ALL POSTS

A university proudly described itself as "teaching first." So I asked how much teaching the role actually involved. The silence that followed revealed far more than the answer itself. A reflection on academic interviews, workload transparency, and the questions candidates are quietly discouraged from asking.

One interview left me feeling something I'd never felt before: not rejected, but unclean. This is the story of subtle bias, the difficult decision to complain before the hiring process ended, and why writing one honest email became the best decision I made.

Why do universities celebrate wellbeing while quietly preventing people from saying goodbye? A personal story about silent exits, confidential settlements, and the hidden cost of leaving without closure, support, or even the chance to thank colleagues and students one last time.

Every year I'd walk past my university's faculty portrait wall and wonder why my photo wasn't there. When I finally asked, I discovered it had been thrown away. A story about workplace bullying, academic politics, and why sometimes the smallest victories matter the most.

A chance conversation on a back staircase taught me more about leadership than any management course. Why do some leaders constantly perform busyness while others make difficult jobs look effortless? A reflection on competence, confidence, and the surprising psychology of "looking busy."