The Millennial PhD: Creative Survival at Work & Beyond

Ep 17. Launching a Values-Driven Business (+ notes on moving abroad) ft. Dra. Yvette Martínez-Vu of Grad School Femtoring

March 16, 2022 Carmela Season 2 Episode 17
The Millennial PhD: Creative Survival at Work & Beyond
Ep 17. Launching a Values-Driven Business (+ notes on moving abroad) ft. Dra. Yvette Martínez-Vu of Grad School Femtoring
Show Notes Transcript

Are you interested in starting a business while making an impact for the communities you care about? Dra. Yvette Martínez-Vu maps out her journey leaving academia and launching Grad School Femtoring, which provides services for first-gen students of color interested in graduate school. PLUS, we talk about her path moving to Portugal with her family.

Connect with Yvette at Grad School Femtoring.

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Support the show

Dr. Carmela Muzio Dormani - aka your host, Mela - is a sociologist, dancer, and creative consultant.

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Speaker 1 (00:09):

Welcome to the Millennial PhD, a podcast about creative survival and beyond. My name is Dr. Carmela Muzio Dormani and I'm a sociologist, dancer and creative consultant from New York. In these episodes, you'll find inspiration, ideas, and actionable tips for building new pathways forward in work and life. You'll hear from artists, activists, creative entrepreneurs, PhDs, and professional pivoters. We talk about radical humanity and practical steps to follow your dreams, even in the context of challenging social conditions. Before we jump into today's episode, a quick reminder to follow the millennial PhD on Instagram. And to please take a minute to rate and a review the millennial PhD on Apple podcasts. Your rating really helps the show reach as many listeners as possible. You can learn more about me and get access to free creative resources on the millennial PhD Instagram page, or@themillennialphd.com. I hope you enjoyed the episode. 

(01:15)
Okay. Welcome back to the millennial PhD where we've been talking about creative survival in academia and beyond. Today I'm talking with Dr. Yvette Martinez Boo, who is a Chiana mother scholar who works as an academic coach and consultant. Dr. Yvette has a PhD in theater and performance studies, and a BA in English literature from ucla. She is the producer and host of the grad school Fem Touring podcast, as well as the founder of grad school Fem Touring llc, a platform that aims to empower first generation students of color as they navigate higher education. She's also a proud mom of an eight year old and one year old. Dr. Yvette recently transitioned out of academia after working in higher ed for over 10 years, and since then she has relocated her family to Portugal. So, Dr. Yvette, welcome to the millennial PhD and thank you so much for being here. 

Speaker 2 (02:09):

Well, thank you so much Kamala, for having me here. I'm excited to be here. 

Speaker 1 (02:14):

I'm really excited to talk, uh, to you and hear a little bit about your own journey out of academia and into the work you're doing now, um, and hear a little bit more about grad school, fem touring. Um, this is season two now of the millennial PhD, where in addition to artists and creatives, I'm also shining a little bit of a spotlight on entrepreneurs and, uh, folks who work in some other industries I didn't previously touch on. So it's really wonderful timing to have you on. Um, I'm also very happy to have a theater and performance PhD on the show, cause those are passions of mine. It's just so 

Speaker 2 (02:48):

I always giggle cause I feel like what I do sometimes it does, um, apply. I guess some of the theater work applies to it, but in many ways people are like, Wait, you have a, a theater PhD <laugh>. It's, it's always that surprise to people. Yeah. 

Speaker 1 (03:04):

Yeah. So, so interesting. Um, I feel like I went the, the other way where I had a, so I have a sociology PhD, but then I was dancing professionally while getting it, so it was, I eventually, I I mushed them together. Um, which I'm sure you, you're, you're pulling from some of that in your work now as well. Um, so I, I read out a little bit of your bio, um, but I'm sure everyone wants to hear your story from you. So can you tell us a little bit about yourself and then maybe how did you get started founding grad school mentor? 

