The Women Scholars and Professionals Podcast

Sarah Akutagawa: A Message of Encouragement for Grad Students in the Pandemic

“Because if the kingdom of God is like yeast that gets worked through the whole dough, then it is activated by kneading, but it rises by resting.” — Sarah Akutagawa

Listen in on a portion of a recent webinar hosted by InterVarsity’s Graduate and Faculty Ministries on Anxiety and Aspiration: Starting Grad School During a Pandemic. In this brief episode you’ll hear from Sarah Akutagawa- InterVarsity’s National Director of Diversity and part-time grad student at Fuller Seminary as she offers thoughts on all of the complex emotions that entering this new academic year may bring. Through the image of baking bread and the parable of the yeast in Matthew 13, Sarah also invites us to consider the relationship between work and rest, as well as how we might experience Jesus and the kingdom of God in the midst of life as a grad student.

We are really grateful to Sarah and Grad and Faculty Ministries for allowing us to share these words of encouragement as many of you start or continue the adventure of graduate school in these strange times.

For show notes or more information please visit our article at The Well.

If you'd like to support the work of InterVarsity's Women in the Academy and Professions, including future podcasts such as this episode, you can do so at givetoiv.org/wap. Thank you for listening!

Aubrey Kleinfeld: Supporting Student Mental Health

“Change and loss travel together, and there is so much loss that’s happened. Even just in imagining what it’s like returning to campus social distancing and wearing masks, and returning to campus that has that familiarity, but then also is so different than when you left.” — Aubrey Kleinfeld

Listen in as Women and the Academy and Professions associate Caroline Triscik interviews Aubrey Kleinfeld, licensed professional counselor at a university counseling center, as they discuss the mental health needs of students and faculty as we dive into an unusual new semester.

For show notes or more information please visit our article at The Well.

If you'd like to support the work of InterVarsity's Women in the Academy and Professions, including future podcasts such as this episode, you can do so at givetoiv.org/wap. Thank you for listening!

Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil: The Road to Racial Reconciliation

Listen in as Women in the Academy and Professions associate Caroline Triscik interviews Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil, pastor and professor of reconciliation studies, as they discuss the complex work of pursuing racial justice and reconciliation in our world.

In addition to sharing about the recent release of her book Roadmap to Reconciliation 2.0 and her upcoming book Becoming Brave, Dr. Brenda offers her thoughts on redeeming the term "reconciliation," how we can heal from the impact of racial trauma, and how the collective voices of women can bring change in a world where racial injustice is rampant. We hope you'll find the conversation as rich and powerful as we did.

For show notes or more information please visit our article at The Well.

If you'd like to support the work of InterVarsity's Women in the Academy and Professions, including future podcasts such as this episode, you can do so at givetoiv.org/wap. Thank you for listening!

Dr. Quyen Ngo-Metzger: For the Sake of Public Health

Listen in as Women in the Academy and Professions director Karen Guzmán interviews Dr. Quyen Ngo-Metzger, a professor in the Health Systems Science Department at the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine. Dr. Quyen Ngo-Metzger teaches and mentors students and junior faculty in prevention, population health, health disparities, and evidence-based medicine. We hope you'll enjoy this episode as we discuss work, leadership, and the coronavirus pandemic.

For show notes or more information please visit our article at The Well.

If you'd like to support the work of InterVarsity's Women in the Academy and Professions, including future podcasts such as this episode, you can do so at givetoiv.org/wap. Thank you for listening!

 

Rev. Twanda Prioleau: Self-Care and Justice Work

Listen in as Women in the Academy and Professions associate Caroline Triscik interviews Rev. Twanda Prioleau, pastor and teacher in Baltimore, Maryland, as we discuss habits of caring for one's own soul through the hard work of fighting injustice.

