Leaving Academia: Becoming a Freelance Editor
Episodes
The Identity Shift Every Academic Needs Before Becoming a Paid Editor or Coach
07 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Does selling your editing or coaching services make you feel gross, salesy, or like a fraud?You're not alone, and there's a reason behind that discomf...
Stop Leading with Your CV: Why Your Credentials Are Repelling Your Ideal Clients
30 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
You spent years building your credentials—the PhD, the publications, the speaking engagements, the teaching experience.So when you launched your fre...
"I Wish I Hadn't Waited So Long": How to Build a Business With Your Academic Expertise
23 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
You stayed. You pushed through. You asked for help—and got gaslit instead.If that just hit a little too close to home, this episode is for you.Julia...
My First Online Course Flopped (and What I Did to Sell 120 Seats in the Next One)
16 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
You've been sitting on a course idea for months. Maybe years. You know it could help people—but you haven't launched it yet because it doesn't feel ...
Your Post Got 2 Likes: Here's Why That Doesn't Matter
09 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
You posted on LinkedIn. Got 2 likes. Felt like a failure. But what if that post was actually working, and you just couldn't see it?In this episode, I'...
How to Market Your Academic Business... Without Feeling Gross
02 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
You think marketing will be gross. But what if it doesn't have to look the way you imagine?If the word "marketing" makes you cringe—if it conjures i...
The Money Stuff Nobody Tells You: What a Financial Planner Wants Academics in Business to Know
26 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Think you want to leave academia and go freelance? You should watch this.Most academics who dream of leaving their job focus on the exciting stuff—l...
How to Land Your First Coaching Client (When You Have No Idea What You're Doing)
19 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
He had no coaching packages. No clients. No idea how to run a sales call. And then, in week 5 of his BAE cohort, he signed his first client to a 6-mon...
Rethinking Education: How to Teach Outside the Traditional Classroom
12 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
You love teaching. You love the research. So why does it feel like academia is suffocating you?In this episode, I sit down with Kelly Merritt—educat...
Academia Uncensored: The Top 5 Reasons Why People Are Leaving
05 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
You did everything right. So why does academia feel so wrong?In this episode, I'm sharing data I've been collecting for over a year: raw, unfiltered r...
Hosting Your First Writing Retreat? Here's Everything You Need to Know to Make It a Success
26 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Hosting Your First Writing Retreat? Here's What You Need to Know to Make It a Smashing SuccessYou've built an editing or coaching business. You love w...
Why Your Academic Job Search Isn't Working (Hint: It's Not Your Resume)
19 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Burned out, overworked, and secretly Googling "alternative careers for PhDs"—but not sure what you actually want to do next? This episode is for you...
Don't List Your Credentials, Tell Your Story: The Real Secret to Attracting Clients
12 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
💡 When you're starting your freelance editing or coaching business, the instinct is to offer everything to everyone. But what if niching down is wh...
"I Finally Have a Life": What One Poli Sci Professor Gained When He Gave Up Academia
05 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when everything looks perfect on paper but your life feels like it's falling apart?Today's guest, Daniel DeRock, was a successful assista...
Academia Trained You To Overwork. Here's How to Undo It In Your Business
29 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
🎯 SETTING BOUNDARIES AFTER ACADEMIA: Why Freelance Editors & Coaches Struggle (and How to Fix It)When you're in academia, you're trained to sac...
Is Consulting Your Escape from Academic Burnout? What Happens When You Stop Doing Free Labor
22 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
You’re overworked, underpaid, and doing way too much "service" for zero recognition. Burnout isn’t a surprise—it’s the system. So what if the ...
You Got Your First Inquiry... Now What?
15 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
You just got your first client inquiry—congrats! But now what? If your excitement is quickly turning into panic, you’re not alone. Many new freela...
Should You Leave Academia for Industry or Business? A Path to Coaching via Data Science
08 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
🎓 Should You Leave Academia for Industry or Business?If you're standing at that crossroads—wondering whether to jump into industry or build somet...
Why Good Academics Struggle to Make Good Money (and How to Fix It)
01 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
💰 How to Make Money as an Academic Outside Higher Ed (Even If You Feel Guilty Charging)Burnt-out from academia but still struggling with guilt abou...
Marketing as an Academic Editor: What No One Teaches You
18 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
🔥 Burned out in academia? Wondering how to turn your PhD into a flexible, fulfilling business?Cara Jordan did just that—and in this episode, she ...