Speaker 2 (03:34):

Oh my goodness. So it's, it's always hard for me to, um, describe myself without going back like way back, like childhood back. So, um, Bring it all 

Speaker 1 (03:46):

The 

Speaker 2 (03:46):

Way back. Yeah. Love 

Speaker 1 (03:48):

The story. 

Speaker 2 (03:49):

<laugh>. I'll try to keep it brief. So, um, I, I'm a Cali girl, so I was born and raised in Southern California, Um, raised by, um, mostly a single mother, I should say mostly cause my father passed away when I was young. Um, so single mother, six kids. I'm the eldest daughter in a very traditional Mexican family. And so with that came very particular gender roles and, uh, expectations and sacrifices. And so I, I was the first in my family to go to college, so first generation and to move out of, you know, out of the home. And in college. I remember going straight to college, not knowing what I was doing. I decided to major in English because it seemed like the best thing to do. I didn't know about any subjects outside of the, like, foundational subjects that you learn, you know, from K through 12. Uh, but I was always a theater nerd. So I started doing theater in fourth grade. And it was because at the time my dad forced me to, because I was a student who had been in, in English as a second language, um, curriculums. And I struggled with the language and I was very shy and embarrassed. And my dad forced me to audition for a play in fourth grade. And lo and behold, I <laugh> not the leader role, <laugh> 

Speaker 1 (05:09):

Amazing. 

Speaker 2 (05:10):

I don't know how that happened. But then something, something happened because I just got this bug, like where I just, I didn't wanna stop doing it. I kept doing it in middle school and high school. I was a lead of almost every show except for musicals, because I can't sing <laugh>. I tried, but I can't. And I continued to do that in college. So in college I was an English major, I was a theater minor. And I realized that I have a very like, perfectionistic type. I'm, I'm a recovering academic and recovering perfectionist. And, um, because of that I have, like, I struggle with anxiety and, um, I realize I don't think I can do this theater thing, you know, full time and keep acting or stage managing. Those are the two primary things I did when it came to theater. And, um, so the next best thing for me was to pursue research because I was in college, I was at an R one university. 

(06:03)
I went to college at ucla. There was that pressure to learn how to conduct research. I joined an undergraduate research program to prepare students like myself, low income, first gen, underrepresented students for doctoral programs. And so that's, I was groomed into becoming a professor. And so naturally I applied to master's and PhD programs. As I was finishing up my ba I went straight into my PhD program, again, not really knowing what I got myself into. And I was, I was like, I'm gonna be a theater professor and I'm gonna do theater on the side, and that's gonna be my life. And, um, a lot of people say this about, um, being in grad school, grad school takes sometimes takes a while and life happens in grad school. And so for me, life happening was, you know, a couple of things. The first was developing a chronic illness. 

(07:02)
I was always at a workaholic and I worked day and night and no breaks. And so I developed a chronic illness. My, I think it must have been my second year of grad school, burnt out completely by my third year. And then on top of that, I decided I wanted to have a baby cuz I was, I got married very young with my, my partner. We met in college, got married, and decided to try for a baby. And as excited as I was, I was not prepared for the physical and emotional toll of getting pregnant and having a child and nearly losing my life. I hemorrhaged lost three liters of blood, like nearly lost my life. And so the combination of the chronic illness, Yeah, thank you. Thank you. Yeah, it was rough. I, I also struggled with postpartum depression, so chronic illness plus navigating the hurdles of becoming a parenting student, um, and being a struggling grad student financially, all of that led me to realize, one, I'm not sure if I wanna be a professor anymore. 

(08:06)
And two, if I am a professor, I definitely cannot afford to adjunct. I need a full-time job with benefits, you know, relative security. I need to be able to pro provide for my family. And so by the time I graduated from grad school, that was my first time I, I guess you can say leaving academia because I left the tenure check job market. So rather than going the, the route that was recommended, I disappointed many people by applying to student affairs and academic affairs, what some people call the Altec route. So I applied for those jobs and my first job was working full time in a scholarship center as a scholarship advisor. And I really enjoyed that. But I realized I wanted to work with a more targeted population, a population that I could relate to more. And so then I started applying to other jobs and I landed the assistant director of McNair program, uh, position. 

