Welcome, and why I started this space
A community-driven space to explore higher ed careers through stories, insights, and shared experience.
For the last few years, most of my writing has lived on LinkedIn - short reflections about higher ed, leadership, and what it means to do meaningful work inside complex systems.
That space has given me something I’ll always value: conversation.
People sharing stories, sending quiet messages that say, “That’s exactly how it feels.”
But over time, I started wanting a space that wasn’t limited by character count - where we could go deeper into the questions behind those posts.
That’s what this Substack is for.
What you’ll find here
This is a community-driven space to explore career paths in higher education and the transitions that come with them through:
🎙️ Podcast interviews: honest conversations with people shaping, challenging, and reimagining what “career” means inside and beyond higher ed.
💬 Ask Me Anything: weekly answers to reader questions about navigating, leading, or leaving higher ed.
🪞 Reflections & resources: extended essays, frameworks, and coaching tools that build on my posts.
🌱 Shared stories: experiences from readers walking the same bridge between purpose and burnout, stability and change.
Some pieces will be short.
Some will be deep dives.
All will be grounded in the same commitment: truth-telling, empathy, and growth.
Why now
Higher ed is full of people who care deeply…and are tired.
People who are trying to design careers that align with their values without losing themselves in the process.
I believe those conversations deserve more space than social media can hold.
This isn’t a place for “how to get ahead.”
It’s a place for how to stay whole, while you build, lead, or leave.
How to engage
You can read quietly - or you can join in.
Each post includes space for comments and reflection.
You’re welcome to add your story, your question, or the thing you’ve been holding that no one at work will say out loud.
If you have a question you’d like me to answer in the AMA series, you can submit it here →
What to expect
Posts will arrive about once a week and may include:
• Ask Me Anything responses
• Podcast releases or essays
• Some months — bonus reflections or shared reader stories
You can expect honesty, not performance.
Clarity, not jargon.
Hope, but with boundaries.
Thank you for being here.
Whether you’re still inside higher ed, slowly stepping out, or building something new, I hope this space reminds you that your work, your care, and your story all matter.
– Krista