Your Words Unleashed

Епизоди

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  Ep. 115 - Rethinking Leadership in Academia (with Dr. Jen Heemstra) 08.09.2026 52мин

  Send us Fan Mail Academic leadership often comes with a job description that says “professor” but a reality that says “manager, mentor, conflict resolver, and people leader.” The problem? Most academics receive very little training for that second job. In this episode, I talk with Dr. Jen Heemstra, Chair and Professor of Chemistry at Washington University in St. Louis and author of Lab Work to Leadership: A Concise Guide to Thriving in the Science Job You Weren’t Trained For. We discuss what ...
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  Ep. 114 - How to Write Stronger Conclusions (with Dr. Katherine Wiley) 24.08.2026 37мин

  Send us Fan Mail Writing a conclusion can feel surprisingly difficult. By the time you reach the end of a book, you just want to be finished! But a conclusion is more than the final chapter—it's your opportunity to help readers understand what your work adds up to and why it matters. In this episode, I talk with developmental editor Dr. Katherine Wiley about what makes a strong conclusion and why so many scholars struggle to write one. We discuss the difference between summarizing and synthes...
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  Ep. 113 - Scale Back Your Teaching Without Guilt! (Listener's Choice!) 11.08.2026 21мин

  Send us Fan Mail Feeling the weight of the upcoming semester? You’re not alone. In this listener's choice episode, I explore why so many academics head into fall already exhausted—and how you can change that. I share a simple but powerful three-step approach to reduce your teaching load without sacrificing student learning. You’ll hear why it’s essential to put your own priorities at the center of your semester planning and how a few intentional choices now can save you from burnout lat...
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  Ep. 112 - Bringing Personal Memoir into Academic Writing (with Dr. Georgiann Davis) 28.07.2026 48мин

  Send us Fan Mail Academic writing often asks us to keep ourselves out of the story. Memoir asks us to do the opposite. In this episode, I talk with sociologist and intersex scholar-activist Georgiann Davis about her new book, Five Star White Trash, a research-driven memoir that weaves together personal narrative and sociological analysis. We discuss what it means to write about deeply personal experiences as an academic, how memoir can help readers understand larger social issues, and why sto...
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  Ep. 111 - The Financial Habits That Support Academic Careers (with Dr. Emily Roberts) 13.07.2026 38мин

  Send us Fan Mail Many academics postpone thinking seriously about money until they have a "real job." But the habits and systems you build long before that point can have a significant impact on the choices available to you later. In this episode, I talk with Dr. Emily Roberts, founder of Personal Finance for PhDs, about the financial challenges that graduate students and postdocs often face. We discuss scarcity mindset in academia, the relationship between money and personal values, and why ...
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  Ep. 110 - Leaving Academia #10: Building a New Career in Public Policy (with Dr. Saher Selod) 22.06.2026 47мин

  Send us Fan Mail Many academics reach a point where they start wondering whether they can continue doing this work in the same way for the rest of their career. But even when those questions start surfacing, leaving academia can still feel almost impossible to imagine. In this episode, I talk with my friend Dr. Saher Selod about her transition from tenured professor and department chair to Director of Research at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU). We discuss the emotion...
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  Ep. 109 - The Formula for Successful Writing 08.06.2026 21мин

  Send us Fan Mail What helps some academic authors finish their books while others remain stuck for years? In this solo episode, Leslie explores the question she has been pondering throughout her coaching career: what truly creates writing success? Drawing on her experience working with hundreds of scholarly authors, she challenges common assumptions about productivity, motivation, and time management. Leslie shares a practical framework for understanding why writing progress often...
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  Ep. 108 - Expert Strategies for Publicizing Your Book (with publicist Sarah Russo) 26.05.2026 49мин

  Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I’m joined by Sarah Russo, founder of Page One Media, to talk through how these campaigns work and how they differ from what presses are able to do on their own. We discuss what publicity actually involves, how it connects to marketing and sales, and why the timeline and goals for a campaign matter so much. We also talk about how to think about platforms in a more expansive way, what authors can do to keep momentum going after publication, and how to approach...
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  Ep. 107 - What Actually Helps Grad Students Succeed (with Dr. Yvette Martinez-Vu) 12.05.2026 46мин

  Send us Fan Mail A lot of graduate students—especially those who are first-generation or come from underrepresented backgrounds—enter academia without really knowing how it works behind the scenes. So many expectations are unspoken and timelines can feel fuzzy. A lot of what shapes success is never clearly explained. In this episode, I’m talking with Dr. Yvette Martinez-Vu, the founder of Grad School Femtoring, about how to navigate grad school with more clarity and support. She shares her ow...
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  Ep. 106 - How to Turn a Journal Article Into a Book Chapter 28.04.2026 16мин

  Send us Fan Mail Turning a published article into a book chapter can feel daunting—but it’s also one of the smartest ways to build momentum on your manuscript. In this episode, I walk you through how to repurpose your existing work without simply copying and pasting. You’ll learn how to rethink your article as part of a larger narrative, clarify its role in your book’s overall argument, and shift your writing to engage a broader audience beyond your subfield. I also address common concerns ab...
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  Ep. 105 - Leaving Academia #9: Craft a Powerful Career Story (with Dr. David Mendes) 14.04.2026 48мин

