It's been over one year since the pandemic brought a halt to many of our day-to-day lives, and all signs point to it being with us well into the summer. In this week’s episode, the hosts reflect on what has carried them through thus far and what they plan to rely on in order to bring some sense of normalcy to their lives in spite of living amidst pandemic conditions. From small everyday enjoyments to weekly habits and from guilty pleasures to general outlooks on life, the hosts share their pande...
Mar 31, 2021•58 min•Ep. 36
In addition to the challenges many academics are facing with various work-from-home-arrangements, the pandemic has put economic strains on universities and other organizations, leading to a drop in traditional employment opportunities for academics. In this episode, the hosts consider the so-called alt-ac career as a possibility for academics to look outside of the narrow confines of tenure track positions and other teaching-centered appointments. Addressing alt-ac positions both as a long term ...
Mar 17, 2021•59 min•Ep. 35
Collaborations with colleagues can be a source of strength and inspiration. Some collaborations, like this podcast, for example, allow colleagues and friends to pursue their mutual interests while receiving feedback and support via a social outlet. Amidst this pandemic, forging and maintaining such relationships is more important than ever. Join Judith and Erin as they discuss different types of collaborations in the academy, ways to connect and network with like-minded scholars, the benefits su...
Mar 03, 2021•58 min•Ep. 34
Almost a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, mothers all around the world are feeling overworked and burnt out but continue to shoulder many of the responsibilities that have been added to family life. Popular cultural narratives about what mothers are currently going through and how they are coping with this current reality tell stories about struggles and resilience. In this episode, Erin and Judith review pre-pandemic ideologies of motherhood like intensive mothering and attachment parenting and...
Feb 10, 2021•54 min•Ep. 33
Most academic careers are built around applications for jobs, grants, awards, stipends, scholarships, and so forth. Competition is generally strong and as such, academics are frequently faced with rejection. In this episode, Erin and Judith ask what is so difficult about facing academic and other professional rejections and how to move forward from that initial sting. Drawing on their experiences facing rejected publications proposals, job applications, award applications, and more, the hosts sh...
Feb 03, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 32
Most of us working as educators in higher education realize the key role that adjunct instructors fulfill within the academy. Educators in adjunct positions often teach the lion's share of courses at colleges and universities but do not necessarily reap the rewards such as benefits or job stability that their tenure-track and full-time colleagues do. With that in mind, Judith and Erin discuss whether or not there are any positive aspects to working in an adjunct capacity, especially for working ...
Jan 27, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 31
With 2020 in the rearview mirror and a new semester underway, Judith and Erin discuss how the pandemic has shaped current pedagogical practice in higher education. Whether your college has changed its mode of delivery to virtual learning, switched to a hybrid model, or returned to face-to-face instruction, your pedagogical approaches might have gone through some transformations over the last couple of semesters. In this episode, the hosts glean insights from listener feedback as well as their ow...
Jan 19, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 30
Join Judith and Erin as they have an illuminating conversation with Jessica Spott, Ph.D. candidate in Educational Psychology at Texas Tech University and the mother of two young boys. Jessica is also the Director of the STEM Center for Outreach, Research & Education at Texas Tech. In this episode, Jessica shares some of the roadblocks that have occurred on her journey to her Ph.D. as well as her important research project which examines the experiences of MotherScholars in STEM fields. Tune ...
Jan 13, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 29
For many, the hope and optimism tied to a new year are especially promising as 2021 begins. In this episode, Erin and Judith discuss what happens when the pressure to be positive becomes toxic. Drawing on examples from research and their own experiences, they discuss what toxic positivity looks like at home, in the workplace, and in the academy, and how they avoid passing it on to their children. Here's a link to the article from the Psychology Group that is referred to in the episode: https://t...
Jan 06, 2021•43 min•Ep. 28
As 2020 (finally!) comes to an end, it would be easy to enumerate all the challenges and disappointments that the year brought. In this episode, however, Judith and Erin re-center the conversation about the year and bring focus to what they learned about themselves, their children, and their work/life this year. The opening and closing song, "Vienna Beat" by Blue Dot Sessions is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial License and shared through the Free Music Archive: https://freemusicarchiv...