Twanda is a teacher, preacher, mother, wife, and graduate student who brings a wealth of wisdom and pastoral care to our conversation. Twanda invites us to consider how we can practice self-care and seek rest and joy in the midst of all the roles we hold as women. Twanda also offers thoughts about what it means to own our story, as well as how we can engage well in much needed conversations around race and justice. I hope you find this conversation as meaningful as we did.

For show notes or more information please visit our article at The Well.

If you'd like to support the work of InterVarsity's Women in the Academy and Professions, including future podcasts such as this episode, you can do so at givetoiv.org/wap. Thank you for listening!

Jamie Ong: Flourishing in NYC with Covid-19

Listen in as Women in the Academy and Professions associates Caroline Triscik and Jasmine Obeyeskere Fernando interview Jamie Ong, Environmental Protection Project Manager at the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation as they discuss nature, faith, family, and enduring Covid-19.

Living in the center of one of the most hard hit areas of the Covid-19 pandemic, Jamie Ong gives us a glimpse of her life as a professional woman working for NYC’s Department of Parks and Recreation, as well as her roles as mother and spouse. Jamie shares how her faith influences her work in the city, especially in restoring nature and making it accessible to all. She continues to seek the welfare of her community as a follower of Jesus in the midst of these challenging times. Additionally, she offers her story of contracting the virus, needing to isolate from her family in their NYC apartment, and her hope for her community to flourish.  

For show notes or more information please visit our article at The Well.

If you'd like to support the work of InterVarsity's Women in the Academy and Professions, including future podcasts such as this episode, you can do so at givetoiv.org/wap. Thank you for listening!

Alexis Grant: A Vision for Equitable Health Care Everywhere

Listen in as Women in the Academy and Professions associate Caroline Triscik interviews Alexis Grant, PhD student in the field of public health at University of Illinois at Chicago. In this episode Grant shares her passion about equity as a foundation for her research to work toward change in policies to bring health care and resources to communities. Additionally, she offers thoughts about the COVID-19 pandemic, how she sees the integration of faith and work, and how she is finding hope these days.

For show notes or more information please visit our article at The Well.

If you'd like to support the work of InterVarsity's Women in the Academy and Professions, including future podcasts such as this episode, you can do so at givetoiv.org/wap. Thank you for listening!

D.L. Mayfield: The Myth of the American Dream

“I just have this belief that God really cares about how we live our lives and how we love our neighbor — and that continues to direct my life.” — D.L. Mayfield

Listen in as Women in the Academy and Professions associate Caroline Triscik interviews writer and activist D.L. Mayfield. In this conversation, we discuss the four main categories of Mayfield's recent book and unpack the ways Jesus might be inviting each of us to love our neighbors more fully. 

For show notes or more information please visit our article at The Well.

If you'd like to support the work of InterVarsity's Women in the Academy and Professions, including future podcasts such as this episode, you can do so at givetoiv.org/wap. Thank you for listening!

Words of Hope: Coping with Anxiety

For our final episode in our Words of Hope series, we wanted to offer a brief podcast on a few ways to cope with overwhelming feelings of anxiety during this time. In this episode Women in the Academy and Professions associate and graduate level counselor Caroline Triscik offers several grounding exercises to cope with overwhelming feelings of anxiety.

While these exercises offer a clinically based approach rather than faith based, you may also choose to invite Jesus to be with you as you listen and engage in the exercises. This episode was originally part of a series of anxiety management podcasts created by graduate level interns at Messiah College's counseling center.

*This podcast is not intended to replace actual counseling, so if you find yourself experiencing symptoms of anxiety or depression that are impeding your life socially, academically or occupationally, or in any other way, please contact a counselor near you.

For more thoughts from our team and Words of Hope episodes, as well as show notes for this episode, see our page at The Well.

If you'd like to support the work of InterVarsity's Women in the Academy and Professions, including future podcasts such as this episode, you can do so at givetoiv.org/wap. Thank you for listening!

