode, I’m talking about something that comes up all the time in my work with scholarly writers: the guilt that you’re not the “right” kind of academic writer. Maybe you don’t write every day, or maybe you only feel productive under deadline pressure. Whatever the case, you’ve internalized the idea that you’re doing it wrong. But here’s what I want you to know: you only need to change your writing habits if they aren’t working for you. If your process moves your work forward without depleting you, there’s nothing to feel gu...
2025-07-0413 min
Publish Not PerishWriting a Book for Broader Audiences | Ep. 5You probably didn’t become a scholar just to write for a handful of specialists. If you’ve ever felt the pull to share your work with a wider audience—to write something that’s both rigorous and resonant—this episode is for you. We’re talking about crossover books: academic books that travel beyond your department, speak across disciplines, and connect with curious readers beyond the university.In this episode, I break down what a crossover book is, why university presses are increasingly interested in them, and how you can begin writing one without sacrificing scholarly depth. You’l...
2025-06-2611 min
Publish Not PerishDeep Work for Academic Writers | Ep. 4If you’ve ever ended the day feeling mentally wiped out with little real writing progress to show for it, this episode is for you. We’re diving into why that scattered, depleted feeling is so common—and what it tells us about the way we work. Drawing on Cal Newport’s idea of deep work, we’ll explore how academic writers can protect their focus and energy, even in the midst of full schedules and constant demands.You don’t need endless hours or a cabin in the woods to do your most important writing—you just need a bi...
2025-06-1913 min
Publish Not PerishWriting to Think vs. Writing to Communicate | Ep. 3You know that feeling when you finally sit down to write—tea brewed, document open—only to type a few sentences and think, What am I even trying to say? I feel you, friend! In this episode, I talk about a shift that’s helped me and so many of my clients: understanding the difference between writing to think and writing to communicate.We’ve been trained to believe writing should sound polished from the start, but most meaningful academic work begins in the mess. I share practical ways to embrace the exploratory parts of writing—brainstorming, voice note...
2025-06-1212 min
Publish Not PerishStop Waiting for the Perfect Writing Conditions | Ep. 2We often tell ourselves we need ideal conditions to write: a quiet morning, a clean desk, an empty inbox, or that magical four-hour block of time. But these “perfect” circumstances rarely arrive—and waiting for them often keeps us stuck.In this episode, I walk through three common excuses scholars use to delay writing and offer practical strategies for writing anyway. Whether you’re overwhelmed by reading, tempted to clear your to-do list first, or just craving inspiration, this episode will help you shift from waiting to doing.Let’s stop postponing our writing lives and start...
2025-06-0511 min
Publish Not Perish5 Things I Wish We All Learned in Grad School | Ep. 1Welcome to the very first episode of Publish Not Perish: The Podcast! In this inaugural episode, I’m peeling back the layers of academia to share five things I really wish we all learned in grad school.From how to write academic genres step-by-step to managing big writing projects, protecting your time, resisting overwork culture, and choosing kindness over brilliance—I’m naming what so many of us had to figure out the hard way. If you’ve ever felt like you were dog-paddling through academia without a clear map, this one’s for you.Whether yo...
2025-05-2915 min
Publish Not PerishWelcome to PNP: The Podcast!Greetings, dear listeners!You’ve asked, and it’s finally here—Publish Not Perish is now also a podcast! I’m bringing some of the best-loved themes and new reflections from the newsletter straight to your ears. Starting this Thursday, you’ll get weekly episodes with practical strategies, real talk about academic life, and encouragement to help you write, publish, and actually enjoy the process.You’ll get an email through Substack each time a new episode drops, but you’ll soon be able to subscribe on Apple and Spotify if you’d rather get it that way (and...
2025-05-2202 min
Leaving Academia: Becoming a Freelance EditorBurned Out by the Academy? Here's How One Scholar Reclaimed Her JoyWhat do you do when the academic job you worked so hard for starts to cost you too much?In this week’s episode of Leaving Academia: Becoming a Freelance Editor, I’m joined by Jenn McClearen, PhD, a former assistant professor who walked away from a nearly complete tenure application and moved to the Netherlands to build a business that honors her values.Jenn is now a writing coach and developmental editor helping early-career scholars overcome perfectionism, procrastination, and fear of criticism—so they can reclaim writing as a joyful, sustainable practice....
2025-04-1744 min
Honing InEmbracing Neurodiversity and Compassion in Academia with Dr. Briana BarnerWelcome back to Honing In and to my interview with Dr. Briana Barner. Dr. Barner is an interdisciplinary critical and cultural communications scholar, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Maryland, and the developer of the Black Pod Class.You can learn more about Dr. Briana Barner here. This episode covers many things, including:The history of the Black Pod ClassWorking with ADHD instead of working against itDeveloping a compassionate approach to academic projectsExploring hobbies and letting go of perfectionismNavigating academia as a parent, scholar, and creative thinker
2025-02-191h 02
Living Your Potential31. A Beginner’s Mindset with Jennifer McClearenIn this episode, Brianna and Jennifer discuss:How Jenn got into martial arts and how it changed the way she viewed herself Struggling with the learning curve and expectations of your writing in a PhD program The concept of a beginner's mindset How Jenn used a beginner’s mindset to help her learn to be a better writer and found use for it again later in her jiu-jitsu careerExpectations we put on ourselves How seeing growth is hard if we’re only focused on the deficitsUsing mistakes as learning opportunities -------Jenn's Article: Lessons from Martial Arts on W...
2023-05-2957 min
The Other 51Episode 172: Primed to Write with Jenn McClearenDr. Jenn McClearen, an assistant professor at the University of Texas and author of the Substack newsletter Publish not Perish, joins Brian to talk about what makes academic writing so vexing, and some strategies to improve your writing and time management.They talk about the crazy coincidence of the both being at the same, relatively small conference in Barcelona and not meeting there, and they discuss the research projects they brought to IACS and their respective interests in Naomi Osaka. The joys of eating in Barcelona and Spanish table wine.The main topic is Jenn’s...
2023-04-1935 min
The PhD Life Raft PodcastWhat I learnt from martial arts as a PhD researcher with Jenn McClearenJenn McClearen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Radio, Television and Film at the University of Texas at Austin. In this episode she talks about how she has drawn on her martial arts practice to enrich her work as a researcher. Jenn reflects on her own feelings of failure in graduate school and how she worked to become less fearful about writing. She talks about how she applied her experience of training in martial arts to her PhD process and opened up to a different way of learning.
2022-09-1929 min
Burn It All DownInterview: Jenn McClearen, author of "Fighting Visibility: Sports Media and Female Athletes in the UFC"This week Jessica Luther interviews media scholar Dr. Jenn McClearen about her book "Fighting Visibility: Sports Media and Female Athletes in the UFC." They discuss the conflict of the representation of women in the UFC with the exploitation that those same women face in the sport. They also talk about the complicated effort to unionize UFC fighters and how to love women's sport and the UFC by illuminating the ways they needs to change.
This episode was produced by Tressa Versteeg. Shelby Weldon is our social media and website specialist. Burn It All Down is part of the Blue Wire...
2021-06-2246 min