Changing Academic Life

Deep listening is a foundational yet undervalued skill across all our supervision, leadership, and collaboration relationships. My motivation for this episode came from some recent workshops experiences, conversations with colleagues, and posts from others that have all highlighted the importance of listening in different ways. This is a multi-voice episode, weaving together insights from past conversations with Christian van Nieuwerburgh, Oscar Trimboli, and Michael Bungay Stanier. Together we explore how we can cultivate better listening.

Good listening starts with how we show up—our wellbeing, intention, and undivided attention—and practical preparation such as reducing notifications, hydrating, and breathing. Good listening then is a way of being, staying curious longer with open “what” questions, checking what support is wanted, and resisting “advice monsters” that push premature solutions. We also discuss the relational, developmental and productivity costs of poor listening, and I close with Oscar’s five levels of listening and Michael’s exhortation to stay curious a little longer. The invitation to you is to consider how you might practice deeper curiosity and presence for better listening where you are.

00:29 Why the Focus on Listening

05:36 Listening Starts with Listening to Ourselves

13:27 When the Content isn't the Real Content - Curiosity and Questions

18:05 Christian on Optimal Matching

20:58 Michael on our Advice Monsters

26:39 Michael on the Problem with Rushing to Advice

29:59 How We Ask a Question Matters

33:44 Relationship Costs of Poor Listening

42:52 Oscar's Five Levels of Listening

44:23 Wrapping Up

The Full Podcast Episodes:

Michael Bungay Stanier on the power of curiosity and taming your advice monster

RW8 Asking good questions, empowering good people

Oscar Trimboli (Part 1) on being better listeners (CAL61)

Oscar Trimboli (Part 2) on how to listen deeply (CAL62)

Christian van Nieuwerburgh on Bringing Back the Joy (CAL142, S8E7)

Related Links:

Uni of Glasgow Outstanding Catalyst Mentors – Padlet with testimonials (Kay Guccione)

Narelle Lemon, Deep Listening: Are You Being Helped, Hugged or Heard? Jun 9 2026

The Thriving PI Summit– free online event June 29-Jul 2 2026 – organized by Ana Pineda. Free registration.

Mike Levin is a Professor of Biology at Tufts University in the US and leads the Levin Lab and pursues research across cancer, birth defects, regenerative medicine, AI, synthetic morphology, and philosophy, unified by a central aim: understanding how minds become embodied and scale across biological and synthetic systems. Mike explains his early inspirations and his practice of looking for what is “not in the textbook,” challenging dominant paradigms and treating scientific frameworks as metaphors that both reveal and hide phenomena. He describes navigating academia by separating creative exploration from pragmatic communication, strategically and slowly rolling out disruptive ideas as data accumulate, and connecting new ideas to what others value. He discusses building and managing an interdisciplinary lab, sustaining high publication output through intensive work, persisting through rejection, and advising students to envision long-term outcomes and not give up. This conversation will inspire you to also ask new questions.

00:29 Episode Introduction

04:24 Introducing Mike, the Levin Lab and the Embodied Minds Research Agenda

06:30 Early Curiosity Origins - TVs and Bugs

09:45 Fresh Eyes Method

11:48 Hidden Capacties of Algorithms

13:21 Beyond Disciplines

15:07 Navigating Academia Your Way

17:08 Curating Radical Ideas

20:21 Two Minds Strategy and Being Realistic

24:45 Understanding Communities, Building Your Own Community

26:09 Slow Curated Rollout Dial

29:32 Imposter Syndrome Reality

29:58 Data Over Opinions

32:11 Interdisciplinary Metaphors

34:44 Rethinking Scientific Categories

36:23 Hiring For Discomfort, Building a MultiDisciplinary Team

39:14 From Crazy To Obvious

41:07 Seeding Lab Communication

43:51 Partnering With Model Systems

45:06 Sharing Science

45:51 Productivity And Sacrifice

47:22 Stress And Best Job

49:19 Speaking to Young Researchers

50:55 Never Give Up

Related links:

The Levin Lab website and Starter pack: Introductory materials to the lab's academic work

Tufts Allen Discovery Center

Mike's personal Blog: Forms of life, forms of mind and Google Scholar page

Podcast Exploring the origin and nature of minds in the physical universe and YouTube channel

TED conversation about "The electrical blueprints that orchestrate life"

Advice he gives to his students

Dr Raffael Himmelsbach and I discuss his unorthodox path from a political science PhD at the University of Lausanne into science policy and research-adjacent leadership roles across multiple countries, including work with the Center for Digital Life Norway and co-directing a Vienna Ludwig Boltzmann Research Group on wound healing. He describes moving away from a publication-driven track toward designing programs, coordinating networks, and working with people, and reflects on the discomfort and courage required in ambiguous roles where goals and success criteria can be unclear. Drawing on large-scale, multi-institution collaborations, he discusses stakeholder management, the risks of equating success with spending and visible activity, and the importance of creating safety and “attractiveness” for collaboration. He shares practical tools such as participatory lab manuals, structured check-ins, and “parking lot” rituals, and reflects on leadership beyond positional authority, the tension between expert and leader identities, and the value of coaching and self-leadership as he now transitions to leadership coaching and organisation development consulting.

00:29 Introducing Raffael

03:38 From Political Science to Science Policy and Responsibility

10:03 Finding his Happy Place in a Research Adjacent Role

17:53 Becoming more Professional, Accepting Being Uncomfortable

22:03 Coordinating Multidisciplinary Multisite Projects

28:14 Key Learning About Courage

32:10 Knowing your Stakeholders, Defining Success Beyond Activity

35:18 Bootstrapping Collaboration Through Safety and Attractiveness

41:23 Lab Manual As Social Contract

44:14 Participation and Shared Responsibility

46:28 Leadership Without Command Control

50:50 Rituals That Make People Seen

53:39 Leader Identity vs Expert Identity

59:01 Drawing on Experience to Help Others

01:01:27 Third Space Roles and Future Academia

Related Links:

Raffael Himmesbach Consulting and LinkedIn profile

Raffael's report on The Centre for Digital Life Norway at Nine Years: Insights from the Legacy Workshop

Ludwig Boltzmann Research Group Senescence and Healing of Wounds

Raffael Himmelsbach, We need to talk about leadership transitions in science, LinkedIn blog post Jan 2026.

Richard Van Noorden, Some hard numbers on science’s leadership problems, Nature 557, 294-296 (2018) doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-018-05143-8

Connecting to Christian van Nieuwerburgh’s idea of “joyful effort” and discussions at the University of Graz Research Culture Campus Fest about supportive, inclusive research cultures and prioritizing meaningful work over productivity, this episode revisits an episode from January 2025 on research identity, meaningful work, and funding. I explore the tensions between our autonomy to pursue intrinsically motivating, value-driven research and systemic constraints such as funding calls, promotion criteria, shifting national priorities, and restrictive deliverables that can conflict with participatory principles. Using examples from Katta Spiel on focusing on what you want to do not what is strategic, Mark Reed’s impact principle about purpose, and Stuart Reeves on low-cost research styles, I talk about our choices to play or not play the funding “game,” including reframing proposals, and the risks of taking on less-meaningful projects. I close with reflective questions (summarized in nine steps byRachel Ratz-Lubashevsky) to identify what “lights you up” and guide decisions.

00:34 Motivating the Relevance of Revisiting this Episode

04:56 Rachel's Summary of the 9 Simple Steps to What Lights You Up

08:28 Introduction and Reflection on Academic Freedom

09:56 Replay from Katta Spiel Part 1

10:40 Mark Reed's principle for engagement and impact

13:23 The Tension Between Personal Values, Identity and Systemic Expectations

15:07 The Reality of Funding Proposals and Strategic Game

16:40 The Impact of Funding Conditions on Research

18:27 The Dilemma of Playing the Funding Game

21:07 Choices for How to Play the Game

27:52 Choosing Not to Play the Game

29:42 Reframing Research Identity and Conclusion

Related Links:

Uni Graz Research Culture Campus Fest report and LinkedIn post about it

Rachel Ratz-Lubashevsky’s LinkedIn post summarising the 9 steps

CAL Podcast episodes I mention:

Christian van Nieuwerburgh, Johanna Stadlbauer, Katta Spiel part 1, Mark Reed and Stuart Reeves part 1

Christian van Nieuwerburgh is Professor of Coaching and Positive Psychology at the Centre for Positive Health Sciences at the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland University of Medicine and Health Sciences, and a practitioner providing coach training and consultancy for the education sector, among other roles. His ‘coach on a motorcycle’ identity is about aligning all parts of his work and life as a “pracademic”.

Universities, he argues, should be joyful, safe, inclusive places where students and staff flourish despite constraints like performance metrics and burnout. He talks about wellbeing as foundational for us to be able to do good work, about how a coaching approach is ideal for setting up learning environments that build autonomy, self-efficacy, and connection, and about the importance of intention. Intention, he says, is central to how we show up because “intention directs attention,” helping others feel seen, valued, and heard. Throughout, he provides lots of practical suggestions for how to check in with our own intentions and choices. We discuss supervision and learning conversations, shifting stances from directive to facilitative and dialogical, optimal matching of support, asking what help is needed, cultivating presence, and using small reflective choices (purpose, calendar/energy audits, recharging activities) to bring joy back to academic work.

00:29 Episode Introduction

03:33 Christian's Student Dream to Academic Reality

05:51 Embracing the Pracademic Coach on a Motorcycle

07:25 Bringing Joy Back to Universities

12:40 Joyful Effort Meaning and Energy

19:29 Wellbeing Beyond the Business Case

23:58 Intention Directs Attention

29:54 Coaching Supervision and a Caring Professor

34:16 Undivided Attention Matters

36:00 Supervisor as Coach

38:34 Beyond the Expert Hat

41:04 Dialogical Career Conversations

48:32 Matching Support to Needs

50:54 From Surviving to Adding Value

53:36 Practicing Presence Daily

57:23 Joyful Effort Closing

58:17 Outro

Related Links:

About Christian:

The ‘Coach on a Motorcycle’. You can also find him via his RCSI web page, Google Scholar page, and on LinkedIn and Instagram.

People Christian mentions:

Prof. Cathia Jenainati, Uni of Gloucestershire

Prof. George Khairallah, American University of Beirut

Dr Paige Williams, Uni of Melbourne

Christian's books and articles:

See https://coachonamotorcycle.com/books/ for all his books

van Nieuwerburgh, Christian and Biswas-Diener, Robert, Radical Listening: The Art of True Connection, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2025.

van Nieuwerburgh, Christian, Radical listening: two big ideas and six core skills that could help you connect more deeply with others, The Conversation, June 2025

https://theconversation.com/radical-listening-two-big-ideas-and-six-core-skills-that-could-help-you-connect-more-deeply-with-others-256289

van Nieuwerburgh, Christian and Williams, Paige (Eds), From Surviving to Thriving: A student’s guide to feeling and doing well at university, Sage Publications, 2022.

van Nieuwerburgh, Christian, An Introduction to Coaching Skills: A Practical Guide, Sage Publications, 2013 (2025 4th Ed).

Lynden J, Gallaghan G, van Nieuwerburgh CJ (2024), "Bringing joy back into higher education: the potential contribution of coaching". International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, Vol. 13 No. 3 pp. 378–393. (PDF available here)

Other articles:

Buckingham, Markus and Goodall, Ashley, Work-Life Balance is a Myth. Do This Instead. Time Magazine, June 6 2019.

Designing Your Intentional Sabbatical: Purpose, boundaries and career sustainability.

This is Part 2 of my conversation with Bethany Wilinski, an associate professor of teacher education at Michigan State University. Building from Part 1, where Bethany described her own sabbatical experience, here the the focus is on how to more intentionally design your sabbatical (also relevant for any leave) by starting with purpose, priorities, and desired feelings rather than a to-do list. Bethany outlines practical boundary management strategies to protect your time amid ongoing responsibilities while on sabbatical. These include clarifying expectations in advance, shifting cognitive load to students, and batching meetings into limited windows. She makes a great case for how we can use sabbaticals as a chance to test systems and carry changes forward: balancing structure versus unscheduled time, normalizing rest and reading as productive, and using sabbatical (and other types of leave) to reset habits around health, work rhythms, and scarcity-driven opportunity-taking. Bethany also also reflects more generally on academia’s lack of positive reinforcement, her sabbatical-planning coaching business, and the need for sustainable career choices and incremental culture change.

