do whatever

Podrum

Some things are worth saying out loud. do whatever started around a table, with wine, and the kind of honesty that only happens when you are far from home and trust the people next to you. Three friends in science, navigating academia, migration, identity, and the life choices nobody really prepares you for. We don't have it all figured out, and we're not here to give advice - just to ask the questions out loud, sit with the contradictions, and make the long hours feel a little less lonely. If any of this sounds familiar, you are in the right place.

Episodes

  1. introduction: who are we anyway?

    3 days ago

    introduction: who are we anyway?

    do whatever | episode 2: introduction: who are we anyway? Burcu, Mirna, and Ardiana kick off the episode with travel updates: Mirna returns from Croatia and a stop at the Venice Biennale, while Ardiana reflects on a yoga retreat in Normandy that pushed her to slow down, cut screen time, and reconnect with single-tasking. The hosts celebrate a major milestone, after eight months of setbacks, Burcu's lab experiments finally worked, lifting the mood of her entire research group. The main topic explores just how many roles academics juggle beyond their research titles: graphic designer, teacher, finance manager, statistician, technician, lab manager, and more. They discuss how unprepared most PhD students are for supervision, admin, grant writing, equipment troubleshooting, and workplace politics.  The conversation turns to communication across cultures, sharing candid stories about direct vs. polished styles, false apologies, and how non-native English speakers often translate politeness conventions literally from their own languages. The hosts also reflect on the unexpected skills they've gained: Mirna learned to ask for help; Ardiana developed patience and cross-cultural communication; and all three found ways to bring creativity into their science, through storytelling, figure design, project writing, and experiment design. They close with what they would be if not scientists, the blurry line between work and personal life in academia, and what they genuinely love about their work.

    28 min

About

Some things are worth saying out loud. do whatever started around a table, with wine, and the kind of honesty that only happens when you are far from home and trust the people next to you. Three friends in science, navigating academia, migration, identity, and the life choices nobody really prepares you for. We don't have it all figured out, and we're not here to give advice - just to ask the questions out loud, sit with the contradictions, and make the long hours feel a little less lonely. If any of this sounds familiar, you are in the right place.