For the women behind the students 🎓
This September, we're focusing on the women behind the colleges and universities: the moms who helped make it all happen, and the brilliant academics who will inspire students for years to come.
Behind the lesson plans, Target dorm room runs, bookstore swag, packing lists, and carefully planned orientations -- there are women.
In a way, one woman is passing the torch to another:
"Your turn to teach them, challenge them, and show them...more."
What an honor that is.
And while these two groups of women may be experiencing this time of year very differently, there is something they share: years of care, preparation, responsibility, and showing up for others.
For one, September may mark the beginning of an empty nest. For the other, it means stepping back into the classroom.
For empty nesters, this transition is nuanced. For some, it can bring grief, loneliness, and a real sense of loss. For others, it can bring renewal, freedom, and excitement about what comes next. We loved this article in The Guardian about the many ways empty nesters are reimagining their lives. There is no right way. There is no wrong way.
But there is an opportunity to pause and think intentionally about what you want to come next.
After years of organizing, supporting, planning, and caring, what might it look like to turn some of that attention toward yourself?
And to the female academic: it's really difficult right now. We know you are concerned. We are with you there. Funding, protecting words and work from AI, the politicization of our institutions and grantmaking. Board of Education changes to DEI policies, threats to Title VI, Title IX.
So yes, there's all of that and on top of this pressure, you might be starting to hear and feel that same old tune. Dolly, sing it:
"when brilliant people treat their colleagues-badllyyyyyyy."
Politics, egos, bullying, and people who leave you feeling completely unseen and depleted.
When you defended your dissertation, did you ever think you would also need to learn how to defend yourself? You did not expect to spend so much of your energy managing difficult personalities, did you?
Higher education is filled with brilliant people. And some of those brilliant people are terrible at working with other human beings. It is exhausting.
The good news: learning how to handle difficult people is a skill to learn. And you, my friend, are very, very good at learning.
So if the start of this school year is already bringing some of those familiar dynamics back, perhaps this is the year to stop approaching them the same way.
We can help.
The University of Sam is in session. Come learn with our Experts.
Empty Nesters: Complimentary Webinar - September 13: What’s Next for YOU
Did you recently send your child away to school or have them leave home, and now you're feeling a sudden sense of grief, loneliness, uncertainty -- or maybe even excitement about what comes next?
Join Sam for this introductory webinar on empty nesting and learn from a Sam Expert how to approach this new stage with intention, curiosity, and excitement.
You'll leave with a new way to think about this transition and questions to help you decide what you want this next stage of life to look like.
After spending so many years serving others, isn't it time to serve yourself?
Academics & Faculty: Complimentary Webinar - September 16: Dealing with Difficult Colleagues
You know your subject, your research, and how to teach.
But no one warned you about the difficult people or the politics.
For the quietly brilliant, the introvert. For the woman who would rather let her work speak for itself.
This webinar is about learning how to respond when someone is difficult, disrespectful, or trying to gain power at your expense.
Come learn from a Sam Expert how to recognize what is happening in the moment, stand up for yourself, use your powerful voice, set boundaries, and respond in a way that feels right to you.
You'll leave with ways to handle difficult people, navigate uncomfortable interactions, protect your boundaries, and advocate for yourself with more confidence.
You can become brilliant at this, too.
Meet Michelle and Dr. Christina
Meet Mom Michelle, age 48
Michelle just dropped her 18-year-old son at North Dakota State University, a four-hour flight from their home on the West Coast. Her son hasn't needed her in a while since he can drive, work a part-time job, and has friends. But, there is clearly an empty space at home now that he's off and at school.
"My husband David and I are looking at each other excited, nervous, and unsure about what we do next."
The last decade has been pretty busy as their schedules have been filled with sports, events, and family gatherings, now is the perfect time to contemplate, budget, and plan.
"With pre-work and structured coaching, Sam's Experts were able to help me discover what were the best next steps in this stage of life and decide financially what made sense."
"I always knew I was more on the introverted side. Sam's Experts coached me through this and helped me start to build my confidence where it really matters."
Meet Dr. Christina, age 46
Christina has studied, researched, and wrote on climate change policy for more than half her life. She is one of the leading experts and is currently an adjunct professor at a notable Southeastern liberal arts college. What they didn't teach her in undergraduate, graduate and PhD programs is how to navigate the politics in academia to advance in her career. That's why she chose education, right?
To avoid the politics.
"I was up for a promotion to Department Director last semester, but another male professor who has a strong relationship with our Faculty Head got the job over me."
Now that she's established and being recognized for her work in notable publications and at conferences across the country, how can she lean in to this and raise her status at the college where she works?
"I always knew I was more on the introverted side. Sam's Experts coached me through this and helped me start to build my confidence where it really matters."
