Jill Norris, M.Sc.

Academic Life + Writing Coach, Academic Soufflé Scientific Writer, Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary

Based out of Calgary, Alberta, Jill Norris is an award-winning certified coach, health services researcher, and educator. Jill founded Academic Soufflé as a way to empower the global community of academics to become more effective in work and life by integrating evidence-based practices with holistic coaching. Jill also specializes in scientific writing, knowledge synthesis, implementation science, and making the best popcorn.

Career path

As I sat in the emergency room with a panic attack—from a conveniently timed bout of writer’s block during my doctoral comprehensive exams—I would have never envisioned that 5 years later I would be a coach and own a business. In 2010, I was a new Ph.D. student in Medical Education with a prestigious national scholarship, excelling through the program. I don’t recall when I started ignoring my gut, but two years later, my life was dismantled after quitting my doctoral program (and my marriage).

My closest mentor supported me over the next year, building my writing confidence back in baby steps from writing a one-page brief to writing four successful grants to working as a Scientific Writer. In this role, I discovered my life’s passion to mentor and coach others in research-related writing and knowledge synthesis.

I became a certified coach after seeing that my highly capable clients not only struggled with writing, but with burnout and self-criticism, just like I did years earlier. Academic Soufflé is my way to be of further service to academics around the world. It brings me great joy to partner with academics to create a new way of being for themselves - a more energized, balanced, and inspired reality.

Education

• Associate Certified Coach, International Coach Federation, 2016
• Newfield Certified Ontological Coach, Newfield Network and the University of Calgary, 2016
• Doctoral Program, Medical Education, University of Calgary, 2010-12
• M.Sc., Kinesiology (Behavioral Medicine), University of Calgary, 2008
• B.Sc., Exercise Science, University of Lethbridge, 2002