0:29 Introduction

03:55 Starting With Purpose and Priorities Before Tasks

07:34 Mapping Obligations And Boundaries, Setting Boundaries

12:31 Reducing Cognitive Load, Taking Control of Scheduling

14:51 Structure Rest And Reading

18:25 Mid Career Reset And Scarcity

22:01 Career Choices In Uncertain Times

24:12 Lessons From Parental Leave

26:22 The To Do List Never Ends

29:35 Validation And Sustainable Culture

35:58 Starting A Coaching Business

39:21 Changing Academia From Within

41:18 Outro

Related Links:

Bethany’s Michigan State Uni webpage

Bethany Wilinski Sabbatical Coaching

Bethany on LinkedIn

Bethany Wilinski is an associate professor of teacher education at Michigan State University and a sabbatical coach. In Part 1 of our conversation, she describes her own sabbatical experience. She talks about how earning tenure in 2022 after the pandemic, young children, and family losses left her burned out and questioning her work’s impact. Initially she planned an “expected” research sabbatical in Tanzania and applied for a competitive yearlong Fulbright, but soon felt unease about starting a major new project and disrupting family life. After seeing a colleague’s Florence sabbatical report, she reframed sabbatical as restoration and family reconnection, chose Bordeaux France for one semester, and returned reenergized and eager to reengage without resuming frenetic pace. She discusses shifting identity beyond career, setting boundaries, pausing before saying yes, focusing on finishing work, and unlearning academia’s hidden curriculum of constant striving.

00:29 Introduction

04:09 Burnout After Tenure and Initial Sabbatical Plans

09:14 Navigating Doubts After Submitting and Expectations

14:03 Post Tenure Pressure

18:18 Slowing Down For Family

24:19 A Different Sabbatical Vision

30:14 Restoration Mindset Shift and Choosing Bordeaux France

33:16 Returning Reenergized

35:59 Identity Beyond Academia

37:52 Boundaries and Saying No

41:26 Essentialism and Finishing

43:19 Hidden Curriculum Unlearning

48:37 Support Systems and Guardrails

52:09 Designing Your Sabbatical

52:33 Outro

Related Links:

Bethany’s Michigan State Uni webpage

Bethany Wilinski Sabbatical Coaching

Bethany on LinkedIn

[Book] Greg McKeown, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, Crown Currency 2014.

What if a corporatisation approach could actually make academic life better? Looking across the episodes so far this year I see three themes: shifting from “I” to “we” by treating research as a team sport; developing a new kind of leadership focused on enabling others through self-awareness, humility, authenticity, kindness, and clear roles; and adopting new ways of working that reduce bureaucratic hierarchies. These point to new ways of working. Drawing on Masud Husain’s 2025 editorial on corporatization and “bullshit jobs”, and Jayne Price’s discussion of holacracy and Corporate Rebels, I remind us, as if we need reminding, of how our current arbitrary and onerous bureaucratic processes take us away from our core work. I then explore what we could learn from holocratic approaches that move from bureaucracy and control to trust and self organised teams, as captured in Corporate Rebels’ eight trends (purpose over metrics, networks of teams, supportive leadership, adaptation, freedom with accountable trust, distributed decisions, transparency, and talents/mastery). I invite us to experiment with being academic rebels exploring new ways of working with new forms of leadership. There might actually be forms of corporatisation that could be useful for our sector.

00:29 Reflecting on Conversations so Far in 2026

02:08 Theme 1: Mindset shift from I to We

02:55 Theme 2: Critical Role of Leadership

05:09 Theme 3: Needing New Ways of Working

07:19 The Rise of Corporatisation and 'Bullshit Jobs' in the Academic Sector

10:17 Learning from New Approaches in the Corporate Sector?

13:31 Exploring the Arbitrariness and Impact of Bureaucracy and Heirarchies

14:13 Example: Different Approaches to Bureaucracy around Teaching

16:39 Example: Different Approaches to Booking Holidays

17:48 Example: Booking Work Related Travel

20:05 Example: Bureaucracy and Control of Funding Bodies

22:39 Example: Bureaucracy, Micromanagement in Professional Organizations

25:15 Better Ways from Holocracy and Coporate Rebels?

29:33 Requires New Forms of Leadership

34:09 Eight Trends in This New Coporate Way

39:16 What Can You Imagine for Your Situation?

Related Links:

Sarah McLusky on diverse careers, purposeful events and effective communication (CAL135, S8E1)

Jayne Price on making work work better (CAL137, S8E2)

Jen Heemstra on Accidental Leadership (CAL 138, S8E3)

Strengths as Superpowers - Replay (CAL123, S6 E17)

Masud Husain, On the responsibilities of intellectuals and the rise of bullshit jobs in universities, Brain, Volume 148, Issue 3, March 2025, Pages 687–688.

Brian Robertson, Holocracy

Corporate Rebels

Diederick Janse & Marco Bogers, Getting Started With Holacracy: Upgrading Your Team's Productivity, 2020, AbeBooks

Prof. Jen Heemstra from Washington University in St. Louis in the US shares her journey from a research-focused bimolecular engineer to accidental leader and now author of the insightful book 'Lab Work to Leadership.' Jen speaks about the challenges faced by academics moving into leadership, recognisning that we are often untrained and unprepared for these roles. She shares insights from her book focusing on self-leadership, leading others, and coaching future leaders. Jen talks about the importance of building trust, creating a positive lab culture, giving and seeking feedback, and the significance of modeling behavior for emerging leaders. Jen also reflects on her personal experiences, including her struggles to get tenure and maintaining a work-life balance.

00:29 Introduction and Welcome

03:09 The Birth of 'Lab Work to Leadership'

05:43 Navigating Academic Challenges

08:29 The Worst Day: Tenure Rejection

12:14 People Showing Up and Getting Tenure

15:49 Embracing Leadership in Academia That We Are Not Trained For

21:26 Building a Collaborative Lab Culture

30:35 The Importance of Self-Leadership and Self-Awareness

33:27 The Role of Coaches and Mentors

35:02 The Importance of Feedback

37:01 Challenges in Giving and Receiving Feedback

38:46 Understanding Individual Needs in a Lab Environment

43:59 Building Trust and Psychological Safety

49:37 Coaching Future Leaders

56:50 Balancing Professional and Personal Life

58:11 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

58:56 Outro

Related Links:

About Jen:

Heemstra Lab at Washington Univ in St. Louis

Jen’s webpage and LinkedIn Profile

Book:

Jen Heemstra, Labwork to leadership: a concise guide to thriving in the science job you weren’t trained for, 2025, Harvard University Press

People:

Troy Champ

Resources:

Edwin Catmull and Amy Wallace, Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration, 2014, Penguin.

Liz Wiseman and Greg McKeown, Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter, 2010, Harper Collins.

Birkman Personality Inventory

Jayne Price is all about making work work better. She is the Transformation Director and Head of Continuous Improvement at the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). Jayne discusses her journey to her current role in UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and the strategies she employs to foster human-centered, purpose-led change in the organization. She emphasizes the importance of leadership that is grounded in trust, accountability, and psychological safety, and the role of experimental and agile approaches in driving systemic transformation. Jayne also shares practical examples, including the implementation of Holacracy and continuous improvement initiatives. The conversation highlights the challenges and successes in transforming our traditionally bureaucratic research culture into a more effective and innovative environment. Jayne offers valuable insights for leaders at all levels and showcases the value of empowering teams to do their best work.

00:29 Introduction to the Episode

03:41 Introducing Jayne and her Career Journey

06:52 Understanding Project versus Program Management

07:59 From Change to Transformation

12:14 Implementing Experiments and Measuring Change

14:10 Challenges in the Academic and Research Sector

19:54 Innovative Approaches to Leadership and Management

27:21 Designing Alternative Promotion Routes

29:21 Challenges to Identity and Developing Leaders

35:50 Moving from 'I' to 'We' as a Leader

37:53 The Mindset to Move to 'We'

40:13 Humility, Vulnerability and Authenticity in Leadership

43:26 Shadow Sides, Blind Spots and Experimenting with Different Approaches

47:31 Starting to See the Benefits

50:53 Creating Workplaces For People to Flourish

53:04 The Holacracy Experiment - Creating Clarity

55:42 Doing Meetings Differently

59:22 Empowerment and Autonomy with Accountability

01:01:47 Corporate Rebels and Other Inspirational Resources

01:06:31 The Critical Importance of Leadership Buy-In

01:08:01 Everyone Can Choose Leadership Behaviours at Any Level

01:09:51 Encouragement for Change Agents

01:11:39 Outro

About Jayne:

Jayne Price https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-price71/

UKRI https://www.ukri.org

STFC https://www.ukri.org/councils/stfc/

Related links:

Cynefin framework for making sense of complexity

Corporate Rebels

Diederick Janse and Marc-Peter Pijper from Corporate Rebels supported the Holocracy Trials

GlassFrog: “the cutting-edge self-management platform that empowers teams with clarity and autonomy”

Tuff Leadership Training

Books:

Aaron Dignan, Brave New Work, Portfolio, 2019

Daniel Pink, Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us, Riverhead Books, 2011

Joost Minnaar and Pim de Morree, Corporate Rebels: Make Work More Fun, 2020

Jon Alexander, Citizens: Why the Key to Fixing Everything is All of Us, Simon and Schuster, 2023

Diederick Janse & Marco Bogers, Getting Started With Holacracy: Upgrading Your Team's Productivity, 2020, AbeBooks

Robin Sharma, The Leader Who Had No Title, Free Press, 2010.

Harvard Business Review

Related CAL Podcasts:

Fostering psychological safety in research environments 30 Oct 24

Elizabeth Churchill on creating culture, leading teams, loving challenges - she talks about Cynefin Framework ~6:30 mins

Dr. Sarah McLusky, is an advocate and role model for research-adjacent careers. As an advocate Sarah hosts the 'Research Adjacent' podcast, which showcases career opportunities beyond traditional academic and industry roles. She talks about why started the podcast and also talks about her four main categories of research adjacent roles, emphasising the importance of recognising the many contributors to successful research. As a role model, Sarah shares her own experiences moving into a research adjacent role post-PhD, now working as a freelancer who supports research organisations through events and communications. Some of her key insights are around how to prepare participants for meaningful engagement at events and the value of effective research communication. She encourages us to rethink career possibilities and the significance of culture in research environments.

00:29 Intro to the Episode

02:49 Introducing Sarah McLusky

04:33 The Concept of Research Adjacent

08:00 Research As a Team Sport

12:02 Career Paths Beyond Academia

20:10 Four Main Categories of Research Adjacent Roles

24:22 Sarah McLusky's Journey to a Research Adjacent Role

29:36 Balancing Passion and Pragmatism

33:17 Navigating Freelance Work

34:51 The Importance of Gathering with Purpose

45:54 Supporting the Communication of Great Research

48:49 Final Thoughts and Resources

51:25 Outro

Related Links:

About Sarah and her work

Website https://sarahmclusky.com/

Newsletter https://sarahmclusky.com/gathering-with-purpose

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahmclusky/

Research Adjacent Podcast

https://researchadjacent.com/podcast/

https://pod.link/1663857550

For this last episode of the year I revisit the Long Play (LP) template, inspired by vinyl records, as a way to intentionally reflect on and celebrate this past year and to be more intentional about how we move into our new year. The Ps of the template are personal, people, play, and projects and we use the Ls to reflect across there:  what did you land, love, labor on, and learn this past year review, and what do you want to look forward to, let go, let grow, and let be for the next year. You can download a template to create your own personalised reflections and plans, individually or within groups, to help you shape your good academic life.

Overview:

00:29 Setting up the LP

03:34 LP Replay

05:05 Introducing the LP Table Template

08:59 Taking Time to Savour and Celebrate

12:06 Looking forward to the 2026 LP

16:12 Wrapping Up and Summary

19:09 Final Pointers

19:49 Outro

You can download your LP template here. Feel free to tailor it to what works best for you! And I'd love to hear back how you used it and evolved it.

In this very personal solo episode, I share my journey through infertility and the impact it had on my academic and personal life. Inspired by Susan Dray's story, I decided to share our challenges of trying to start a family while managing a career in academia. I discusses the physical and emotional toll of infertility treatments, the loneliness of not sharing my struggles with colleagues, and the moral dilemmas we faced. Mine is just one story, and we can be sure that many of the people we work with are dealing with their own challenges or carrying their own sadnesses so this is a call for more empathy, kindness, and support in academic environments, emphasizing the importance of recognizing the human side of our lives. I conclude with a message of support for those facing similar challenges and a reflection on how my career path, though unintended, brought its own form of fulfillment.