(09:05)
And that's where I, um, worked with, again, low income first gen students of color, preparing them for doctoral programs. And, um, I was there, I was relatively happy, <laugh>, and I felt, um, I felt fulfilled in that job until I didn't, until the pandemic hit. And so with the pandemic and I ended up having a second child, so pandemic, second child, homeschooling, burnout, again, chronic health issues once again, kind of like flaring up. I decided I needed a break and, um, and by a break I, I meant like a break from academia and academic work. And so this was how grad school centering it was, it was one of the ways that it kind of, it started to cement itself because prior to, um, prior to leaving my position last year with McNair, I started a podcast because so many students were reaching out to me, asking me for the same types of advice. 

(10:10)
And I physically couldn't like, meet with all of them at the same time. And so I just, I started a little podcast just for fun on the side. And, uh, yeah, by that time I left my job, I realized this is something like I can actually, like I was always doing editing on the side has a side hustle. And so I was like, well, with my writing skill set, my editing and the coaching and the advising, fem touring, so feminist mentoring I've been doing with my students, I can turn that into, you know, uh, into a full-time job on my own. And so I got that wild idea of moving my family abroad. And this was May of 2021 and six months later I had quit my job, sold my house, and moved, moved abroad, <laugh>. And so that's where I am now. Amazing. I tried to keep it brief, but that's me in a nutshell. And how I've arrived to what I do now, which I'm now an academic coach. Um, and I, I also have a podcast called Graco Fending. 

Speaker 1 (11:14):

It was great. It was very, very succinct, <laugh> very direct. You hit all the points. Um, and I'm, I'm sure so much resonates for, for folks listening. Um, from your experience as an undergrad, as a first gen student, um, grad school, burnout, entering academic motherhood, you, you hit a lot of points that I think are familiar to a lot of folks. Um, and I, I, I hear also is really interesting. You've kind of, you did a double pivot, kind of, you, you stepped away from you or said no to the tenure track, holy bra, supposedly <laugh>, um, job market. Um, and then now you've kind of moved in another direction to kind kind of owning your own work and starting this business. Um, and well, I'm, I am gonna ask you about the move to Portugal in a few minutes. Of 

Speaker 2 (12:00):

Course <laugh> as well. Cause that's just like, I love talking about that. 

Speaker 1 (12:03):

Fascinating. Um, but, um, and we'll link, you know, to all the grad school fem torn resources and the bio of this episode and everything. Um, but I do wanna just ask you briefly, maybe you could just say like what kinds of services you're offering in a little more detail. I know you mentioned coaching, maybe for folks who aren't sure what that, what that really means. Um, what's the, what, what is it that you all are doing over there? 

Speaker 2 (12:28):

Yes, so for me, um, the, I provide one on one coaching. So I work with folks one on one. And the type of coaching services that I offer is under like three different kind of options. The first is writing support, so writing support for folks who are applying to grad programs. Uh, so helping them with the grad, with their applications, all components of the application process as well as interview, prep, mock interviews, anything, negotiating their offers, all of that. And then I also help current grad students as they navigate applying for scholarships, fellowships, or even job applications once they're on their way out. So that's the writing support. And the second part is organizational support. So setting up systems. I, I am a Virgo. I can, I'm a type, type A person. Organizing is just something that I enjoy that comes easy to me. And so I, I help folks with learning new tools, learning how to set up systems, just time management, uh, anxiety management, just anything to help them be more efficient so that they can do more and less time and hopefully have more time to do more fun things or take care of themselves. 

