about us

Since 2015, we’ve been changing the conversation about faculty development from productivity to engagement,
from promotion to fulfillment.

Our philosophy

Engage

This guides everything we do. We ask ourselves and our clients to engage with new ideas, with new approaches, with difficulty, with confidence, with the process, with colleagues, with larger audiences, with the world.

Get Excited

It’s a value often perceived as the opposite of academic gravitas. Inspired by this Harvard Business School study, we get excited about all the ideas to which we are seriously dedicated.

Think Big

We are big believers in seeing just how big the world is beyond campus borders. That's why we want to help you think about bigger ideas, find bigger solutions, and make a bigger impact.

Reassure

Rather than pressure. And encourage rather than insist. We are with you every step of the way. We know that you will accomplish difficult things. You already have many times, and with a little help, we know you will again.

Collaborate

Rather than compete. Ambition doesn't mean elbowing out everyone else. When you make opportunities for others, you make them for yourself.

Open Doors

Rather than gatekeep. Like everything, academia is improved by different life experiences, diverse viewpoints, and international perspectives. We share resources and build community and encourage our clients to do the same.

Our Clients

Our clients are highly intelligent, highly ambitious, and high-achieving. They start conversations, shape ideas, and build communities. They want to make a difference in their fields. Our clients are based in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, and we welcome scholars and writers from around the world as we continue to expand our reach.

Meet a few

Featured
Toby Lee

Associate Professor of Cinema Studies, New York University

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Darla Schumm

Associate Provost and Professor of Religious Studies, Hollins University

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Client Books

Machine Vision: How Algorithms are Changing the Way We See the World by Jill Walker Rettberg

Machine Vision: How Algorithms are Changing the Way We See the World by Jill Walker Rettberg

Sharing Yerba Mate: How South America's Most Popular Drink Defined a Region by Rebekah Pite

Sharing Yerba Mate: How South America's Most Popular Drink Defined a Region by Rebekah Pite

The Public Life of Cinema: Conflict and Collectivity in Austerity Greece by Toby Lee

The Public Life of Cinema: Conflict and Collectivity in Austerity Greece by Toby Lee

Medieval English Manuscripts and Literary Forms by Jessica Brantley

Medieval English Manuscripts and Literary Forms by Jessica Brantley

Holy Envy: Writing in the Jewish Christian Borderzone by Maeera Schreiber

Holy Envy: Writing in the Jewish Christian Borderzone by Maeera Schreiber

Kierkegaard after the Genome by Ada Jaarsma

Kierkegaard after the Genome by Ada Jaarsma

Transforming Girls: The Work of Nineteenth-Century Adolescence by Julie Pfeifer

Transforming Girls: The Work of Nineteenth-Century Adolescence by Julie Pfeifer

The Virgin Mary’s Book at the Annunciation: Reading, Interpretation, and Devotion in Medieval England by Laura Saetveit Miles

The Virgin Mary’s Book at the Annunciation: Reading, Interpretation, and Devotion in Medieval England by Laura Saetveit Miles

The Life of Permafrost: A History of Frozen Earth in Russian and Soviet Science by Pey-Yi Chu

The Life of Permafrost: A History of Frozen Earth in Russian and Soviet Science by Pey-Yi Chu

Migration in the Medieval Mediterranean by Sarah Davis-Secord

Migration in the Medieval Mediterranean by Sarah Davis-Secord

The Sonic Color Line: Race & The Cultural Politics of Listening by Jennifer Lynn Stoever

The Sonic Color Line: Race & The Cultural Politics of Listening by Jennifer Lynn Stoever

Featured
K. Anne Amienne
K. Anne Amienne

Founder and Director

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Daniela Blei
Daniela Blei

Coach, Editor, Public Scholar Mentor

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Angie Lukowski
Angie Lukowski

Coach

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Julia Skinner
Julia Skinner

Coach and Editor

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Daniel Foster
Daniel Foster

Coach and Academic Writing Specialist

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Adeline Garrett
Adeline Garrett

Client Service Specialist

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Our Experts

Testimonials

  • "Julia helped me get back into my writing groove — great tips for making writing a sacred space and to show up for it. Also — she really supported me with learning reasonable goal setting."

    — J.S, Binghamton University

  • "Quite simply, Anne helped me realize that I am a writer. After more than 2O years in academia, one single-authored book, and many, many articles, I had never embraced this part of myself. It was a game changer. Today I celebrate a new book contract and look forward to new projects".

    — Maeera Shreiber, University of Utah

  • "I want to thank Julia for everything -- working with you was a complete joy, and you made such a big mark on my life. Because of you and your sage advice, I have been able to stay focused on writing and still have some time for myself! A miracle! Anne -- this service that you have created is second to none! You and your consulting firm have made an unbelievably positive change in my life and I will always be in debt to you. You are terrific in every way!"

    — Alison Bianchi, University of Iowa

  • “I learned strategies for taking time off (sometimes harder than working!) ... and making space for my non-academic writing. I learned how to stay connected to a long term project while still meeting smaller deadlines. Perhaps most importantly, I learned how to celebrate my achievements and find strength and confidence in them.”

    — Irina Dumitrescu, University of Bonn

  • “Coaching has completely changed my approach to my own research. As I prepare to turn in my book to an academic publisher this summer, I have found that I enjoy writing again. After a complex relationship to it throughout graduate school and my first few years in a position, I think of myself as a writer for the very first time. I could not have seen this change without Anne.”

    — Mary Kate Hurley, Ohio University

  • “I was really stuck trying to figure out how to articulate the argument of my book project. The thesis I’d been working with no longer seemed to fit, but I couldn’t quite see my way around it. Anne took time to talk through and ask me questions about the narrative I wanted to tell and helped me to see the material in new ways. Our conversation was galvanizing—it got me on course toward a much stronger framework for the book and it also reignited my excitement about the project.”

    — Emily S.

  • “I’ve learned not to feel guilty while saying ‘no’ because I am prioritizing my personal or professional needs over what other people want from me or think I should be doing for them. That’s been amazingly liberating and empowering!”

    — Ayesha Ramachandran, Yale University

Questions

Answers

  • Academic coaching gives you the habits and mindsets you need to thrive as a writer. We help you create a writing routine, set reasonable goals, hold boundaries, get excited about writing (and stay calm about writing), reframe negative thoughts, and learn to enjoy this part of your professional life as something you "get" to do rather than something you "have" to do.

  •  Our editing services cover everything from suggesting how to make a paragraph really sing to rethinking the shape of an entire article or book. We can read your complete dissertation and make suggestions for how to turn it into a book. Or help you overhaul a book introduction and give the whole project a new shape before you revise each chapter on your own. We can even work with you on smaller pieces, helping you move through your book or article a few pages at a time.

  • We focus on engagement and fulfillment rather than accountability and productivity. We pride ourselves on helping our clients find real intellectual and writerly joy in their craft, rather than just "getting it done." We help you write for your most engaged readers, not your harshest critics. 

  • We work with clients at every step of the process. You don't have to wait until you have a complete manuscript or even an introduction. We especially like working with clients in the idea developmental stage. But wherever you are, that's where we meet you.

Let's Begin

Please tell us how we can help you as a scholar & writer.