How to Create Regular Marketing Content without Losing Your Mind
11 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Burnt out by content creation? Glued to your phone, cranking out posts that barely get engagement? You're not alone—and there’s a better way.Acade...
How to Regret-Proof Your Life: Leaving Academia Mid-Career
04 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Are you afraid to leave academia because you've “invested too much” or feel like it’s “too late” to start over? In this episode, master life...
Why DIY-ing Your Academic Business is Killing Your Profits (and What to Invest in First)
13 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Why does investing in your academic business feel terrifying?You've spent tens of thousands of dollars on your education—but when it comes to starti...
"You Can't Eat Prestige": Why Academic Identity Is a Trap, and How to Get Over It
06 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
“You Can’t Eat Prestige.”It’s a brutal truth that haunts many academics—but what does it actually mean?In this raw and radically honest epis...
Are Career Coaches for PhDs Worth the Money?
30 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Are PhD career coaches worth the money??In this week's podcast episode, I'm joined by fabulous PhD career coaches Victoria (Tory) Wobber, PhD, CPCC an...
How a Free Writing Group Turned into Paid Clients: Building a "Plan B" Academic Business
23 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What if your own accountability tool became a profitable business--and academic escape plan?Dr. Nicole Pettitt didn’t set out to build a business. S...
Can Editors Survive the Rise of AI?
16 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
🎙️ AI is NOT taking your editing job—unless you let it. In this episode, I’m joined by Erin Servais, a former fiction editor and agency owner...
"It's OK to Choose Your Mental Health": One Academic's Leap into Industry and a Side Hustle
09 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
🎙️ “I didn’t tell anyone I was leaving academia. I just left.”When Jeff Malins quietly exited a tenure-track position to protect his marria...
What It's Really Like to Run a Business (and Why Academics Get It Wrong)
02 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Still Think Business Is Sleazy? This Episode Will Change Your MindBurned out academics often assume the business world is greedy, exploitative, and cu...
Peg Dolls and Postcards: This Professor's Subscription Box Might Be the Writing Workshop You Need
25 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What if writing could be fun again?In this episode, I'm talking with Chris McRae, a tenured professor of communication and published author who found ...
Can You Be a Scholar Without Academia? This Writing Coach Says Yes
18 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
📌What if the dream job—tenure, publications, grants—still leaves you feeling empty inside?In this episode, Leslie Wang, PhD, shares how she tra...
Stop Charging Like a Freelancer. Start Earning Like a CEO.
11 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
👉 Ready to level-up your business by hiring a business coach? Connect with me on LinkedIn or email me (paulina [AT] acadiaediting [DOT] com) and le...
Get Paid for Your Academic Expertise: 3 Steps to Launch Your First Online Workshop
04 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Feeling stuck in academia, but unsure how to take the first step toward starting your own business?In this episode, I reveal the most accessible, low-...
From Chemistry PhD to Academic Writing Coach: Launching and Growing the Researchers' Writing Academy
28 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Are you burned out from academia but still love research and writing? You’re not alone.In this episode, I talk to Anna Clemens, a chemistry PhD who ...
Is This All There Is? How One Professor Launched a Side Hustle and Reclaimed Her Joy
21 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tenure was supposed to be the promised land.But for Dr. Lisa Anthony, it felt like a dead end. After years in academia, she realized something was mis...
From PhD to Paid: The Exact Process I Used to Land $100/hr Clients as an Academic Editor
14 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
🎧 Burned out in academia and ready to reclaim your time, income, and sanity? You don't need another degree to escape — you just need a plan.Impor...
Why Credentials Don't Land Clients... and What Does
07 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Marketing doesn't have to feel gross, fake, or confusing.In this episode, I coach Bhaskar Raman—a skilled academic editor—through the exact mindse...
From the Lab to Multi-6 Figures: How this STEM PhD Built a Medical Writing Empire
31 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Burned out in academia and wondering what comes next?Rosalba Lopez was in your shoes—struggling through a disheartening PhD and trying to make ends ...
From Mad Men to Mom Life: How One Professor Is Reinventing Herself through Comedy and Coaching
24 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Start building your new academic business here: AcadiaEditing.com/BecomeAnEditor Wendy Gillis has had quite a journey—from the thrills of Madison Av...
Planning Your Exit: 3 Steps to Build Your Business Before You Leave Your Academic Job
17 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Have you been thinking about quitting academia but you're terrified of how you'll replace your income?In this episode, I share 3 steps you can take to...
