"I Can't Leave, I Need the Insurance": How to Leave Academia and Freelance With a Chronic Illness

"I Can't Leave, I Need the Insurance": How to Leave Academia and Freelance With a Chronic Illness

Is the fear of losing your health insurance keeping you trapped in academia? This worry keeps a lot of chronically ill academics stuck in jobs that are making them sicker—and the premise is worth questioning. In this episode, Paulina talks with D. Scott, PhD, JD, a former academic who developed a chronic illness during a postdoc at the University of Edinburgh and slowly realized the tenure track wasn't survivable for their body. Instead of forcing themselves into another job for the benefits, D. chose their health, moved back to the US, and built a freelance academic editing business that's now in its sixth year and booked through December. D. gets honest about the stuff nobody explains: ⚕️ how to research which states give you real support, ⚕️ why freelancing gave them more flexibility than any "stable" job ever did, ⚕️ how they pace work around an unpredictable body, and ⚕️ why raising your editing rates matters most when you physically can't work more hours. In this conversation, we also cover: 👉 Why the fear of losing health insurance is more workable than the worst-case stories suggest 👉 How to schedule and book clients when your energy isn't guaranteed 👉 How to stop assuming clients think about money and deadlines the way you do 👉 The chronic-illness and disability editor communities that make this work less lonely If you've been telling yourself you're stuck because of your health, you absolutely have to listen to this episode. ▶️ Hit subscribe so you don't miss the next conversation. To work with D., get in touch here: dscottedits.com For more on building a freelance editing or coaching career after academia, visit AcadiaEditing.com/map Resources Mentioned: 📌 Northwest Editors Guild — monthly "Editors with Chronic Illnesses, Disabilities and Neurodivergence" Zoom call (open to non-members; sign up through the Guild's website calendar): https://www.edsguild.org/meetings-events/ 📌 LGBTQ Editors Association — Slack community with a dedicated chronic illness, disability, and neurodivergence channel: https://lgbtqeditors.org/ 📌 Resources to research marketplace options and health insurance brokers: https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/state-indicator/state-health-insurance-marketplace-types/ https://www.healthcare.gov/find-local-help/ Timestamps: 00:00 Why chronic illness and freelancing comes up so often 04:30 D.'s path: the PhD, Edinburgh postdoc, and getting sick 09:00 Letting go of the tenure track 13:30 Researching states, Medicaid, and choosing New Mexico 18:00 Landing as the pandemic hit, and why editing was the plan 22:30 The health insurance reality: Medicaid, marketplace, and brokers 27:00 Choosing health over career and a new relationship to work 31:30 Scheduling around an unpredictable body 36:00 Money mindset: boundaries and raising your rates 41:00 Finding your people: chronic-illness editor communities ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