Words of Hope: Lindsay Bruk

In these disorienting times, the Women in the Academy and Professions team wanted to offer some words of hope and peace to our community through brief episodes from each member of our team. In this episode Lindsay Bruk, Women in the Academy and Professions associate who focuses on our social media ministry shares her thoughts on finding hope these days, not just in the end of our suffering, but in the presence of Jesus as He walks with us always.

We pray it brings some encouragement to your day. We’d love to hear what has been bringing you hope as well, so feel free to reach out to us on social media or e-mail at wap@intervarsity.org

For more thoughts from our team and Words of Hope episodes, as well as show notes for this episode, see our page at The Well.

If you'd like to support the work of InterVarsity's Women in the Academy and Professions, including future podcasts such as this episode, you can do so at givetoiv.org/wap. Thank you for listening!

Words of Hope: Andrea Bridges and Ann Boyd

In these disorienting times, the Women in the Academy and Professions team wanted to offer some words of hope and peace to our community through brief episodes from each member of our team. In this episode editor of The Well, Andrea Bridges and managing editor for The Well, Ann Boyd, share their thoughts on finding hope these days, both through the reminder of God’s presence with us in prayer, as well as borrowing words of hope and blessing from poets and other writers when our own words can be hard to find. We pray it brings some encouragement to your day. We’d love to hear what has been bringing you hope as well, so feel free to reach out to us on social media or e-mail at wap@intervarsity.org

For more thoughts from our team and Words of Hope episodes, as well as show notes for this episode, see our page at The Well.

If you'd like to support the work of InterVarsity's Women in the Academy and Professions, including future podcasts such as this episode, you can do so at givetoiv.org/wap. Thank you for listening!

Words of Hope: Karen Hice Guzmán

In these disorienting times, the Women in the Academy and Professions team wanted to offer some words of hope and peace to our community through brief episodes from each member of our team. In this episode Karen Hice Guzmán, director of Women in the Academy and Professions, offers some hopeful words from Eugene Peterson and shares how they have brought her comfort in the midst of unsettling days. We pray it brings some encouragement to your day. We’d love to hear what has been bringing you hope as well, so feel free to reach out to us on social media or e-mail at wap@intervarsity.org

For more thoughts from our team and Words of Hope episodes, as well as show notes for this episode, see our page at The Well.

If you'd like to support the work of InterVarsity's Women in the Academy and Professions, including future podcasts such as this episode, you can do so at givetoiv.org/wap. Thank you for listening!

Words of Hope: Jasmine Obeyesekere Fernando

In these disorienting times, the Women in the Academy and Professions team wanted to offer some words of hope and peace to our community through brief episodes from each member of our team. In this second episode listen in on clips from our recent virtual Bible study on parts of the book of Daniel led by Women in the Academy and Professions associate Jasmine Obeyesekere Fernando. Check out the corresponding article at The Well to read more thoughts from Jasmine on Daniel's experience and how it may relate to us as we navigate these current times of COVID-19. We pray it brings some encouragement to your day. We’d love to hear what has been bringing you hope as well, so feel free to reach out to us on social media or e-mail at wap@intervarsity.org.

For more thoughts from our team and Words of Hope episodes, see our page at The Well.

If you'd like to support the work of InterVarsity's Women in the Academy and Professions, including future podcasts such as this episode, you can do so at givetoiv.org/wap. Thank you for listening!

 

Words of Hope: Caroline Triscik

In these disorienting times, the Women in the Academy and Professions team wanted to offer some words of hope and peace to our community through brief episodes from each member of our team. In this first episode Women in the Academy and Professions associate Caroline Triscik and her daughter--because of course many of us are working from home with our children nearby--offer a word of encouragement from Luke chapter 24 and the story of the road to Emmaus.  We pray it brings some encouragement to your day. We’d love to hear what has been bringing you hope as well, so feel free to reach out to us on social media or e-mail at wap@intervarsity.org

For more thoughts from our team and Words of Hope episodes, see our page at The Well.

