by Ivy Kyei-Poku | Feb 10, 2026 | Behind the Scenes Academic Life
The Whisper of Burnout: Are You Listening? It starts as a low hum, a quiet whisper in the back of your mind. For academics, it’s the late nights grading papers, the pressure to publish, and the endless weight of administrative tasks. For students, it’s the gnawing...
by Ivy Kyei-Poku | Dec 18, 2025 | Behind the Scenes Academic Life
The last grade is submitted. The office door is closed. The silence you’ve been craving all semester finally arrives… so why does it feel so unsettling? For many of us in the academic world, true rest feels impossible. The moment we slow down, the guilt rushes...
by Ivy Kyei-Poku | Aug 2, 2025 | Behind the Scenes Academic Life
The Moment I Realized I Was Playing It Too Safe Years ago, I stood in front of my organizational behavior class delivering the same lecture I’d perfected over five years of teaching. My slides were flawless, my examples well-rehearsed, and my students dutifully...
by Ivy Kyei-Poku | Jun 13, 2025 | Behind the Scenes Academic Life
As the academic term winds down, many of us find ourselves reflecting on the past months and looking ahead to what’s next. In the hustle and bustle of professional and personal life, it’s easy to get swept away by external demands, losing sight of our...
by Ivy Kyei-Poku | Mar 24, 2025 | Behind the Scenes Academic Life
Introduction: When Past Meets Present I stumbled upon the TikTok trend “I met my younger self for coffee” and felt a tug at my heart. As a professor who blogs about academia, style, and purpose, I knew I had to adapt it—beyond a 60-second clip, for a quiet moment of...
by Ivy Kyei-Poku | Mar 16, 2025 | Behind the Scenes Academic Life
The Accident That Shattered My Illusion of Control Last year, a car accident left me physically injured and emotionally unmoored. Overnight, my body—once capable of juggling lectures, research deadlines, and late-night blog sessions—betrayed me. The pain was...
