Podcasts about academic

A brilliant pre-med student. 521 MCAT — 98th percentile. 4.0 GPA. Published research. Primary author. Rejected by ten medical schools. If that résumé isn't good enough, what is?On The Real Story, I examine how Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies are reshaping medical school admissions. Across the country, schools describe “holistic review,” equity mandates, and diversity goals as central to their mission. Academic metrics are no longer the primary standard and that merit is being subordinated to ideology.We break down AAMC data, LCME accreditation shifts, pass/fail grading trends, and looming physician shortages. Medicine is not a sociology lab. When you're on an operating table, credentials matter. Excellence is not negotiable. Thank you to our sponsor: Preserve Gold - text "ASK PHIL" to 50505 and go to https://DrPhilGold.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Listen and subscribe to Money Making Conversations on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, www.moneymakingconversations.com/subscribe/ or wherever you listen to podcasts. New Money Making Conversations episodes drop daily. I want to alert you, so you don’t miss out on expert analysis and insider perspectives from my guests who provide tips that can help you uplift the community, improve your financial planning, motivation, or advice on how to be a successful entrepreneur. Keep winning! Two-time Emmy and three-time NAACP Image Award-winning television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Taia Rashid and Daphne Carter.

Listen and subscribe to Money Making Conversations on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, www.moneymakingconversations.com/subscribe/ or wherever you listen to podcasts. New Money Making Conversations episodes drop daily. I want to alert you, so you don’t miss out on expert analysis and insider perspectives from my guests who provide tips that can help you uplift the community, improve your financial planning, motivation, or advice on how to be a successful entrepreneur. Keep winning! Two-time Emmy and three-time NAACP Image Award-winning television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Taia Rashid and Daphne Carter.

Listen and subscribe to Money Making Conversations on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, www.moneymakingconversations.com/subscribe/ or wherever you listen to podcasts. New Money Making Conversations episodes drop daily. I want to alert you, so you don’t miss out on expert analysis and insider perspectives from my guests who provide tips that can help you uplift the community, improve your financial planning, motivation, or advice on how to be a successful entrepreneur. Keep winning! Two-time Emmy and three-time NAACP Image Award-winning television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Taia Rashid and Daphne Carter.

A few weeks ago my eldest daughter turned 10. It's so incredibly hard to believe because of how truly how fast did time flew. Thinking back 10 years ago, it was an incredibly chaotic time. I had interviewed for a job without knowing I was pregnant. Then after I received my offer, I had to navigate across country move. Then I gave birth a month after starting my faculty position at York. It was a time of trying to parent, teach, write, and research all at the same time.And yet, despite these moments of intense stress, there were also so many moments of pure joy. When my daughter was born, my dad was still with us, so seeing him and my mom turn into doting grandparents and my partner turned into a dad was a gift. Being rooted in family and appreciating the life we have right now is something that I always try to remember to do.Going down memory lane has made me think about how are other academic parents doing right now. What is it like to both parent and do your PhD? What decisions did you have to make to do both? How do you organize your family life and your time? What does care work look like? And honestly, how do we parent today in fascist times to answer these questions?To answer these question, I immediately thought of Dr. Jenna Nassiri. Jenna recently finished her PhD in anthropology at York University and writes so thoughtfully and powerfully about care. She is also the mom of a 2-year-old and can speak to what it's like both doing your PhD and parenting.Thanks for listening! Get more information, support the show, and read all the transcripts at academicaunties.com. Get in touch with Academic Aunties on BlueSky, Instagram, or by e-mail at podcast@academicaunties.com.

We are accidentally weakening our kids.In our effort to protect them from "the sting" of failure, we are taking away the very armor they need to survive in the real world.We say we want them to be resilient, but we're terrified to let them fall.Today, MacKenzie is joined by Lisa Willis.Lisa is a former WNBA first-round pick, the first woman to coach for the New York Knicks, and now a Coach at Texas Sports Academy.In this episode, Lisa and Mackenzie get into the grit of what it actually looks like to build a kid who doesn't crumble under pressure.You'll learn:The one dangerous phrase that signals a child is moving from a "mistake" into a "downward spiral"The "Bounce Back" Myth and what to replace it withHow to define failure and success in a healthy wayThe "Recover, Quickly, Better" frameworkWhy pressure can be a healthy toolThe importance of helping kids understand the difference between their role and identitySpecific scripts for addressing your kid's failureYour child is capable of handling hard things, but they need you to believe it first. It's time to stop protecting them from the struggle and start preparing them for the win.Stay tuned for Part 2, coming later this week.

C'est une des médailles les plus inattendue et impressionnantes des J.O., c'est celle de Steven Bradbury. Script: Amylie Chiasson Montage: Diane Artémis Production | artemisproduction.framer.website Adhérez à cette chaîne pour obtenir des avantages : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN4TCCaX-gqBNkrUqXdgGRA/join Pour soutenir la chaîne, au choix: 1. Cliquez sur le bouton « Adhérer » sous la vidéo. 2. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hndl Musique issue du site : epidemicsound.com Images provenant de https://www.storyblocks.com Abonnez-vous à la chaine: https://www.youtube.com/c/LHistoirenousledira Les vidéos sont utilisées à des fins éducatives selon l'article 107 du Copyright Act de 1976 sur le Fair-Use. Sources et pour aller plus loin: GUILLEMETTE, Raphaël, « Steven Bradbury, le médaillé d'or le plus inattendu de l'histoire | Sports », Radio-Canada.ca, 19 février 2022, http://ici.radio-canada.ca/sports/podium/3681/steven-bradbury-patinage-vitesse-courte-piste-australie-medaille-or-chute. « Steven Bradbury », Academic.com, https://fr-academic.com/dic.nsf/frwiki/1573968. « Steven Bradbury », Olympedia, https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/84320. Autres références disponibles sur demande. #histoire #documentaire #jo #og #olympics #iceskating #wog

Send a textWhat happens when a 20+ year educator — who has worked with thousands of children — becomes a father of twin daughters?In this episode, Oscar sits down with Kyle Hill, longtime educator, intervention leader, professor, and father, to unpack what decades inside classrooms have taught him about raising daughters at home.Kyle has spent over two decades helping children with:• ADHD and neurodivergence• Behavioral and emotional challenges• Academic struggles• Confidence and resilience issuesAnd now he brings that experience into his own home as a girl dad navigating adolescence, medical challenges, and the daily realities of fatherhood.We dive into:• Why kids copy what we do — not what we say• The difference between reacting and responding• Why consistency beats big speeches• How to build a “village” around your child• When dads need coaching — not just their kidsIf you're serious about becoming a stronger, more mindful, more present father… this conversation delivers.RechargeEDDad's All In Parent Hub00:00 Kids Are Watching00:45 Penn State Fan Control01:18 Podcast Welcome02:44 Kyle's Dad Journey05:25 Twins and No Sleep06:59 Helping Kids With Needs10:05 The Easy Button Trap14:43 Coaching Beyond Sports17:10 Finding the Right Help23:37 Laugh and Let Go30:14 Becoming a Girl Dad32:10 What Daughters Teach34:22 ADHD Hyperfocus Lens35:23 Boys vs Girls Reactions36:04 Protecting Sons and Daughters38:00 How Daughters Rewire Dads39:07 Boy Brain Girl Brain39:57 Aggression Nurturance Story43:51 Emotions and Hormones46:13 What Daughters Teach47:40 Individualized Discipline50:36 Help Framework for Parents54:00 Type One Diabetes Example58:18 Find True Specialists01:00:59 Podcast and Resources01:02:34 Final Takeaways and OutroGuest Disclaimer:The views and opinions expressed on this podcast are solely those of the guests. They do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the host, any organizations, companies, or institutions mentioned, or corporate entities represented by the host.Our aim is to provide a platform for diverse perspectives and open dialogue. While we strive for accuracy and balance, it's important to recognize that opinions may vary. We encourage critical thinking and further exploration of the topics discussed.Support the showCatch up w/ The Daughtered Podcast Oscar on Instagram Few Will Hunt. 10% OFF use GIRLDAD Want to be a guest on The DAUGHTERED Podcast? Want to collaborate? Send Oscar Pena a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/daughteredpodcast

Send a textWhat happens when you stop treating the community as a "field trip" destination and start treating it as a classroom? In this special episode, we are joined by Dr. Lisa Bonelli, the assistant principal at Hume-Fogg Academic High School in Nashville, and three of her students: Melanie, Allison and Neve.Hume-Fogg is a high-achieving academic magnet, but their secret sauce isn't just test scores—it's purpose. We explore how they bridge the gap between rigorous academics and real-world relevance by getting students out of their seats and into the world.Key Discussion PointsThe "Beyond the Walls" Philosophy: How Hume-Fogg uses its downtown Nashville location to turn the city into a living laboratory.Student Voice & Agency: Hearing directly from Melanie, Allison and Neve on what it feels like when your personal passions are reflected in the curriculum.The "Professional Hug" of Support: How leadership can empower teachers to take instructional risks without fear of logistical failure.Interdisciplinary Learning: Breaking down the silos between subjects to show students how the world actually works.Featured GuestDr. Lisa Bonelli is a veteran educator and leader at Hume-Fogg Academic High School. She will be a featured presenter at the 2026 Making Schools Work Conference in Nashville, where she will dive deeper into strategies for student ownership. Melanie, Neve and Allison are students at Hume-Fogg Academic High School and are all members of the media club, to which Bonelli is the advisor. The Southern Regional Education Board is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works with states and schools to improve education at every level, from early childhood through doctoral education and the workforce. Follow Us on Social: Facebook Instagram X

