Mentoring Matters

Stephanie Hansen and Mary Drewnoski
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  • SELF-IMPROVEMENT

Welcome to "Mentoring Matters" the podcast where professors Stephanie Hansen and Mary Drewnoski share their expert insights on how to excel as a mentor. Join us as we tackle the challenges of mentoring graduate students and offer actionable tips for building community, enhancing communication, and fostering a culture of learning within your team. With years of experience and hard-won wisdom, Hansen and Drewnoski will provide the guidance you need to succeed in your mentoring endeavors. Tune in to "Mentoring Matters" for valuable insights and advice on mentoring graduate students.

  1. 1D AGO

    The Conversation about AI You Should Be Having with Your Graduate Students Right Now

    Send a text In this episode of Mentoring Matters, we tackle a question that's been on a lot of mentors' minds: how do we guide our graduate students in using AI without letting it replace the critical thinking skills we're trying to build? Mary gets honest about her hesitation to even bring up AI with her students, and Steph shares how she's been integrating tools like Claude and Notebook LM into her mentoring and teaching. Together, we explore the idea of training students to be AI-assisted scientists rather than AI-dependent ones, and what it looks like to shift from content creator to creative director in your own work. We dig into the real risk of skill atrophy when students hand off tasks they haven't yet mastered, and we land on a practical gut check: if you wouldn't be comfortable telling your advisor exactly how you used AI, it's time to rethink your approach. Whether you're already using AI in your mentoring or still figuring out where to start, this conversation will give you a framework for setting expectations, encouraging transparency, and helping your students build the AI literacy they'll need in their careers. Spoiler: it starts with just having the conversation. For actionable tips and strategies for mentoring please check out The Graduate Mentor's Trail Map available in paperback and ebook! If you are enjoying this podcast please leave a rating or review which helps others find the conversation. Please share with others who would gain value from the show!

    38 min

  2. JAN 18

    Sustainable Success: Crafting Your Semester Systems

    Send a text In this solo episode of Mentoring Matters, Dr. Stephanie Hansen shares how she approaches the start of a new semester with plans that actually survive reality. Instead of chasing perfection, she focuses on building sustainable systems: protecting time for deep thinking work, stress-testing your calendar, and breaking big goals into small, repeatable processes. She also tackles common faculty pain points, from mentoring high-achieving grad students who struggle with perfectionism to setting realistic thesis and dissertation timelines before panic season hits. Along the way, she shares practical tools she uses to keep projects moving when the semester gets chaotic, including a Kanban approach and structured accountability. Finally, she talks attention and technology: reducing social media and phone distraction, and helping students become AI-capable without cognitively offloading their education. The goal isn’t flawless performance — it’s growth, resilience, and progress you can sustain. If you are interested in having Steph or Mary do a workshop on graduate mentoring at your institution please reach out to Steph at slhansen@iastate.edu For actionable tips and strategies for mentoring please check out The Graduate Mentor's Trail Map available in paperback and ebook! If you are enjoying this podcast please leave a rating or review which helps others find the conversation. Please share with others who would gain value from the show!

    29 min

  3. 10/05/2025

    Trail Map Sessions: Belonging Builds Resilience

    Send a text Steph is back for another solo episode, continuing The Graduate Mentor’s Trail Map series. This time she digs into why culture isn’t fluff—it’s strategy. You’ll hear how an abundance mindset shapes behavior, why fostering mutual support increases grit, and how team-building (yes, even a group hike) creates shared identity that lasts through the hard stuff. From ice cream to paper bags, Steph shares real examples from her lab and how you can build a culture that runs itself, even when you're out of town. Whether you’re building a new group or strengthening a veteran team, this episode offers practical ways to create a culture that sticks. For actionable tips and strategies for mentoring please check out The Graduate Mentor's Trail Map available in paperback and ebook! If you are enjoying this podcast please leave a rating or review which helps others find the conversation. Please share with others who would gain value from the show!

    16 min

  4. 09/27/2025

    Trail Map Sessions: Growth Mindset, Clear Expectations

    Send a text Steph is back for another solo episode, drawing from The Graduate Mentor’s Trail Map. This time focusing on helping grad students believe they can get better—and making sure they know what "better" even looks like. We talk growth mindset, how to normalize mistakes as part of the process, and why “kind is clear” isn’t just a Brene Brown soundbite—it’s a foundational mentoring principle. If your students are floundering, unclear expectations might be the root. Let’s fix that. Whether you're onboarding someone new or trying to re-align mid-program, this episode gives you practical language and mindset shifts you can use right away. For actionable tips and strategies for mentoring please check out The Graduate Mentor's Trail Map available in paperback and ebook! If you are enjoying this podcast please leave a rating or review which helps others find the conversation. Please share with others who would gain value from the show!

