In this solo episode, I share the top eight episodes to listen to if you're applying to graduate school. The episode list I have curated is intended to demystify the process and empower you to make informed decisions at every step from creating your grad school list, to requesting letters of rec, to writing your essays, interviewing, and accepting an offer. You'll also find out which is the most played episode of my podcast and you may be surprised by the answer. Tune in to this episode to learn...
Mar 30, 2022•21 min•Ep 130•Transcript available on Metacast This week our special guest is Amanda Peña (she/her) who discusses the topic of advocating for yourself in grad school. Amanda Peña is an entrepreneur and master’s student at USC’s Iovine and Young Academy where she focuses on machine learning and artificial intelligence for underserved groups, particularly building tech for women and people of color. She has expertise in brand strategy, storytelling, and narrative building for social platforms. She has been a leader for a marketing communicatio...
Mar 25, 2022•40 min•Ep 129•Transcript available on Metacast In this solo episode, Dra. Yvette shares essential information you need if you're thinking about starting an academic podcast. She covers the topics of coming up with an idea, thinking about the structure, identifying tech, considering recording and hosting options, creating cover art, coming up with a title, and more! Follow me on your favorite social media platforms: Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter Sign up for my free email newsletter to learn more about grad school...
Mar 23, 2022•23 min•Ep 128•Transcript available on Metacast This week our special guest is Marisol Ibarra (she/her) who discusses the topic of adulting and life after college as a first-gen professional. Marisol Ibarra is the founder of Here Comes the Sun Podcast, where she helps first-generation students, college graduates, and professionals navigate the things that schools don’t teach. By day, Marisol is a legislative director who helps draft policy for communities of color in the state of California. She is also a proud daughter of immigrants. In this...
Mar 18, 2022•44 min•Ep 127•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, I share strategies for creating a dissertation writing timeline. The dissertation writing timeline is valuable to have because it can serve as your anchor as you write your dissertation; it will help you keep your long-term goals in mind especially when it’s so easy to get lost in the details. If you’re a grad student and don’t have a step by step timeline from now until your filing deadline, then you will find this episode helpful. I interweave a few updates about my upcoming p...
Mar 16, 2022•19 min•Ep 126•Transcript available on Metacast This week our special guest is Jacqueline Banegas-Abreu (she/her) who discusses the topic Navigating an Ed.D. and a Higher Education Career. Jacci is the Associate Director of the Community College Transfer Opportunity Program at New York University. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in Leadership and Innovation from New York University with a research focus on the transitional experience of community college students into private four-year institutions. Jacci is also a first generation La...
Mar 11, 2022•50 min•Ep 125•Transcript available on Metacast In this solo episode, I share some updates on my life since I moved to Portugal last year. You’ll hear more about what my transition has been like since I left my full-time academic job in California to pursue a virtual coaching business. I share how my Mexican immigrant parents—and especially my single mom— shaped my journey, what a day in the life of an academic coach looks like, and the life lessons I’ve gained from this experience. Follow me on your favorite social media platforms: Instagram...
Mar 09, 2022•13 min•Ep 124•Transcript available on Metacast This week our special guest is Dr. Gloria J. Santos Acevedo (she/they) who discusses the topic of managing relationships with advisors. Dr. Santos Acevedo obtained a PhD in Psychology from Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León and is a professor of education at an online university, an anti-racist educator, an activist for women's rights, a certified sex counselor, an organic percussionist and a flamenco dancer. In this episode we discuss: Her thoughts on how to navigate relationships when you inhe...
Mar 04, 2022•48 min•Ep 123•Transcript available on Metacast In this solo episode, I share with you my top six budgeting strategies to help you meet your financial goals. I share these strategies because I know first-hand what it’s like to struggle with making and then sticking to a budget when you're a first-generation student from a working-class background who was never taught the basics of financial literacy. You’ll learn how I define a budget, different forms of budgeting styles, and how to reframe your budget as a tool to help you make decisions tha...
Mar 02, 2022•42 min•Ep 122•Transcript available on Metacast This week our special guest is Shania Montufar who talks all about how she has managed pandemic-related grad app complications. Shania is a Sociology student and McNair Scholar at Truman State University and is in the middle of her graduate admission decision process as we speak. In this episode we discuss: What she did when she found out some programs weren’t accepting applicants. Her GRE-related testing hurdles and varying admission requirements. What to do when you’ve been admitted to grad sc...
