GradSchool Soul Collective Podcast Elissa Joy

Dr. Gertrude Nonterah shares her journey from completing her PhD to becoming underemployed as an adjunct professor to becoming a successful medical communications professional. She is the founder of the BoldPhD, a sought-after speaker, and a branding and career development expert. Show highlights include:

• The role of family in shaping aspirations
• Importance of branding and what that has looked like for her
• How she incorporates the concept of being “multi-passionate”
• Preparing for non-academic careers and success outside of academia

In this episode, Elissa J. challenges graduate students to push beyond the comfort of "finding your people," to actively constructing your village for your professional, academic, and personal success. She outlines essential people and the roles they play in the construction of that village.

Highlights include:
1.Your “A” team [which is also known as “your critical friends].
2.Your loves are your family, or your friends that may be our surrogate family.
3.Your organizational culture keepers and surveyors.
4. Your peer-based brain trust, aka, your cohort and academic comrades.
6. Program advisors
7. Near peers; individuals who are a couple of years ahead of you along your journey.
8. CEOs: individuals who cultivate the leader in you
9.Coaches: your problem-solvers and implementation guides
10. Academic knowledge and skill builders, aka professors.
11.Career advancement knowledge and skills, skill builders.
12.Personal board of directors: your diverse group whose goal is to help you move forward an important initiative.
13.YODA: The person who helps you to center personal growth and self-care
14.Mentors & Sponsors

In this episode Dr. Nicole Joseph talks about her journey from teaching to academia as well as the people that were pivotal for her success. Her family support, her mentors, and her professors all played a tremendous role. She urges grad students, and especially Black female scholars, to be confident is drawing from their professional experiences, to develop their scholarly voice, build relationships, know their context, and to connect with affinity spaces to fill their soul.

Show highlights include:
*Finding your scholarly voice
*Valuing your "lived experience" and connecting it to your theorizing
*The role of affinity spaces
*Partnerships in researching
*The role of family as partners
*Seeking out resources and not operating in fear

In this episode, Elissa J. talks about what graduate students should consider when it comes to publishing. Graduate students are often already juggling a very full plate. And, when deciding how to integrate a priority to publish, graduate students should have a strategy.

Show highlights include.
1.Considerations of type of university and expectations
2.Elements within a writing strategy
3.Integrating different types of writing
4.Developing a writing routine
5.Weighing the financial trade-offs for time and opportunity

In this show, Dr. Cecilia Caballero shares her first-hand experiences as a first-gen BIPOC scholar pursuing academia. She discusses why financial literacy was a key link that was missing for her, and what she wishes she'd known when pursing her PhD. She also shares why she decided to pivot out of academia and ultimately become a successful teaching artist. Show highlights include:

1.Preparing for academia and experiences as a Mellon scholar
2.The importance of financial literacy
3.How her family and her values shaped her choices
4.The decision-making progress to pivot out of academia

In this episode, Alexes Terry talks about why she made the switch from an "in person" PhD program to an online program. This conversation provides some tangible takeaways for people considering applying for an online doctoral program or for those who may be in a traditional "in person" program and want to [or need to] make a pivot.

Show Highlights:
1.Getting clear on what you want the degree to do for you.
2.Centering your personal and family needs, not just your academic needs.
3..Building a support system in your institution.
4.Planning for the producibles in your field.
5.Supplementing what you don’t get in your program with outside organizations.