(13:37)
It's not, for me, the purpose is not to just do more, it's to do more and less time so you have more time for, for other things. So that's the second part. And then the third is the, the mental, like the mindset work. And that's like identifying limiting beliefs and reframing, you know, reframing thoughts and feelings to help them overcome those hurdles. So, so that they can move forward with accomplishing goals. So sometimes folks will like say no to themselves and say, No, I'm not, I'm not good enough. Or I'm a frat, or I'm this or I'm that. And just helping folks realize their own abilities, um, and skill sets and helping them move forward with their goals is, that's the third part. So essentially it's one-on-one coaching and you can get help with writing, with organization and with mindset. Yeah. 

Speaker 1 (14:31):

Yeah. And I have to say like the, that mindset work I feel like is really important. And for me it's something I think previously I definitely kind of like turned my nose up at. Like, I was just like, I don't know about all this. 

Speaker 2 (14:42):

Well, I did too, so I couldn't coach myself. And I was like, I coach myself so far on freaking moving my ass abroad. I can't say worse. 

Speaker 1 (14:53):

No, no, that's fine. That's fine. Um, Sam, I'm like, Oh, it turns out this is, this is pretty, pretty impactful and helpful and and important. Um, so let's talk about the move to Ville cuz this is like, I think the dream for a lot of people. Um, and you know, it's me, I'm a lot of people <laugh>. I think, uh, this is, this is so interesting and so cool. What prompted the move? Can you tell us a little bit about it? 

Speaker 2 (15:20):

Yes. So I, I hinted at it when I was talking about, you know, my back story. And I can tell you the day that that I decided it was Mother's Day, so it was may must have been May 10th. So Mexican Mother's day 2021, I had hit this moment where I was breaking down and talking to my partner and telling him like, I can't do this. I can't do this anymore, like work full time and direct this program and homeschool my son and you know, my daughter and not sleep, and not eat well and get sick and this and that. And so in one of those breakdowns, I thought to myself, Is there even any possibility? Cause I have, on the surface level, I have a, I felt like I had a, a perfect life, you know, married with kids, a good job. We had just bought a home, lived being in Santa Barbara, which is a gorgeous area. 

(16:16)
Uh, but on the inside I was like, I, I just, I, I, this is not sustainable. So acknowledging the fact that I, it was an unsustainable setting for myself and thinking, is there a way for me to take a break? And if so, how? And can we live on one income while I figure things out while I take care of myself? And having that conversation of living on less, not necessarily living on one income now, but living on less and realizing, well, maybe we can't live in Santa Barbara anymore or maybe we can't live in SoCal anymore. That's where my family's from. Or maybe we, you know, we went then outta state and so we kept thinking, okay, maybe we'll move other areas. So Arizona, Nevada, we knew folks there, North Carolina. And then me realizing, well, I need healthcare. My husband has always worked, but more like independent contract type work. 

(17:09)
So we needed my health, my health insurance. And so that's when the thought of, well, maybe we should move to another country that came up. So maybe Canada, my husband has family there, maybe Mexico. I have, I have family there. And then we moved to Europe. What about Spain? I speak Spanish, Our kids speak a little Spanish. And, and then from Spain, we went to Portugal. And I always found something, something to say no to from all the other locations. And I couldn't say no to Portugal is, it was just from the cost of living to the healthcare, to the multilingual education system, to the safety, to the weather. It's close the weather. So it's very similar to California weather, to how family friendly and in general nice people are here that as soon as we arrived and we arrived in December, 2021, I have felt this overwhelming feeling of peace like I've never felt before. And it was all a dream and it was all following my intuition, which sounds really silly sometimes to say out loud. And I was like, this feels right, this feels right. Everybody thinks I'm, I've gone crazy. Like everybody thinks that like what is going on is some, is everything okay with you <laugh>? And I was like, No, I have to do this. If I don't do this, I'm gonna regret it. And we did it and we're here. And now I'm like, I dunno if I'm gonna go back to states. I'm not sure 

Speaker 1 (18:40):

<laugh>. 