00:29 Introduction: A Personal Journey

01:05 The Inspiration Behind This Episode

03:58 Opening Up About Women's Health Issues

07:23 The Struggles of Infertility

12:15 Navigating the Moral Dilemmas

14:51 Navigating Our Journey

17:43 Navigating Career and Personal Life

22:44 Moving On and Finding New Paths

26:48 Things Coming Together in the Move to London

30:13 Reflecting on an Academic Career Without Children

33:53 Final Reflections

Related Link

CHI Stories @CHI2017: Midwifery, Babies, HCI: “Doktormutter”hood and Sustainable Academic Life

In Part 2 of our conversation, Susan Dray continues to share deep insights about the importance of self-awareness and authenticity, empathy and listening with heart, and dealing with professional discomfort and personal adversity. She discusses her mentoring style, centred around being empathetic and supportive. And she talks about the importance of service and community, as well as the current challenges faced by early career researchers.

Susan also shares deeply personal challenges and losses, and the accompanying emotional journey of accepting and learning from setbacks, the value of honouring people's experiences, and the importance of collaborative support. She reminds us, paraphrased here, that few people understand how special they are, and that what really matters is who you are. Because this is going to mean that what you do is important and makes a difference. Susan has certainly made a difference. 

Overview:

00:29 Introduction to Part Two with Susan Dray

02:18 Navigating Discomfort and Deep Learning

05:47 Mentoring and Community Support

08:51 HCI in Africa and Global Recognition

13:28 Supporting Early Career Researchers

19:12 Mentoring and the Joy of Service

22:11 Reflections on Mentoring and Authenticity

26:08 Evolving Roles, Willingness to be a Beginner

29:40 Postscript - Personal Reflections and Adversities

30:55 Lessons from Sailing

32:21 Coping with Loss and Finding Positivity

35:08 Final Reflections on Life and Legacy

36:50 Wrap up

38:27 End

Related Links:

Susan Dray's webpage and LinkedIn profile  

The wonderful Dr Susan Dray shares her journey from obtaining a PhD in experimental and physiological psychology at UCLA to becoming a pivotal figure in the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). Susan recounts her transition from academia to industry, including roles at Honeywell and American Express, and her eventual shift to independent consulting. She discusses the evolution of HCI and human factors, the significance of ethnographic studies, and the importance of listening with one's heart in diverse cultural contexts. Susan also reflects on the birth of SIGCHI, organizational challenges, and her expansive international work. Her insights provide a rich, historical perspective on the ongoing interplay between technology, human behavior, and organizational dynamics, and on the contextual and cultural nuances in technology adoption. She also demonstrates the power of curiosity, self reflection and a service mindset. 

Overview

00:29 Episode Introduction

02:49 Susan's Background

03:52 Transition from Academia to Industry

05:37 Early Challenges at Honeywell

06:56 Gaithersburg Conference and SIGCHI Formation

10:15 Human Factors and Computing Systems

13:34 Human Technology Impacts at Honeywell

16:40 The Mindset of a Scientist

22:59 Mentorship and Career Advice

26:30 Career Transitions and Reflections

28:06 Early Challenges in Consulting

30:12 Setting Up a Consulting Business

31:59 International Projects and Usability Studies

38:22 Navigating Cultural Differences and Lessons in Challenges

45:24 Innovative Research in Korea and South Africa

49:26 Embracing Discomfort Curiousity and Self Reflection

52:17 Wrap up

Related Links

Susan Dray webpage  and LinkedIn

ACM SIGCHI Special Interest Group OnComputer-Human Interaction

Building on the last episode’s topic of meetings, the focus here is on our one-on-one meetings. In his book, 'Glad We Met: The Art and Science of One-to-One Meetings,' Steven Rogelberg discusses how these meetings can be practical, personal, and developmental. We can also think of these as the four Ps of care—process, progress, product, and person. Drawing on insights from Rogelberg’s book, along with some timely recent posts, I draw attention to the role of empathy, authentic communication, and regular, intentional meetings in supporting PhD students, postdocs, and research assistants. Practical tips include setting regular meeting cadences, being attentive and present, and ensuring a respectful and effective meeting environment. These are all skills we can work on to better support the practical, personal and developmental in our 1-1 meetings.

Overview:

00:29 Introduction to Effective Meetings

01:55 The Importance of One-on-One Meetings

03:25 The Four Ps of Care in Meetings

04:14 Practical Aspects of Supervisory Meetings

05:06 Caring for the Person in Meetings

05:35 Skills for Effective Meetings

09:12 Student Contributions to Meetings

11:01 Preparation and Presence in Meetings

12:18 Time Management and Respect in Meetings

13:23 Listening and Asking Good Questions

14:25 The Cadence of Meetings

17:55 Practical Suggestions for Meeting Environments

19:14 Career Conversations and Resources

20:20 Conclusion: The Art, Heart, and Science of Meetings

24:02 End

Related links:

Steven Rogelberg's webpage, LinkedIn profile, and Meeting resources and previous CAL episodeon Transforming Academic Meetings

Book: Rogelberg, S. G. (2024). Glad We Met: The Art and Science of 1: 1 Meetings. Oxford University Press.

Recent posts mentioned:

#116 - 6 Communication Strategies to Get What You Need From Your PhD Advisor (Without Being Annoying), Emmanuel Tsekleves , PhDtoProf Newsletter 1 Oct 2025

A toolkit to foster great career conversations, Rachel Chin and Rachel Herries, Auditorium Blog, 7 Oct 2025

Related Changing Academic Life episodes:

Oscar Trimboli (Part 1) on being better listeners 

Oscar Trimboli (Part 2) on how to listen deeply 

Michael Bungay Stanier on the power of curiosity and taming the advice monster 

RW (solo) Asking good questions, empowering good people

Dr. Steven Rogelberg, an organisational psychologist from the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, draws on his extensive research on workplace meetings to share how we might make acadmic meetings better. We discuss the inefficiencies of academic meetings, with Steven suggesting academics suffer from particularly ineffective meeting practices. He offers practical advice on improving meeting productivity, particularly for Faculty meetings, such as using targeted agendas and smaller group discussions, and stresses the value of bringing scientific rigour to meeting management. He also critiques the hybrid meeting format, advocating instead for fully virtual or in-person meetings. If you are looking for more insights about evidence-based meeting practices, I can highly recommend his books 'The Surprising Science of Meetings' and 'Glad We Met: The Art and Science of One-to-One Meetings' . 

Overview:

00:29 Introduction: The Meeting Dilemma

01:42 Introducing Dr. Steven Rogelberg

03:56 The Academic Meeting Problem

09:23 Common Mistakes in Leading Meetings

11:06 Strategies for Effective Meetings

13:12 Having a Meeting About Meetings

14:34 The Importance of Feedback and Audits

15:55 The Faculty Meeting

18:15 Challenges of Large and Hybrid Meetings

19:21 More Inclusive Alternatives to Large Meetings

22:20 Hybrid Meetings and Virtual Meetings

23:54 Final Takeaways and Resources

25:46 Postscript

30:16 End

Related links:

Steven's web page, LinkedIn page and online meeting resources

https://www.stevenrogelberg.com

Steven's books:

Rogelberg, S. G. (2019). The surprising science of meetings: How you can lead your team to peak performance. Oxford University Press.

Rogelberg, S. G. (2024). Glad We Met: The Art and Science of 1: 1 Meetings. Oxford University Press.

And his academic publications, for example the two we mentioned:

Rogelberg, S., Kreamer, L. M., & Gray, J. (2025). Thirty Years of Meeting Science: Lessons Learned and the Road Ahead. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 13.

Rogelberg, S. G., King, E. B., & Alonso, A. (2022). How we can bring IO psychology science and evidence-based practices to the public. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 15(2), 259-272.

And here is a template to help you reflect on your meetings.

Professor Emeritus Deborah Boehm Davis, George Mason University in the US, is one of the pioneers of the CHI conference. Deborah discusses her varied career building from her psychology background and spanning roles in human factors at Bell Labs, NASA, and General Electric. She then talks about her extensive tenure at George Mason University in both faculty and administrative/leadership roles, eventually becoming the dean of a college. Deborah shares reflections on career transitions, the importance of making a difference, effective leadership, the significance of collaborative work, and the challenges and strategies for navigating academic leadership, as well as managing academic responsibilities alongside family life. She also talks about her last industry role at Oculus Research and offers insights into the skills and approaches necessary for effective academic and industry leadership. The conversation also touches on the importance of interdisciplinary work and mentorship in academia.

Overview:

00:00 Introduction

00:29 Deborah Boehm-Davis: Career Overview

03:24 Early Career and Human Factors

04:54 Transition to Academia, Balancing Faculty and Administration Roles

09:38 Reflections on Career and Impact

17:39 Navigating Academic Leadership

25:14 Collaborations, Interdisciplinary Work and Collegiality

28:18 Interdisciplinarity and Being Strategic

32:57 Transitioning to Leadership Roles, Developing Leadership Skills

33:53 Handling Difficult Conversations

36:39 Balancing Decisions and Stakeholder Concerns

40:29 Engaging Faculty and Effective Communication

44:51 Leadership in Industry vs. Academia

46:54 Mentorship and Support Systems

50:24 Proudest Achievements and Work Skills Course

56:28 Reflections on Women in Academia

59:37 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

01:00:46 End

Related links:

Video of a 2024 talk to the Uni of Virginia HFES Student Chapter: “A Career in Human Factors: A Lifetime of Change” [40:51 mins]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborah-boehm-davis-05b50

Website: https://psychology.gmu.edu/people/dbdavis

In the first episode of season seven, the 10th year the Changing Academic Life podcast, I invite us to reflect on the theme of being intentional about what we want for ourselves at the beginning of this new academic year for many of us in the northern hemisphere, or for any temporal landmark that is relevant for you.

As example and inspiration, Anna Cox from UCL shortly shares her strategies for setting clear priorities, maintaining work-life balance, and managing her remaining 'available time to promise', recognising every yes entails a no to something else. This is a great example of the 'fresh start effect', using the temporal landmark of a new academic year, as talked about by Katy Milkman and colleagues, and reminds us of the importance of creating pauses for reflection.

So how will you be more intentional about your fresh start?

00:34 Introduction

01:27 Starting With Intention

05:28 Anna's Fresh Start 

07:05 Thinking About Priorities

09:01 Available Time to Promise

10:56 Creating Pauses to Think

12:20 Re-iterating Anna's Key Questions

16:29 Wrapping Up 

17:57 Pointers to Other Related Episodes

19:24 Wrapping up

20:31 End

Related links:

eWorkResearch group at UCL and Anna’s webpage and WLB definition 

Dai, H., Milkman, K. L., & Riis, J. (2014). The fresh start effect: Temporal landmarks motivate aspirational behavior. Management Science, 60(10), 2563-2582.

Loleen Berdahl, How to quit promising time and energy you don’t have

See www.changingacademiclife.com for an easy search for the related podcasts: Anna Cox, Marta Cecchinato, Johanna Stadlbauer, Amy Ko, Carmen Neustaedter, Katherine Isbister, Vikki Wright

In this final episode of the 2024-2025 season, I reflect on key themes emerging from the past 20 episodes of 'Changing Academic Life.' These are around creating supportive and inclusive cultures in academia, the role of leadership, career transitions, wellbeing and self-care, and the importance of community. It reminds us to engage in reflection, value our own and others' wellbeing, and contribute to positive changes in academic environments.  Cultivating a good academic life for all is a collective effort.

00:00 CAL127 Season reflections

02:44 Supportive cultures

06:35 Career transitions, choices

11:39 Wellbeing & self care

13:56 Community

16:00 Closing

18:29 End

If you are curious about how to set up your own peer support group, inspired by what Johanna Stadlbauer shared about what Uni Graz are doing, then this episode might get you started. I walk through some of the ‘things to think about’ when setting up peer groups such as the group’s purpose, the focus, and who that would involve, also the group size, meeting frequency and commitment, and choosing between structured or informal formats and related roles. I then walk through two examples of more structured formats: action learning sets which take more of a coaching approach, and peer mentoring models that take more of a consulting or advising approach. I also give some examples of more informal peer groups.  Regardless of approach, good listening, confidentiality and a commitment to genuine participation are key. I also refer to some resources and links for further reading and more detailed overview of steps, as well as some related podcasts. Whether you're looking for mutual support, expert guidance, or simply a sense of belonging, there's a group format that can work for you. Give it a try!

