Welcome

The Whole Professor Project is both a concept and a literary effort to document my journey toward wholeness as an academic and as a human.

When my son asked me what I needed to do to be whole, I was at a difficult point in my life. I had worked so hard, and for so long, that I was crushed by migraines so bad that they were interfering with my work. My weight fluctuated wildly as I tried various medicines to get the headaches in check. One of these medications led me to pass out in public from low blood pressure; another sent shooting pains down my arms and made my fair fall out in clumps. I was also suffering from insomnia, depression, and anxiety. 

My son's question gave a name to a journey I was just beginning - to step back and think about what I was doing in my life, and how I could be a better and more whole person.

In seeking wholeness, I consider how being an academic is a job that is just one part of a rich life full of love and wellbeing. I call it a 'project' because I know this is a journey that will never be finished -  'balance' is not something I will ever reach. I can only move toward 'balancing' as an active act, often shifting more in one direction than the other and then correcting course. 

In documenting this journey, I hope to amplify the conversation around what we are doing as academics, who we are, and how to establish better boundaries around our jobs to make room for a richer, fuller life. 

Join me.