Speaker 2 (18:42):

That's, that's it. 

Speaker 1 (18:45):

Um, I definitely hear that, that cost of living conversation deep in my deepen my soul. Um, well, I mean I'm in New York, my husband and I are New Yorkers and um, we, we live in the Bronx, which is more affordable than, um, much of New York, but gentrifying like everywhere and cost of living is just 

Speaker 2 (19:03):

Wild itself. And inflation. I 

Speaker 1 (19:05):

Hear, I hear that <laugh>. Um, yeah. So, so that sounds amazing. Um, I know, I don't know if you wanna put this out, I know you have an Instagram page I do as well. Is that something you wanna put out publicly into 

Speaker 2 (19:18):

The world? Yeah, I mean I, I, I am at grad school, fem touring for that aspect of the work. But I also <laugh> because apparently I have all the time in the world. I also started a second podcast and a second Instagram page where I'm sharing my experiences abroad. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. So sharing the process of applying and getting here for folks who want to do it for themselves and learning everything that I learned that I paid a consultant or learned the hard way, all that stuff. Sharing that on, on the podcast and also on Instagram. So that's mixed fam abroad because my family is mixed. My husband's Vietnamese American, I'm chiana, my kids are mixed and we're a neurodiverse family. My son's on the spectrum, so as my husband. So, um, it's just, we're gonna be chatting about the cultural differences and you know, diverse is kind of neurodiversity issues sometimes. I'm like, Bev, you're so long. I think you might have sounded rude. <laugh>. That's 

Speaker 1 (20:18):

Fa that's fascinating. So, so 

Speaker 2 (20:20):

If you polite here, this 

Speaker 1 (20:21):

Part of the story, then definitely check that out cuz that, that sounds like it's own fascinating thing as well. Um, so I wanna pivot here slightly because I'd like to ask guests these kind of nuts and bolts questions. Yes. I think paths like entrepreneurship are sometimes kind of shrouded in mystery. I know it, it has seemed that way for me. Like what is this? Um, so it's helpful to talk through some of these day to day finder points. Um, so one question I always have is, um, what would you say a typical day looks like for you right now? 

Speaker 2 (20:54):

Okay, so I actually, I have um, my little one at home. So I have a one year old and we don't have childcare or like formal formalized childcare right now. And my son just started school in a public system here. And so in the mornings it's getting ready, making breakfast for the kids, taking my son to school. Thankfully the schools, uh, here start a little later cuz I don't feel so great in the mornings from my chronic illness. And then, um, when we're back, we have a little bit of time just with the baby. So we, between my husband and I will like tag team and get some work done each of us. So I get a couple of hours of work done. And that's usually writing content creation, social media stuff, prepping notes for coaching meetings, uh, answering emails. So anything that's like administrative prepping, planning. 

(21:43)
I get that done during the day. And then I have a second shift in the evening. So in the e right now we're recording, it's uh, close to 9:00 PM at night. My kids go to bed around eight. And so usually from eight to 10, 11, sometimes even a little later I'm doing my second shift, which is this, you know, podcast interviews, meetings, coaching sessions. Sometimes they go late because I have, I tend to have a lot of clients in California cause that's where I'm from and there's an eight hour difference, but it actually works in my favor because I at work better in the afternoons and in the evenings since I don't feel well in the morning. So it's been a blessing in disguise to have this time difference. So that, cause before I used to struggle, if anybody wanted to talk to me before 10:11 AM I'd be like, I'm so sorry, just no <laugh>, I'm sorry, but no, I can't do it. Yeah. So that's, that's the day in the life is I get work done during the day, more admin type work. Um, and sometimes in the a in, in the early afternoons, I may have some meetings for the early, early bird people. And then in the evenings I definitely, like most evenings I have meetings. Yeah, 

Speaker 1 (22:55):

Nice. I love the breaking it up into shifts 

Speaker 2 (22:58):

Yes. Concept. So then that, that allows me to have like, you know, dinner time with my kids. So I got yeah, two shifts. 