Dec 30, 2020•50 min•Ep. 27
Have you been labeled oversensitive? Are you drained by crowds? Do you startle easily? Then you might be an empath! In this week’s episode, the hosts continue their conversation about emotional labor by looking more closely at how being an empath might impact that labor and increase the exhaustion caused by it. They relate it to the broader notion of empathy and its relationship to social justice. The hosts end the discussion by responding to twenty empath questionnaire questions and considering...
Dec 23, 2020•46 min•Ep. 26
Why is it that certain tasks and interactions at work and at home leave us feeling drained? One hypothesis is that some responsibilities require more emotional labor than others. In this episode, Judith and Erin explore the different ways in which the term "emotional labor" has been evoked in the l decades since sociologist Arlie Hochschild first coined the term before considering how emotional labor plays a role in their personal and professional lives. This episode refers to the article "The C...
Dec 16, 2020•51 min•Ep. 25
Do women and men really have different leadership styles, and if so, can we change the way we frame what has been categorized as "feminine" qualities? In this episode, Judith and Erin review current research regarding female and male leadership before exploring how this plays out in higher ed. Drawing on research and personal experiences, the hosts discuss the high points and challenges of being a female leader. The episode refers to the following articles: Qureshi, M. I., Zaman, K., & Bhatt...
Dec 09, 2020•48 min•Ep. 24
If you've been on any form of social media recently, you'll have noticed a plethora of memes and gifs depicting mothers who use wine as a means for coping with their daily duties. In this episode, Judith and Erin consider how consumer products, cultural representations ranging from social media memes to television series and movies, and the pressure to drink in social situations are all expressions of the so-called "mommy wine culture." The hosts draw on their own experience and their academic b...
Dec 02, 2020•50 min•Ep. 23
We are headed into the holiday season here in the US, and for many of us that’s going to look a bit different than in other years due to the pandemic. In this episode, Erin and Judith discuss what kinds of traditions they’re hanging on to, what they’re letting go of, and how the ebb and flow of the semester impacts their families’ experience of the season. The hosts discuss several stressors that impact the holiday season and consider how the pandemic might eliminate some and exacerbate others. ...
Nov 25, 2020•51 min•Ep. 22
In what ways did the Trump presidency impact our work as parents and scholars? How will the Biden/Harris presidency bring change to our dual roles? In this episode, Judith and Erin recall their reactions to the 2016 election and its aftermath before thinking forward to how the Biden presidency may shape academia and higher education. Exploring specific examples of how anti-intellectual ideologies have crept into American culture, the hosts explore why teaching critical thinking has lasting conse...
Nov 17, 2020•55 min•Ep. 21
In this episode, Judith and Erin have a candid chat with Dr. Adrienne Jankens, Assistant Professor in Rhetoric and Composition at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Adrienne, the mother of four, charts her day-to-day activities as scholar and mother and notes the significant changes between working as a full-time lecturer and working as an assistant professor on the tenure track. In addition to discussing her important work with student writers and writing program administration, Adrie...
Nov 10, 2020•52 min•Ep. 20
How does being a Ph.D. impact our children's perceptions of who we are and how do we explain to our children what we actually do? In this episode, Judith and Erin discuss their children's understanding of their work and how their professional lives and scholarly journeys have, in turn, impacted their parenting practices. The hosts discuss their experiences interacting with non-academic parents in playgroups and school events as well as whether or not their roles in academia lead them to set high...
Nov 03, 2020•54 min•Ep. 19
Judith and Erin begin the episode by discussing and defining the concept of the growth mindset trait developed by American psychologist Carol Dweck. The hosts go on to consider how the cultivation of a growth mindset can be advantageous in both parenting and academic roles using examples from their own lives to contextualize the conversation. This episode refers to the following books and articles: HOW CHILDREN SUCCEED By Paul Tough https://www.paultough.com/books/how-children-succeed/ The Gift ...
Oct 27, 2020•55 min•Ep. 18
In this episode, Judith and Erin consider how female academics have been impacted during COVID-19. The hosts survey the three arms of the academy (publishing, teaching, and service) from a feminist perspective to see how the massive changes due to COVID are impacting women in the academy. This episode refers to the following articles: "The Virus Moved Female Faculty to the Brink. Will Universities Help?" By Jillian Kramer posted at https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/06/science/covid-universities-wo...