Will AI Replace Editors? A Conversation with the Founder of PerfectIt and Draftsmith
10 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Are you worried that AI will replace editors? If so, this episode is for you. I talk with Daniel Heuman, creator of PerfectIt and the new AI tool...
Overthinking Your Website? How to Simplify Your Homepage and Attract Your Ideal Clients
03 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When you’re just starting out in business, choosing between the infinite tech tools is incredibly overwhelming. Even just learning what all the abbr...
The Breaking Point: When You Realize You Have to Leave Academia--and What You Can Do Instead
26 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever felt like no matter how much you give to academia, it will never be enough?In this deeply personal episode, I share—for the first time...
How to Build Confidence in Business: Lessons from a Multi-6-Figure Academic Turned Business Coach
19 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's podcast episode, I chat with Nata Salvatori, Doctor of Physical Therapy, who left academia and never looked back. She turned a side-hus...
AI, Marketing, and Mindset Shifts
12 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ever wonder what really shifts when you go from “professor” to “business owner”?In this week’s episode of Leaving Academia, I’m sharing a ...
Marketing for Introverts: How to Use SEO and Avoid Social Media FOREVER!
05 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Want to get found by the right clients—without spending all day on social media? This episode breaks down exactly how.In this episode of Leaving Aca...
The 2 Things Keeping Editors Stuck at $20/hr (It's NOT Your Skills)
29 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What’s keeping talented editors stuck at $20/hour—or worse, in feast-or-famine cycles that drain your energy and confidence?If you’ve been editi...
The Academic Website Mistakes You Don't Know You're Making (and How to Fix Them)
22 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Are you an academic editor or coach struggling to show up online without feeling salesy? You're not alone — and today's guest has the solution.Jenni...
From Burnout to CEO: How I Left Academia and Built a 6-Figure Editing Business
15 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What if your sabbatical wasn’t just a break from academia — but your way out?I was recently a guest on Sabbatical 101 with Bethany Wilinski, PhD, ...
Coaching Session: Here's what you're missing if you're not attracting clients
08 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
🎧 Wondering how to build a business after burnout? In this special coaching episode, I sit down with Katrien Deroost — a former malaria researche...
From English Major to 6-Figure Editor (and Why AI Won't Take Our Jobs!)
01 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What if your natural talent for editing could become a thriving, 6-figure business?In this week’s Leaving Academia episode, I chat with Catie Phares...
Still Using Your Professor Voice? Here's Why It's Hurting Your Business... and How to Stop
24 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week on Leaving Academia, I’m joined by former professor turned brand messaging expert Jen Liddy. She’s breaking down exactly how to market y...
Burned Out by the Academy? Here's How One Scholar Reclaimed Her Joy
17 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What do you do when the academic job you worked so hard for starts to cost you too much?In this week’s episode of Leaving Academia: Becoming a Freel...
Faculty Skills = Editing Gold: Why Scholars Make the Best Freelancers
10 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve ever thought about becoming a freelance editor but wondered, “Do I really have what it takes?”—this week’s episode will show you t...
How a Tenured Professor Left Academia and Built a Booked-Out Editing Business... in Just 2 Months
03 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s really possible to leave academia and make a living as a freelance editor, you need to hear this week’s epi...
How to Land Steady Editing Work from University Presses and Journals
27 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve ever wanted to work as a freelance editor for academic presses and journals—but weren’t sure how to get started—this episode is for ...
The 3-Page Website Formula that Turns Visitors into Paying Clients
20 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Many editors and coaches struggle to attract clients, and they wind up in the dreaded “feast or famine” cycle. 😱They create a website, spend HO...
Want to Earn More Money as an Editor? These Systems Will Change EVERYTHING
13 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What if you could make more money as a freelance editor—without working more hours?That’s exactly what we discuss in this week’s episode of Leav...
Inside My $100+/hr Workday
06 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever wondered what a day in the life of a freelance academic editor really looks like? No filters, no fluff—just the honest, unvarnished tr...
From Sabbatical to CEO: How One Scholar Created a Thriving Coaching Side Hustle
27 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How do you start an academic coaching business–while you’re STILL in academia?On this episode of Leaving Academia: Becoming a Freelance Editor, my...
The Secret to Success in Writing Nonfiction: Insights from a PhD Turned Editor
20 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How do you transform an academic book into one that non-academic readers will enjoy?That question is the specialty of Caroline Malloy, PhD, my guest o...