Government has allocated an additional €19 million for special needs assistants (SNAs) to ensure there are no cuts in the 2026/27 academic year following outcry over plans to reduce the service provision in almost 200 schools.But SNAs, unions and parents say that this measure is just 'kicking the can down the road' and the Government must now engage with stakeholders to address issues relating to special education.Tabitha Monahan, political reporter with the Irish Independent, and Jesslyn Henry, SNA and Social Democrats councillor, join The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Ovi Shekh didn't set out to build a startup. Wisdomic AI began as a practical response to an academic challenge, where literature review work demanded time, structure, and careful organization.The first version was intentionally simple. While the tool solved a real workflow problem, it also revealed early limits. Rather than stopping there, Ovi rebuilt the tool as a web product, expanding its reach beyond the classroom.Early traction quickly changed the trajectory. Adoption grew through academic networks, attracting roughly 1,900 users and later drawing interest from universities and research groups. Still, growth inside the fast-moving AI landscape introduced pressure, uncertainty, and new constraints.Eventually, the journey led to a successful acquisition on ⁠Acquire.com⁠.You'll hear:How an academic tool gained real usersWhy early traction reshaped the opportunityThe challenges of building in the AI spaceWhat made selling the rational decisionHow buyer alignment influenced the exit3 Lessons from Wisdomic AIValidation Can Start Small: Real problems inside familiar environments can accelerate product adoption.Traction Changes Everything: Early usage can transform a simple tool into a credible software asset.Selling Can Be Strategic: Timing, focus, and fit often matter more than scale alone.For founders building side projects, micro-SaaS tools, or niche AI products, this episode offers a clear perspective on traction, growth realities, and acquisition decisions.Follow the guest:⁠LinkedIn⁠X (Twitter)⁠Wisdomic AI⁠

In this episode of "Gerrin' on wi' it," Paul Hayes speaks with Dr Dan Olner from the University of Sheffield about bridging the gap between academia and local government. As a policy fellow embedded within the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA), Dan shares his experiences working at the intersection of data science, regional economic policy, and collaborative governance. Dan discusses his dual role as both university researcher and embedded policy analyst, explaining how he helps answer critical questions about South Yorkshire's economy, growth sectors, and regional strengths. Rather than operating as a traditional academic expert transmitting knowledge from on high, he describes a collaborative model where experts from different backgrounds work together on equal footing. Dan contrasts his ongoing, open approach with traditional consultant models, emphasising the value of sustained relationships and accessible data. The conversation also examines the sustainability of such embedded roles, the benefits to both academics and policymakers, and the need for collaborative funding from national bodies, regional authorities, and universities to mainstream this type of engagement. Ultimately, Dan makes a compelling case for why these bridging roles matter for evidence-based policymaking and regional development. This episode was recorded on 17 December 2025. If you would like to get in touch, please contact contact@y-pern.org.uk. A transcript of this episode is available. About the speakers: Paul Hayes is Senior Policy Engagement Fellow at Leeds University Business School, supporting academic colleagues in developing impacts from their work and in engaging with the policy community and public bodies. He was formerly corporate policy manager at Wakefield Council and policy lead for the Key Cities Group, an association of 27 mid-size UK cities. This role encompassed policy advisory work to local, regional and national politicians; development and authorship of local and regional strategies and plans; engagement with and representation on working groups of UK government and national bodies; and responses to consultations. The role also included scoping, commissioning, and joint development of academic and think tank research and engagement with business and voluntary and community sectors. Dr Dan Olner is a data analyst and geographer based in the School of Management at Sheffield University and, through the Yorkshire & Humber Policy Engagement Research Network (Y-PERN), is working with South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority on all things economic and regional and data. Dan hasn't strayed far from Yorkshire, studying politics at Sheffield University and a PhD at Leeds University. Find out about Dan's work at

The four-day work week sounds ideal, but is it realistic for all of us? Seven decades ago, Australia moved from working six days a week to five. Many of us now think it's time for an update, with the idea of a four-day work week gaining traction around the word. A shorter work week has been shown to boost productivity and mental health, but critics argue it's a 'white-collar fantasy' that's unrealistic for many industries.Our host David Karsten is joined by Professor Julia Richardson to explore the pros and cons of a shorter work week, and how likely it is to be implemented in your workplace. Clarifying the four-day concept [01:09]Increased efficiency [03.31]An identity beyond work [06:21]Long term sustainability concerns [08:41]Expectations and performance [12:12]Interpersonal over AI [20:18]Learn moreFrom the great resignation to the four-day work week (2024)Connect with our guestsProfessor Julia RichardsonProfessor Julia Richardson is the Head of the School of Management and Marketing at Curtin University and a recognised expert in careers and human resources management. She has enjoyed a global career in the UK, Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, New Zealand and Canada, and has won multiple awards for her research and teaching. Julia's current research focuses on the future of careers, career sustainability, and work-life balance.Join Curtin UniversityThis podcast is brought to you by Curtin University. Curtin is a global university known for its commitment to making positive change happen through high-impact research, strong industry partnerships and practical teaching.Work with usStudy a research degreeStart postgraduate educationGot any questions, or suggestions for future topics?Email thefutureof@curtin.edu.auSocial mediaXFacebookInstagramYouTubeLinkedInTranscriptRead the transcript.Behind the scenesHosts: David Karsten and Celeste FourieWriter:Zoe TaylorProducer:Emilia JolakoskaExecutive producer: Natasha WeeksFirst Nations AcknowledgementCurtin University acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the First Peoples of this place we call Australia, and the First Nations peoples connected with our global campuses. We are committed to working in partnership with Custodians and Owners to strengthen and embed First Nations' voices and perspectives in our decision-making, now and into the future.Curtin University supports academic freedom of speech. The views expressed in The Future Of podcast may not reflect those of Curtin University.

Josh Rogin explains how the CCP exploits academic integration through the Thousand Talents Plan and how Wall Street continues to resist decoupling despite national security risks. 6

Ann Berry is joined by Coursera CEO Greg Hart, to discuss where online education is headed, Coursera's position within a rapidly changing skills economy and what the company's combination with Udemy means for learners, enterprises and creators. They explore how Coursera is using generative AI inside its products, along with the company's broader approach to scale, monetization and long-term growth. 00:00 Coursera CEO Greg Hart Joins01:12 Coursera's Position in the Global Education Market02:56 The Coursera–Udemy Combination Explained05:15 Consumer vs. Enterprise Revenue Mix06:31 Course Creation Speed & Academic vs. Creator Models09:54 Partnerships with OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft12:00 Monetization Strategy15:30 M&A Strategy and Sector Consolidation17:58 Stock Performance and Investor Sentiment21:15 Generative AI in Learning and Course Creation24:46 AI Policies and Human Instructors26:45 Coursera as a Public Benefit Corporation (B Corp)30:30 AI Inside the Company and Workforce Impact After Earnings is brought to you by Stakeholder Labs and Morning Brew.For more go to https://www.afterearnings.com Follow UsX: https://twitter.com/AfterEarningsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@AfterEarningsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/afterearnings_/ Reach OutEmail: afterearnings@morningbrew.com$COUR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Documents detail the 2026 public release of millions of pages of Jeffrey Epstein's investigative files, exposing his extensive connections to global power players. High-profile figures such as Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Prince Andrew are mentioned within these records, which include sensitive emails, legal memos, and disturbing video footage. The disclosure has triggered a wave of international resignations and fresh criminal inquiries across various nations, including Slovakia, Norway, and the United Kingdom. However, the Department of Justice has faced intense criticism from survivors and lawmakers for a "ham-fisted" redaction process that accidentally revealed victim identities while concealing potential perpetrators. Furthermore, the sources highlight a significant political struggle in the United States regarding the transparency of these files and the potential for government cover-ups. Collectively, these materials provide a comprehensive look at the systemic failures and influential networks that allowed Epstein's illicit activities to persist for decades.

In the second part of my chat with IELTS expert Ste Sharpe, we bust myths, talk about accent and consider 'aha' moments!If you're taking the Academic IELTS test, or preparing students for it, then this is for you.

