Last newsletter, I wrote about career moments when we need to consider letting go of a previous professional identity that may have defined us. Letting go can be of great service to new career chapters. That essay covered my experiences being branded as “the teaching person” in ways that make my broader contributions and future goals invisible.



As a reminder of why we are here:



MYTH = Marketing myself is gross, slimy, icky, self-centered, narcissistic. I should not draw attention to myself, my work, or the work I want to do.



FACT = Either you brand yourself based on your vision and goals or others will brand you with no connection to your vision or goals (possibly even in contrast to your goals!).



REFRAME = Branding is an empowering exercise that can support social justice efforts.

What events in your career might
spark the need to rebrand?

In the last essay, I offered some ideas of when you might want to seriously consider a rebranding effort. Here they are again with a few more added:

• Moving into your own agenda away from your grad advisor’s research;

• Moving from basic to more applied research;

• Moving from traditional disciplinary research to more SOTL or teaching research;

• Moving into more community-engaged spaces for teaching or research;

• Reducing your focus on research to ramp up your teaching efforts (maybe develop new courses, writing a book on teaching, study abroad);

• Switching your career focus from one justice topic to another;

• Switching institutions with different expectations and resources;

• Moving into more interdisciplinary spaces from single-discipline spaces (or vice-versa);

• Moving into or out of administration with new career goals;

• Redefining your purpose and legacy goals which leads to changing gears/lanes;

• Moving from formal journal article writing style to more accessible writing for the public;

• Seeking access to grant-funding with expectations for a certain kind of scholar;

• Applying your scholarly expertise and skills to a new setting such as consulting in corporate spaces, non-profit contexts, or governmental agencies

• Transferring your expertise to a career move out of academia into other spaces

• And the possibilities are endless.

What psychological and emotional blocks might prevent taking action to rebrand?

There are many emotional and psychological patterns that may rise up to block you from even considering rebranding. Do any of these feel like they fit you? Some of these are me and some I gathered based on years of working with social justice academics.

• Effort- I mean who has the time? I feel this one pretty deeply, but I also feel like the effort will result in progressing my social justice goals. So I will “spend” the time.

• Cognitive load- rebranding requires some thinking, strategery, and cognitive energy. It may feel like learning a new set of skills.

• Rebranding requires us to ask big questions like “Who was I? Who am I? Who will I become? SCARY!

• Feeling less confident about the new path. Telling everyone up front makes you/me publicly accountable. Can I rebrand externally if I do not have the confidence internally? The next item is related.

• Feels pretty vulnerable to put our plans out there into the universe. After all, this is a new topic or career focus, so I might fail! ACK!

• GUILT- I feel guilty about letting go of my main professional identity as an “inclusive teaching” scholar.

• Feelings of loss. It may feel like you are losing a part of yourself as you embrace a new path. For me, I am working on the REFRAME: My rebranding is not about throwing my inclusive teaching identity away, but more about shifting and adding to that strength. This is a positive expansion of my professional persona and identity, not a loss.

• Worry that other people will judge me as not caring about teaching (previous work) anymore, not being student-focused, abandoning equity and inclusion. To generalize- worrying that people may judge you or mistakenly perceive that you are rejecting your former work.

• Feeling like you do not have the right to redefine yourself.

• Battling internalization of the common myth in the academy that you just do good work and people will notice. Well, that is a pretty privileged stance. Certain groups of people will get noticed, some for good work, many for mediocre work. My whiteness helps (unfairly), but I also know other aspects of my identity and my professional path put me at a disadvantage. I am unlikely to be noticed without any effort on my part.

• Difficulty letting go of the academic myth that you have one focus for your entire career and stick to that topic/area until you die. If you are like me, you have many interests and get bored easily. You need new avenues to explore. You need adventure in your professional life! For me, that means finally making a major pivot in my research agenda.

• Worry that your attempt to rebrand will not be successful. In other words, will other people allow you to shift and accept you in this new form?

Be afraid and do it anyway!

I was once asked in a workshop “What do you want to be remembered for when you die?” Many people said they want to be remembered as a kind person. I mean, I cannot disagree with that idea. But my answer stood out a bit. I said, 

“I want to be remembered for being afraid and doing it anyway.”



My fears, worries, anxieties associated with rebranding my career will not stop me from taking action. In the end, my drive to contribute to supporting social justice academic careers holistically (including but well beyond teaching) wins out over the fears.



Your Turn:

Is your internal drive for a new path more powerful than the fears that may hold you back? Will your drive for a more fulfilling and values-aligned career win out over the worries?

NEXT: Internal blocks to rebranding

The next step in this series to help us all rethink branding will be the fabulous Dr. Dionne Stephens on my podcast. She will challenge what we think we know about marketing our professional work. Stay tuned!