  Send us Fan Mail Many PhDs who are considering careers beyond academia struggle with a simple question: how do you explain what you do to people outside your field? In this episode, I talk with David Mendes, host of Beyond the Thesis with Papa PhD, about science communication, career transitions, and how PhDs can start telling clearer stories about their work and their skills. David shares how his own experience navigating life after the PhD led him to create a podcast that highlights the man...
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  Ep. 104 - How Higher Education Protects Democracy (with Dr. Alison Gash) 31.03.2026 38мин

  Send us Fan Mail As political attacks on colleges and universities accelerate across the United States, what’s happening in higher education is increasingly a warning sign for democracy itself. In this episode, Leslie speaks with Alison Gash, Professor and Department Head of Political Science at the University of Oregon, about coordinated efforts to undermine academic freedom—from curriculum bans and anti-DEI policies to broader attempts to weaken critical inquiry. Together, they examine why ...
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  Ep. 103 - Revitalize Your Purpose in Mid-Career 18.03.2026 19мин

  Send us Fan Mail Have you achieved a lot in your academic career — but something still feels off? In this episode, I explore the identity shifts that often hit academics in mid-career, especially around getting tenure. Drawing on Arthur Brooks' provocative Atlantic essay on professional change, I unpack why purpose naturally evolves over time — and why that's nothing to fear. I talk about the post-tenure slump no one warns you about, the quiet fear of becoming irrelevant, and why academia's n...
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  Ep. 102 - What Every Educator Should Know About ADHD (with Karen Costa) 03.03.2026 44мин

  Send us Fan Mail Many women in academia are diagnosed with ADHD later in life, often after years of burnout, shame, and being told they’re “just anxious” or “not organized enough.” In this episode, you’ll hear why that experience is so common, and why it has far more to do with systems than with personal failure. I talk with Karen Costa, author of An Educator’s Guide to ADHD, about what ADHD actually is (and isn’t), how deficit-based assumptions shape classrooms and feedback culture, and why ...
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  Ep. 101 - Leaving Academia #8: Find Career Clarity Beyond the Tenure Track (with Dr. Jen Polk) 17.02.2026 35мин

  Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Leslie sits down with Jennifer Polk, PhD—career coach, educator, and founder of From PhD to Life—to talk about what it really takes to leave academia and build a fulfilling career beyond the tenure track. Jen shares why the hardest part of career transition often isn’t strategy, but mindset: the stories academics tell themselves about stability, meaningful work, and whether they’re “enough” for roles outside higher ed. Together, they unpack common misconcepti...
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  Ep. 100 - Make Your Writing Radically Inclusive 03.02.2026 19мин

  Send us Fan Mail In this milestone 100th episode of Your Words Unleashed, I reflect on my podcasting journey and share one of the most courageous pieces of writing I’ve ever published: “The Case for Radically Inclusive Writing.” After more than four years of podcasting—and major life and career transitions along the way—I look back on how using my voice consistently has shaped my values, my work, and my willingness to speak candidly about what’s broken when it comes to academic writing. The h...
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  Ep. 99 - Book Publicity 101: What Scholarly Authors Need to Know (with publicist Amanda Ice) 20.01.2026 37мин

  Send us Fan Mail Many academic authors have little sense of what happens once a book is finished, especially when it comes to publicity. In this episode, I talk with Amanda Ice, a senior publicist at Harvard University Press, about what happens behind the scenes once a book is finished and why so much of that work is invisible to authors. We walk through the publicity timeline, what authors can realistically expect from a university press, and why collaboration with your publicist matte...
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  Ep. 98 - Confidently Transform Your Dissertation Into a Publishable Book (with Dr. Allison Van Deventer) 06.01.2026 44мин

  Send us Fan Mail Support the show Check out Leslie's website at www.YourWordsUnleashed.com! The three ways Leslie can help you with coaching & developmental editing: #1: Six-month Your Words Unleashed signature book writing coaching program. Through 8 hour-long sessions tailored to your own needs and goals, we will pinpoint what’s keeping you stuck. We’ll figure out personalized solutions and strategies so you can create direction and lasting momentum with your book writing. I’ll also p...
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  Ep. 97 - Your Guide to Doing 10% Less in the New Year 29.12.2025 17мин

  Send us Fan Mail As another intense year in academia comes to a close, you might be feeling equal parts relieved and completely wiped out. In this episode, I’m reflecting on what 2025 looked like in my business and why I intentionally chose to do less—and felt better for it. Then I’ll walk you through a simple, low-pressure reflection that can help you figure out how to do just 10% less next semester without blowing up your career or your conscience. This isn’t about quitting your...
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  Ep. 96 - How to Write Prolifically (with Dr. Abbie Goldberg) 16.12.2025 41мин

  Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Leslie talks with Dr. Abbie E. Goldberg—Professor of Clinical Psychology at Clark University and a leading scholar on LGBTQ+ families—about writing, research, and staying motivated when academic life feels overwhelming. Abbie reflects on how she came to see research as a form of storytelling and why life transitions for more than two decades. They dive into the realities of academic writing: how to decide when a project no longer fits, why setting something a...