00:00 CAL126 Exploring Peer Group Support Models

00:29 Introduction

01:36 Purpose

03:03 Focus

05:03 How Many

06:17 How Often

07:45 Format

08:24 Roles

09:44 Critical Ingredients

11:38 Walking Through Some Examples

12:35 Example: Peer Coaching Groups - Action Learning Set

20:39 Example: Peer Mentoring Groups

25:04 Example: Informal Peer Support Groups

28:23 Recap

30:07 Do What Works for You - Suggestions

33:07 Closing Call and Pointers

36:36 End

Related Links

Action Learning Sets guidance by Caroline Doherty via the UK NHS Action Learning Sets page

Action Learning Sets at Uni of St Andrews as example in an academic context

Graz Call for participation in their Collegial Development Programme

Kollegiale Beratung in sechs Phasen (Collegial Advising in 6 Phases) 

Descriptive Consultancy with protocol description

Balint Group Method

The No Club book and No Club Guidance

Related Podcasts

Michael Bungay Stanier on the power of curiosity and taming your advice monster

Asking good questions, empowering good people (Solo 'Related Work' episode)

Oscar Trimboli (Part 1) on being better listeners 

Oscar Trimboli (Part 2) on how to listen deeply 

Johanna Stadlbauer on boundaries, agency and community building

Johanna Stadlbauer is an anthropologist working in researcher development at the University of Graz, recently made Head of Research Careers Campus Graz. Her mission is a more fun and kind academia. Johanna shares the experiences and challenges of her journey from a PhD to quitting a postdoc in anthropology, to doing NGO work part-time, and then coming back to academia for a researcher development role. Her work now is focused on creating a supportive and kind academic environment, with the aim to improve researcher well-being and foster a sense of community. She discusses establishing structures for postdoctoral researchers' support and community, and highlights initiatives like the writing retreat, Fiasco Fest, and peer mentoring, which aim to improve researcher well-being and foster a sense of community. Johanna is a role model for how to navigate a career path and your work role on your own terms. She is really clear on her own boundaries, and what she needs to feed herself and look after her work-life balance. She also reminds us the value of peer support, of telling people their contributions matter, and of taking the time to savour the good. She reminds us of the significance of agency, community support, and the need for transparency and understanding in academia.

00:00 CAL125 Johanna Stadlbauer

03:03 Introduction and Guest Background

03:56 Journey from Anthropology to Research Development

06:18 Postdoc Experience and Challenges

07:42 Deciding to Quit the PostDoc

12:05 Transition to NGO Work

15:57 Finding Balance and Setting Boundaries

19:47 Messaging in Academia

23:35 Permanent Contract and Current Role

29:27 Towards a Fun and Kind Academia and Experiences of Power Abuse

31:26 Finding Solutions and Positive Structures

33:31 Balancing Critique and Support in Academia

35:58 Empowering Postdocs and Addressing Structural Issues

40:12 The Importance of Community, Peer Support and Mentoring

49:39 Promoting Good Working Environments for Researcher Wellbeing

52:03 Personal Reflections and Final Thoughts

56:53 End 

Related Links

Johanna's web page (English version)

Head of Research Careers Campus Graz 

Researcher Development in Graz Blog 

LinkedIn pages for Johanna, thePostDoc Office, and Research Careers Campus Graz

The Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) 

Max Planck PhD Net 

Balint Group Method 

Tina Persson shares her journey from chemistry and nearly 20 years in academia, to recruiting and then career coaching. Tina discusses the challenges she faced in academia, including struggles with energy-draining tasks and political landscapes, and how she pivoted to a career in recruitment and coaching. She emphasizes the importance of understanding natural talents, emotional intelligence, and honest communication in career development. The conversation covers valuable tips for professors on recruiting and supporting early-career researchers, the impact of AI on career skills, and the cultural differences in career transitions. Tina also highlights the significance of lifelong learning and being open to unseen opportunities, offering practical advice for academics, those seeking an academic position, and those considering a career pivot.

 Overview:

00:29 Episode Introduction

03:02 Introducing Tina and her Academic Journey

10:18 Transition to Industry

12:24 Becoming a PhD Recruiter

15:25 Coaching and Career Development

25:24 Recruitment Tips for Professors

36:00 Startup Mentality in Academia

38:43 Evaluating Candidates Beyond Technical Skills

40:35 Innovative Interview Techniques

43:09 Filtering Candidates Efficiently

50:57 Cultural Differences in Recruitment

52:50 The Role of AI in Recruitment

54:25 Human-Centric Skills in Academia

01:00:13 Building a Supportive Academic Culture

01:03:23 The Importance of Career Pivoting

01:05:52 Conclusion and Contact Information

Related links

Related to Tina:

About Tina and her LinkedIn profile and Passage2Pro

PhD Career Stories Podcast and upcoming book

People: Sarah Blackford , Fritz Eckstein 

Holland’s Theory of Career Choice

This is a replay of an episode about our strengths as our superpowers and it is a useful precursor to the next podcast discussion where my guest will talk about them as natural talents. This replay episode was triggered by two interactions that made me think more about the importance of knowing our own unique superpowers (as Aaron Quigley discussed), ie our strengths, and also our kryptonite (thanks Lewis Chuang), and how this can help us work out what is our good academic life. And to recognise that we can all have different superpowers. Before getting to the replay I also report on some lovely feedback from the episodes with Graham McAllister.

00:29 Introduction

01:39 Update from episodes with Graham McAllister

05:21 Replay - Strengths as Superpowers

06:49 Kyrptonite and Superpowers

08:19 What are your superpowers?

14:29 Other notes about strengths as superpowers

17:21 Summary and pointer to ways to explore strengths

19:25 Additional Pointers

22:05 Outro

Related Links:

The twitter thread started by Lewis Chuang

Aaron Quigley podcast conversation

Mike Twidale podcast conversation

VIA Character Strengths Survey

Strengthscope Strengths assessment tools

Related Work:

Michelle McQuaid, 2014, Ten Reasons to Focus on Your Strengths No matter what your job description says, Psychology Today.

Jeremy Sutton, 2021, Cultivating Strengths at Work: 10+ Examples and Ideas, PositivePsychology.com.

Ryan M. Niemiec, 2020, Coronavirus Coping: 6 Ways Your Strengths Will Help You Turn to your best qualities for prevention, safety, and health. Psychology Today.

”Writing is thinking, I love thinking, I love working on problems, I love thinking through the problems…. So the whole writing thing is a thinking thing.” says Graham McAllister in this final part of our conversation. His foray into writing a book on Games Usability after he sold his company was also a foray into exploring the process of writing, asking himself questions like "How do you write a book? What's my voice? How do I write? What fits in with my life?” 

Graham unpacks his experiences about the art and craft of writing that worked for him in answer to these questions. He starts with reflections on publishing challenges in academia and his commitment to making knowledge freely accessible. He also talks about the process of discovering his writing voice, the iterative writing process, setting up a writing routine and setting achievable goals. Graham also reflects on the broader implications of his work within academia and industry, the pursuit of clear communication for your audience, and his future aspirations in writing and consulting. The conversation highlights themes of personal growth, the importance of thoughtful work-life integration, and the impact of past mentors and opportunities.

Overview

00:00 Introduction

02:50 Introduction to the Book Writing Journey

03:28 The Philosophy of Free Knowledge

04:51 The Writing Process and Idea Generation

07:12 Structuring and Refining the Book

10:08 Finding Your Voice and Writing Routine

11:51 Future Writing Projects and Reflections

20:09 Balancing Work and Personal Fulfillment

26:04 Final Reflections and Gratitude

Related Links:

Graham’sHome page and LinkedIn Profile and his books

CAL120 Part 1 episode with Grahamon his previous career pivots

CAL121 Part 2 episode with Graham on team vision alignment

In this second part of my conversation with Graham McAllister, we explore Graham's next pivot to studying organizational psychology at the London School of Economics. After selling his startup, Graham decided to do an MSc to help him answer what he now saw as the core problem in game development teams and that was lack of a unified vision. He shares his insights into shared mental models, vision alignment, shared values, diversity in hiring, and building resilient teams. He also discusses how these principles can be applied to other creative and research collaborations. Keep an eye out for the final episode in this series with Graham where he shares practical tips on the art and practice of writing.

Overview:

00:00 Intro

00:29 Episode Introduction

02:30 The Turning Point: Leaving the Company and Writing a Book

04:54 Discovering Organizational Psychology

05:44 The Journey to London School of Economics

07:16 The All-Consuming Feeling of Vision

11:07 The Importance of Education and Luck

16:26 Reflections on Lifelong Learning

19:22 Applying Mental Models Beyond Games

20:42 Understanding Alignment and Values in Organizations

23:39 Rethinking Hiring Practices and Leadership

26:46 Setting a Vision and Mission

29:01 Building a Mental Model

32:19 Operationalizing Shared Values

36:26 Detecting and Addressing Cultural Beliefs

38:15 Preview of Part 3 on Writing

40:38 End 

Related Links:

Graham’sHome page and LinkedIn Profile

CAL120 Part 1 episode with Grahamon his previous career pivots

Kotter’s Change Model https://www.kotterinc.com/methodology/8-steps/

Edgar Schein’s three layer of organizational culture - see various

discussions:

Graham McAllister reflects on his various career pivots, starting with a PhD in computer graphics in Belfast, transitioning through roles in academia and industry and then forming and later selling his games usability start-up. In the process Graham provides a masterclass on how to navigate and negotiate career pivots, how to articulate clear problems and solutions. The conversation highlights the value of bridging practical and theoretical domains, the role of luck and other people, and the need for continuous learning, reflection and adaptation in your career journey while being very clear about the strengths and passions that underpin this.  

Overview:

00:00 Episode Introduction

03:01 Welcoming Graham

03:43 Early Career and PhD Journey

04:49 Transition to Industry

06:01 Straddling Academia and Industry

07:54 Return to Academia and Music Technology

13:34 Influence of Gary Marsden

17:41 Joining University of Sussex

21:18 Starting a Spin-Out Company

21:52 Balancing Academia and Startup

25:24 Challenges and Reflections

31:37 Academic vs. Industry Conferences

32:32 Critical Thinking in Video Game Development

33:28 Startup Challenges and Team Building

34:32 Marketing Through Education

40:56 Leadership Reflections and Authenticity

48:35 Selling the Company and Moving Forward

56:20 End

Related Links:

Graham’s Home page

and LinkedIn page

People he mentions: Ricardo Climent and Gary Marsden

This is Part 2 of my discussion with Matthew Barr and Oana Andrei who work together in the Education and Practice Section in the School of Computing Science at the University of Glasgow. Oana and Matt each share their personal experiences with mental health challenges. Oana shares her journey from postdoctoral research to becoming a lecturer, highlighting how she dealt with burnout by taking up Taekwondo. Matthew discusses his long-term management of depression and the importance of normalizing such conversations in academic settings. We also talk about their learning, teaching and scholarship career paths, the significance of reflective practice and how it has been integrated into their teaching methods. They also discuss their commitment to inclusion and diversity in education, alongside their passion for teaching and the innovative graduate apprenticeship degree program they have implemented that widens access by enabling work-based learning and student support. The episode offers valuable insights into the importance of personal wellbeing, the role of supportive workplace environments, and what a teaching-focussed path can involve.

Overview

00:29 Episode Introduction

02:00 Picking up on the question about mental health

02:46 Oana Shares Her Experiences With Burnout

08:05 Matt Shares His Experiences With Depression

12:45 Choosing Teaching Focussed Career Paths

16:36 Oana Moving From Research To Teaching Track

19:06 Promotion Criteria in a Learning, Teaching and Scholarship Track

24:14 Apprenticeship Degree Program

31:50 Doing a Master in Education

34:39 A Framework for Reflection

38:52 Wrapping Up

39:18 Revisiting Belonging

44:09 Thanks For The Podcast

46:27 End

Related Links

Oana Andrei, Lecturer (Ass Prof) Uni of Glasgow  webpage and LinkedIn profile 

Matthew Barr (Senior Lecturer) Uni of Glasgow webpage and LinkedIn profile

The reflective writing resources Matt mentioned:

Their paper on how the apprenticeship degree program might widen access to HE:

This is part 1 of my discussion with Matthew Barr and Oana Andrei who work together in the Education and Practice Section in the School of computing science at the University of Glasgow. It was the experiences of Matt as head of Section that led Oana to suggest he would be good to talk to. Together they share their experiences of what makes for good academic leadership and change, including the psychological safety and sense of belonging of members, the impact of everyday micro-interactions, and fostering a supportive environment. Matt discusses his approach in leadership, such as seeking feedback for self-improvement and actively supporting staff promotions. Oana also shares her perspective on the importance of belonging and mentorship in academic settings and the experience of good leadership. Their insights provide a meaningful look at how we can transform academic work culture for the better. 

