Lived Experiences
Real People. Real Experiences. Real Courage.
Behind every academic and professional journey is a story that may not be visible to others.
Some stories are about navigating disability, neurodivergence or health challenges. Others involve personal circumstances, professional barriers, difficult decisions, changing identities or finding different ways to succeed.
Every experience is different. Every voice matters.
Academic Warriors is creating a space for these stories to be shared, heard and understood.
Stories From Our Community
This is a growing collection of lived experiences shared by members of the academic and professional community.
Through personal reflections, written stories, conversations and videos, we hope to explore the realities of navigating academic life while facing human challenges.
These contributions are not intended to present individuals as inspirational simply because they experience difficulties. Nor do we expect every story to be one of triumph or overcoming adversity.
Instead, we want to recognise the complexity of lived experiences: the challenges, frustrations, achievements, adjustments, uncertainties and everyday realities that shape people’s lives.
Some stories may challenge established assumptions. Others may offer encouragement, practical insights or opportunities for reflection.
Together, they can help individuals feel heard while offering institutions a deeper understanding of the people within their communities.
Featured Lived Experiences
Parkinson’s, Slow Academia and Rethinking Academic Life
A personal reflection from Dr Craig J Selby on living with Parkinson’s disease, navigating the expectations of academic life, and considering what it means to work, contribute and find fulfilment when established measures of productivity do not always reflect individual realities.
Slower, But Not Lesser | The Unexpected Gift of Slow Academia
In this personal commentary, published by Voices of Academia, Dr Craig J Selby reflects on how living with Parkinson’s has reshaped his understanding of academic identity, contribution and purpose. Moving beyond the challenges of adapting to changing physical capabilities, he explores how Slow Academia has enabled a more intentional approach to teaching, mentoring and research.
The reflection also challenges universities to reconsider conventional expectations of productivity, visibility and participation, asking whether meaningful academic contribution should always have to look the same.
Read the full article on Voices of Academia
Academic Warriors: Starting the Conversation
Academic Warriors was created to encourage important conversations about the human realities of academic life, particularly for those navigating disabilities, chronic health conditions and other challenges that are not always visible or understood.
Grounded in lived experience, this reflection explores the need to challenge conventional expectations of academic performance, celebrate the diverse contributions academics make, and encourage universities to develop more inclusive and responsive environments.
Above all, it is an invitation to academics, institutional leaders and the wider academic community to listen, share experiences and work collectively towards meaningful change.
Professor Elyn Saks: A Tale of Mental Illness – From the Inside
Professor Elyn Saks is an accomplished legal scholar whose extraordinary academic career challenges many of the assumptions and stigmas surrounding serious mental illness.
In this powerful TED Talk, she shares her lived experience of schizophrenia, reflecting on the challenges she has navigated, the importance of understanding and support, and her determination to contribute meaningfully through her academic work.
Of particular relevance to Academic Warriors is her recognition of the supportive environment provided by the USC Gould School of Law. Her story reminds us that universities have an important responsibility not merely to accommodate academics facing challenges, but to actively create environments in which they can succeed.
It is a compelling reminder that academic excellence and significant personal challenges are not mutually exclusive, and that institutional compassion, understanding, and proactive support can make an extraordinary difference.
Dr Chee Mei Hooi
What happens when the cause of your battles are not specifically health matters, but created by external and peripheral factors that influence your mental health and functioning? Other people can and do add layers of challenge to your academic existence.Sometimes bosses, sometimes colleagues, sometimes university administration. To survive and thrive, we need to develop tenacity and resilience.
In ‘Academic Warriors: Courage in the Public Eye’ on Saturday 5 December 2026, Dr Chee Mei Hooi will be speaking on Tenacity: Surviving & Thriving in Toxic Academic Cultures. This is an important discussion for us at Academic Warriors, as it explores the emotional and psychological challenges of navigating academia for success.
This video gives a window into her forum presentation, and opens up the discussion on external influences, and on how to negotiate these to survive and thrive!
Share Your Experience
We welcome contributions from academics, researchers, university professionals and others who would like to share their lived experiences.
Stories may take the form of written reflections, short videos, interviews or personal accounts.
You do not need to have an extraordinary story or a neatly packaged message of resilience. Everyday experiences, difficult conversations and unresolved challenges are equally valuable.
We recognise that sharing personal experiences can involve vulnerability. Contributions should be voluntary, respectful and guided by each individual’s comfort with what they wish to disclose.
As this community develops, we hope these stories will encourage greater understanding, stronger connections and more thoughtful conve