Podcast 266: Literature Review and Textual Analysis of Stand Still (2026). ISBN 978-976-97865-0-9. Devgro Media Arts Services Publishing®2015 In collaboration with iMovie present Podcast 266: Literature Review and Textual Analysis of Stand Still (2026). ISBN 978-976-97865-0-9. RECOGNITIONSAs I take a moment to reflect on my journey, I am filled with profound gratitude for the Creator's guiding hand that has led me every step of the way. Life has brought me countless blessings, and at the forefront of these blessings is the immeasurable debt of thanks I owe to my late parents, Charles and Ira Gittens. They bestowed upon me their wisdom and creative spirit, which have been a consistent source of inspiration throughout my life. Their counsel and encouragement continue to resonate within me, shaping my path and purpose. To my beloved wife, Magnola Gittens, your unwavering support has been my anchor in turbulent seas. Your love and understanding provide the strength necessary to navigate life's complexities. I am eternally grateful for your presence, which comforts and uplifts me. To my brothers—Shurland, Charles, Ricardo, and my late brothers Arnott and Stephen—as well as my sisters, Emerald, Marcella, and Cheryl, thank you for being my steadfast companions along this journey. Each of you has contributed uniquely to my narrative, reminding me of the importance of family ties in shaping who I am today. I extend my heartfelt appreciation to my cousins: Joy Mayers, Kevin and Ernest Mayers, Donna Archer, Avis Dyer, and Jackie Clarke. Your love and camaraderie have enriched my life beyond measure. To my uncles, Clifford, Leonard Mayers, David Bruce, and Collin Rock, your support has been invaluable, strengthening the bonds of our family. To my children, Laron and Lisa, grandson Elijah you are my pride and joy, the motivation behind my work, fuelling my desire to create and inspire.Moreover, I am equally grateful to all who have believed in me and wanted nothing but the best for my growth. Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Platizky, Mr. Matthew Sutton, Mr. Juan Arroyo, Mr. and Mrs. David Lavine, and many others have played pivotal roles in my development, encouraging me to pursue my passions relentlessly. During my time at New Jersey City University (NJCU), I had the privilege of receiving guidance from exceptional mentors, including the late Dr. Joseph Drew, Merline Mayers, Mrs. Ellen Gordon, Dr. Nicholas Gordon, Rev. Dr. Scofield Eversley BSS, and many others. Conversations about enhancing my writing skills after graduating were integral to my growth, providing the foundation for my future endeavours. Over the past three decades, my experiences in the leisure activities industry have significantly shaped my journey. From 1995 to 2026, I have devoSupport the showCultural Factors Influence Academic Achievements© 2024 ISBN978-976-97385-7-7 A_MEMOIR_OF_Dr_William_Anderson_Gittens_D_D_2024_ISBNISBN978_976_97385_0_8 Academic.edu. Chief of Audio Visual Aids Officer Mr. Michael Owen Chief of Audio Visual Aids Officer Mr. Selwyn Belle Commissioner of Police Mr. Orville Durant Dr. William Anderson Gittens, D.D En.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifelong_learning Hackett Philip Media Resource Development Officer Holder, B,Anthony Episcopal Priest, https://brainly.com/question/36353773 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifelong_learning#cite_note-19 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifelong_learning#cite_note-:2-18 https://independent.academia.edu/WilliamGittens/Books https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=william+anderson+gittens+barbados&oq=william+anderson+gittens https://www.academia.edu/123754463/ https://www.buzzsprout.com/429292/episodes. https://www.youtube.com/@williamandersongittens1714. Mr.Greene, Rupert

Academic, researcher and author of "Nuked: the submarine fiasco that sank Australia's sovereignty" (2024), Andrew Fowler spoke to Rights, Rorts and Rants' presenter Fran Dyson in February 2026 to provide us with brief history and an update on Australia's AUKUS controversial nuclear powered submarine contract with the UK and USA. Andrew's informative interview provides insights into some of the wider implications for Australians of the AUKUS agreement and our current and future defence arrangements. The show was first broadcast on Radio Blue Mountains 89.1 FM on 20 February 2026 by Blue Mountains Unions & Community (BMUC) and presented by Fran Dyson and turned into a podcast by Ann-Maree McEwan. If you'd like to add to the discussion, you can ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠leave an audio comment about our show⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, which may be added to one of our podcasts.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apply to be a guest on our radio show⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Rights, Rorts and Rants on Radio Blue Mountains 89.1FM, Fridays from 4pm to 6pm or livestreamed via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠rbm.org.au.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join a union - 1300 486 466 or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠join online⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.  Join ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BMUC⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Blue Mountains Unions & Community pays its respect to and acknowledges, the Darug and Gundungurra First Peoples of the Blue Mountains area and acknowledges this is Aboriginal Land that was never ceded.Authorised by D Smith, Secretary, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Blue Mountains Unions Council Inc⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, 52-52A Great Western Hwy, Mount Victoria, NSW.Disclaimer: Rights, Rorts and Rants explores a range of issues from different perspectives. The views expressed on the show and podcast are not necessarily endorsed by Blue Mountains & Community.   

Abstract: In this episode, Elizabeth and Karin discuss how to write an academic book review in a rigorous manner. They discuss this based on the recent academic book review Karin wrote of Michael Jackson's Radical Aesthetic by Willa Stillwater. REFERENCE AS: Merx, Karin, and Elizabeth Amisu. “Episode 89 – How to Write an Academic Book Review” Podcast, Michael Jackson's Dream Lives On: An Academic Conversation, 13 no. 3 (2026). Published electronically 21/02/26. https://michaeljacksonstudies.org/episode-89-how-to-write-an-academic-book-review The Journal of Michael Jackson Academic Studies asks that you acknowledge The Journal of Michael Jackson Academic Studies as the source of our Content; if you use material from The Journal of Michael Jackson Academic Studies online, we request that you link directly to the stable URL provided. If you use our content offline, please credit the source as follows: “Courtesy of The Journal of Michael Jackson Academic Studies.” All content is copyright-protected. Any unauthorised reproduction, redistribution, or use for artificial intelligence, machine learning, or automated data collection is strictly prohibited. Episode 89 – How to Write an Academic Book ReviewBy Elizabeth Amisu & Karin Merx Elizabeth Amisu, PGCE, MA, is editor of The Journal of Michael Jackson Academic Studies and author of The Dangerous Philosophies of Michael Jackson: His Music, His Persona, and His Artistic Afterlife. Find out more about Elizabeth here. Karin Merx, BMus, MA Art History, BA Cultural Philosophy, Classically trained Artist, Classically trained Musician, is editor of The Journal of Michael Jackson Academic Studies, and author of  A festive parade of highlights. La Grande Parade as evaluation of the museum policy of Edy De Wilde at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, published with academic publisher Eburon. Find out more about Karin here. Our References and Where to Easily Find Them: Karin Merx, 'Academic Book Review - Michael Jackson's Radical Aesthetic', The Journal of Michael Jackson Academic Studies, vol 12, 1 (https://michaeljacksonstudies.org/academic-book-review-michael-jacksons-radical-aesthetic/) Willa Stillwater, Michael Jackson's Radical Aesthetic, vol 1 & vol 2 (Routledge, 2026).

In Part 2 of this episode, MacKenzie answers questions from parents, students, and educators navigating everything from boredom in elementary school to implementing AI in classrooms and starting microschools. She shares practical guidance on screen time, mindset shifts, school fit, and where to start, whether you have a toddler or a teen.

Culture Friday on Texas politics, linguistic surrender, and a mass shooting, Max Belz on Oscar contender Hamnet which explores love, loss, creativity, and Les Sillars on South Sudan's tribal violence. Plus, the Friday morning newsSupport The World and Everything in It today at wng.org/donateAdditional support comes from Pensacola Christian College. Academic excellence, biblical worldview, affordable cost. go.pcci.edu/worldFrom Ridge Haven Camp in North Carolina and Iowa. Summer Camp registration open now at ridgehaven.orgAnd from Dordt University, where the MSN–Family Nurse Practitioner program prepares nurses for Christ-centered, family-focused care. Dordt.edu

In a very video game-centric episode of the podcast, we talk all the news out of this month's Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase and Sony State of Play, including the announcement of a God of War trilogy remake, a new Castlevania game from the Dead Cells team, and more! Sean fills us in on the controversies surrounding Yakuza Kiwami 3, and we commiserate over the continued desecration of the video game market due to AI gobbling up the RAM supply. Jonathan talks about playing through Dragon Quest IV and Dragon Quest V, the latter for the first time – if you haven't heard, it's a masterpiece – while Sean tells us about his adventures going to San Antonio for a conference. And finally, for The Monthly Ten, Jonathan pitches Capcom on 10 increasingly silly ideas for Resident Evil crossovers and spin-offs, in honor of next week's release of Resident Evil Requiem.  Enjoy!  TIME CHART: Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:09:45 Lucasfilm/Star Wars News: 0:09:45 – 0:32:50 Assorted Video Game News: 0:32:50 – 1:11:22 Nintendo Direct: 1:11:22 – 1:25:00 Sony State of Play: 1:25:00 – 2:09:25  Sean's Conference Adventures: 2:09:25 – 2:42:02 Jonathan's Dragon Quest Adventures: 2:42:02 – 3:09:17 The Monthly Ten: 3:09:17 – 3:34:44  Read Jonathan Lack's movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.comSubscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://www.japanimation-station.com Read Jonathan's book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vKSubscribe to our YouTube channels! Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcastSupport the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuffOriginal Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

As discussions about Jollibee in Australia resurface, let's revisit an interview with an academic at La Trobe University in Melbourne about their study of the fast-food giant and Filipino culture. - Sa muling pagbuhay sa usapin ng Jollibee sa Australia, balikan ang panayam noong 2017 sa isang akademikong nagsalita sa La Trobe University sa Melbourne kaugnay sa ginawang pag-aaral nito sa nasabing fastfood at kulturang Pinoy.