 Overview:

00:29 Episode Introduction

01:52 Welcome

02:28 Oana's Journey and Career

03:46 Matt's Journey and Career

06:13 Leadership and Management Insights

10:00 Creating a Supportive Work Environment

13:29 Supporting Promotion for a Learning, Teaching and Scholarship Track

21:23 Micro Actions That Can Make All The Difference

25:16 Being a Role Model in How We Handle Bad Days

28:45 Learning From Experience What Not To Do

36:44 Taking Care For Belonging

41:20 Linking to Part 2

43:14 End 

Related Links

Oana Andrei, Lecturer (Ass Prof) Uni of Glasgow  webpage and LinkedIn profile 

Matthew Barr (Senior Lecturer) Uni of Glasgow webpage and LinkedIn profile

Role modelling paper mentioned by Matt:

In this episode the tables are turned and I'm being interviewed by Nutan Limaye who hosts the ‘Life of a Researcher’ podcast.  Nutan is an Assoc. Professor at the IT University Copenhagen. We met when she was a participant in one of our residential academic leadership development courses in 2024.  

We talk about my unconventional career path starting in social work, moving into nursing and midwifery, then finding myself in computer science and human-computer interaction, and now doing more leadership and academic development work. As with many career stories, serendipity figures a lot, along with a strong people-centred red thread that weaves through all the various turns. 

Nutan also asks about how the academic leadership development courses came about, and how we facilitate learning experiences on hard topics like challenging conversations. And we talk about themes that have arisen in the podcast. Along the way we also touch on interdisciplinarity, and academic mobility and what is home. This is a slightly edited conversation from the version she released end of June 2024, shared with her permission.

I'm releasing this now as a complement to my careers article in the Feb 25 edition of Communications of the ACM

Overview

00:29 Introduction

02:41 Nutan's Introduction to the Podcast

05:09 An Unconventional Career Path

07:34 Transition to Computer Science

11:08 Shaping Interests around People-Centred Perspectives

14:21 How Research Evolved as Technology Evolved

17:14 Reflections on Changing Paths

23:12 The Challenges of Interdisciplinary Research

28:03 Supervision Serendipity

34:21 Leadership and People-Centred Academia

42:21 Designing Learning Experiences about Challenging People and Conversations

48:23 Insights from the Session

50:06 Motivation and Themes of the Changing Academic Life Podcast

55:41 Academic Mobility and the Concept of Home

01:05:13 Non-Rapid Fire Questions and Reflections

01:14:11 Outro

01:15:00 End

Related Links:

Nutan Limaye 

Life of a Researcher podcast and episode A conversation with Geraldine Fitzpatrick

Nutan’s LinkedIn profile 

My CACM article:

Geraldine Fitzpatrick, Fit for People, Fit for Purpose: Designing Tech that Matters, CACM, Feb 2025 Issue, Vol. 68No. 2, Page 7.

Other CAL Episodes mentioned:

Sarah Davies - two parts:

Neha Kumar: On choices, authenticity and the power of the collective

Karen Stroobants: On changing research culture and reforming research assessment

Vikki Wright is the director of PhD Life Coach and offers professional coaching and training for PhD students and academics. She also hosts the PhD Life Coach podcast. Up until 2022 though Vikki was a full professor of Higher Education at the University of Birmingham in the UK, with a research background Sport and Exercise Sciences, then shifting to more of a teaching focus.

Vikki shares her interesting journey from full professor to becoming a life coach. The conversation covers her career transitions, dealing with ADHD, the importance of self-awareness, along with self-compassion, curiosity and having realistic ambitions. She also shares role-based time blocking as an approach for effective self-management. These practical tools and mindset changes can be useful for us all to help us take more control of our lives and careers. Vikki also offers insights into her programs and coaching approaches for PhD students and academics.

Overview

00:00 Intro

00:29 Episode Introduction 

03:10 Guest Introduction

03:27 Academic Journey and Career Transitions

03:56 Challenges in Research and Shift to Teaching

07:29 The Teaching Path to Full Professor...and Pandemic Reflections

11:27 Discovering Coaching and Personal Growth

17:37 Understanding ADHD and Coaching Transformation

26:35 Balancing Ambitions and Realistic Goals

30:58 Self Understanding and Being Her Own Best Boss

37:25 Recognising and Addressing Student Challenges

41:24 The Role of Self-Understanding in Supervision

45:31 Self-Compassion

49:37 Curiosity

51:35 Balancing Ambition and Realism

01:00:04 Role-Based Time Blocking

01:09:52 Final Thoughts and Resources

01:11:36 Outro

01:12.24 End

Related Links

More about Vikki’s offerings:

‘The PhD Life Coach’ podcast

‘Be your own best boss’ course

Vikki’s podcast episode on ‘How to use role based time blocking’

The PhD Lifecoach ‘The Membership’ - sign up Jan 2025

Vikki's LinkedIn page

People:

Dr Alex Conner 

Other podcasts: 

‘I have ADHD’ podcast, Kristen Carder  

The Life Coach School, Brooke Castillo

As we leave 2024 and embark on the new year, I want to share the reflective template I used for myself, playing with the LP (long play) record concept. I introduce the table structure of the personal, people, play, and projects (Ps) categories, paired with reflective components like land, love, labor, and learn (Ls) for the past year review, and look forward, let go, let grow, and let be (Ls) for the next year. I share some illustrative examples from my own reflections of 2024, including milestones, achievements, and lessons learned. And I share some of the feedback from you that helps make the work of this podcast worthwhile – thank you! I hope this encourage you too to reflect on your LP last year, celebrate your accomplishments, and be more intentional on how you approach the coming year.

You can download the LP template here.

00:29 Episode Introduction

02:29 Introducing the LP Table Template

06:27 Reflecting on my 2024 Landings

16:10 What I Loved and What Feels Like Labour

19:13 What I Learned

23:21 Taking Time to Savour and Celebrate

25:06 Celebrating Feedback on the Podcast

31:42 Looking forward to the 2025 LP

36:44 Wrapping Up and Summary

39:48 Final Pointers

41:01 Outro

41:50 End

Related Links

Past Episodes:

Remembering Volkmar Pipek - on being curious, being you

Liam Bannon (Part 1) on a career outside the box – April 2024 

Liam Bannon (Part 2) on values & what matters – Sept 2024 

On research identity, meaningful work and funding (solo)  - Jan 2024

RW9 Progress and praise – July 2021 

Other links:

Linked In Post by Rachel Ratz-Lubashevsky on the research identity episode

HCI Group, TU Wien 

Online Academic Leadership Development course – Spring 2025, early bird deadline 2 March 2025

To explore more of my offerings: geraldinefitzpatrick.com 

Evan Peck returns to discuss his career evolution since our last conversation in 2017. The focus is on his initial choice to join a liberal arts college post-PhD, emphasizing the balance between teaching and research, how his research evolved, and on his career goals then. Evan then talks through his move to the University of Colorado Boulder, detailing his motivations and the strategic thinking behind the transition. He reflects on the impact of his work in responsible computing and data visualization and the importance he places on aligning career choices with personal values and goals. Evan also discussed the nuances of working in different academic environments and how he continues to prioritize student mentorship and educational impact.

 Overview

00:00 Intro

03:21 Welcome Back, Evan!

04:33 The Appeal of Liberal Arts Colleges

06:26 Making Academic Paths Visible

09:31 Balancing Teaching and Research

13:21 Shifting Research Interests

22:40 The Move to Colorado

24:40 Integrating Ethics in Computing and Wanting More External Impact

33:50 Reflecting on Post-Tenure Decisions

37:16 Exploring New Opportunities

40:46 The Unexpected Offer

43:34 Transitioning to a Research Institution

47:26 Adapting to a Larger Institution

53:18 Balancing Work and Family

54:30 Reflecting on Career Choices

01:00:16 Final Thoughts and Advice

01:03:05 End

Related Links:

Evan's CU Boulder web page and his personal web page and LinkedIn profile

2017 podcast episode with Evan and his blog post

Özge Subaşı is the Director of Futurewell: CoCreation and Wellbeing Group in the Media and Visual Arts Department at Koç University in Turkey. In this episode, Özge shares a journey from industrial design to interaction design, with a focus on diversity, inclusion, and justice. The work with visually impaired children and older people significantly influenced Özge's transition into human-centered design. Özge's story reflects a life of multiple relocations—whether moving schools as a child, transitioning disciplines, or navigating new countries and cultures. Özge describes “always coming from somewhere and not being in the system.”

The episode emphasizes the importance of holding true to core values, such as listening without prejudgment, fostering open communication, and caring for both the individual and the community. Özge's practical examples illustrate how these values influence research and teaching choices, as well as navigating trade-offs, particularly while completing an evaluation document. The discussion also addresses challenges with Özge's depression during the academic journey and strategies for maintaining personal wellbeing. Additionally, the episode highlights some difficulties faced by academics in Türkiye, including engaging with the international community and managing issues related to travel and visas.

Özge's commitment to personal values, to trying different ways of being an academic researcher, and to fostering an empathetic and inclusive work culture is really inspiring.

Overview

00:00 Intro

00:29 Episode Introduction

03:37 Introduction and Background

04:39 Early Career and Education

08:10 Transition to Interaction Design

11:50 Values and Philosophy

14:15 Challenges in Academia

18:07 Building a Collaborative Culture

26:37 Balancing Academic Expectations

34:42 Navigating Academic Trade-offs

36:04 Embracing Personal Values

38:36 Prioritizing Mental Health

42:26 Building Supportive Environments

47:00 Challenges in Academia

53:45 International Collaboration and Travel

01:02:22 Concluding Thoughts

01:04:36 End

Related Links: 

Futurewell: CoCreation and Wellbeing Group, Media and Visual Arts Department, Koç University

Özge’s LinkedIn page 

Özge on Instagram @allthefooldays (personal page on food & family) and @sozges on X

Continuing our culture theme, I revisit past podcast conversations that explore how to foster positive research environments and cultures. We hear from people such as Elizabeth Adams, Tanita Casci, Jolanta Burke, Janet Reed, Alex Taylor, Kia Hook, and Lindsay Oades, who share their experiences and insights on creating a sense of belonging and collegiality within academic settings. Their stories emphasize recognizing individual strengths, promoting transparency, celebrating achievements, and the importance of supportive management practices for bringing out the best in people. Hopefully you will take away practical ideas and inspiration, and recognise the importance of both micro-actions and collective efforts in creating supportive, transparent, and inclusive cultures.

00:00 Intro

00:29 Episode introduction - fostering good cultures

03:48 Glasgow Uni's Research Culture Awards

07:51 Jolanta Burke on positive organisations

09:53 Janet Read on flexibility and supporting people with young families

11:47 Janet Read on know your team

12:32 Janet Read on bringing out the best in people

16:14 Alex Taylor on the power of the collective

22:25 Kia Höök on Fika

25:50 Lindsay Oades on autonomy, rationales and leeting people they are valued

29:58 Wrapping up

33:18 Outro

34:05 Repeating what Lindsay said

Related Links

Past episodes used in this curated episode:

Creating better research cultures together

Tanita Casci and Elizabeth Adams on supporting, rewarding and celebrating a positive collegial research culture (from May 2021)

Jolanta Burke on burnout, harmonious passion, positive workplaces & helping others (from Nov 2017)

Janet Read on charm bracelets, finish tape & the work to be a complete academic (from May 2018)

Alex Taylor on research at the boundaries, moving from industry to academia, the labour of academia & the power of the collective (from July 2019)

Kia Höök on challenges of success & value of slowing down and re-connecting (from Feb 2017)

Lindsay Oades on academic wellbeing, connecting to strengths, meaning and purpose, and not taking the system too seriously (from Sept 2018)

And others you can search for on Changing Academic Life who also talk about culture (among many others): Sarah Davies (part 2), Mark Reed, Karen Stroobants, Elizabeth Churchill.

