Need a boost of inspiration today? Check out our latest Grad School Advisory podcast episode, Dr. Lucas Dyer reflects on his journey to completing his doctorate amidst many challenges. This experience has allowed him to share his talents on a broader level and add value personally and professionally. He reminds students, that the experience of earning your doctorate will take you out of your comfort zone and it is important to remember: "This is your program, your pace, your goals, and your reasons." This episode contains valuable advice for students.

Dr. Jennifer Zuchowski reflects on her journey amidst many challenges. This experience has allowed her to share her talents on a broader level and add value personally and professionally. She encourages others to show up and learn, absorb, and contribute, you deserve to be there; enjoy the experience. You'll end up where you are supposed to be. This episode contains valuable advice for students.

Dr. Mike Hackney shares his doctoral journey.  The first year can be daunting as you adjust to the volume of work, like training to run a marathon, those first few months the efforts to train are exhausting, but capabilities improve over time with practice. Getting your research academic doctorate is pretty cool. Don’t get so overwhelmed by the process that you don’t also take the time to enjoy it. 

Dr. Bonnie Mulkey shares how she navigated her doctorate, getting married in 2020, a new puppy, and health challenges. Emotionally draining situations can feel overwhelming, give yourself grace and reprioritize, it is important to take care of yourself. If you find yourself in the drift, seek support from writing and focus groups to get back on track. When writing your dissertation, be selfish with your time, and don’t be perfect, editing is part of the process. This episode contains valuable advice for students.

Dr. Helena Seli reflects on her experiences as a faculty member and shares advice for students. Her message centers on trust, trust yourself, you were selected from a competitive pool to be in this program, and trust the process. When faced with writer's block, she encourages students to use the five-minute plan, get out of the gate, move forward, and take the first step. This episode contains valuable advice for students.

Dr. Kate Alegado shares her doctoral journey.

Stephen Blake reflects on his decision to start the program in the fall of 2020 amidst the pandemic, leading him to explore his paradoxical dissertation topic on remote employee burnout. He encourages others to find a partner in the journey to be a pacesetter, and work with them to set deadlines, and share advice. Similar to a Formula one racecar experiencing air resistance, when cars draft (line up behind the lead), they create a vacuum that results in both cars reaching higher speeds. This episode contains valuable advice for students.

 This week's episode is a little different, this short episode is all about gratitude. Looking back on doctoral experiences and the past year launching the podcast with appreciation and celebration for how far we've come.