AI's expanding reach and your digital footprint, fathers' involvement links to children's health, and handing down more than a farm. Plus, Cal Thomas on Jesse Jackson's complicated legacy, a new pizza topping in Italy, and the Thursday morning newsSupport The World and Everything in It today at wng.org/donateAdditional support comes from Dordt University, where the MSN–Family Nurse Practitioner program prepares nurses for Christ-centered, family-focused care. Dordt.eduFrom Ridge Haven Camp in North Carolina and Iowa. Summer Camp registration open now at ridgehaven.orgAnd from Pensacola Christian College. Academic excellence, biblical worldview, affordable cost. go.pcci.edu/world

In this episode, MacKenzie answers questions from parents and students navigating everything from boredom in elementary school to implementing AI in classrooms and starting microschools. She shares practical guidance on screen time, mindset shifts, school fit, and where to start, whether you have a toddler or a teen.

Washington Wednesday on Marco Rubio's Munich address, World Tour on Bangladesh's general election, and America's shrinking agricultural workforce. Plus, Janie B. Cheaney on AI that writes its own code, a delivery bot miscalculates, and the Wednesday morning newsSupport The World and Everything in It today at wng.org/donateAdditional support comes from Dordt University, where the MSN–Family Nurse Practitioner program prepares nurses for Christ-centered, family-focused care. Dordt.eduFrom Ridge Haven Camp in North Carolina and Iowa. Summer Camp registration open now at ridgehaven.orgAnd from Pensacola Christian College. Academic excellence, biblical worldview, affordable cost. go.pcci.edu/world

Academic freedom in the U.S. is increasingly under attack. In this episode, Kent Kaufman joins us to discuss the legal and contractual origins of, current threats to, and the social benefits resulting from maintaining academic freedom. Kent is an Associate Professor of Business Law and MBA Programs Faculty Liaison in the Department of Economics and Finance at Purdue University. He is also the author of Navigating Choppy Waters: Key Legal Issues College Faculty Need to Know. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Russia's expanding nuclear arsenal, matching U.S. drug prices with Europe's, Federal agencies backing farmers' right to repair, and the fatal takeoff of UPS flight 2976. Plus, Albert Mohler on the borderless illusion, Larry the Cat at Number 10 Downing Street, and the Tuesday morning newsSupport The World and Everything in It today at wng.org/donateAdditional support comes from Pensacola Christian College. Academic excellence, biblical worldview, affordable cost. go.pcci.edu/worldFrom Ridge Haven Camp in North Carolina and Iowa. Summer Camp registration open now at ridgehaven.orgAnd from Dordt University, where the MSN–Family Nurse Practitioner program prepares nurses for Christ-centered, family-focused care. Dordt.edu

ASU is helping address teacher shortages and other academic short comings. Mike talks about what the university is doing and other education solutions in Arizona.

Legal Docket on the justices' clash over retirement-plan calculations, Moneybeat on Trump's move against climate regulation, and History Book on Australia's dramatic first Winter Olympic gold. Plus, the Monday morning newsSupport The World and Everything in It today at wng.org/donateAdditional support comes from Dordt University, where the MSN–Family Nurse Practitioner program prepares nurses for Christ-centered, family-focused care. Dordt.eduFrom Pensacola Christian College. Academic excellence, biblical worldview, affordable cost. go.pcci.edu/worldAnd from Ridge Haven Camp in North Carolina and Iowa. Summer Camp registration open now at ridgehaven.org

Recently funded and aiming for sustainable retention? Intro chat (no sales pitch): professorgame.com/chat What if your research team worked like a raid party? Raul Mora shares how bringing gamer language and MMORPG structures into academia boosted clarity, motivation, and long-term commitment. This conversation explores community design, role-based engagement, and why listening to gamers is the most underrated retention strategy in education. Raúl is a professor at Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana in Medellín, Colombia, now also teaching remotely from Trondheim, Norway. He's been in education for over 30 years, including time as a school and English teacher and as a college professor. His research explores second language literacy practices in the city, digital spaces, and schools. Rob Alvarez is Head of Engagement Strategy, Europe at The Octalysis Group (TOG), a leading gamification and behavioral design consultancy. A globally recognized gamification strategist and TEDx speaker, he founded and hosts Professor Game, the #1 gamification podcast, and has interviewed hundreds of global experts. He designs evidence-based engagement systems that drive motivation, loyalty, and results, and teaches LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® and gamification at top institutions including IE Business School, EFMD, and EBS University across Europe, the Americas, and Asia.   Guest Links and Info Webs: Guest: elpatronhimself.net Research Lab: lslp.org LinkedIn: Raúl Mora Instagram: @lslplegion TikTok: @lslplegion Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/elpatronhimself.bsky.social Book: Understanding Second Language Users as Gamers   Links to episode mentions: Proposed guest: Antero Garcia Recommended book: What Video Games Have to Teach Us by James P. Gee Favorite game: Mortal Kombat   Lets's do stuff together! Let's chat about your gamification project YouTube LinkedIn Instagram Facebook Start Your Community on Skool for Free Ask a question

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, I am joined by Jensen Martin, a scholar-practitioner and PhD student at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. Jensen recalls how his childhood experiences playing the World of Warcraft and reading fantasy books awakened a deep longing for real experiences of magick and shamanism, how reading spiritual biographies inspired him become a live-in member of the Self Realisation Fellowship, and how trips in India drew him to the practice of bhakti. Jensen recounts powerful visions of Narasiṃha and Egyptian gods, transformative darśanas with Indian gurus such as Amma the Hugging Saint, and experiments with the power of mantra recitation. Jensen also describes his deep dive into psychedelic use, reveals his extensive experience with ayahuasca, and details his journey to a full-scholarship PhD at the Graduate Theological Union. … Video version: www.guruviking.com Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast'. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 01:07 - Narasiṃha 01:52 - Jensen's childhood 02:50 - Drawn to shamanism through World of Warcraft 04:41 - Reading about shamanism and pagan religion 06:17 - Inspired by fantasy and World of Warcraft 09:48 - Lucid dreaming practice and animal totems 12:42 - Reading “Autobiography of a Yogi” 14:35 - Move to Humboldt county to pursue samadhi in nature 15:45 - Experimenting with substances 16:48 - Living at the Self Realisation Fellowship and time in India 20:55 - Masters degree in Yoga Studies 21:36 - Thirst for magickal experiences 27:50 - Living hand to mouth 29:33 - Jensen's practice regime 32:00 - Hassidic Judaism, Orthodox Christianity, and Amma Sri Mātā Amritānandamayī Devi  35:35 - Academic studies 37:09 - Powerful darśana from Amma Sri Karunamayi 40:38 - Further trips to India and practicing bhakti 42:36 - Encounter with Narasimha 46:38 - Attending the 2019 Kumbh Mela 50:00 - Dream of Egyptian Narasimha connections 54:41 - Extreme sickness and vision of Narasimha 01:02:52 - Meeting Dhruva Gorrick 01:04:37 - Powerful encounter with Amma the hugging saint 01:08:52 - Why not to share significant spiritual experiences 01:10:00 - Going deep with ayahuasca and other psychedelics 01:23:18 - Mantras coming alive 01:24:54 - High frequency of psychedelic trips 01:25:58 - Work as park ranger 01:26:54 - Negative ayahuasca experiences and magickal attack 01:39:47 - Encountering Narasimha on ayahuasca 01:49:37 - A new theme for Jensen's ayahuasca ceremonies 01:57:02 - Lineage spirits commanded Jensen to stop ayahuasca 01:57:38 - Further visions 01:59:05 - Encountering Vishnu and further pleas to stop taking ayahuasca 02:07:27 - Return to Amma and Narasimha initiation 02:08: 42 - Receiving a PhD scholarship to study Narasimha 02:15:41 - Still drinking ayahuasca 02:19:52 - Uniqueness of the human body 02:21:02 - Borrowing psychic power and astral contracts 02:29:46 - Why does Jensen keep using ayahuasca despite warnings? … To find our more about Jensen Martin visit: - https://www.instagram.com/jensen_sudarshan/ For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - https://www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi' by Steve James

Present Values and Future Values Business Finance, FIL 240-002, Spring 2026, Lecture 9 Type: mp3 audio file ©2026

Present Values and Future Values Business Finance, FIL 240-001, Spring 2026, Lecture 9 Type: mp3 audio file ©2026

The return of "What About?" Wednesdays! Text us your questions for apologist and pastor Robby Lashua!For the past three years, Northwest Christian School has helped spearhead a "pilot" program within the Colson Center for Christian Worldview:  the Colson Educators Academic Affiliation.  Every teacher has enjoyed training in Biblical worldview and nearly forty teachers, administrators, and staff have opted into a yearlong, deep-dive into Christian worldview through the Colson Fellows program.It all sounds very impressive.  But what, specifically, does it mean?Today, we are joined by Billy Hutchinson, the Director of the Colson Center's Colson Educators program, who walks us through the training, the pilot program, and what it all means for the culture and community of Northwest Christian School.For more information on the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, click here.To learn about the Colson Educators programs and opportunities, follow this link.And, to learn about Colson Fellows and potentially join a Northwest Christian-centered cohort of Colson Fellows in Training, please visit:  ColsonFellows.org/KCC."Kingdom Culture Conversations" is a podcast created by Northwest Christian School in Phoenix, Arizona.For more information on Northwest Christian School, visit: https://www.ncsaz.org/To reach out to Geoff Brown, please email gbrown@ncsaz.org or you can reach him by cell phone: (623)225-5573.