If you'd like to support the work of InterVarsity's Women in the Academy and Professions, including future podcasts such as this episode, you can do so at givetoiv.org/wap. Thank you for listening!

 

Grace P. Cho: The Vast Love of God

“I have this picture in mind of myself as a tiny, tiny person in the hands of God, and that his hands are vast and the world is vast, not in an overwhelming way, but in a ‘there’s actually still good in this world’ way.” — Grace P. Cho

Listen in as Women in the Academy and Professions associate Caroline Triscik interviews writer and editor Grace P. Cho. In this conversation, Grace invites us into her personal journey growing up as the Korean-American daughter of a pastor and missionaries, and on to becoming a writer and mother. Grace shares how the re-examination of her conservative upbringing led her to see God as more vast, wide, and mysterious, which in turn helped her become more gracious and compassionate toward herself and others.

For show notes or more information please visit our article at The Well.

If you'd like to support the work of InterVarsity's Women in the Academy and Professions, including future podcasts such as this episode, you can do so at givetoiv.org/wap. Thank you for listening!

 

Donna Barber: Bread for the Resistance

Listen in as Women in the Academy and Professions associate Caroline Triscik interviews educator and youth advocate, Donna Barber. In this conversation Donna shares how she clings to Jesus in the midst of pursuing justice and the way this spilled over into her book Bread for the Resistance: 40 Devotions for Justice People. In sharing her own journey in justice work, Donna guides us back to Christ as the source of hope.

For show notes or more information please visit our article at The Well.

If you'd like to support the work of InterVarsity's Women in the Academy and Professions, including future podcasts such as this episode, you can do so at givetoiv.org/wap. Thank you for listening!

Kathleen Cahalan: Calling All Years Good

"The particularity of our contexts shape both the way that we hear our callings and the way we respond to it.” — Kathleen Cahalan

Listen in on an exclusive peek into our book club as Women in the Academy and Professions associate Jasmine Obeyesekere conducts the final online discussion with author and professor Kathleen Cahalan. Together, they discuss the challenge of discerning one's calling throughout the various seasons of life and the good work God has for us to do in each of those time periods.

For show notes or more information please visit our article at The Well.

If you'd like to support the work of InterVarsity's Women in the Academy and Professions, including future podcasts such as this episode, you can do so at givetoiv.org/wap. Thank you for listening!

Aundi Kolber: Try Softer

Listen in as Women in the Academy and Professions associate Caroline Triscik interviews author and therapist Aundi Kolber about her newly released book Try Softer: A Fresh Approach to Move Us out of Anxiety, Stress, and Survival Mode — and into a Life of Connection and Joy. Together, they discuss how we can shift from a life of a “try harder” mentality and to learn to love ourselves — mind, soul, and body — as beloved ones of Christ. 

For show notes or more information please visit our article at The Well.

If you'd like to support the work of InterVarsity's Women in the Academy and Professions, including future podcasts such as this episode, you can do so at givetoiv.org/wap. Thank you for listening!

Sheila Wise Rowe: Healing Racial Trauma

Listen in as Women in the Academy and Professions associate Caroline Triscik interviews counselor and author Sheila Wise Rowe about her newly released book Healing Racial Trauma: The Road to Resilience. Through her knowledge, wisdom, and experiences, Sheila walks the listener through the pain of being silenced, to lament, toward healing from racial trauma.

For show notes or more information please visit our article at The Well.

If you'd like to support the work of InterVarsity's Women in the Academy and Professions, including future podcasts such as this episode, you can do so at givetoiv.org/wap. Thank you for listening!

2019 Year in Review: All Shall Be Well in 2019

Listen in as Women in the Academy and Professions associate Caroline Triscik reviews a sampling of 2019's episodes!

For show notes or more information please visit our article at The Well.

If you'd like to support the work of InterVarsity's Women in the Academy and Professions, including future podcasts such as this episode, you can do so at givetoiv.org/wap. Thank you for listening!