7 Clients in 12 Weeks: How Annie Left a 20-Year Teaching Career and Launched Her Editing Business

You've been doing everything right—teaching, advising, serving on committees, even organizing a union—and still hitting a wall. Annie Brubaker did all of that for 20 years, watched her salary get frozen for 12 of them, went on a 29-day strike, and finally decided she was done waiting for an institution to value her. Then she landed 7 editing clients in her first 12 weeks as a professional editor. In this episode of the Leaving Academia podcast, Annie talks about what actually moves the needle when you're starting a freelance editing or coaching business from scratch—including the mindset shift that helped a self-described perfectionist get her website out the door before it was "ready," and why networking felt way more natural than she expected. What we cover: 🌟 How Annie went from non-tenure-track faculty to 7 paying clients inside a single 12-week BAE cohort 🌟 The minimum-viable-product mindset that helped her stop overthinking and start landing clients 🌟 Her specific outreach strategies: informational interviews, cold emails, local nonprofit connections, and more 🌟 Why she chose to name her business after herself—and what that decision meant to her sense of ownership and identity 🌟 How LinkedIn stopped feeling like self-promotion and started feeling like finally getting to say what she thinks 🌟 Why Annie credits the BAE community with getting her clients years faster than going it alone Connect with Annie: Annie Brubaker Writing Consulting — abwritingconsulting.com LinkedIn:  [https://www.gstatic.com/youtube/img/watch/social_media/linkedin_1x.png] / anniebrubaker   [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbVEyU3cwejVWNFJqbWR5b1FXM0x5dlpwR2gtd3xBQ3Jtc0tuYVhPei1rbGpPUm85VEFkLUdtWWROTG14aEdfSUtCa2MtVDZuZmdpMnBfcVQtTEk3X1dJdmhSOWVaZzJ4MXRycjNjU0RENWUwUmJiZXhVazljWFZqRjhkV1NsSUtTc1VSM0E2ZmxPbDdydGJDU0pTQQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fanniebrubaker%2F&v=A552_UhC5mE] Resources Mentioned: Atomic Habits by James Clear Becoming an Academic Editor or Coach (BAE) program: AcadiaEditing.com/BecomeAnEditor The Academic Entrepreneurs Studio: AcadiaEditing.com/studio 3:15 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A552_UhC5mE&t=195s] - Why Academic Faculty Should Unionize 7:20 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A552_UhC5mE&t=440s] - How To Overcome Institutional Burnout 11:45 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A552_UhC5mE&t=705s] - Building A Successful Editing Business 15:10 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A552_UhC5mE&t=910s] - How To Find Your First Clients 18:55 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A552_UhC5mE&t=1135s] - Mastering The Art Of Self Promotion 22:30 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A552_UhC5mE&t=1350s] - Future Goals And Final Thoughts ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

The AI Editing Backlash Nobody's Talking About (And Why It's Good News for You)

You're worried AI is going to kill academic editing and coaching. Here's what's actually happening—and why it might be the best news you've heard all year. If you've asked yourself, "Should I even bother starting an editing or coaching business when AI is taking over?"—this episode is your answer. Paulina Cossette has been watching the industry closely, and the picture is more nuanced (and more hopeful) than the doom-and-gloom narrative suggests. In this episode, she walks you through exactly what's changing, who's using AI to edit, and why human editors and coaches are more in demand in the AI era—not less. In this episode, you'll hear: 👉 Which AI isn't going to steal your clients (and who exactly is using it for editing) 👉 Why AI is genuinely bad at the technical parts of academic editing (yes, including citations) 👉 The AI backlash that's growing steadily—and what it means for your business 👉 What a good editor or coach actually sells (hint: it's not grammar checks) 👉 Real 2026 results from BAE members: 7 clients in 12 weeks, matched stipend income, first $10K month 👉 How to position yourself so the right clients say, "That one. I want her." Whether you're considering academic editing as an exit from academia, already freelancing and wondering how to level up, or building a coaching business alongside your editing work—this episode will give you clarity and direction. Resources Mentioned: 🎯 Erin Servais's AI for Editors program: aiforeditors.com 🎯 Episode 58 of Leaving Academia (interview with Erin Servais) 🎯 Free roadmap for academics who want to build a business: acadiaediting.com/map 🎯 The free Homepage Blueprint for landing private clients: acadiaediting.com/blueprint 🎯 The Academic Entrepreneurs Studio: acadiaediting.com/studio ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