Continuing the theme of great research environments, I explore how to contribute to creating great research cultures with a focus on the concept of psychological safety. I contrast the prize winning example we heard about in the last episode with examples of experiences with poor research environments. This leads to a discussion of the value of psychological safety as defined by Amy Edmondson, and others for enabling creativity, collaboration, and innovation. Psychological safety is about creating conditions where people feel safe speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns and mistakes and that foster a learning culture. I discuss practical strategies for leaders through their everyday interactions for fostering such an environment and enabling innovation, collaboration and personal growth and wellbeing. And I finish up with an invitation for all of us to reflect on our role in cultivating a supportive and inclusive academic culture.

00:00 Intro

00:29 Introduction to Creating Great Research Cultures

00:52 Recap of Prize-Winning Research Environment

02:38 Understanding Psychological Safety

03:40 Examples of Poor Research Environments

10:37 Defining Psychological Safety

12:21 Historical Context of Psychological Safety

15:42 Research on Psychological Safety

21:31 Psychological safety as key factor in Google's great teams

23:03 Leadership and Psychological Safety

24:15 Role Modeling and Self-Awareness

26:46 Fostering Belonging, Inclusion and Learning

29:18 Co-Creating Research Culture through our Actions

31:20 Conclusion and Reflection

Related links:

Previous podcast episode with Line, Nicklas, and Nina on Danis Young Academy prize research environments

Amy Edmondson web page

Amy C. Edmondson and Shike Lei, Psychological Safety: The History, Renaissance, and Future of an Interpersonal Construct. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior. Vol 1:23-43, 2014. 

Amy C. Edmondson. The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth. Wiley. 2019.

Pat Thomson, Blog article - Felling like an imposter?

Pat Thomson, feeling like an imposter?

Google’s Project Aristotle

Royal Society, Research Culture Embedding inclusive excellence: Insights on the future culture of research. (Tom Welton quote on culture p6)

What are the ingredients for creating a supportive, inclusive research culture? Nina Molin Høyland-Kroghsbo from the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences , Microbial Ecology and Biotechnology at the University of Copenhagen discusses the Research Environment Prize established three years ago by the Danish Young Academy to promote and celebrate good research environments, as experienced by early career researchers in those environments.  

We are joined here by the 2024 prize winners, PhD students Line Maj Sternbergand Nicklas Stott Venzel who nominated their Research Unit in Psychology of Sport, Excellence and Healthat the University of Southern Denmark. They share what makes their environment great, and how the group translates their research on what makes a great sports environment into what makes a great research environment. In particular, they talk about encouragement for taking initiative, a focus on long-term development, open communication, psychological safety, promoting mental health, and a sense of belonging, as key factors. Nina also reflects on the common themes that the awarding panel has seen across over a hundred nominations, such as belonging, collaboration, creative practices, and celebrating both successes and failures.

Overview:

00:34 Episode Introduction

03:26 Meet the guests

06:44 The Danish Young Academy and the Research Environment Prize

11:51 Line and Nicklas on applying sports research to academia

18:38 Building trust and open communication

22:34 Support for long term development and wellbeing

25:55 Psychological safety in research

26:55 Creative methods for sensitive topics

29:56 Common themes from nominated research environments

34:47 More examples of good practices

38:41 Having clear values

44:03 Learning from failures, celebrating successes

45:56 Value of good research culture for scientific integrity

49:51 Wrapping up, final thoughts

53:48 End

Related links:

SDU Prize announcement

Prize announcement by the Young Academy on LinkedIn

LinkedIn profiles for Nina and Line

In this solo episode (S6 E3) I invite us to rethink the concept of networking within academia, inspired by what the late Liam Bannon shared with us in our recent conversation and the evident relational impact he had on people. I encourage us, myself included, to view networking as being about the other person, not about us, and see it as an opportunity for forming meaningful impactful social connections. 

I offer some practical ideas for making networking about giving and helping others, based on the value of generosity, curiosity, and everyday interactions. In the end our real impact and success in academia are measured by the quality of relationships and the human connections we build, not by the titles or metrics we collect.

Overview

00:00 Introduction to Changing Academic Life

00:29 The Challenges of Networking

01:33 Rethinking Networking: Social Connections

01:48 Tribute to Liam Bannon

02:43 Personal Relations in Academic Careers

03:44 The Importance of Human Connections

10:16 Networking for Others

10:50 Practical Networking Strategies

17:17 Maintaining Connections

21:38 Conclusion and Call to Action

22:58 End

Related links:

Recent episode with Liam Bannon 

Gopinaath Kannabiran

Adam Grant, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania  

Update 22 Sept 2024:It is with deep sadness that I share Liam passed away this morning. May we honour his memory and his generosity in sharing his reflections by always reminding ourselves about what and who is really important.

Liam Bannon is a Professor Emeritus and founder and director of the Interaction Design Centre at the University of Limerick in Ireland. In April 2024 I released a conversation with Liam Bannon recorded in 2017 about his career, ending with a hint about some health issues. 

This is a follow up conversation with Liam from Sept 2024 where he shares his profound reflections on life, health, and academia, amid dealing with terminal cancer. Recorded from his hospital bed, Liam shares his journey since his 2015 stage-four lung cancer diagnosis and subsequent health challenges, including a brain tumour. Emphasising the importance of appreciating life, paying attention to how and with whom we spend it, and maintaining meaningful relationships, Liam offers invaluable insights on managing career pressures, the costs of neglecting personal connections, and the significance of staying true to one's values. Despite audio quality issues, this deeply personal and reflective conversation is a poignant reminder to reassess our priorities and strive for a life balanced between professional aspirations and personal well-being, and prioritising relationships.

Here is a pdf file of the transcript. There is also a transcript embedded with the audio that you can follow along with.

Overview:

00:29 Episode introduction

07:25 Liam’s health journey

12:11 Reflections on professional connections & relationships

21:22 Being reflective about 

25:37 Contributions & tradeoffs

31:04 Asking what do you want to do with your life

33:48 Prioritising people & relationships

38:50 Taking stock, taking holidays, being true to yourself

44:32 Wrapping up

46:16 End

Introducing the new season of Changing Academic Life.

Reflecting on my recent transitions. And thanks to the HCI group for support.

In this short solo episode a share a simple yet powerful technique, S.T.O.P., for taking a purposeful pause throughout your every day. Stop, Take a breath, Observe, Proceed.

00:29 Motivating STOP

01:50 What is STOP

04:37 Using STOP

11:19 Towards making STOP a habit

13:58 End

Volkmar Pipek was a highly influential researcher from Uni of Siegen who sadly passed away in Jan 2024 after a long illness. This short episode draws from a written interview he gave to Mateusz Dolata on the occasion of his 2023 EUSSET-ISSI Lifetime Achievement Award. I read an extract where he shares his advice about becoming and being a researcher: Be curious. Be who you are. Be curious who you are. Wise advice for all of us.

Read the full interview with Volkmar Pipek

Interview conducted by Mateusz Dolata, University of Zurich

Text accompanying the EUSSET-ISSI Lifetime Achievement Award 2023 to Volkmar Pipek

EUSSET: European Society for Socially Embedded Technologies

ISSI: Institute for Social Informatics

Volkmar Pipek, University of Siegen and Volkmar’s publications

Liam Bannon is a Professor Emeritus and founder and director of the Interaction Design Centre at the University of Limerick in Ireland.

Liam has been a hugely influential thinker writer and researcher since the 1980s, along with various collaborators, in shaping work around technology and design.   

Recorded in-person in 2017, he reflects on his interdisciplinary journey and contributions, covering areas such as AI, HCI, CSCW, human-centered design, and collaboration. Liam’s experiences exemplify the challenges and rewards of crafting a unique academic career largely outside the box, grounded in interdisciplinary collaboration and a commitment to improving human-technology interactions, while also highlighting the importance of personal fulfilment and being able to think broadly.

Related Links:

Liam at the Interaction Design Centre, Uni of Limerick

Some of the people & papers he mentions:

George Miller

Zenon Pylyshyn, (1973). What the mind's eye tells the mind's brain: A critique of mental imagery. Psychological Bulletin, 80(1), 1–24. 

H. Rudy Ramsey and Michael E Attwood (1979) Human Factors in Computer Systems: A Review of the Literature, Technical Report SAI-79-111DEN

James Jenkins, Uni of Minnesota

Don Norman, Human Centered Design, UCSD. See also  https://jnd.org

Kjeld Schmidt 

Lucy Suchman

Rob Kling Center for Social Informatics 

Susanne Bødker, Aarhus Uni; see also our 2023 podcast conversation

Mike Cooley, Engineer Lucas Aerospace

Terry Winograd and Fernando Flores, Understanding Computers and Cognition, A New Foundation for Design, 1987, Addison-Wesley.

Bannon, L. & Bødker, S. (1991) Beyond the Interface: Encountering Artifacts in Use. Book Chapter in J.M. Carroll (Ed.) (1991) Designing Interaction: Psychology at the Human-Computer Interface, pp.227-253. (New York: Cambridge University Press) (See also an earlier version)

Bud Mehan, UCSD  

Pelle Ehn, Morten Kyng and Participatory Design e.g., see this paper

Rank Xerox Cambridge EuroPARC e.g., see overview articles 'What is EuroPARC?' and 'Rank Xerox Cambridge EuroPARC'

Liam J. Bannon (2006) Forgetting as a feature, not a bug: the duality of memory and implications for ubiquitous computing, CoDesign, 2:1, 3-15

Liam J. Bannon (2012) Interactions

Schmidt, K., Bannon, L., Four characters in search of a context

Schmidt, K., Bannon, L. Taking CSCW seriously. Comput Supported Coop Work 1, 7–40 (1992). 

The Google Scholar listing of all of Liam’s publications

Jean Paul is a senior scientist at the Medical University of Innsbruck. In part 2 of our conversation, Jean discusses her experience leading an impact-led transcdisciplinary research project focused on supporting families with mental health issues. She highlights the challenges of stakeholder engagement, distributed team management, and transdisciplinary research. Jean emphasizes the importance of community engagement, virtual team collaboration, and fostering diversity in academia. She also reflects on the skills she brings to this role and the importance of investing in the team set up from the very beginning.

Overview

[00:29] Introducing Part 2

[02:23] Recap from Part 1

[07:27] Working with stakeholders

[13:35] Leading a distributed international interdisciplinay project team

[14:59] Learning leadership from diverse experiences

[18:25] The transferrable skills – listening and learning

[20:04] Supporting diverse career paths

[25:16] Insights for parents in academia

[29:22] Leadership, organisational design and virtual team management

[34:33] Making virtual collaboration work

[39:08] Future directions and reflections

[41:57] End

Related links:

Ludwig Boltzmann Institute/Gesellschaft

The sandpit-funded project – The Village Project

The Healthy Minds project

Dr Ghislaine Caulat – consultant on virtual leadership development 

Simon Martin – consultant for their organisational design in a transdisciplinary project with stakeholder involvement 

Project Design principles:

The design principles that came out of the oganisational design workshops:

Jean Paul is a Senior Scientist at the Medical University of Innsbruck in Austria. Jean discusses her involvement in a unique research funding process called a sandpit or an ideas factory. Having then taken on the leadership of the project, she provides insights into the challenges and benefits of transdisciplinary research, stakeholder engagement, and arguing for their impact-focused approach. Jean also shares her academic background in social science, health and genomics research work in Australia.

Overview:

[00:29] Introduction

[03:03] Jean's PhD, Post-Doc Journey & Backup Plan

[11:23] From Australia to Austria: Applying for research funding sandpit

[18:00] The Sandpit Experience

[27:47] Getting Funded, Becoming a Team

[32:08] Leading the Project and Ongoing Project Support

[40:20] Transdisciplinary Research

[48:29] Wrapping up Part 1

[49:36] More on Jean's PhD and Post Doc Projects

[56:40] Final Wrapping Up

[57:47] End

Related links:

Ludwig Boltzmann Institute/Gesellschaft

The sandpit-funded project – The Village Project

This episode is an edited extract from a ‘Beyond Phrenology’ podcast episode where Dr Madhur Mangalam chatted with me about the impacts of research funding challenges on academic culture and individual well-being. The conversation addresses the need for a shift towards more supportive and diverse cultures, the complexities of academic career paths, and the importance of leadership, mentorship and job crafting. We also discuss the implications of international academic norms on individual career choices.