Oct 20, 2020•58 min•Ep. 17
Most academics are familiar with the term "publish or perish," but how does one put those words into action? In this episode, the hosts walk through a number of publishing scenarios drawing from their experiences to contextualize the conversation and offer practical advice. Judith discusses her role as the Managing Editor of Criticism, a top-tier, peer-reviewed journal as well as the editorial experience she gleaned from working on a ten-volume, inter-disciplinary handbook series as the Editor's...
Oct 13, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 16
In what ways might the experiences of navigating the competing demands of scholarship and parenthood differ across fields and disciplines? What are experiences that connect academic parents across disciplinary boundaries? To answer these questions from a scientist’s perspective, Erin and Judith interview special guest Dr. Danielle Hutchison, chemistry PhD and Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Notre Dame. Their conversation covers everything from having kids in graduate school ...
Oct 06, 2020•54 min•Ep. 15
Have a toddler that refuses to eat anything but chicken nuggets and frozen waffles? Wondering how to provide healthy fuel for your family and get your child or children involved in the process? In this episode, Judith and Erin share some of their own personal anecdotes about eating well, aiming for body positivity, and meal planning before looking at what the experts have to say about setting our children up to make healthy choices on their own. This episode refers to Dr. Kristen Fuller's articl...
Sep 29, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 14
What is so "toxic" about being productive, anyway? In this episode, Judith and Erin discuss this buzz-worthy term and how social norms suggest that working parents need to be ultra-productive all the time. The hosts question whether working in academia may exacerbate these pressures before providing some tips to help listeners navigate the pressure to be productive through mindful living. This episode refers to the work of Dr. Julie Smith, which can be viewed here: https://twitter.com/bbc/status...
Sep 22, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 13
While successfully defending a dissertation is one of the most important milestones in the life of a scholar, what happens next? How does one prepare for the job market as a PhD and as a parent? Join Judith, Erin, and special guest Dr. Alisa Allkins, tenure track instructor at Harold Washington College, a City College of Chicago, as they discuss the highs and the lows of navigating the academic job market. The three share their own experiences as well as offer practical guidance about how to pre...
Sep 15, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 12
Balancing work and home life is often a challenge for parents working in academia, but now more than ever. After wondering what the fall would hold--it is finally here. Join Judith and Erin as they describe the new landscape of their workplaces and spaces and what the school day is like for their children. Opening and closing song, "Vienna Beat" by Blue Dot Sessions is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial License and shared through the Free Music Archive: https://freemusicarchive.org/musi...
Sep 08, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 11
Attending academic conferences (whether in-person or online) is a major component of the graduate school experience as well as life after graduation. But how does this work when a scholar has children? Join Judith and Erin as they recount some of their rewarding (and challenging) experiences conferencing with children, and as they consider how the pandemic may reshape conferencing as we know it. Opening and closing song, "Vienna Beat" by Blue Dot Sessions is licensed under an Attribution-NonComm...
Sep 01, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 10
Every wonder if your time management during graduate school could be improved? Thinking about how to make your dissertation writing process more focused and/more stream-lined? As successful PhD graduates, Judith and Erin share their experiences working through graduate school and offer insight about what they might have differently based on the knowledge they gained during the process.
Aug 25, 2020•52 min•Ep. 9
Ever feel like you are not "qualified" to be in your current role? If so, you may have been experiencing imposter syndrome. In this episode, Judith and Erin discuss some signs and symptoms of this phenomenon alongside their own experiences. The episode asks if the structure of higher education exacerbates such feelings and what can be done to alleviate them. The hosts all think about how this may impact parents as well. This episode refers to the following research articles: Clance, Pauline R.; ...
Aug 18, 2020•57 min•Ep. 8
Join Judith, Erin, and special guest, Dr. Ashley Whitmore, as they discuss what the fall semester may hold for those working in higher education. Ashley, a Composition Lecturer at University of Michigan-Dearborn and mother of two, discusses her journey as a parent and PhD student as well as her contingency plans for educating her children at home this fall. The three also think through what college classrooms might like look this fall as well as some possible best practices for keeping students ...
Aug 11, 2020•59 min•Ep. 7