I'm very excited to have on Rory Truex as my guest for today's episode. Rory is Associate Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University. His research focuses on Chinese politics and authoritarian systems, and his work has been published in the American Political Science Review, British Journal of Political Science, The China Quarterly and many more. He has been featured in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The Hill, South China Morning Post, and The New York Times. He is also the host of The Civic Forum Podcast, a weekly public speaker series on democracy featuring leading scholars and practitioners.We talk the decline in funding for China related research grants in the US, the role of the government and individual institutions in creating a productive and protective relationship with China, and the golden age of China studies (and if it's possible to ever get back there).Read the working paper hereCheck out The Civic Forum hereBuy book club books hereBuy me a coffeeLatest Substack postSupport the showSign up for Buzzsprout to launch your podcasting journey: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=162442Subscribe to the Sinobabble Newsletter: https://sinobabble.substack.com/Support Sinobabble on Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sinobabblepod

After polling our Substack community, one request rose to the top: more real, concrete examples of what students and Guides are actually doing during the school day. In Part 2 of this audience-selected episode, MacKenzie is joined by Alpha Guide Cameron to walk through what a day at Alpha High truly looks like in practice. From the structure of the day to the “high standards, high support” culture that shapes confidence and independence, this conversation offers a practical, behind-the-scenes look at how Alpha operates and what students experience firsthand.

Hear from Julie Calkins, Director of Sustainability Strategy at Generation Investment Management, as we explore how interconnected risks spanning climate, nature, inequality and AI challenge traditional approaches to risk and return. In investing, we spend a lot of time debating alpha — what gives one portfolio an edge over another. But increasingly, the bigger question is about beta, and the underlying conditions that make any returns possible in the first place. And here we can think about a stable climate, nature as infrastructure and even social cohesion and functioning institutions. Because when those foundations erode, risk stops looking like a set of isolated exposures, and starts to look like something deeper – perhaps systemic instability, cascading impacts, and rising uncertainty that no single firm can diversify away. That's why in this episode we explore: ·        Why some investors are starting to think more seriously about "protecting the beta", and what that means for portfolio risk and long-term resilience; ·        How nature risk, climate risk, and inequality interact — with inequality not only as an outcome of shocks, but as a potential driver of fragility and political instability; ·        And the tools that can help risk professionals make complex, interconnected risks more legible from scenario modelling to frameworks that build a shared language inside organisations.  ----------------  To find out more about the Sustainability and Climate Risk (SCR®) Certificate, follow this link: https://www.garp.org/scr For more information on climate risk, visit GARP's Global Sustainability and Climate Risk Resource Centre: https://www.garp.org/sustainability-climate If you have any questions, thoughts, or feedback regarding this podcast series, we would love to hear from you at: climateriskpodcast@garp.com ------------------ Speaker's Bio Julie Calkins, Director of Sustainability Strategy at Generation Investment Management Julie Calkins serves as the Director of Sustainability Strategy at Generation Investment Management since April 2022. Previously, Calkins operated as an Advisor for an independent consultancy firm, CDAX, managing projects for notable clients including the US Climate Alliance Partnership and OECD Global Science Forum from January 2017 to April 2022. Prior roles include Head of Climate Risk and Adaptation at Climate-KIC, a Research and Policy Fellow at Wellcome Trust, and a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Leeds/National Centre for Atmospheric Science. Calkins has also worked as a Monitoring Scientist for NOAA and an Antarctic Scientist for the US Antarctic Program. Academic credentials include a PhD in Environmental Science and Health from the University of York and an MS in Geochemistry from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. With a background spanning environmental science, disaster risk, and global policy, Julie brings a rare systems-level perspective to sustainable investing.

These years are when the "better late than early" approach is so important as parents prepare their elementary-aged kids for a gradual transition to more serious studies in middle and high school.When homeschooling elementary-aged children, we want to take things slowly. Academics should build over time to prevent academic burnout.Carole and Rachel discuss integrating study, work, and service by doing short, concrete lessons in phonics, real-life math, and handwriting. And of course, they encourage reading out loud to develop a love for reading!RESOURCES+Click here for a complete list of books mentioned in this episode+Buy some of our favorite books here! 10 Of Those + $1 shipping!+Build Your Family's Library: Grab our FREE book list here+Get our FREE ebook: 5 Essential Parts of a Great Education.+Attend one of our upcoming seminars this year!+Click HERE for more information about consulting with Carole Joy Seid!CONNECTHomeschool Made Simple | Website | Seminars | Instagram | Facebook | PinterestMENTIONED IN THIS EPISODELearn More about CTCMathMentioned in this episode:Get 20% off lessons at Voetberg Music Academy using HOMESCHOOL20 codeVoetberg Music Academy

We’ve told kids for years that effort changes everything. But the biggest review of growth mindset research in decades just found the results are tiny… sometimes nothing at all. So should parents and teachers stop talking about “not yet”? In this Doctor’s Desk episode, Justin and Kylie unpack what the science really says, why the data might be missing the magic, and the simple belief that still changes lives for many children. KEY POINTS A major new review analysed 24 gold-standard studies on growth mindset interventions. The strongest research found very small or zero academic improvement. Real classrooms and real families are far more complex than controlled trials. No study shows growth mindset causes harm. Language, belief, and persistence still influence motivation for many kids. We should be careful about promises — but not abandon hope. QUOTE OF THE EPISODE “I don’t want to be the adult who looks at a child and says, ‘You just can’t.’” RESOURCES MENTIONED Gazmuri, C. (2025). Growth mindset interventions and academic achievement. Review of Education. ACTION STEPS FOR PARENTS Swap limits for possibility: invite effort and exploration. Focus on helping your child stay in the uncomfortable learning zone. Offer support after they’ve tried, not before. Remember: neutral evidence is not negative evidence. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time Value of Money Business Finance, FIL 240-001, Spring 2026, Lecture 8 Type: mp3 audio file ©2026

Time Value of Money Business Finance, FIL 240-002, Spring 2026, Lecture 8 Type: mp3 audio file ©2026

We had a kwentuhan with Synerflight last Philippine Startup Week 2025!Synerflight is a supplier for drones, flight controllers, motherboards for robots and vehicles, for researchers, academics, and industrial processing.This episode is recorded live at the Philippine Innovation Hub in Marikina City.In this episode:00:00 Introduction01:15 Ano ang Synerflight?29:20 How can listeners find more information?SYNERFLIGHTWebsite: https://synerflight.comFacebook: https://facebook.com/SynerflightPHILIPPINE STARTUP WEEKWebsite: https://phstartupweek.comFacebook: https://facebook.com/PhilippineStartupWeekTHIS EPISODE IS CO-PRODUCED BY:Kredit Hero: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://kredithero.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Yspaces: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://knowyourspaceph.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twala: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twala.io⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Symph: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://symph.co⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Secuna: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://secuna.io⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SkoolTek by Edfolio: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://skooltek.co⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MaroonStudios: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://maroonstudios.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CompareLoans: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://compareloans.ph⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CHECK OUT OUR PARTNERS:Ask Lex PH Academy: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://asklexph.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (5% discount on e-learning courses! Code: ALPHAXSUP)ArkoTech: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.arkotechspacesolutions.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠DVCode Technologies Inc: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://dvcode.tech⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NutriCoach: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://nutricoach.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Argum AI: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://argum.ai⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠PIXEL by Eplayment: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://pixel.eplayment.co/auth/sign-up?r=PIXELXSUP1⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Sign up using Code: PIXELXSUP1)School of Profits: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://schoolofprofits.academy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Founders Launchpad: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://founderslaunchpad.vc⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hier Business Solutions: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://hierpayroll.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Agile Data Solutions (Hustle PH): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://agiledatasolutions.tech⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Smile Checks: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://getsmilechecks.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CloudCFO: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cloudcfo.ph⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Free financial assessment, process onboarding, and 6-month QuickBooks subscription! Mention: Start Up Podcast PH)Cloverly: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cloverly.tech⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BuddyBetes: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://buddybetes.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HKB Digital Services: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://contakt-ph.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (10% discount on RFID Business Cards! Code: CONTAKTXSUP)Hyperstacks: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://hyperstacksinc.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠OneCFO: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://onecfoph.co⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (10% discount on CFO services! Code: ONECFOXSUP)Wunderbrand: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://wunderbrand.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Uplift Code Camp: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://upliftcodecamp.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (5% discount on bootcamps and courses! Code: UPLIFTSTARTUPPH)START UP PODCAST PHYouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/startuppodcastph⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/6BObuPvMfoZzdlJeb1XXVa⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/start-up-podcast/id1576462394⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://facebook.com/startuppodcastph⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://patreon.com/StartUpPodcastPH⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠PIXEL: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://pixel.eplayment.co/dl/startuppodcastph⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://phstartup.online⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠This episode is edited by the team at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tasharivera.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In this episode Eric interviews Blake Nielsen from Columbia College in Columbia, MO. A variety of topics are discussed, including Blake's journey in teaching quantitative research methods, his role at Columbia College, and the college's unique structure. The conversation also delves into Blake's experiences with Monmouth College and his extensive involvement in various academic roles, including directing the Center for Teaching and Learning. Eric and Blake talk about the importance of storytelling in teaching, balancing professional commitments with personal life, and navigating imposter syndrome. Blake also mentions his new role as the director of the Virtual Conference on Teaching (VCT) and reflects on the significance of gratitude and community in his career development. [Note. Portions of the show notes were generated by Descript AI.]

