What Academics Say About Envisage
The academics who join Envisage come from a wide range of disciplines, career stages, and institutions. What they have in common is a desire for clarity, and the willingness to invest time in structured, reflective conversations that make a real difference.
Below is a selection of testimonials from participants who have completed the Envisage program. Quotes have been published with permission.
Early Career Researchers
Academics in the early stages of their career often face decisions that feel both urgent and uncertain: whether to pursue a postdoctoral position, how to navigate a new institutional culture, or whether academia is the right long-term path at all. These mentees came to Envisage at a pivotal moment and used the program to build clarity and confidence.
Mid-Career Academics
Mid-career is often where the competing demands of academic life feel sharpest. The pressure to publish, secure grants, take on leadership responsibilities, and manage complex workplace dynamics can leave even experienced academics feeling stuck or unsure of their next move. These mentees used Envisage to cut through that complexity and focus on what matters most.
Senior Academics & Leaders
For senior academics, the questions shift — from building a career to shaping one. Whether facing a leadership transition, approaching a change in direction, or seeking renewed purpose, these mentees used Envisage to think strategically about the next meaningful chapter of their professional lives.
October 2025
Thank you for the opportunity to reflect on my experience in the Envisage mentoring program.
Working with my mentor was an incredibly valuable experience. Their support played a key role in helping me regain confidence in myself as an academic and navigate complex and often challenging situations in the Australian academic context. They had a warm and grounded presence, and their ability to listen deeply, ask insightful questions, and offer wise yet objective guidance made a real difference in how I approached both personal and professional hurdles. I always felt heard, supported, and respectfully challenged to think in new ways and take meaningful steps forward.
I’ve already started to see the impact of our mentoring sessions in the way I approach academic challenges and opportunities. I feel more confident, focused, and better equipped to advocate for myself and my work.
I’m very grateful for the mentoring experience and would highly recommend it to others. You are welcome to use this feedback publicly as a testimonial if it’s helpful.
Thank you again for arranging this.
- Anonymous -
November 2025
I wanted to share the happy news that my promotion application was successful.
Thank you so much for your advice and mentorship this year. It has made a huge difference in terms of how I approach research, writing, and connecting with others - as well as setting boundaries. Still not perfect on all those but moving in the right direction.
- Anonymous -
September 2025
Thank you again for facilitating this mentoring for me. It was a wonderful experience. My mentor was an extremely supportive and generous person, and I gained enormously from my sessions with her.
- Anonymous -
October 2025
I found the Envisage mentoring program with my mentor extremely valuable. They demonstrated a strong understanding of my goals and challenges, particularly around promotion and career progression. They asked insightful questions that helped me reflect on where I was and where I wanted to be, while offering practical tips and strategies based on her experience.
Throughout the process, they provided motivational support, boosting my confidence and drive, and offered ongoing guidance even after the mentorship concluded. Overall, it was a fantastic initiative, and my mentor’s knowledge, encouragement, and wellbeing-focused approach made a real difference.
- Anonymous -
October 2025
My mentor was feisty, funny and fabulous with the way that they recognised the individuality of the people they work with. They didn't try to contain me, speak for me or make me fit into boxes of being that were not my own. They held space and affirmed my capacity to take choices and to come back deeply into my own power and authority in the institution and in the broader dynamics of my own life and purpose in this lifetime. I will miss the laughter and the clarity. I will miss their reminding me of the things that were right in front of my eyes but I couldn't quite see without the support of someone like them, and until I saw them, I was unable to remove them and untangle from them and keep deepening my own freedom, autonomy and capacity for decision and agency. Thank you from me and my ancestors
- Anonymous -
February 2024
I was a point in my academic career where I needed to take the next step in grants and promotions. I was seeking advice on how to strategically create new direction for the next few years. A university restructure was creating significant change. Envisage provided several people to talk to and asked me to choose based upon their relevance to my needs. My mentor provided a clear structure, a good analysis of my current positioning and facilitated my thinking and planning about what was next. Three years later that advice has paid off and I have progressed to the next level of academic performance that I was aiming for.
- Anonymous -
March 2025
What I particularly appreciated was my mentor’s commitment to ensuring that our interactions were purposeful and intentional, demonstrating their respect for both my time and the mentoring process.
- Anonymous -
June 2024
The Envisage process fostered a highly productive relationship, allowing me to not only achieve my short-term academic goals but also establish a clear path for my longer-term aspirations.
- Anonymous -
September 2023
Thanks to the framework provided by my mentor, I can continue to build a strategy to guide my career progress, I can highly recommend this mentorship.
- Anonymous -
July 2023
My mentor skilfully established a clear structure for our mentoring relationship and set specific, actionable tasks to help me achieve my goal of planning a successful career within the Australian academic system.
- Anonymous -
