Cultivating wholeheartedness in the academy during a time of COVID : insights from/within an inter-collegial friendship

This chapter explores how we, Sherie (American) and Monica (Australian), two feminist teacher educators and collaborators, used reflective dialogic exchanges to examine our academic lives during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The underpinning personal and emotional layers of our wholehearted conversations sit within our robust inter-collegial friendship, which offers us critical support and reminders about the importance of self-care/compassion in our navigation of academic complexities and obligations. The chapter is framed by three of Brene Brown’s ‘wholehearted’ provocations or prompts that we used to explore our respective lived COVID-19 experiences within the broader milieu of contemporary academia. The chapter concludes with insights about the ways in which collegial friendships contribute to academic wellbeing and self-care. © 2023 selection and editorial matter, Narelle Lemon