Grad Girl Wellness

In 2024, GGW is standing on business, and that's what our guest, Dr. Emmanuela Stanislaus, is all about. As a multi-passionate professional, serial entrepreneur, and daughter of immigrants, she leverages her depth of experiences as a consultant and coach for women of color in graduate school. In this episode you'll learn:

• Advice for starting your own business
• Determining when it's time to begin or end an entrepreneurial endeavor
• How your research can inform your approach to business

Dr. Emmanuela offers great resources on her website (https://www.dremmanuelaconsulting.com), which includes sign up links for coaching/consulting, her Writing on my Mind podcast, and even her e-book "Taking Charge: A Career Guide for Graduate Students." Be sure to listen and start the year off on the right foot!

On this episode of the GGW podcast, we chat with Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Founder of Black Womnyn Professoriate, Dr. Keneisha Harrington. As a key component of wellness, W\we talk all things community in grad school and on the tenure track. Some topics include:

• Using graduate school to explore the types of wellness activities that work best for you
• A wellness toolbox
• Different ways and spaces to build community
• The BE Well writing retreat (claim the remaining spot ASAP)

This episode is sure to be helpful for anyone looking for ways to build community but might be too scared to know where to start.

Connect with Dr. Harriington here:

Instagram: blackwomynprofessoriate

Twitter:@blackwomynprof

Website: www.blackwomynprofessoriate.com

Self care is important but we can't do it all on our own. This episode of the Grad Girl Wellness podcast features, Dra. Yvette Martínez-Vu, a first generation, Chicana, mother scholar and academic coach. She shares how her experiences as a graduate student inspired her to be a resource for first generation students of color as they navigate the graduate school application process and beyond! On this episode you'll hear:

• The importance of finding the right type of mentor for you
• Tips on how to find a femtor
• Insight on Dra. Yvette's forthcoming co-authored book "The Grad School Femtoring Guide"

To learn more about Grad School Femtoring visit www.gradschoolfemtoring.com, @gradschoolfemtoring (IG & Facebook), @gradfemtoring (Twitter)

On this special Wellness Reset edition of the Grad Girl Wellness podcast, we sit down with Dr. Jennifer Bourgeois who will be a featured panelist and the yoga instructor for the retreat happening October 8 at 12 pm EST. Dr. Bourgeois is a "Pandemic PhD" who earned her doctorate in Administration of Justice in 2021. She is currently a professor, postdoctoral fellow and yoga instructor. Through her work with Pages & Poses LLC., she melds her passions for wellness and supporting individuals impacted by the criminal legal system. On this episode we discuss:

• The parallels between a wellness and academic journey
• The difference between being a PhD student and a postdoc
• Gaining real-world experience prior to pursuing a PhD

To find out more about Dr. Bourgeois you can follow her on Instagram @jennwith2ns_yogi and on her website www.pagesandposes.com

What happens when dissertation writing and romance collide? On this episode of the Grad Girl Wellness podcast, we continue our conversation about romantic relationships. Wynta, our featured guest, is currently a first year PhD student in clinical psychology but has been known to wear many hats as a researcher, lecturer and, stress coach. Some key points she shares about relationships as a grad student include:

• Time management while in a relationship
• Co-habitation and working from home during the pandemic
• The emotional impact of a breakup while trying to finish your degree

Wynta's transparency on this episode is truly invaluable for anyone listening no matter their relationship status. Feel free to give her a follow on Instagram at @wyntaworthwhile

Love is in the air. On this episode, we talk to Dr. Christina, a recently minted PhD in American studies. She shares her reflections and authentic advice on what it's like to date while in graduate school. Some of the topics we cover include:

• identifying the place of romantic relationships in our life and how the prioritization of relationships changes throughout grad school
• the pros and cons of dating someone who is also a student
• the importance of therapy in helping you to conceptualize how to date and why you approach dating the way you do
• grieving while also attending to academic commitments 

All in all, this episode is a reminder for folks to seriously consider therapy as a way to help you make sense of your dating approach. Dr. Christina suggests the directory provided by therapyforblackgirls.com to help you find a provider.

To stay connected, you can find Dr. Christina at csessoms3 on Instagram and Christina Sessoms on Linked In

Add this to your book list! Danielle, a Second year PhD Student in Microbiology and Immunology, created an interactive mindfulness journal for students! The Mindful PhD journal was reviewed by licensed therapists, and is filled with reflective prompts, peer reviewed literature, meditations, quotes, and affirmations.

On the show, Danielle talks about how her postbacc prepared her for prioritizing wellness during the PhD, and why she is inspired to change the culture of academia by prioritizing wellness on a structural level. She goes in depth on:

• the importance of 'grad'itude
• how to practice micro moments of mindfulness
• how to use the journal throughout grad school

The Mindful PhD journal was birthed from a desire to help students develop: 1) their “why” and 2) a wellness toolkit. In spite of the name, the journal can be useful for not just PhD students but also those in Master’s and professional programs. To purchase the journal for only $24, go to www.infinitegraditude.com. You can find out more about Danielle at dani.renee_(instagram) and dani_renee_ (Twitter).

In a recent Instagram poll of the GGW community, 93% of 120 respondents shared that their health had been negatively impacted while in grad school. This was prompted by a highly popular post by @becomingadoctora, a soon to be PhD in school psychology who developed a number of physical health issues including migraines and carpal tunnel syndrome all while pursuing graduate studies. 

On this episode we discuss: 

• The interconnection between physical and mental health
• Going to therapy
• Being mindful of reoccurring symptoms 
• Changing your mindset around what you have time for
• How to crate healthy habits throughout the duration of grad school 

In short, this episode is a PSA to schedule your doctor appointments the same way that you schedule school assignments.

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This episode is a long awaited response to the top 5 questions I received about writing a dissertation. After this very long 2 year process, I can finally take a step back to talk about the highs and lows of dissertation writing. The reflections I share are also applicable to folks working on a thesis or a capstone. On this episode, I cover the following questions with one bonus!

1. What was my writing process? 
2. What is a realistic timeline?
3. What setbacks did you encounter?
4. How can a first year student prepare themselves for the dissertation writing experience?
5. What are the things that no one warned you about? 

Also, be on the look out for upcoming information about this year’s 30 miles in 30 day challenge. This year will be even better with prizes, a private community and even an in person meet up!

On this episode, we talk with Cydnee aka @naturallyclarke, a third year doctoral candidate in Global Leadership and Change, about grief in graduate school. This is a topic many of us have experienced but for which there is little data. While there are studies about the experiences of undergraduates, there is scarce information about graduate students as a whole and even less about underrepresented groups within the grad student population.

On this episode, we discuss:

-What we want from institutions

-What we can do as graduate students to support one another.  

-Tips on how to advocate for yourself to your institutions

Further reading:

Varga, MA. A Quantitative Study of Graduate Student Grief Experiences. Illness, Crisis & Loss. 2016;24(3):170-186. 

Varga Mary Alice, Bordere TC, Varga MD. The Holistic Grief Effects of Bereaved Black Female College Students. OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying. December 2020. 

Varga, MA.; McClam, T.; Hassane, S. Grief Experiences Among Female American and Arab Undergraduate College Students. Omega: Journal of Death & Dying, [s. l.], v. 72, n. 2, p. 165–183, 2015.