In this episode, host Don Adeesha joins Dr. Milind Kachare, a plastic surgeon at Nayak Plastic Surgery, to dissect the "high-performance associate" model. Dr. Kachare explains his "practice within a practice" approach, detailing how he carved out a distinct Breast and Body lane within a predominantly facial surgery ecosystem. He shares the critical preparatory steps he took before day one, including establishing specific protocols and consents, to ensure he could generate his own leads rather than relying solely on the founder's overflow. Dr. Kachare breaks down how to leverage academic weight in a market saturated with social media trends. He argues that while patients may not count publications, they value the translation of that data into understandable safety assurances. He illustrates this with a dramatic case study involving a gunshot wound to an implant, showing how evidence-based storytelling can prove product integrity and empower patients to make decisions, ultimately justifying premium positioning. Finally, the discussion turns to recruitment and culture, exploring why top talent chooses long-term commitment over short-term stepping stones. Dr. Kachare highlights the importance of transparency and the "green flag" of a founder who prioritizes legacy over quick monetary gains. He urges associates to adopt an owner's mindset by evaluating equipment purchases through the lens of ROI and viewing board certification as a strategic investment in the practice's brand equity.

In this episode, Megan and Erin break down effective college application strategies, using insights from a U.S. News article featuring Rice University's Dean of Admissions. Rice says it wants to see Academic excellence and intellectual curiosity Community engagement and contributions Students who really want to be here Listen as Megan and Erin discuss How students can demonstrate intellectual curiosity Curiosity can be shown through self-directed learning, independent research, summer programs, or exploration outside formal coursework Letters of recommendation can reinforce curiosity and engagement with ideas and learning Community impact beyond traditional service Community contribution can take many forms, including collaboration, leadership, and using personal strengths to support others Rice values students who actively choose to engage with its collaborative and caring campus culture Evaluating college fit beyond prestige Students should research course offerings, campus culture, and day-to-day student life Campus visits help students determine whether a school aligns with their academic and social preferences Here’s the U.S. News article featuring Rice's Dean of Admissions:(https://www.usnews.com/education/getting-in/articles/2026-01-07/rice-university-college-applicants-advice). The post 616: 3 Ways Students Can Stand Out in Admissions appeared first on The College Prep Podcast.

How Can Christians Turn Groans into Growth By Responding to Ecological Grief?   In this episode of the Good Faith Podcast, host Curtis Chang talks with Dr. Jonathan Moo, a decorated professor of both the New Testament and Environmental Studies, about why Christian creation care belongs at the center of discipleship. Drawing from Romans 8, Colossians 1, and Genesis 1–2, Moo connects biblical hope for new creation with practical action on climate change, stewardship, and loving our neighbors by caring for the places they depend on and enjoy. The conversation explores how faith and science can work together, why "dominion" looks like Christ-shaped service, and how small, local projects—from Uganda to Texas—offer tangible models of environmental renewal. Dr. Moo offers us a bigger vision of human flourishing, plus concrete next steps for Christians and churches to live joyfully and faithfully in God's world.   05:04 - How Do Jonathan Moo's Academic and Faith and Love for Creation Intersect? 07:51 - Romans 8 and Lament for Creation 17:38 - Salvation, Resurrection, and the Earth 22:08 - Practical Examples of Creation Care 27:01 - Motivating People To Move From Enjoying Nature To Actively Caring For It 31:24 - How Do We Address Interpretations of "Dominion"? 36:32 - Jesus as Model for Dominion 39:34 - Understanding Barriers Between Evangelicals and Science  47:16 - Engaging with Skeptics and Loved Ones 53:25 - Advice for Skeptics  55:11 - Practical Steps for the Environmentally Concerned   Episode Companion: Christians and Climate Change Guide 2   Sign up for the Good Faith Newsletter   Learn more about George Fox Talks     Mentioned In This Episode: Tools, Websites, and Organizations A Rocha USA Bull Creek Restoration Project Climate Stewards USA   Books and Authors Learn more about Aldo Leopold Learn more about Alister McGrath Learn more about Evelyn Waugh Learn more about Wendell Berry Debra Rienstra's Refugia Faith: Seeking Hidden Shelters, Ordinary Wonders, and the Healing of the Earth   Biblical Passages Colossians 1:15-20 (ESV) Romans 8 (ESV) Genesis 1 and 2 (ESV) Mark 12:30-31 (ESV)   Concepts and Ideas Carbon Calculator (use for offsets) Bio Sand Filters No Till Agriculture Mulching and Crop Rotation   More From Dr. Jonathan Moo: Jonathan & Douglas Moo's Creation Care: A Biblical Theology of the Natural World (Biblical Theology for Life) More about Dr. Moo: Whitworth professor acts as a wilderness guide A reminder of Dr. Moo's A.W.A.K.E. acronym   Follow Us: Good Faith on Instagram Good Faith on X (formerly Twitter) Good Faith on Facebook   The Good Faith Podcast is a production of a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan organization that does not engage in any political campaign activity to support or oppose any candidate for public office. Any views and opinions expressed by any guests on this program are solely those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Good Faith.