Speaker 1 (23:06):

Nice. Um, so what would you say is a rose and a thorn for you right now? So something that you're really loving about your work and situation and something that is maybe a little challenging? 

Speaker 2 (23:18):

So what I love is I love that feeling after I've had a session with someone, a coaching session that like, oh my gosh, that was so helpful. Or, you know, just that, that that feeling of like relief or accomplishment or just feeling like they, it, it's just nice that they're not alone in the process of whatever it is that they're working on. So the service work for me has always been so fulfilling and nourishing. So after a meeting I always feel really good. Similarly, I absolutely love the connections that I make through the podcasts. I get to interview some really awesome people and then some folks reach out to me like you and I get to again expand my network, meet, you know, amazing people. So that's like the joy on the work. The tedious stuff for me is, um, the marketing aspect of coaching. 

(24:10)
I'm still trying to get used to it. <laugh>, that's where I'm like, well technically I, I, I didn't go to school for marketing and so that's why it doesn't come easy to me. And I know that some folks have the income to be able to pay for an assistant or pay for ads or pay for things that will help them with their business. And so that's the part of the job that for me, I'm still trying to learn and to navigate and to get better at putting myself out there, putting my services out there. Um, because it's, it's still new, it's still a learning curve for me. So that's the part that for me is more of a thorn. It's like, mm, now I gotta figure out how to put myself out there <laugh> and make offers, not just share useful content, which I enjoy doing. It's, it's the offer part that not doesn't come easy to me. 

Speaker 1 (25:05):

Yeah, I definitely hear that. That's definitely, I'm delving into that world myself and it's been an up <laugh> it's an uphill challenge, 

Speaker 2 (25:14):

Right? 

Speaker 1 (25:14):

Yeah. But it's fa you know, it's fascinating once you get into it, but I, I definitely hear that. Um, speaking of which, I guess if someone turned to you today and asked how to get to do what you're doing or something similar, they're pursuing, you know, kind of either their own thing or whatever their particular kind of niche is, <laugh>, um, what are some first steps you might recommend, um, to someone who wanted to I guess, pivot and start a new endeavor? 

Speaker 2 (25:41):

I would say a couple of things. So one of the things that helped me was doing what I do on the side. So do having a side hustle. I know I feel like a lot of people say this, but it's true. And when I first got my PhD in 2016, I wasn't sure if I was going to, you know, have a secure job. And so I started editing just providing editing services to folks who were writing their dissertation. So I started doing that early on. And then, um, through doing that, eventually I landed my McNair job and then started my podcast. So I started, uh, editing in 2016 and then the podcast in 2019. And so for me it was always like consistently being curious about learning new skill sets and then doing things on the side. So I, I have constantly have had projects on the side that I've worked on, including another project called Chicana Mother Work Collective. 

(26:35)
We've co-edited, um, an anthology we focus on, on sharing and researching the experiences of mothers of color in academia. And so with that, that's how I learned how to podcast. That's we, how I learned how to create a blog, how to write, how to coit an anthology. So opening myself up to those opportunities and doing that early on and not necessarily putting all my eggs in one basket. That helped me. Even in grad school, I was always a graduate research mentor, some sort of advisor. I had multiple part-time jobs and all of that helped me to land my first full-time job and then my next job. So even now that I'm doing this business, um, I, I know that if I wanted to go back to academia and someone shape or form or if I wanted to get a job in industry, I don't feel as, um, I don't know. So I know that some folks really struggle with this idea of shifting their identity or learning new skill sets and I'm not as intimidated by it. So I, I'm confident in my ability to be able to get another job if, if one day I decide I wanna try something else. Yeah. 

Speaker 1 (27:49):

Yeah. I think that's, that's great advice. I'm all about that side. 

Speaker 2 (27:54):

And then the learning too, like podcasts and books, audio books are my jam and podcasts, <laugh>, I love listening to podcasts. So, um, all of that has taught me a ton. Yeah. 