Feb 25, 2022•34 min•Ep 121•Transcript available on Metacast In this solo episode, I share some strategies for how to secure funding if you're interested in working with an academic coach like me. This episode includes how to secure funding for one-on-one coaching, how to secure funding for a workshop or speaking engagement, sample language you can use when asking for funding, and what goes into our coaching fees or how we set our rates. If you're interested in working with me or any other academic coach, then you won't want to miss this episode! Follow m...
Feb 23, 2022•19 min•Ep 120•Transcript available on Metacast This week our special guest is Dra. Lorena Marquez of @doctorahood who shares all about doctorahood and all of its brown mujer magia. Dra. Lorena is a first-generation Chicana feminist and scholar practitioner. She’s also the Director of Cal State LA’s Cross Cultural Centers and the creatress of #dinnercondoctoras. In this episode we discuss: What doctorahood and brown mujer magia mean and why they matter. How her doctoral program and family experiences informed her purpose of uplifting others. ...
Feb 18, 2022•46 min•Ep 119•Transcript available on Metacast This week I have a bonus solo episode where I discuss the topic of getting organized, setting up organizational systems, and creating standard operating procedures. I talk about what they are and how you can create or modify your own systems to work smarter and not harder. I discuss examples in my own life of how I organize my workload, which includes a combination of organizing my files, writing and following standard operating procedures, creating and prioritizing my to-do list, and calendarin...
Feb 16, 2022•24 min•Ep 118•Transcript available on Metacast This week we had Jeannette Sanchez-Palacios share what it’s like having a career in politics while getting her PhD in higher education leadership. Jeannette is a Latina, full-time mom, wife, councilwoman, district director, and grad student pursuing a doctorate degree. In this episode we discuss: How she got into politics and her reflection on her 20 years of experience. The importance of learning about how political and educational systems work. Her desire to change policy to provide more stude...
Feb 11, 2022•29 min•Ep 117•Transcript available on Metacast I’m thrilled to have Christina V. Rodriguez from @latinaswithmasters as our guest speaker this week. She shares her insights all about housing and funding in master’s programs. Christina is a multicultural and equity-minded marketer and educator with a commitment in creating equitable opportunities for Women of Color in business, housing and academia. In this episode we discuss: Her first-gen educational experience taking gap years and reapplying to grad school. Housing 101 and what to consider ...
Feb 04, 2022•51 min•Ep 116•Transcript available on Metacast Our guest speaker this week is Adriana Jaramillo who shares her insights on taking a gap year, facing rejection, and reapplying to grad programs. Adriana is a first-gen Chicana who earned her BA in Psych with minors in Chicanx Studies and Education after transferring to UCLA from Santa Monica College. She’s currently reapplying to master’s programs in educational policy with an emphasis in higher ed. In this episode we discuss: Her transfer and gap year experiences. The value in taking time to r...
Jan 28, 2022•25 min•Ep 115•Transcript available on Metacast Check out the latest episode of the Grad School Femtoring Podcast which covers the topic of financial literacy for first-generation college students. This episode features Ana and Jeremy who are a first-gen married couple on the path to financial independence and who are committed to spreading their knowledge of financial education among BIPOC and mixed immigration status communities. In this episode you’ll learn all about: their experiences migrating from Mexico to California as children, their...
Jan 21, 2022•47 min•Ep 114•Transcript available on Metacast I’m thrilled to release an episode all about personal brand design and the business of personal development with a very special guest, Dr. Lauren Mason Carris. She’s my first guest of 2022 and also happens to be a former femtor/mentor of mine. Dr. Lauren Mason Carris is a first-gen Jew-tina who is also the VP of Learning Design at Penny AI, a global SaaS tech company. In this episode you’ll learn all about: her experience as a first-generation scholar and Applied Linguist at UCLA, the relationsh...
Jan 14, 2022•46 min•Ep 113•Transcript available on Metacast This week’s episode is all about why and how to invest in yourself, in your growth, in your goals. Specifically, this episode covers: investing in yourself via coaching, the difference between coaching and femtoring, my experience working with coaches as a grad student, my coaching and types of support I offer, 3 free ways to invest in yourself this year, and I also add in a few personal updates too. Follow me on your favorite social media platforms: Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, TikTo...
Jan 07, 2022•57 min•Ep 112•Transcript available on Metacast Check out my latest episode, where I share my year end reflection in what is my first recording while living abroad. The big focus of this episode is on the importance of dreaming, resting, being proud, and being grateful. Here are a few questions to ask yourself as you reflect on your year: Where were you a year ago? Where are you now? What are you most proud of this year? What are you most grateful for this year? What are your current goals? What’s the biggest dream you could ever have? Follow...