    18 min

  5. 09/20/2025

    Trail Map Sessions: Finding Time, Setting Vision

    Send a text Join Dr. Steph Hansen for a solo mini-series of Mentoring Matters, diving deep into the concepts from our new book, The Graduate Mentor's Trail Map. This episode tackles the #1 challenge for faculty mentors: finding the time to do it well. Steph shares actionable strategies including Stephen Covey's "Big Rocks First," the Eisenhower Matrix, and effective delegation to help you reclaim your calendar. Discover why intentional mentoring isn't a luxury, but a critical investment that simplifies your entire academic program. And yes, she'll  share her strong opinions on useful figures in non-fiction books—because if a figure isn't truly helpful, why is it there? Whether you're new to mentoring or a seasoned pro, this episode offers practical tips to build a thriving graduate group. For actionable tips and strategies for mentoring please check out The Graduate Mentor's Trail Map available in paperback and ebook! If you are enjoying this podcast please leave a rating or review which helps others find the conversation. Please share with others who would gain value from the show!

    24 min

  6. 05/04/2024

    Mentoring 2.0: Integrating Generative AI Tools for Enhanced Support

    Send a text In this episode of Mentoring Matters, we explore the transformative potential of generative AI tools like ChatGPT in the context of graduate student mentoring. As these cutting-edge technologies continue to advance, they offer unique opportunities to enhance the mentoring experience and support the growth and development of graduate students. We delve into the various ways in which ChatGPT and similar tools can be leveraged to provide personalized guidance, facilitate knowledge sharing, and foster meaningful interactions between mentors and mentees. From generating ideas for research projects to offering constructive feedback on written work, these AI-powered assistants have the potential to streamline and enrich the mentoring process. However, we also address the challenges and ethical considerations surrounding the use of generative AI in mentoring, emphasizing the importance of maintaining human connection and judgment. Join us as we navigate this exciting frontier and discuss how to effectively integrate these tools while preserving the essence of authentic mentorship. Whether you're a mentor, mentee, or simply interested in the future of graduate education, this episode offers valuable insights into the role of generative AI in shaping the mentoring landscape. PS- Steph did convince Mary to get on the AI bandwagon, and she's now a happy user of ChatGPT. Steph's pro tip: Just talk to it like a colleague and you'll be surprised how easily the conversation flows. For actionable tips and strategies for mentoring please check out The Graduate Mentor's Trail Map available in paperback and ebook! If you are enjoying this podcast please leave a rating or review which helps others find the conversation. Please share with others who would gain value from the show!

    28 min

  7. 01/28/2024

    Reset: Starting Fresh at the Beginning of a Semester

    Send a text In this (long awaited) episode of Mentoring Matters we discuss how to get our students started off strong at the beginning of the semester. Things we discussed include: How much Steph loves to planSetting goals and milestones for your students AND helping them understand your purpose behind the planEnjoy! For actionable tips and strategies for mentoring please check out The Graduate Mentor's Trail Map available in paperback and ebook! If you are enjoying this podcast please leave a rating or review which helps others find the conversation. Please share with others who would gain value from the show!

    32 min

  8. 07/18/2023

    Thriving Together: Cultivating Well-Being in Students and Faculty

    Send a text Dr. Jodi McGill (Assistant Dean of Research and Graduate Students at Iowa State University's College of Veterinary Medicine) joined us to discuss what we learned in our last grad faculty book club. We read the book "Wellbeing at Work" by Jim Clifton and Jim Harter, which is from Gallup and CliftonStrengths-based. The book focuses on 5 pillars of wellbeing, a topic we've been very interested in lately. Some takeaways from this episode: Faculty need to thrive themselves before they can help students thriveEncouraging grad students to be comfortable enough to share their strugglesEveryone is different, and there are aspects that support wellbeing that may look different between studentsHow important it is to model work/life balance and the value we as faculty place on wellbeingFor actionable tips and strategies for mentoring please check out The Graduate Mentor's Trail Map available in paperback and ebook! If you are enjoying this podcast please leave a rating or review which helps others find the conversation. Please share with others who would gain value from the show!

    51 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Welcome to "Mentoring Matters" the podcast where professors Stephanie Hansen and Mary Drewnoski share their expert insights on how to excel as a mentor. Join us as we tackle the challenges of mentoring graduate students and offer actionable tips for building community, enhancing communication, and fostering a culture of learning within your team. With years of experience and hard-won wisdom, Hansen and Drewnoski will provide the guidance you need to succeed in your mentoring endeavors. Tune in to "Mentoring Matters" for valuable insights and advice on mentoring graduate students.

Information

  • Creator
    Stephanie Hansen and Mary Drewnoski
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    31
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Mentoring Matters
  • Show Website
    Mentoring Matters