When I was a kid, I always focused on climbing the “achievement ladder.”
I was always aiming to get the gold star, to please my teachers, and to find external validation from every source I could. Every time I’d complete an achievement, I’d just look for the next one. After high school came undergrad, then a master’s degree, and a Ph.D.
As I climbed the achievement ladder, I thought that each of the rungs—graduations, promotions, awards—would bring me closer to happiness and fulfillment. Instead, I found myself feeling stuck, questioning my entire path. When I finally reached the top of the ladder and secured tenure, I felt hollowed out.
I felt isolated and alone—like no one would understand what I was going through. My peers saw academia as an amazing place filled with students laughing and relaxing on the quad. Why would I ever want to leave that?
Suddenly, I had to face the fact that I wasn’t sure what I really wanted. I had spent so long focusing on what came next that I’d never developed the skill of listening to my own wants and needs. I’d been looking outward for fulfillment, and I’d never learned how to look inward. I had been acting like a “brain on a stick,” completely disconnected from my body.
Throughout this difficult period, it felt like I was alone—that I’d need to figure out my path without any guidance. But I didn’t need to. When I looked around, there was guidance available through my facilitators and tools they could teach me.
Finally, I started listening to my body and my own needs, rather than simply focusing on what I “should” want. I spent time healing and searching, and turned to career and life coaching. By February 2020, I was ready to jump off the academic ladder and take the leap to create my own.
Now I’m a certified life coach and meditation teacher, and I call upon my developmental psychology background in my daily work as a speaker, and facilitator to help high-achievers like me to learn how to integrate their whole body into their decision-making—not just their brain.
I have become the person my earlier self really needed in the midst of my crisis, and I help team leaders become that person for their team.
My goal is never to encourage professionals to leave academia or hospital systems.
My mission is to help high-achievers like myself find more sustainable, integrated practices and face the fear, vulnerability, and uncertainty of academia (or similarly demanding careers) so they don’t have to leave.
TITLES and ROLES (more details on LinkedIn):
Master Certified Coach Instructor at The Life Coach School
Yoga Alliance RYT 200-hr certified Radiance Sutras® Meditation Teacher
Former Full-Time Coach at Team Katrina Ubell where I helped busy female physicians lose weight
Former tenured Developmental Psychology Professor and Department Chair Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Sciences
Author of Unstuck: Three-step system workbook to help high achievers move from stress to flow
“Caitlin is the perfect person to guide readers on this journey of increasing self-awareness, self-trust, and self-loyalty. Her practical advice is just the ticket for high-achievers looking for a more soulful and embodied career guide. Everyone can take something away from this book, and I'll be recommending it to all of my coaching clients who are looking for direction with their next career steps.”
“Caitlin helped me challenge the belief that I need to hustle for my worth, and she encouraged me to drop the perfectionism and negative self-talk that accompanied it. I learned how to stop people-pleasing and second-guessing my own opinions so I could confidently acknowledge what I truly want. Perhaps most importantly, Caitlin helped me get out of my own way as I developed the courage to realize my biggest goals.
Dr. Caitlin Faas's work is nothing short of life-changing. If you feel stuck, stop reading this blurb and buy her book now. There is a dream inside you that’s waiting to flourish, and this work will help you do just that.”