5 Tips to Help You GTFO of Academia
13 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week is a good one, folks. I've got 5 tips to help you GTFO of academia. 😲 We're living in strange and dangerous times. Life is enough to deal...
Fiction or Fantasy? How to Bring Your Passions into Your Editing Work
06 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
🚀 Fiction editors, this one’s for YOU!This week on Leaving Academia: Becoming a Freelance Editor, we cross the border between academic and fictio...
Can Middle School Teachers Become Academic Editors? Here’s how…
30 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here’s one question that people ask me all the time: “Can I become an academic editor without a PhD?”Absolutely! 🥳This week my podcast guest,...
5 Must-Have Tools to Edit Faster and Earn More Money
23 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Once you’ve started professional editing, how can you maximize your time and earn as much money as possible? 🧐Let’s get one thing straight: the...
4 Steps to Get Started with Academic Editing NOW
16 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s the spring semester and, if you’re unhappy in academia, you’re probably dreading facing down another 15 weeks–let alone another whole YEA...
A Deep Dive into Developmental Editing: How to Find Academic Clients, Set Your Rates, and Deliver the Final Product
09 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode I talk with developmental and line editor Ellen Tilton-Cantrell, PhD. After serving as a visiting assistant professor at a local colle...
How to Escape High School Teaching: Work 100% Remotely as an Academic Editor
02 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is extra special and is absolutely packed with information that will help you get started as a freelance editor or expand your business.N...
How Do Clients Find Me? My 2024 Year in Review
26 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week I wrap up 2024 with our 16th episode. I give you all the juicy stats on 🎯 the number of clients I've worked with, 🎯 the projects I've...
Academic Editing around the World: How to Build a Global Editing Business
19 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s episode will be particularly helpful for anyone interested in working with editing clients in Europe.I talk with Marieke Krijnen, a poli...
From Traveling Postdoc to Freelance Success: Building an Editing Career
12 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Do you need more free time–for yourself, your family, and your hobbies? Have you been thinking about making the leap from academia to freelance edit...
How to Start an Academic Editing Agency: Founding and Building “Editing Worm”
05 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In today’s episode I talk with Katrina Oko-Odoi, PhD, co-owner of the dissertation editing and coaching agency, Editing Worm. Katrina earned her PhD...
From Academia to Editor: Creating a Successful Freelance Business
21 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Do you want to explore life beyond academia? 🌈 In this episode, I talk with Leslie Castro Woodhouse, PhD, founder of Origami Editorial, about ...
Combining Work and Play: A Unique Type of Freelance Editing
14 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s podcast guest, Lea Popielinski, PhD, shares her journey from academia to an unexpected editing role–with a twist.Lea earned her PhD in Wom...
When You Need to Relocate: How to Work Remotely as an Academic Editor
07 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week I talk with Molly Mullin, PhD, a tenured professor who left academia to move across the country with her family and found joy again in acade...
Applying Your Academic Experience as a Dissertation Coach
31 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today I'm talking with Autumn Knowlton, an academic editor and dissertation coach who specializes in filling the gap left by less-than-attentive advis...
Escaping Adjunct Hell and Rekindling Your Passions
24 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 8 of my podcast, "Escaping Adjunct Hell and Rekindling Your Passions: An Interview with Ana Hartman," is now available on YouTube and on your ...
How Blogging Can Attract Clients
18 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How Blogging Can Attract Clients: Advice for Freelance Academic Editors In today’s episode, I give some key pointers on how blogging regularly can h...
Breaking Out of Academia and Finding Your Joy
09 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In episode 6 of my podcast, Leaving Academia: Becoming a Freelance Editor, one of the members of my first group coaching cohort, Niki Tulk, PhD, PhD, ...
How do freelance academic editors make money?
02 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode I discuss the different ways of setting your editing rates and how much you can earn as a freelance academic editor--per hour and in t...
Overcoming Academic Burnout and Finding Fulfillment
19 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to Leaving Academia: Becoming a Freelance Editor. Today, we have the incredible Dr. Julia Galindo joining us.Julia is a former faculty me...
Is Freelance Editing Right for Me?
12 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Episode 3, “Is freelance editing right for me?”When you’ve been working as an educator for years and you’ve always pictured yoursel...
What Does an Academic Editor Do?
05 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode I discuss what exactly an academic editor is, the different types of editing, and where freelance editors work.When I was still in aca...
Becoming a Freelance Academic Editor
29 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This first episode of the podcast offers an introduction to me, how I left academia, and how I became and academic editor. I share my story so that yo...