I help PhDs (and other long-time academics) figure out what they actually want next in their careers and build a thoughtful strategy for getting there.
In other words, I help people move from feeling stuck and second-guessing themselves to making thoughtful career decisions and moving toward work that’s a better fit.
It’s possible to build a meaningful, values-aligned career beyond academia.
Most people who find me are at a turning point.
They know something needs to change. But they’re not yet clear on what they want instead, or how to move toward it without making a costly mistake.
These are thoughtful, capable people. They don’t lack skills. What they’re lacking is clarity, structure, and community to help them make thoughtful career decisions and move forward with confidence.
“You open LinkedIn for the first time in months. Your old “Assistant Professor” title is still sitting there like a ghost of your former life. Your finger hovers over the edit button. Deleting it feels like erasing yourself. But keeping it feels like a lie. So you scroll past your publications, feel that little jolt of nostalgia… and close the tab.”
That’s where a lot of people are when they first reach out. They’re not just trying to change jobs. They’re trying to figure out who they are now, professionally, and what kind of work actually fits.
Sound familiar? That’s where I come in.
From PhD in history to a decade of coaching.
I earned my PhD in history from the University of Toronto in 2012.
Soon after finishing my degree, I started From PhD to Life, which has grown into a career coaching practice focused on helping professors, postdocs, and other PhDs navigate career transitions beyond academia.
Since 2013, I’ve worked with professors, postdocs, and other PhDs across Canada, the United States, and beyond who are trying to answer a deceptively simple question: “What should I do next?”
Today, I primarily help professors, postdocs, and other PhDs who are considering careers beyond academia—or wondering what comes next after leaving—through my PhD Career Clarity Program, one-on-one consultations, workshops, and speaking.
“I don’t prescribe career paths. I see my role as a facilitator: I help people think more clearly, notice what they might be missing, and learn how to make good career decisions for themselves.”
It’s much harder to run a focused job search when you don’t yet know what you’re looking for.
Many PhDs assume their challenge is resume, LinkedIn profile, networking skills, or interview answers. They think they need a better resume, stronger networking skills, or insider knowledge about “industry jobs”.
1-on-1 and group clarity sessions facilitated online worldwide
Together, we focus on:
Academic careers often encourage people to focus on external markers of success. What it rarely teaches is how to ask:
Those answers matter far more than any job title.
“The goal isn’t just to escape a job that no longer fits. It’s to help you move toward work where you can contribute, keep learning, and feel proud of what you’re doing again. What that looks like for you is going to be different from the next person. That’s the whole point.”
Over a decade helping PhDs reconnect with their strengths and values.
PhD in history, University of Toronto, 2012. I founded From PhD to Life soon after finishing the degree and I've been coaching clients since 2013. Over the years, I’ve become an expert on PhD careers.
In 2021, I served as an expert panelist for the Canadian Council of Academies report Degrees of Success, which examined the challenges PhDs face when transitioning into employment.
I regularly facilitate professional development workshops and deliver keynote presentations for universities and professional organizations across North America and internationally.
Brilliant, thoughtful people who pursued advanced degrees and academic careers because they cared about ideas, teaching, research, and making a difference… slowly find themselves feeling stuck, undervalued, or unsure how to move forward.
Academic culture often pushes people toward narrow definitions of success—prestige, publications, tenure—even when those things no longer align with what they actually want from their work or their lives.
“I believe that when PhDs reconnect with their strengths, values, and priorities, incredible things can happen—both for them and for the organizations and communities they go on to serve.”
My writing on PhD career paths has appeared in leading higher education and national outlets:
Four practical pathways designed for your transition.
Are you a professor, postdoc, or PhD who’s wondering whether academia is still the right fit for you? Are you wondering whether the job you took after leaving is actually right for you? You’re in the right place.
A practical introduction to my approach to career clarity and job searching beyond academia. In this training, I walk through the biggest mistakes PhDs make when trying to leave academia—and the process that helps people gain the clarity they need to move forward (even if you have no idea what you want to do next or why anyone would hire you).
It’s a practical place to start, and a great way to see whether my approach resonates with you before thinking about us working together.
A six-month program to help you figure out what you want beyond academia and move toward it with structure, coaching, and community.
Direct self-enrollment available either paid in full or with an installment payment plan.
Bring one focused question, challenge, or decision related to leaving academia or building a career beyond it. We’ll work through it together, one on one.
Book directly with Jen to untangle your specific crossroads.
Interactive online workshops and talks on career clarity, careers beyond academia, networking, interviewing, and more. Customized for your audience.
This is designed for universities, graduate departments, and professional organizations across North America and internationally.
PhD Career Clarity Program: interactive lessons, community, and structured strategy on any device.
Let’s get clear on your career after academia.
Have questions? I’m happy to answer them for you! Choose the next step that fits where you are today: