Dr. Kim Burns

At one point while working from home at the height of the pandemic, I had an overflowing inbox, and a long task list, and for some reason every member of my family was in my home office needing something from me (including the dog). It was just too much. I was taking care of everyone else but not myself.

At work, I created a support structure with weekly team meetings, regular check-ins with direct reports, and a strategy to overcommunicate plans and decisions with stakeholders. I spent 30+ hours per week in Zoom meetings and then worked late into the night on my deliverables. I was offering support and coaching to executives, administrators, staff, and faculty (in addition to my lovely grad students whom I was teaching as an adjunct at a different institution).

I’m a people pleaser at heart

I want to help people. I want to provide support to others. Unfortunately, this happens at the expense of my own needs and I have a hard time saying no.

I had started working with Katie Linder and decided to enroll in her 7 Weeks to Radical Self-Trust group coaching program. It was exactly what I needed, which was 90 minutes focused on me. It was an investment and a gift of time to focus on what my needs were, assess my talents, and create a vision for my future. I was able to generate deeper self-knowledge within a supportive environment.

I started the program feeling small and left with big ideas that I will work on for years to come.

I created the Brave & Bold Leadership: Trusting Yourself in Turbulent Times group coaching program to give women college administrators a gift of time to generate deeper self-knowledge and create a vision for their leadership. The myriad of challenges facing higher education today requires us to develop deeper reserves of resilience than ever before.

This group coaching program will address the unique challenges women college administrators face and help unlock potential for brave and bold leadership. Using practical strategies, program participants will develop increased self-awareness, identify limiting beliefs, and discover ways to build resilience and create space for renewal.

Everyone I talk to in higher ed is exhausted. College administrators, in particular, have the dual responsibility of getting their work done while providing emotional support to beleaguered faculty, staff, and students. In November, The Chronicle of Higher Education published an article Admin 101: Campus Administrators Need Self-Care Too (a subscription is required to view the article). The author wrote that a rule of academic administration is to never complain about your situation. No one cares that you are working more hours or getting yelled at by more parents. However, if we want to keep and attract talented, smart, and dedicated administrators, we need to support them.

If you are a woman working in college administration, consider this program to invest in yourself and your leadership.

Schedule a 20-minute Q&A session to learn more about the program and ask all of your questions. I would love to work with you.

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