Overview:

[00:00:43] Research Funding Challenges and the Unsustainability of Current Models

[00:04:57] Promoting Emotional Intelligence and Leadership in Academia

[00:15:14] Navigating Career Paths Across Contexts

[00:24:38] On Privileged Positions and Playing the Game

[00:29:02] Wrapping up

[00:30:53] End

Related Links:

Madhur Mangalam, University of Nebraska at Omaha

BeyondPhrenology (YouTube)

BeyondPhrenology (Spotify)

Daniel Goleman – Emotional Intelligence

CAL99 episode: On research identity, meaningful work and funding

TEDx talk from 2016: The craziness of research funding. It costs us all.  

Online Academic Leadership Development Course – sign up by March 7 2024!

Taking this time to celebrate CAL100 – the 100th episode for the Changing Academic Life podcast series (actually 109th episode if we count the nine related work episodes) and thanks to all the people who have been part of making it happen.

To update and correct the information about Dr Paddy Barrett who inspired this podcast:

His original podcast was called 'The Doctor Paradox'. He is a preventive cardiologist not an anaesthetist as I stated. And he is now working in Ireland not the US!

Triggered by a comment from Katta Spiel in an earlier podcast, in this solo episode I explore the tensions between the autonomy and freedom we have to shape our research identities and do meaningful work, and the systemic constraints from funding and promotion opportunities. The tensions particularly arise when research interests don’t align well with institutional expectations or funding trends. I explore various ways to navigate these tensions, such as, adjusting research focus to align with strategic priorities, reframing research proposals while keeping the core agenda unchanged, or continuing passion projects outside of formal funded frameworks. I also reflect on potential trade-offs and the importance of maintaining personal connection and motivation in our research work. At the end I suggest some strategies for self-reflection and staying in tune with what 'lights you up' as a researcher. 

This episode also connects with prior podcast guests Mark Reed and Stuart Reeves.

Overview:

00:29 Introduction and Reflection on Academic Freedom

01:54 Replay from Katta Spiel Part 1

02:37 Mark Reed's principle for engagement and impact

05:22 The Tension Between Personal Values, Identity and Systemic Expectations

07:05 The Reality of Funding Proposals and Strategic Game

08:40 The Impact of Funding Conditions on Research

10:27 The Dilemma of Playing the Funding Game

13:08 Choices for How to Play the Game

19:59 Choosing Not to Play the Game

21:54 Reframing Research Identity 

26:55 End

Related links:

Katta podcast Part 1 episode

Mark Reed podcast episode 

Stuart Reeves podcast episode

Mark Reed, What is good practice engagement and impact?Dec 5 2023

Dr Katta Spiel is an Assistant Professor at TU Wien, a recent ERC Starting Grant recipient, and a good colleague of mine. In part two of our conversation, Katta discusses being neurodivergent, and experiences with ADHD, and being an activist for change with an example of how gender is dealt with in research, and about 'epistemic plurality and the importance of making space for different ways of being and knowing. They conclude by advocating for respectful curiosity about individual experiences and allowing others space to perform their best work. They also argue for a lab culture where personal needs can be discussed and respected, suggesting this encourages more open dialogue and a supportive environment.

This conversation picks up from Part one where Katta shared their experiences on topics like career uncertainty, proposal rejections, coming out as queer, chronic health issues, being successful, and notions of normativity. 

Overview:

[00:00:00] Introduction

[00:01:56] Personal Journey with Neurodivergence

[00:06:42] Strategies for Navigating Neurodivergence

[00:10:05] Dealing with a world not made for Neurodivergence

[00:15:39] Creating a Supportive Environment for Neurodivergence

[00:20:12] The Intersection of Neurodivergence and Activism

[00:26:19] Embracing different ways of being and knowing

[00:33:27] Final Thoughts on Neurodivergence and Inclusivity

[00:35:44] My final reflections

[00:38:06] End

Related links:

Katta's personal web page, TU Wien web page, LinkedIn page, and announcement about their ERC Starting Grant

Gender paper: Katta Spiel, Oliver L. Haimson, and Danielle Lottridge. 2019. How to do better with gender on surveys: a guide for HCI researchers. interactions 26, 4 (July-August 2019), 62–65. https://doi.org/10.1145/3338283

Hanne de Jaegher https://hannedejaegher.net

In this short episode I reflect on the podcast season so far and on my own year of transitions. And I offer some prompt questions to help us reflect on what we have achieved and learnt this past year and encourage us to take some time to savour and celebrate it.

Overview:

00:05 Introduction

01:32 Podcast highlights

05:50 Transitioning to a new phase

7:35 Reflection prompts

10:17 Gratitude & looking forward

13:26 End

Dr Katta Spiel is an Assistant Professor at TU Wien, a recent ERC Starting Grant recipient, and a good colleague of mine. 

In the first part of this two-part conversation Katta shares their experiences on a range of topics like career uncertainty, rejection of proposals, coming out as queer, having a formal gender change, dealing with chronic health issues, and being successful in receiving a prestigious research council grant. Dr. Spiel's struggles and successes reflect their unyielding effort to change academic life for the better. An emphasis is also placed on the importance of authenticity and uncompromised approach when applying for grants. Part two of the conversation with Katta will delve deeper into the topic of neurodivergence and their ADHD experiences.

Overview:

0:00 Introduction

02:42 Navigating Identity and Academia

07:06 Exploring Alternative Career Paths

09:37 The Journey to Recognition and Success

10:34 Challenges and Triumphs in Grant Applications

23:07 Understanding the Difference Between Access and Accessibility

25:48 Personal Journey of Gender Identity and Health

33:58 Experiences with Chronic Health Issues

38:10 The Impact of Body Shape on Medical Treatment

40:16 The Role of Technology in Access and Inclusion

43:23 End

Related Links:

Katta's personal web page, TU Wien web page, LinkedIn page, and announcement about their ERC Starting Grant

People: Raja Kushalnager, Christian Vogler , Abraham Glasser

There were some technical hiccups in Part 2 of my conversation with Irina Shklovski, making the original audio I released very choppy (a lesson in not relying on smart tools!). I’ve uploaded new audio version that is much easier to listen to and doesn't chop off words. So this is an encouragement to you to listen to this now as it is such an important raw honest conversation and Irina shares so many useful ideas about coming back from burnout and learning to be enough, do enough. I include a clip from that conversation as a teaser. 

Overview:

00:00 Intro

00:29 Addressing Technical Issues on Irina Part 2

01:52 Revisiting Irina's Conversation

02:35 Snippet from Irina's Conversation

04:13 Encouragement to Listen to Part Two

04:30 Outro

05:25 End

Episode: Irina Shklovski Part 2

In this short episode I pick on the notion of self-compassion from the discussion with Mark Reed last week, and go back to Kristin Neff’s work and other related self-compassion researcher to unpack the three components of self-compassion and some practices for cultivating self-compassion and also point to some of the research evidence base for the benefits of self-compassion. I also share my own experience in needing to apply self-compassion this week. 

Overview:

00:29 Introduction

01:27 Replaying Mark Reed on self-compassion

02:26 An overview of self-compassion

06:37 Examples of self-compassion practices

08:24 My self-compassion experience

11:25 Example research evidence base

17:45 Back to Mark

20:24 End

For atranscript to follow automatically with the audio: https://share.descript.com/view/JxbMM1C5ZIZ

Related Links:

The podcast conversation with Mark Reed

Kristin Neff’s Self-Compassion web page 

Neff, K., Hsieh, Y. & Dejitterat, K. Self-compassion, Achievement Goals, and Coping with Academic Failure. Self and Identity, 4, 263-287, 2005. DOI: 10.1080/13576500444000317 

Zessin, U., Dickhäuser, O. & Garbade, S. The Relationship Between Self-Compassion and Well-Being: A Meta-Analysis. Health and Well-Being, 7(3), 340-364 2015

Ewert, C., Vater, A. & Schröder-Abé, M. Self-Compassion and Coping: a Meta-Analysis. Mindfulness 12, 1063–1077 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-020-01563-8

Lee, K.J., Lee, S.M. The role of self-compassion in the academic stress model. Curr Psychol41, 3195–3204 (2022).https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-00843-9

Dreisoerner, A., Klaic, A., van Dick, R. et al. Self-Compassion as a Means to Improve Job-Related Well-Being in Academia. J Happiness Stud 24, 409–428 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-022-00602-6

Phillips WJ, Hine DW. Self-compassion, physical health, and health behaviour: a meta-analysis. Health Psychol Rev. 2021 Mar;15(1):113-139. Doi:10.1080/17437199.2019.1705872. Epub 2019 Dec 22. PMID: 31842689.

Neff, K. Self-Compassion: Theory, Method, Research, and Intervention. Annu. Rev. Psychol. 2023. 74:193–218. 

Acknowledgement: Episode artwork image of person hugging themselves: Photo by Hala Al-Asadi on Unsplash

Professor Mark Reed is an academic, author, podcaster, consultant, trainer, policy advisor among his many roles. His research area is on ecosystem markets and environmental governance, and he studies how researchers can generate and share their knowledge so they can change the world. Reflecting both of these strands, he is both an academic, co-directing a research Centre at Scotland’s Rural College, and he is the founder of Fast Track Impact, a training and coaching company, and he hosts The Fast Track Impact podcast. He also has a host of other roles you can read about on his web page. 

We discuss the concept of 'impact' in academia, the challenges of mental health and burnout amongst academics, and the importance of self-compassion, self-reflection and self-care. Driven by a desire to make a difference, Mark intertwines his academic inquiries with a commitment to environmental stewardship and decolonizing research. He also talks about his commitment to empowering colleagues, managing postdocs efficiently, and his take on the biases and limitations within the academic system.

Overview

00:05 Introduction

00:30 Meet Professor Mark Reed: A Multi-faceted Academic

01:18 The Importance of Self-Reflection in Academia

01:56 Mark's Personal Struggles and the Importance of Self-Compassion

02:07 The Role of Purpose and Values in Mark's Work

02:56 Mark's Journey as an Academic and Policy Advisor

07:23 The Challenges and Biases in the Academic System

08:32 Building a Compassionate Culture in Academia

11:33 Decolonizing Research and Influencing Policy

27:11 The Role of Empathy and Love in Research

32:13 The Importance of Self-Care and Work-Life Balance in Academia

48:05 Creating a Purposeful Workplace and Leading from the Bottom Up

51:24 Conclusion: The Impact of Love and Empathy in Academia

52:56 End

Listen here for a version to follow the transcriptlinked directly to the audio

Related Links

Mark'sresearch web page & Fast Track Impact page

Mark’s books: https://www.fasttrackimpact.com/books#impact-culture

Mark’s ‘The Fast Track Impact’ podcast series

Mark Reed & Hanna Rudman, Re-thinking research impact: voice, context and power at the interface of science, policy and practice, 18, Sustainability Science, 967-981, 2023.

Richard Watermeyer's 2019 book: Competitive Accountability in Academic Life: The Struggle for Social Impact and Public Legitimacy

Dr Kristin Neff, Uni of Austen Texas on self compassion

Prof Michelle Pinard, Uni of Aberdeen 

In this very short 7mins episode, I talk about choosing to go to the park instead of doing a longer episode as I had planned - making good enough choices and honouring other areas of my life.

I also point to related older podcasts that talked about issues around burnout, obsessive vs harmonious passion, self care, planning:

Jolanta Burke on burnout, harmonious passion, positive workplaces & helping others (from 2017)

Anna Cox on family, work & strategies for making the changes we want (from 2017)

Amy Ko on being reflectively self-aware, deliberately structured, & amazingly productive (also from 2017)

ProfessorIrina Shklovski, University of Copenhagen, continues her powerful story about her academic burn-out experiences, returning to work and learning the dance of how to be enough and do enough. She discusses the push-and-pull between professional expectations and personal health, the value of reflection and self-awareness, how to establish work boundaries, and the crucial role of support from colleagues. We also touch on university funding, neoliberal culture in academia, and the importance of nurturing a balanced lifestyle which includes non-work related activities. The conversation ends with a call for change in academia, highlighting the need to redefine standards for success and manage the increasing pressures in academic cultures.