The 1 Thing Killing Your Academic Business Before You Even Start

You spent months preparing to launch your editing or coaching business, and you still haven't started. Or maybe you launched, got crickets, and shelved the whole idea. Here's the truth: it's not your idea, your niche, or your credentials holding you back. It's a single question your PhD brain has been trained to ask on repeat–and it's functioning as a verdict before the trial has even started. In this episode, Paulina breaks down the mindset trap that keeps brilliant academics stuck in endless preparation, early abandonment, and "planning from the floor." She unpacks why the same critical thinking that made you a rigorous scholar becomes the thing that sabotages your business. She also shows you how to use the research skills you already have–data collection, hypothesis testing, pivoting–to build something that works. You'll hear: 🟢 The 4-word question that's keeping you frozen (and why it feels like "due diligence" when it's really self-sabotage) 🟢 The 3 ways academic conditioning shows up in failed launches: endless preparation, early abandonment, and planning from the floor 🟢 Why one or two LinkedIn posts and a sales page will never sell your workshop (and what to do instead) 🟢 How to treat your business like a research project–not a performance review 🟢 A college-application framework for setting dream, safe, and backup numbers for any offer 🟢 The shift from "what if this doesn't work?" to "how can I make this work?"–and why it changes everything If you've been telling yourself you'll start your editing or coaching business when you feel "ready," this episode is for you. ▶️ Subscribe for weekly episodes on leaving academia and building a freelance editing or coaching business. 📚 Resources Mentioned: BAE (Becoming an Academic Editor or Coach) – for academics who are building a business. Next cohort begins September 2026. Get on the waitlist at AcadiaEditing.com/map The Academic Entrepreneurs Studio – 6-month mastermind for academics who've launched and want to grow. Get more info at AcadiaEditing.com/studio 1:30 - The Academic Mindset Trap 3:45 - Why Academics Fear Failure 6:10 - Endless Prep, Early Abandonment 8:30 - Planning From The Floor Explained 10:45 - Shift From Fear to Action 13:00 - Marketing Workshops The Right Way 15:15 - Build Trust Not Just Sales 17:30 - Your Business A Research Project 19:45 - Embrace Pivoting For Growth 21:55 - Set Ambitious Business Goals 23:10 - The Power of "How Can I Make This Work" 25:25 - Next Steps To Grow Your Business ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

The Academic Skills You're Giving Away for Free (and What They're Actually Worth)

⏱️ Stop doing this academic work for free. Every Tuesday, you wake up, drink your coffee, read a dissertation chapter, meet with a struggling grad student, teach a seminar, peer review an article, and edit a colleague's grant proposal—and you call it "being a professor." But each of those tasks has a name in the freelance world. And a price. And a market full of people who would pay you handsomely to do it. In this episode, Paulina walks you through a normal day in academic life and points at every single thing you already do—then tells you exactly what it's called outside the ivory tower and who would pay you for it. Developmental editing. Copy editing. Academic coaching. Book coaching. Workshop facilitation. Online course creation. Expert review. Grant editing. These are real businesses run by real former academics earning real money (think $60–$400/hour), and you already have the skills to do every single one. If you've ever stared at your CV and wondered how to translate "dissertation advisor" into something the non-academic world understands, this episode is your roadmap. You don't have to give up the work you love—you just have to leave behind the institution that's sucking you dry. By the end of this episode, you'll be able to look at your own week and see it for what it really is: a portfolio of marketable services worth thousands of dollars to the right clients. What you'll learn: ⏱️ How a 7:30am dissertation chapter review is actually $60–$100/hour of developmental and copy editing ⏱️ Why your 9am coaching conversation with a struggling grad student is a $100–$200/hour service ⏱️ How your afternoon class prep translates into paid workshops, online courses, and group programs ⏱️ Why your FREE peer review for journals is worth $100–$300/hour outside academia ⏱️ The one skill you have that AI can't replicate (and why it's becoming more valuable, not less) 🔗 Resources Mentioned: Ep 52: How to Turn Your Skills into a Paid Workshop: https://youtu.be/bM2gyXsQccs?si=CXQTM3w3us56K__r 👉 Subscribe for weekly episodes on leaving academia, building a freelance editing or coaching business, and reclaiming your time, energy, and income. 🐦‍🔥 Want to end burnout and become an academic editor or coach? Go to AcadiaEditing.com/BecomeAnEditor 01:30 — Why higher ed needs you to feel stuck 02:30 — The spoiler: your daily work is actually 6+ jobs 05:30 — What developmental editing actually is ($60–$100/hr) 07:00 — Copy editing and line editing explained 11:00 — Academic coaching defined ($100–$400/hr) 16:00 — Book coaching and writing coaching ($1K to tens of thousands) 20:00 — Creating paid workshops and group programs 25:00 — Facilitation, retreats, and institutional contracts 29:30 — Expert review and publishing coaching ($100–$300/hr) 33:00 — Grant editing as a business ($100–$250/hr) 36:30 — Why AI won't replace human editors and coaches 40:00 — The real question: which skills light you up? ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.