Michelle Thompson 
This summer, there have been amazing developments with the oil and gas industry that have everything to do with climate change. I couldn’t make this up if I tried. First of all, in the Netherlands, Royal Dutch Shell sustained a court ruling that required that they reduce their carbon emissions by 45% by 2035 (that actually may be too … Read more
I think you know that Michelle Dionne Thompson Coaching and Consulting is about making sure that women in academia can build sustainable, long-term careers. Writing support is the cornerstone of making this happen. And yet, as this survey reflects, it is also the one part of academic jobs/degrees that causes no end of upset and stress. The … Read more
When I started Michelle Dionne Thompson Coaching and Consulting, I could have easily just targeted academics with my services because that was the world I was in. And yet, I remembered what was so challenging about practicing law. It wasn’t just the 80 hours per week for 40K per year. It was the never-ending anxieties … Read more
You all know that I LOVE me some sleep! And that has gone fairly well for me. I must tell you I put another tool in my toolkit to enable sweet dreams. I was at an online retreat with my coach, and she was saying that before she leads retreats, she often doesn’t sleep well. … Read more
Systems and writing may seem contradictory. Don’t we write when the muse hits? Otherwise, we’re suffering from writer’s block, right? You just open the document and write the thing. When you edit, you just do the copy edits with the red pen. There’s no system. My answer to that is NO! Writing is easier and … Read more
You likely think this a really strong statement considering that I was a lawyer for seven years and am currently an academic in addition to a coach. You likely know that I value sleep above all for self-care. If I don’t sleep, writing is a wreck. I eat terribly. I don’t exercise. I can’t focus. I … Read more
September 19, 2020 I write this to you a little over 12 hours since we learned of her death from pancreatic cancer. She died on Rosh Hoshana, the Jewish New Year (it’s 5781). One way that Jews memorialize the holiday is by dipping apples in honey to symbolize a sweet new year. What a sour … Read more
In NYC, we’re starting week 6 of sheltering in place, and it certainly is a challenge. Perhaps you live alone and have nothing but yourself to work with unless you are doing a call. Perhaps you live-so-not-alone-and-there-are-young-people-underfoot-and-when-does-school-start-again-please. Perhaps you are with your spouse. All of the time. And these new worksite arrangements really put a dent … Read more
Hello everyone! Here we are in week 3 of the COVID-19 Tango here in NYC, and I suspect it’s not getting any easier for you. If you haven’t caught coronavirus, you may be suffering from Zoom-Or-Fill-In-The-Online-Platform-Of-Your-Choice Fatigue Syndrome. Is this a thing? I think it is. We’ve finally tired of our screens! Can you believe it? … Read more
You’re damned right you’re getting nothing done. These are absolutely crazy times. 🥴 You’re distracted. 🥴 Your routines are seriously disrupted. 🥴 You may be completely alone. 🥴 You may be spending far too much time with the family you’ve created. And there are so many other components to this. My recommendation? I know you’re hard charging. … Read more