How can indie authors raise their game through academic-style rigour? How might AI tools fit into a thoughtful research process without replacing the joy of discovery? Melissa Addey explores the intersection of scholarly discipline, creative writing, and the practical realities of building an author career. In the intro, mystery and thriller tropes [Wish I'd Known Then]; The differences between trad and indie in 2026 [Productive Indie Fiction Writer]; Five phases of an author business [Becca Syme]; Bones of the Deep – J.F. Penn; Today's show is sponsored by Bookfunnel, the essential tool for your author business. Whether it's delivering your reader magnet, sending out advanced copies of your book, handing out ebooks at a conference, or fulfilling your digital sales to readers, BookFunnel does it all. Check it out at bookfunnel.com/thecreativepenn This show is also supported by my Patrons. Join my Community at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn Melissa Addey is an award-winning historical fiction author with a PhD in creative writing from the University of Surrey. She was the Leverhulme Trust Writer in Residence at the British Library, and now works as campaigns lead for the Alliance of Independent Authors. You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript is below. Show Notes Making the leap from a corporate career to full-time writing with a young family Why Melissa pursued a PhD in creative writing and how it fuelled her author business What indie authors can learn from academic rigour when researching historical fiction The problems with academic publishing—pricing, accessibility, and creative restrictions Organising research notes, avoiding accidental plagiarism, and knowing when to stop researching Using AI tools effectively as part of the research process without losing your unique voice You can find Melissa at MelissaAddey.com. Transcript of the interview with Melissa Addey JOANNA: Melissa Addey is an award-winning historical fiction author with a PhD in creative writing from the University of Surrey. She was the Leverhulme Trust Writer in Residence at the British Library, and now works as campaigns lead for the Alliance of Independent Authors. Welcome back to the show, Melissa. MELISSA: Hello. Thank you for having me. JOANNA: It's great to have you back. You were on almost a decade ago, in December 2016, talking about merchandising for authors. That is really a long time ago. So tell us a bit more about you and how you got into writing and self-publishing. MELISSA: I had a regular job in business and I was writing on the side. I did a couple of writing courses, and then I started trying to get published, and that took seven years of jumping through hoops. There didn't seem to be much progress. At some point, I very nearly had a small publisher, but we clashed over the cover because there was a really quite hideous suggestion that was not going to work. I think by that point I was really tired of jumping through hoops, really trying to play the game traditional publishing-wise. I just went, you know what? I've had enough now. I've done everything that was asked of me and it's still not working. I'll just go my own way. I think at the time that would've been 2015-ish. Suddenly, self-publishing was around more. I could see people and hear people talking about it, and I thought, okay, let's read everything there is to know about this. I had a little baby at the time and I would literally print off stuff during the day to read—probably loads of your stuff—and read it at two o'clock in the morning breastfeeding babies. Then I'd go, okay, I think I understand that bit now, I'll understand the next bit, and so on. So I got into self-publishing and I really, really enjoyed it. I've been doing it ever since. I'm now up to 20 books in the last 10 or 11 years. As you say, I did the creative writing PhD along the way, working with ALLi and doing workshops for others—mixing and matching lots of different things. I really enjoy it. JOANNA: You mentioned you had a job before in business. Are you full-time in all these roles that you're doing now, or do you still have that job? MELISSA: No, I'm full-time now. I only do writing-related things. I left that in 2015, so I took a jump. I was on maternity leave and I started applying for jobs to go back to, and I suddenly felt like, oh, I really don't want to. I want to do the writing. I thought, I've got about one year's worth of savings. I could try and do the jump. I remember saying to my husband, “Do you think it would be possible if I tried to do the jump? Would that be okay?” There was this very long pause while he thought about it. But the longer the pause went on, the more I was thinking, ooh, he didn't say no, that is out of the question, financially we can't do that. I thought, ooh, it's going to work. So I did the jump. JOANNA: That's great. I did something similar and took a massive pay cut and downsized and everything back in the day. Having a supportive partner is so important. The other thing I did—and I wonder if you did too—I said to Jonathan, my husband, if within a year this is not going in a positive direction, then I'll get another job. How long did you think you would leave it before you just gave up? And how did that go? Because that beginning is so difficult, especially with a new baby. MELISSA: I thought, well, I'm at home anyway, so I do have more time than if I was in a full-time job. The baby sleeps sometimes—if you're lucky—so there are little gaps where you could really get into it. I had a year of savings/maternity pay going on, so I thought I've got a year. And the funny thing that happened was within a few months, I went back to my husband and I was like, I don't understand. I said, all these doors are opening—they weren't massive, but they were doors opening. I said, but I've wanted to be a writer for a long time and none of these doors have opened before. He said, “Well, it's because you really committed. It's because you jumped. And when you jump, sometimes the universe is on board and goes, yes, all right then, and opens some doors for you.” It really felt like that. Even little things—like Writing Magazine gave me a little slot to do an online writer-in-residence thing. Just little doors opened that felt like you were getting a nod, like, yes, come on then, try. Then the PhD was part of that. I applied to do that and it came with a studentship, which meant I had three years of funding coming in. That was one of the biggest creative gifts that's ever been given to me—three years of knowing you've got enough money coming in that you can just try and make it work. By the time that finished, the royalties had taken over from the studentship. That was such a gift. JOANNA: A couple of things there. I've got to ask about that funding. You're saying it was a gift, but that money didn't just magically appear. You worked really hard to get that funding, I presume. MELISSA: I did, yes. You do have to do the work for it, just to be clear. My sister had done a PhD in an entirely different subject. She said, “You should do a PhD in creative writing.” I said, “That'd be ridiculous. Nobody is going to fund that. Who's going to fund that?” She said, “Oh, they might. Try.” So I tried, and the deadline was something stupid like two weeks away. I tried and I got shortlisted, but I didn't get it. I thought, ah, but I got shortlisted with only two weeks to try. I'll try again next year then. So then I tried again the next year and that's when I got it. It does take work. You have to put in quite a lot of effort to make your case. But it's a very joyful thing if you get one. JOANNA: So let's go to the bigger question: why do a PhD in creative writing? Let's be clear to everyone—you don't need even a bachelor's degree to be a successful author. Stephen King is a great example of someone who isn't particularly educated in terms of degrees. He talks about writing his first book while working at a laundry. You can be very successful with no formal education. So why did you want to do a PhD? What drew you to academic research? MELISSA: Absolutely. I would briefly say, I often meet people who feel they must do a qualification before they're allowed to write. I say, do it if you'd like to, but you don't have to. You could just practise the writing. I fully agree with that. It was a combination of things. I do actually like studying. I do actually enjoy the research—that's why I do historical research. I like that kind of work. So that's one element. Another element was the funding. I thought, if I get that funding, I've got three years to build up a back catalogue of books, to build up the writing. It will give me more time. So that was a very practical financial issue. Also, children. My children were very little. I had a three-year-old and a baby, and everybody went, “Are you insane? Doing a PhD with a three-year-old and a baby?” But the thing about three-year-olds and babies is they're quite intellectually boring. Emotionally, very engaging—on a number of levels, good, bad, whatever—but they're not very intellectually stimulating. You're at home all day with two small children who think that hide and seek is the highlight of intellectual difficulty because they've hidden behind the curtains and they're shuffling and giggling. I felt I needed something else. I needed something for me that would be interesting. I've always enjoyed passing on knowledge. I've always enjoyed teaching people, workshops, in whatever field I was in. I thought, if I want to do that for writing at some point, it will sound more important if I've done a PhD. Not that you need that to explain how to do writing to someone if you do a lot of writing. But there were all these different elements that came together. JOANNA: So to summarise: you enjoy the research, it's an intellectual challenge, you've got the funding, and there is something around authority. In terms of a PhD—and just for listeners, I'm doing a master's at the moment in death, religion, and culture. MELISSA: Your topic sounds fascinating. JOANNA: It is interesting because, same as you, I enjoy research. Both of us love research as part of our fiction process and our nonfiction. I'm also enjoying the intellectual challenge, and I've also considered this idea of authority in an age of AI when it is increasingly easy to generate books—let's just say it, it's easy to generate books. So I was like, well, how do I look at this in a more authoritative way? I wanted to talk to you because even just a few months back into it—and I haven't done an academic qualification for like two decades—it struck me that the academic rigour is so different. What lessons can indie authors learn from this kind of academic rigour? What do you think of in terms of the rigour and what can we learn? MELISSA: I think there are a number of things. First of all, really making sure that you are going to the quality sources for things—the original sources, the high-quality versions of things. Not secondhand, but going back to those primary sources. Not “somebody said that somebody said something.” Well, let's go back to the original. Have a look at that, because you get a lot from that. I think you immerse yourself more deeply. Someone can tell you, “This is how they spoke in the 1800s.” If you go and read something that was written in the 1800s, you get a better sense of that than just reading a dictionary of slang that's been collated for you by somebody else. So I think that immerses you more deeply. Really sticking with that till you've found interesting things that spark creativity in you. I've seen people say, “I used to do all the historical research. Nowadays I just fact-check. I write what I want to write and I fact-check.” I think, well, that's okay, but you won't find the weird little things. I tend to call it “the footnotes of history.” You won't find the weird little things that really make something come alive, that really make a time and a place come alive. I've got a scene in one of my Regency romances—which actually I think are less full of historical emphasis than some of my other work—where a man gives a woman a gift. It's supposed to be a romantic gift and maybe slightly sensual. He could have given her a fan and I could have fact-checked and gone, “Are there fans? Yes, there are fans. Do they have pretty romantic poems on them? Yes, they do. Okay, that'll do.” Actually, if you go round and do more research than that, you discover they had things like ribbons that held up your stockings, on which they wrote quite smutty things in embroidery. That's a much more sexy and interesting gift to give in that scene. But you don't find that unless you go doing a bit of research. If I just fact-check, I'm not going to find that because it would never have occurred to me to fact-check it in the first place. JOANNA: I totally agree with you. One of the wonderful things about research—and I also like going to places—is you might be somewhere and see something that gives you an idea you never, ever would have found in a book or any other way. I used to call it “the serendipity of the stacks” in the physical library. You go looking for a particular book and then you're in that part of the shelf and you find several other books that you never would have looked for. I think it's encouraging people, as you're saying, but I also think you have to love it. MELISSA: Yes. I think some people find it a bit of a grind, or they're frightened by it and they think, “Have I done enough?” JOANNA: Mm-hmm. MELISSA: I get asked that a lot when I talk about writing historical fiction. People go, “But when do I stop? How do I know it's enough? How do I know there wasn't another book that would have been the book? Everyone will go, ‘Oh, how did you not read such-and-such?'” I always say there are two ways of finding out when you can stop. One is when you get to the bibliographies, you look through and you go, “Yep, read that, read that, read that. Nah, I know that one's not really what I wanted.” You're familiar with those bibliographies in a way that at the beginning you're not. At the beginning, every single bibliography, you haven't read any of it. So that's quite a good way of knowing when to stop. The other way is: can you write ordinary, everyday life? I don't start