Rebecca Pope-Ruark, PhD, is a speaker, facilitator, and author of Unraveling Faculty Burnout and Frayed, both published by Johns Hopkins University Press. A former professor and current faculty developer and certified coach, she brings deep expertise in faculty well‑being, compassionate leadership, and women’s leadership in academia.

Rebecca works with colleges and universities across the country to help faculty and leaders recognize burnout, support faculty vitality, and build sustainable academic cultures where people can thrive.

Why Campuses Bring Rebecca In

It’s a challenging time to be working in higher education. Faculty are exhausted, leaders are stretched thin, and institutions are navigating unprecedented complexity. Rebecca helps campuses

• Understand the root causes of faculty burnout
• Build compassionate leadership practices
• Strengthen faculty vitality and engagement
• Support women in academia facing unique pressures
• Create cultures where people feel valued, supported, and able to do meaningful work.

Her approach blends research, storytelling, practical tools, and a deep understanding of academic life.

Signature Talks

Rebecca’s keynotes and workshops dynamic, interactive, and engaging.

Talk 1: Unraveling Faculty Burnout
How to Recognize, Address, and Prevent Burnout on Your Campus

Based on Rebecca’s book Unraveling Faculty Burnout: Pathways to Reckoning and Renewal (Johns Hopkins 2022), the keynote workshop helps faculty and leaders understand the systemic and cultural factors driving burnout–and what they can do to intervene early.

Participants will learn

• The three dimensions of burnout and how they show up in faculty lives and work
• Early warning signs faculty and leaders often miss
• Ways to lean in to purpose, compassion, connection, or balance to support growth
• practical steps to reduce burnout at the individual, departmental, and institutional levels.

Ideal for all faculty and leadership as well as faculty developers.

Talk 2: Compassionate Leadership in Higher Ed
Leading with Clarity, Care, and Boundaries in Challenging Times

Compassionate leadership is not soft — it’s strategic, sustainable, and essential for today’s academic environment. This session explores how leaders can support their teams while maintaining their own well being.

Participants will learn

• The core principles of compassionate leadership
• How to communicate with empathy and accountability
• Strategies for navigating burnout in yourself and those you lead
• Ways to model healthy boundaries and sustainable work.

Ideal for academic leaders at all levels.

Talk 3: Women’s Leadership and Burnout in Academia
Supporting Women Faculty and Leaders in a System Not Designed for Them

Drawing from her new book Frayed: Leadership Burnout Among Women Leaders in Higher Ed, this talk explores the unique pressures women face in higher ed–invisible labor, care-giving expectations, service overload, and cultural bias–and how institutions can better support them.

Participants will learn

• The gendered dynamics and impacts of burnout in higher ed
• Ways invisible labor and ideal worker norms affect women faculty and leaders
• Strategies for equitable workload distribution
• Ways to create cultures where women can lead and thrive.

Ideal for women’s leadership programs, faculty development centers, women’s faculty groups, academic leaders

Talk 4: Rebuilding Faculty Vitality
From Exhaustion to Engagement: What Faculty Need to Thrive

This session focuses on restoring energy, purpose, and connection among faculty. It’s practical, hopeful, and deeply resonant.

Participants will learn

• What vitality looks like in academic life
• How to rebuild meaning and motivation
• Tools for fostering community and belonging
• Practices that support sustainable academic careers.

Ideal for faculty retreats, development days, leadership teams.

Additional Workshop Options

Rebecca also creates 90-minute, half‑day, and full‑day workshops that expand on these topics with interactive activities, reflection exercises, and campus‑specific planning. These options are crafted with the institution in order to make the biggest impact on faculty and leadership. Reach out for more details.

Booking Information

Bring Rebecca to Your Campus – In-Person or Virtually!

Rates begin at $2500 for a 90-minute virtual workshop. Full-day campus visits with up to four workshops and customized faculty engagements are $6000 per day plus travel.

To inquire about availability or customizing a session or visit for your institution, please use the form below.