Dec 31, 2021•17 min•Ep 111•Transcript available on Metacast Check out our latest episode, with our special guest, Dr. Ces’Ari Garcia-Del-Muro from the Latinx Education Coach, who shares all about how to prepare for academic writing during the holidays. In this episode, she shares valuable insights, including: what it was like growing up multigenerational with a gang-affiliated family in Baldwin Park, CA, recognizing the changing family dynamics many first-gen students face after you’ve gone to college, the importance of literacy rates in the US and teach...
Dec 23, 2021•46 min•Ep 110•Transcript available on Metacast In our latest episode, our special guest, Brandon Quintana—a biology master’s student at CSUF— shares how he went from losing 10K of funding to gaining 75K! In this episode, he shares valuable insights, including: what happens when you lose your grad funding because it’s contingent on one grade, the issues of merit scholarships that don’t account for disadvantages and inequities in academia, how to find scholarships for masters programs, pointers for winning competitive scholarships and fellowsh...
Dec 17, 2021•33 min•Ep 109•Transcript available on Metacast This episode features our special guest, Jeannette Marroquin, a 25 year old DACA scholar, professor, and business owner who shares all about what it means to follow your gut unapologetically. Tune in to hear more about: her experience moving to a new country as a young child, navigating school and work as a DACA recipient, how following her gut has led her to seamlessly switch career paths, and what it’s like being a young business owner. Follow the Starting Thoughts Podcast on Instagram @starti...
Dec 10, 2021•30 min•Ep 108•Transcript available on Metacast This week I’m privileged to share a vulnerable and intimate episode with our special guest, Dra. Diane Nevarez, who shares her experience being a Chicana PhD lecturer. Tune in to this episode to learn about what it’s like: teaching as a contingent professor with no insurance, while on government assistance, and while unable to afford rent in California, being a Chicana mother-scholar resisting the narrative that you can’t be a mom in academia, finding the silver linings in higher ed, like identi...
Dec 03, 2021•36 min•Ep 107•Transcript available on Metacast This week, I have a very exciting and insightful episode with a guest who I instantly connected with, Stephanie Santos Youngblood, who discusses the topic of informal mentorship and mentoring neurodiverse students. Tune in to this episode to hear all about: what informal mentorship is, the impact that campus service workers have on first-gen students, things to consider when mentoring neurodiverse students, our experiences being neurodivergent or having loved ones who are neurodiverse, how to re...
Nov 26, 2021•46 min•Ep 106•Transcript available on Metacast This week, I’m sharing all about the thought process and rules I unintentionally followed to help me make my dream of moving to Portugal a reality. I share the 5 rules I followed and continue to use to help me expand my comfort zone. In this episode, you’ll learn all about: how to try new things, the value in doing things slowly, the power of taking small steps, why it’s okay to do things scared, and much more! Follow me on your favorite social media platforms: Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Face...
Nov 24, 2021•22 min•Ep 105•Transcript available on Metacast This week, I have not one but two guests, Maritza Geronimo and Miriam Santana, joining us to discuss the topic of getting into grad school as a transfer student and the importance of mentoring. Maritza and Miriam share all about: the importance of mentorship at the community college level, what it was like transferring to UCLA, the benefits of staying an extra year in undergrad, the evolution of their mentor and mentee relationship, how they supported each other in applying to grad programs, and...
Nov 19, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep 104•Transcript available on Metacast For our first replay, we are re-releasing an episode on motivating yourself to write your grad school essays. This episode is for you if: you're applying to grad programs or fellowships and you are finding yourself stuck or with writer's block, your application deadlines are looming and you don't know how to get started, you want to learn about brainstorming exercises to try out, you want to learn some time-management techniques, you want to learn some ways to develop external forms of accountab...
Nov 17, 2021•15 min•Ep 103•Transcript available on Metacast Our special guest, Diana Valdivia, discusses the topic of “Taking a Break From Working as an Immigrant.” In this episode, she shares all about: navigating college and grad school as an undocumented student, taking a break after working multiple jobs, resisting the hardworking immigrant ethic, shifting her money mindsets and identifying forms of communal financial abundance, and the need for community care rather than self-care To connect with Diana, you can reach her on Instagram here. Sign up f...
Nov 12, 2021•42 min•Ep 102•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Dra. Yvette discusses the topic of the adjunctification of academia as well as how and why it’s important to plan for a career outside of the tenure-track. Believe it or not, you likely have had a professor who earns wages that are below the poverty line, relies on public assistance, and/or struggles to meet their basic needs. If you are being trained to become a tenure-track professor, the grim reality is that there’s a good chance you won’t land a t-t job, not because you’re n...
Nov 10, 2021•40 min•Ep 101•Transcript available on Metacast 
