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In this episode, I connect with Angel Perez (CEO of the National Association of College Admission Counselors) to discuss his personal journey with burnout, self-care, and therapy. I also share some of my own personal journey, and we connect on what it might mean to find more ease, purpose, and joy in our own lives.

This is part 1 of a series I’ll be doing on self-care this year. You’ll notice Angel mentions a morning routine during our chat — in our next episode (linked here) you’ll meet wellness coach Sage Simpson, who will get into the practical specifics of how to create a morning routine for yourself.

Why these episodes?

Self-care has become a bigger theme at CEG in the past couple of years, particularly coming out of the pandemic—and in my own life.
Anxiety and depression are at an all-time high in students, while counselors, leaders, and educators are burning out and switching jobs (Chronicle of Higher Ed reported on a study by the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources, or CUPA-HR” noting that 71 percent of coordinators and counselors in the college admissions field have been in their jobs for just three years or less.

On the episode you’ll hear Angel and I discuss:

Angel’s personal experience with burnout
How he addressed it in writing an article on self-care in college admissions
Why self-care is especially important for caretakers and professionals in helping roles
Strategies and techniques Angel (and Ethan) use for self care
Ways to address shame, and why therapy has been important for Angel
What to look forward to at the upcoming NACAC conference

Play-by-play:

[00:00] Intro
[2:34] Who is Angel Perez?
[4:44] What led Angel back towards self-care in recent years?
[8:10] How did Angel’s childhood affect his work life today?
[10:15] What inspired Angel’s article on burnout?
[12:30] What are Ethan’s boundaries and personal habits with work?
[13:30] How do you recognize when you need self-care, or have behaviors that signal it’s time to step back?
[15:36] What is Angel’s morning routine?
[19:00] How to deal with the shame that comes with self-care
[21:39] What have Angel (and Ethan) learned in therapy?
[26:40] Finding balance vs. Coming Into Balance
[28:50] What are some of Angel’s & Ethan’s other self-care and health practices?
[32:45] What helps Angel and Ethan get into flow?
[39:35] What is NACAC and the college admission field doing well, and what could we do better (in regards to self-care, rest, work culture, etc.)?
[43:45] What is NACAC committed to? What should we look forward to at this year’s conference?
[46:35] What are we committed to (in regards to increasing access to self-care in our personal/work lives)?/Doing “The Work”