Overview:

[00:29] Episode introduction & recap Part 1

[04:53] Trying to plan

[06:29] Saying no and yes

[14:44] Value of professional help

[22:57] Tracking work

[32:10] Making time for rest

[40:24] Culture/structure influences

[49:39] Supporting students in what is enough

[54:46] Wrapping up

[59:04] End

Listen here for a version to follow the transcript linked directly to the audio

Related Links:

Pernille Bjørn 

 Kasper Hornbæk

Ridiculous Software

Toggle Track 

Haruki Murakami, What I talk about when I talk about running 

ProfessorIrina Shklovski, University of Copenhagen, has a powerful story to tell about her burn-out experiences.  In Part 1 she talks about how she got there, having an amazingly supportive department and colleagues, and how her body tells her when to stop. Implicated in this are issues such as being across two departments, defining her scholarship, starting a new uni during COVID, the downside of getting grants and what it’s like getting to the point of not being able to function and having to ask for help. 

Apologies for missing music - trying to get that sorted!

Overview:

[00:29] Episode introduction

[01:58] Navigating two departments…during COVID

[10:32] Deciding for CS, being uncomfortable, having impact 

[24:25] Journey to burnout

[29:35] Making the call for help

[38:45] How her body tells her when to stop

[42:32] Wrapping up

[45:17] End 

Click here for a walk-through transcript

Related Links

In this short solo episode, I reflect back on recent conversations around academic mobility, discuss some benefits, and also point to an EU initiative to improve support for mobility across sectors, countries and disciplines. I also discuss some of the costs and issues around mobility, and in particular pensions, something we don’t often think about. In sharing my experiences with a complicated pension situation because of my international and sector mobility, I encourage everyone to think about this now.

Overview:

[00:29] Episode introduction, revisiting mobility form past episodes

[02:16] EU initiative towards better mobility support, mobility benefits

[04:47] Shadow sides of mobility

[06:12] Pension challenges with mobility

[08:12] My mobility and pension story

[15:08] Encouraging people to think more about pensions

[16:50] RESAVER pension fund

[19:24] End

Professor Susanne Bødker is a professor of Human Computer Interaction at Aarhus University in Denmark. She reflects on 40 years at Aarhus University (AU) touching on issues including mobility, changes over time, hiring practices, creating collegial culture, being active in university politics, transitioning to retirement, being a single parent, among many others. You’ll hear a strongly held set of values around participation and human connections. Susanne is one of the most respected and impactful HCI researchers yet you’ll also hear her humility. Thank you Susanne for a career well served and that will hopefully continue in some ways as you explore your new opportunities.

Apologies for missing music - trying to get that sorted!

Overview

0:05 Welcome to Changing Academic Life.

[00:00:29] Episode introduction

[00:02:21] Susanne introduces herself and her PhD times

[00:14:36] Reflecting on 40 years in Aarhus

[00:21:31] The collegial social culture at Aarhus

[00:25:29] Hiring people for fit

[00:30:18] The value of mobility

[00:38:06] The big changes over time

[00:40:49] Being involved in university politics

[00:47:39] Transitioning to retirement

[00:54:39] How she sees her legacy

[01:00:05] Being a single parent

[01:04:52] Wrapping up

01:07:21 End

Related links:

Susanne Bødker, Google Scholar profile 

Her published thesis: Susanne Bødker, Through the Interface: A Human Activity Approach to User Interface Design, Routledge, 1990

Austrian Academy of Sciences Lecture, 21 Sept 2023, “How do we understand tools, and why is that important for contemporary human-computer interaction?"

Morten Kyng, Kristen Nygaard, Kim Halskov, Joan Greenbaum 

Winograd, Terry and Flores, Fernando, Understanding Computers and Cognition: A New Foundation for Design, Intellect Books, 1986. 

Dreyfus, Stuart E. and Dreyfus, Hubert L. (1986). Mind over Machine. New York, NY: Free Press.

Utopia project & Participatory IT (PIT) Centre 

Keywords:

Academia, Career paths, Research culture, Retirement, Values

Click here to subscribe via the player of your choice.

Following the conversation with Dr Karen Stroobants on the EU CoARA agreement, I discuss some other top-down initiatives at international and national levels for reforming research assessment. I also share some of my own bottom-up experiences trying to put these principles to work eg in writing references and being part of evaluation panels. It is also my hope that these actions can also have some middle-out influence.

Overview [41:33 mins] -full transcript available:

[00:00:29] Episode introduction

[00:02:10] The 10 Commitments of CoARA

[00:05:02] Other international initiatives

[00:10:34] Netherlands as example of national initiatives

[00:17:20] Some of my 'bottom up' examples

[00:34:18] Middle out strategies

[00:38:35] Wrapping up

Related links:

CoARA: Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment and CoARA Commitments

LERU: League of European Research Universities 

LERU Publication: A Pathway towards Multidimensional Academic Careers 2022

DORA: San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment 2013

Leiden Manifesto for Research Metrics 2015 

The Metric Tide: Review of metrics in research assessment 

Strategy Evaluation Protocol 2021-2027 

Room for Everyone’s Talent 

Related podcasts:

Karen Stroobants on changing research culture and reforming research assessment

Sarah Davies: Part 1 on mobility, precarity and notions of excellence  and part 2 on luck, disrupting excellence, and cultures of care

Tanita Casci and Elizabeth Adams on supporting, rewarding and celebrating a positive collegial research culture 

James Wilsden on metrics and responsible research evaluation 

Keywords:

Academia, CoARA, Diversity, Governance and policy, Research culture, Research Evaluation

In this short episode I reflect on my recurring life lesson about putting unrealistic pressures on myself, in this case to put out a full podcast this week. Especially when the platforms I am using are a work in progress. And accepting that I am also a work in progress. What are your recurring life lessons?

Transcript [08:03 mins]

[00:00:29] Geri: Do you ever have any of those life lessons where it seems like the universe needs to serve them up to you again and again and again? Because you're so slow to learn them. And so you need to be reminded about them over and over and over again. Well, this week I've been returned to one of my recurring life lessons that it seems like I still don't learn. Which is about setting up unreal expectations for myself. 

[00:01:02] I made the bold claim in the short intro session to season four. That my aim was to try to release a podcast every week on a Wednesday morning. And so I've already put myself under enormous pressure to do that. Uh, we put out the great conversation with Karen last week Karen Stroobants about reforming research evaluation. And I wanted to follow up that podcast, just responding to some of the issues she raised in terms of my personal experiences. And so I did record something and then I spent ages processing the audio and so on. And doing it quite uncritically because I was just driven by, I had to get it out. I had to get it out. Uh, and then Wednesday came and I miss my 8:00 AM release time and it still wasn't done. And I'm still feeling the pressure last night and it just occurred to me. It has stepping back a little bit. It's actually not very good at all. Despite the huge amount of time and effort that I've put into it, it's really not ready to go out. And it's something that I should take just as a, as a rehearsal . So then I was feeling doubly bad about it. 

[00:02:15] But do you know what? That all just comes from me? I created that. No one else. I know that no one is sitting around at 8:00 AM or 9:00 AM on a Wednesday. Waiting for the podcast to drop. But still I felt the pressure. I felt bad. And I ended up putting a whole lot of misdirected time and inefficient effort. Having bought into that pressure. And that whole unrealistic expectation. 

[00:02:43] So I'm not going to release that podcast. I am still going to get something out this week. So what's my minimal commitment that I can do. And I'm just going to do this short one with yet another confession. About this time, setting up unrealistic expectations. 

[00:03:01] And when you think about it, logically of course they were unrealistic expectations. What on earth was I thinking. Of course, it's going to be hard to do weekly at the moment. Because this whole new podcast set up is a work in progress, literally. We're still getting the new technology platforms in place for the podcast and that that's everything from the recording platform. The platform where I process the audio, do the transcriptions. Um, we're setting up a whole new podcast server. They're all new. At once. And so every aspect of the workflow now is brand new as well. And on top of that, they're really great platforms, but in being great, they're also quite complex. And so there's a huge learning curve, both just in getting to know the software and what each of the platforms can do. As well as how I want to use them and how to make that workflow work. 

[00:04:02] And the other aspect, that's a big work in progress and taking time and effort is the website. And. And also there's a lot of interplay between the new podcast server and the new website that we're trying to work out as well. So that the whole environment I'm trying to work in. Is a work in progress. 

[00:04:21] And I'm clearly a work in progress as well. Because I forgot to allow myself grace for being on a learning curve. And learning curves are always uncomfortable. Aren't they it's. It's uncomfortable feeling like you don't know, not being an expert. Um, and also dealing with the uncertainty of that, and also the inevitable challenges that come up and problems. 

[00:04:46] And it's not just that on top of that, this my whole life situation. These are my last days in my current role before transitioning on. And there's a whole lot to be done practically. And not to mention a whole lot to deal with emotionally and the whole emotional overlay of, um, you know, those interesting aspects to endings and beginnings, you know, the sadness of endings the excitement of new beginnings and. so on., And on top of all of that, we've also had a lot of visitors, both personal visitors and work visitors. So, duh, of course, it's going to be hard to get something out on Wednesday. And that's okay. That it didn't happen. 

[00:05:31] And so this week has been returning to the lesson. My recurring life lesson. That it's okay. That I'm okay. Uh, not to put such high expectations on myself and create my own pressures. To hold the expectation's lightly. To be comfortable with adjusting deadlines and to be comfortable with good enough and recognizing when good enough is good enough. And it's okay to also say that. Say the one that I had tried to prepare for this week. Wasn't good enough. 

[00:06:05] So. This is just a short podcast today. I'll do my best to get something out next week, but I won't put pressure on myself and I'll just accept that. Work on being kind to myself, recognize that we will eventually get all of this new stuff, worked out, that the learning curve will become a little bit easier. The website will be up and running my new life, whatever that's going to have it, that's going to be unfolding. Will happen and we'll get into the rhythm as well, and just try to maintain, more of a detached curiosity to see how it all works out. 

[00:06:45] So thanks for listening to my confession. Uh, maybe this invites you to also reflect on what are your recurring life lessons that the universe needs to present you with again, and again, and again. And hopefully. Maybe you are not as slow as me as at learning those lessons. Have a good week

We need to reform research evaluation because "It's not just which people are we excluding, which profiles are we excluding, which ideas are we excluding, but also whose problems are we not solving" says Dr Karen Stroobants.

Karen is a researcher, policy adviser and consultant on research policy and strategy, with a focus on research culture. Her research background and PhD is in chemistry. She now manages a portfolio of activities, combining roles as (part-time) lead policy advisor on research landscape & economy for the Royal Society of Chemistry in the UK and as freelance consultant, focusing most recently on contributing to the drafting of a European agreement on research assessment reform. 

This agreement on reforming research assessment from CoARA, the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment, is the reason I wanted to speak with Karen. We cover: concerns of current research assessment approaches; the need for both top-down and bottom up buy in to create research culture change and what that change might look like; how we can navigate career choices while the system is still in transition; the importance of reflection for research culture change and embracing a diversity of people ideas and research problems; the core commitments of the CoARA agreement; and the move to more qualitative assessments at both individual and institutional and national levels. We finish with Karen reflecting on her own career choices driven by values and what is important. 

Related links:

CoARA: Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment https://coara.eu

Prof Frank Miedema, UMC Utrecht, https://www.umcutrecht.nl/en/research/researchers/miedema-frank-f#

Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions MSCA https://marie-sklodowska-curie-action; San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment s.ec.europa.eu

INORMS: International Network of Research Management Societies https://inorms.net

DORA: San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment https://sfdora.org/dora-community-engagement-grants-supporting-academic-assessment-reform/

The Metric Tide: Review of metrics in research assessment https://www.ukri.org/publications/review-of-metrics-in-research-assessment-and-management/

Book:

Caroline Criado Perez, Invisible Women, Vintage Books, 2019

https://carolinecriadoperez.com/book/invisible-women/ 

Related podcasts:

Sarah Davies: Part 1 on mobility, precarity and notions of excellence https://www.changingacademiclife.com/blog/2023/cal81-sarah-davies-part-1 and part 2 on luck, disrupting excellence, and cultures of care https://www.changingacademiclife.com/blog/2023/cal82-sarah-davies-part-2

Tanita Casci and Elizabeth Adams on supporting, rewarding and celebrating a positive collegial research culture https://www.changingacademiclife.com/blog/2021/5/21/tanita-casci-elizabeth-adams

James Wilsden on metrics and responsible research evaluation https://www.changingacademiclife.com/blog/2023/cal77-james-wilsdon-replay

This is a short episode to kick off the new Season of the Changing Academic Life podcast series.

Looking forward to bringing some great conversations coming on a range of topics fro reforming research assessment, burnout and neurodiversity.

A new website will be coming very soon!

You can access all the latest episodes via this link that will connect you to your favourite podcast player. And don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t already to be sure you don’t miss any episodes!