About dr. carly finseth
.jpg/:/cr=t:12.51%25,l:0%25,w:100%25,h:74.99%25/rs=w:1209,h:605,cg:true)
I finally stopped people-pleasing and followed my heart. The results were awesome.
Are you picking up what I'm putting down?
.jpg/:/cr=t:29.97%25,l:0%25,w:100%25,h:40.06%25/rs=w:1209,h:605,cg:true)
Who I Am
I'm a heart-led multi-passionate entrepreneur who has a passion for helping others become the best version of themselves.
Things I Love
You had me at TBR. In addition to my work, I love reading, gaming, '90s rap, Supernatural (Team Dean), sitting in the sunshine, and playing board games with my family.
About Dr. Carly Finseth
My Story
Until a few years ago, I let others tell me what to do and how to act in my career. I was a people-pleaser, and I believed good things would happen if I worked hard and did what was expected of me (and then some!). I believed in the company's mission and took my job seriously. I would see an opportunity for improvement and jump at it, taking on more than my share of work for a cause I believed in. I took on the weight of every project, determined to make it a success.
Supervisors told me my positivity was too much, that I was too strategic, and that I should pick a singular path. They told me to stop and slow down because I was making other people look bad. I began to feel I was too much. I started to believe I should change myself to make others feel more comfortable.
Well, fuck that.
When I finally realized it was time to let go of what other people thought of me, I began to let my light shine. Little by little, I allowed myself to become the person I was meant to be. And you know what happened to my career? It flourished.
I have faced my fair share of challenges. I am a survivor: of chronic illness, cancer, and narcissistic abuse. I earned a Ph.D. and a coveted university tenure-track job, only to be told to stop for a year or two so others could catch up. I climbed the corporate ladder and then hit my head squarely on the glass ceiling of the C-suite. I have been a freelancer and entrepreneur for over 20 years, learning the hard way about burnout from being and doing everything alone.
Eventually, I recognized that what makes me unique—my strategic thinking, multifaceted expertise, and empathy for others—are strengths to be celebrated. I kept going until I found my voice and reclaimed my power.
And now I'm excited to help you do the same.
My signature courses, products, and services help you learn to discover your strengths and reclaim your power. It's time for you to do for yourself what many others may not have: see your potential, celebrate your successes (even the tiny ones), and define what makes you so powerful.
You can build a career and life you love, one that feels 100% authentically you. All you have to do is show up and do the work, and you'll be amazed at what you can achieve. (After all, achieving things is what you do best.)
I'm so happy you're here! I can't wait to see how far you go.
Street Cred
my education (i've seen some things)
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Technical Communication & Rhetoric, Texas Tech University
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Professional Communication, Clemson University
Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
Liberal Studies, Oregon State University
publications (I've written a few things)
Books
Finseth, C. (2020). Coding for Communicators: An Easy-to-Follow, Fast-Learn Course in XML, HTML, and CSS. Boise, ID: ThoughtSuite.
Finseth, C. (2018). Teach Like a Gamer: Adapting the Instructional Design of Digital Role-Playing Games. Jefferson, NC: McFarland Books.
Articles
Finseth, C. (2019). The Participatory Culture of Technical Communication in Online Gaming Communities. Technical Communication, 66(3).
Finseth, C. (2017). Instructional Design and Software Documentation. Syllabus, 6(1). Summer 2017.
Anderson, S., & Finseth, C. (2017). Wireless, Streaming Technology Facilitates Pedagogical Change. New Media Consortium (NMC) Horizon Report, 2017 Higher Education Edition.
Finseth, C. (2015). The Structure of Play: An Exploration of the Instructional Design of Rift. The Journal of Applied Instructional Design, 5(1), 35-50. November 2015.
Finseth, C. (2015). Theorycrafting the Classroom: Constructing the Introductory Technical Communication Course as a Game. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, 45(3), 243-260.
Finseth, C. (2014). How Games Work: Exploring the Instructional Design of Diablo III. Meaningful Play 2014 Conference Proceedings.
Finseth, C. (2014). Using Games to Make Something: Of Our Students, Our Pedagogies, Our Field. Journal of Teaching Writing, 29(2), 85-98.
Finseth, C. (2013). An Open Source Composition Space: Redefining Invention for a New Technological Age. Computers and Composition Online.
Academic Book Reviews
Finseth, C. (2016). A Review of Dangerous Games: What the Moral Panic Over Role-Playing Games Says About Play, Religion, and Imagined Worlds by Joseph P. Laycock. Technoculture: An Online Journal of Technology in Society, 6(1).
Finseth, C. (2014). A Review of Inter/vention: Free Play in the Age of Electracy by Jan Rune Holmevik. Kairos: A Journal of Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy, 18.2.
Finseth, C. (2013). A Review of Storycraft: The Complete Guide to Writing Narrative Nonfiction by Jack Hart, Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press, 2011. 266 pp. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, 43(1), 103-105.
awards & Honors (I've done some cool things)
Awards
Excellence in Curriculum Award, Quanta Services
Won the Quanta Services “Hot Fries” award, which signifies excellence in leadership, customer service, and curriculum development for their subsidiary Northwest Lineman College.
Outstanding Faculty Award, Boise State University Department of English
Winner of this student-awarded honor, which recognizes the best teacher of the year.
Designing with Open Educational Resources (DOER) Fellowship Grant
With Jonathan Lashley. A grant to write open educational resources on the topics of usability and technical writing. Sponsored by the Open Education Group funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and Lumen.
Top Technical Writing Instructor, Texas Tech University
Awarded honors for being a top technical writing instructor in several categories, based on student evaluations of introductory technical communication courses.
Doctoral Dissertation Completion Fellowship, Texas Tech University
Awarded to the student with the most promising dissertation research project. I was the first Ph.D. student in my field to earn this award.
Helen Locke Carter Memorial Scholarship, Texas Tech University
A scholarship recognizing top students from the English Department at Texas Tech University.
Ernie Mazzatenta Scholarship, Society for Technical Communication
A scholarship awarded to the most promising graduate student in technical communication.
Thomas E. Douglass Teaching Award for Excellence in Teaching, Clemson University
I was the first master’s student to earn this award, which is typically given to the top teacher of First-Year Writing.
Nominations
Outstanding Faculty Award, Boise State University
Finalist for this student-selected award for university-wide best teacher of the year.
Golden Apple Award for Exceptional Faculty, Boise State University
A nominee for the highest student-awarded teaching award on campus.