Speaker 1 (28:08):

Um, so if you, do you have any, um, let me see how I ask this. I guess beyond the getting started steps, do you have any kind of general kind of parting advice you'd like to put out into the world and any particular advice that you have for women, people of color, people who've been kind of traditionally marginalized or pushed out of business and entrepreneurship spaces, um, that you, that you you'd like to share? 

Speaker 2 (28:43):

I, I've told this to undergraduates, I've told this to graduate students. I've told this to, um, early career individuals and that advice continues to remain strong. It's, it's always to build community and to surround yourself with people who believe in you or people who motivate and inspire you, people who will help you to, as you know, some folks call it to level up. So for me, it's, it's having that support system folks that I know who have my back, who believe in me, that has helped me a lot. I have my homegirls, my [inaudible], my commas from the Chiana mother were collective. I also have a woman of color support group for women of color creatives who are doing work within and outside academia. So we're, you know, black and brown moms. And just that the ability to be able to share space and ideas and vent and just have that sense of community helps a lot so that you don't feel like you're alone. 

(29:45)
Because you know, in academia, some, some positions, especially when you're doing research, especially when you're in the humanities and social sciences, it can feel very isolating with the pandemic, the sense of isolation has only further increased. And so to have community built in so that no matter what, as you navigate these life transitions, there will be a lot of life transitions, not just in your career. Having folks there for you is priceless. It's like invaluable. It's, it's, you know, it is what helps keep me going. So that's the main thing I would say is just make sure you have folks motivate, inspire you. I think I've read, I've read this and listened to this multiple times where folks say, Oh, you are like the closest five people around you, or the people who you surround yourself with end up becoming or, um, the person that you are or, or they shape you in some way, shape or form. And I do think that that holds true. So I'm very particular about who I surround myself with and, um, that's why I try to open myself up to, to networking and opportunities now more than before. 

Speaker 1 (30:51):

Yeah. Beautiful. Um, community is everything, right? Um, it really, you know, community care, community strength, community network, um, I love that advice. That's great. Before I ask you to kind of share your social media handles and website and everything, um, is there anything I didn't ask you about or we didn't talk about that you wanted to say and, and share? 

Speaker 2 (31:17):

No, I mean, I, I <laugh>, if anything I overshared, <laugh> not at all. And sometimes I do that because I get so excited and I, I always hope that someone will find something in my story that they can relate to. Not everything, but something in that, in being open and on, honest and transparent, it will help to validate someone else's experience. So I, I feel like I, I covered it as much as I could and I'm just so grateful to you for sharing space with me. Yeah. 

Speaker 1 (31:47):

Great. Thank you. Um, where can, where can folks connect with you? 

Speaker 2 (31:53):

So I am on a lot of different social media platforms, but I am most active on Instagram. Uh, it's at grad school, fem touring, and then after that probably comes LinkedIn and Facebook. And similarly, if you just search grad school factoring, that's gonna come up on, on Twitter. I am grad Fing because of the character limit. And I, um, I also have a website, grad schooling.com, and that the website has it all, it has a link to my blog, it has a link to my podcast episodes, it has a link to my services and more information about me. So if you're really curious, um, probably the, the first place to go should be my website, grad schooling.com. 

Speaker 1 (32:37):

Okay, great. Thank you so much. It's been, it's been great talking to you. Um, and I look forward to continuing to connect. Thank you so much for having me. That's it for this week's episode of the Millennial PhD. You can find more content, resources and information on Instagram at the millennial PhD and@themillennialphd.com in this collective moment of reevaluating our relationships with work and exploitation. I look forward to connecting with you and building stronger bonds of community and collaboration. I would love to hear from you via email at the millennial phd@gmail.com with any feedback, comments, questions, or concerns, or if you're interested in coming on the show as a guest. That's all for now. It's been real. See you next time.