writing a book till I can write everyday life in that historical era without notes. I will obviously have notes if I'm doing a wedding or a funeral or a really specific battle or something. Everyday life, I need to be able to just write that out of my own head. You need to be confident enough to do that. JOANNA: One of the other problems I've heard from academics—people who've really come out of academia and want to write something more pop, even if it's pop nonfiction or fiction—they're also really struggling. It is a different game, isn't it? For people who might be immersed in academia, how can they release themselves into doing something like self-publishing? Because there's still a lot of stigma within academia. MELISSA: You're going to get me on the academic publishing rant now. I think academic publishing is horrendous. Academics are very badly treated. I know quite a lot of academics and they have to do all the work. Nobody's helping them with indexing or anything like that. The publisher will say things like, “Well, could you just cut 10,000 words out of that?” Just because of size. Out of somebody's argument that they're making over a whole work. No consideration for that. The royalties are basically zilch. I've seen people's royalty statements come in, and the way they price the books is insane. They'll price a book at 70 pounds. I actually want that book for my research and I'm hesitating because I can't be buying all of them at that price. That's ridiculous. I've got people who are friends or family who bring out a book, and I'm like, well, I would gladly buy your book and read it. It's priced crazy. It's priced only for institutions. I think actually, if academia was written a little more clearly and open to the lay person—which if you are good at your work, you should be able to do—and priced a bit more in line with other books, that would maybe open up people to reading more academia. You wouldn't have to make it “pop” as you say. I quite like pop nonfiction. But I don't think there would have to be such a gulf between those two. I think you could make academic work more readable generally. I read someone's thesis recently and they'd made a point at the beginning of saying—I can't remember who it was—that so-and-so academic's point of view was that it should be readable and they should be writing accordingly. I thought, wow, I really admired her for doing that. Next time I'm doing something like that, I should be putting that at the front as well. But the fact that she had to explain that at the beginning… It wasn't like words of one syllable throughout the whole thing. I thought it was a very quality piece of writing, but it was perfectly readable to someone who didn't know about the topic. JOANNA: I might have to get that name from you because I've got an essay on the Philosophy of Death. And as you can imagine, there's a heck of a lot of big words. MELISSA: I know. I've done a PhD, but I still used to tense up a little bit thinking they're going to pounce on me. They're going to say that I didn't talk academic enough, I didn't sound fancy enough. That's not what it should be about, really. In a way, you are locking people out of knowledge, and given that most academics are paid for by public funds, that knowledge really ought to be a little more publicly accessible. JOANNA: I agree on the book price. I'm also buying books for my course that aren't in the library. Some of them might be 70 pounds for the ebook, let alone the print book. What that means is that I end up looking for secondhand books, when of course the money doesn't go to the author or the publisher. The other thing that happens is it encourages piracy. There are people who openly talk about using pirate sites for academic works because it's just too expensive. If I'm buying 20 books for my home library, I can't be spending that kind of money. Why is it so bad? Why is it not being reinvented, especially as we have done with indie authors for the wider genres? Has this at all moved into academia? MELISSA: I think within academia there's a fear because there's the peer reviews and it must be proven to be absolutely correct and agreed upon by everybody. I get that. You don't want some complete rubbish in there. I do think there's space to come up with a different system where you could say, “So-and-so is professor of whatever at such-and-such a university. I imagine what they have to say might be interesting and well-researched.” You could have some sort of kite mark. You could have something that then allows for self-publishing to take over a bit. I do just think their system is really, really poor. They get really reined in on what they're allowed to write about. Alison Baverstock, who is a professor now at Kingston University and does stuff about publishing and master's programmes, started writing about self-publishing because she thought it was really interesting. This was way back. JOANNA: I remember. I did one of those surveys. MELISSA: She got told in no uncertain terms, “Do not write about this. You will ruin your career.” She stuck with it. She was right to stick with it. But she was told by senior academics, “Do not write about self-publishing. You're just embarrassing yourself. It's just vanity press.” They weren't even being allowed to write about really quite interesting phenomena that were happening. Just from a historical point of view, that was a really interesting rise of self-publishing, and she was being told not to write about it. JOANNA: It's funny, that delay as well. I'm looking to maybe do my thesis on how AI is impacting death and the death industry. And yet it's such a fast-moving thing. MELISSA: Yes. JOANNA: Sometimes it can take a year, two years or more to get a paper through the process. MELISSA: Oh, yes. It moves really, really fast. Like you say, by the time it comes out, people are going, “Huh? That's really old.” And you'll be going, “No, it's literally two years.” But yes, very, very slow. JOANNA: Let's come back to how we can help other people who might not want to be doing academic-level stuff. One of the things I've found is organising notes, sources, references. How do you manage that? Any tips for people? They might not need to do footnotes for their historical novel, but they might want to organise their research. What are your thoughts? MELISSA: I used to do great big enormous box files and print vast quantities of stuff. Each box file would be labelled according to servant life, or food, or seasons, or whatever. I've tried various different things. I'm moving more and more now towards a combination of books on the shelf, which I do like, and papers and other materials that are stored on my computer. They'll be classified according to different parts of daily life, essentially. Because when you write historical fiction, you have to basically build the whole world again for that era. You have to have everything that happens in daily life, everything that happens on special events, all of those things. So I'll have it organised by those sorts of topics. I'll read it and go through it until I'm comfortable with daily life. Then special things—I'll have special notes on that that can talk me through how you run a funeral or a wedding or whatever, because that's quite complicated to just remember in your head. MELISSA: I always do historical notes at the end. They really matter to me. When I read historical fiction, I really like to read that from the author. I'll say, “Right, these things are true”—especially things that I think people will go, “She made that up. That is not true.” I'll go, “No, no, these are true.” These other things I've fudged a little, or I've moved the timeline a bit to make the story work better. I try to be fairly clear about what I did to make it into a story, but also what is accurate, because I want people to get excited about that timeline. Occasionally if there's been a book that was really important, I'll mention it in there because I don't want to have a proper bibliography, but I do want to highlight certain books. If you got excited by this novel, you could go off and read that book and it would take you into the nonfiction side of it. JOANNA: I'm similar with my author's notes. I've just done the author's note for Bones of the Deep, which has some merfolk in it, and I've got a book on Merpeople. It's awesome. It's just a brilliant book. I'm like, this has to go in. You could question whether that is really nonfiction or something else. But I think that's really important. Just to be more practical: when you're actually writing, what tools do you use? I use Scrivener and I keep all my research there. I'm using EndNote for academic stuff. MELISSA: I've always just stuck to Word. I did get Scrivener and played with it for a while, but I felt like I've already got a way of doing it, so I'll just carry on with that. So I mostly just do Word. I have a lot of notes, so I'll have notepads that have got my notes on specific things, and they'll have page numbers that go back to specific books in case I need to go and double-check that again. You mentioned citations, and that's fascinating to me. Do you know the story about Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner? It won the Pulitzer. It's a novel, but he used 10% of that novel—and it's a fairly slim novel—10% of it is actually letters written by somebody else, written by a woman before his time. He includes those and works with them in the story. He mentioned her very briefly, like, “Oh, and thanks to the relatives of so-and-so.” Very brief. He got accused of plagiarism for using that much of it by another part of her family who hadn't agreed to it. I've always thought it's because he didn't give enough credence to her. He didn't give her enough importance. If he'd said, “This was the woman who wrote this stuff. It's fascinating. I loved it. I wanted to creatively respond and engage with it”—I think that wouldn't have happened at all. That's why I think it's quite important when there are really big, important elements that you're using to acknowledge those. JOANNA: That's part of the academic rigour too— You can barely have a few of your own thoughts without referring to somebody else's work and crediting them. What's so interesting to me in the research process is, okay, I think this, but in order to say it, I'm going to have to go find someone else who thought this first and wrote a paper on it. MELISSA: I think you would love a PhD. When you've done a master's, go and do a PhD as well. Because it was the first time in academia that I genuinely felt I was allowed my own thoughts and to invent stuff of my own. I could go, “Oh no, I've invented this theory and it's this.” I didn't have to constantly go, “As somebody else said, as somebody else said.” I was like, no, no. This is me. I said this thing. I wasn't allowed to in my master's, and I found it annoying. I remember thinking, but I'm trying to have original thoughts here. I'm trying to bring something new to it. In a PhD, you're allowed to do that because you're supposed to be contributing to knowledge. You're supposed to be bringing a new thing into the world. That was a glorious thing to finally be allowed to do. JOANNA: I must say I couldn't help myself with that. I've definitely put my own opinion. But a part of why I mention it is the academic rigour—it's actually quite good practice to see who else has had these thoughts before. Speed is one of the biggest issues in the indie author community. Some of the stuff you were talking about—finding original sources, going to primary sources, the top-quality stuff, finding the weird little things—all of that takes more time than, for example, just running a deep research report on Gemini or Claude or ChatGPT. You can do both. You can use that as a starting point, which I definitely do. But then the point is to go back and read the original stuff. On this timeframe— Why do you think research is worth doing? It's important for academic reasons, but personal growth as well. MELISSA: Yes, I think there's a joy to be had in the research. When I go and stand in a location, by that point I'm not measuring things and taking photos—I've done all of that online. I'm literally standing there feeling what it is to be there. What does it smell like? What does it feel like? Does it feel very enclosed or very open? Is it a peaceful place or a horrible place? That sensory research becomes very important. All of the book research before that should lead you into the sensory research, which is then also a joy to do. There's great pleasure in it. As you say, it slows things down. What I tend to say to people if they want to speed things up again is: write in a series. Because once you've done all of that research and you just write one book and then walk away, that's a lot. That really slows you down. If you then go, “Okay, well now I'm going to write four books, five books, six books, still in that place and time”—obviously each book will need a little more research, but it won't need that level of starting-from-scratch research. That can help in terms of speeding it back up again. Recently I wrote some Regency romances to see what that was like. I'd done all my basic research, and then I thought, right, now I want to write a historical novel which could have been Victorian or could have been Regency. It had an openness to it. I thought, well, I've just done all the research for Regency, so I'll stick with that era. Why go and do a whole other piece of research when I've only written three books in it so far? I'll just take that era and work with that. So there are places to make up the time again a bit. But I do think there's a joy in it as well. JOANNA: I just want to come back to the plagiarism thing. I discovered that you can plagiarise yourself in academia, which is quite interesting. For example, my books How to Write a Novel and How to Write Nonfiction—they're aimed at different audiences. They have lots of chapters that are different, but there's a chapter on dictation. I thought, why would I need to write the same chapter again? I'm just going to put the same chapter in. It's the same process. Then I only recently learned that you can plagiarise yourself. I did not credit myself for that original chapter. MELISSA: How dare you not credit yourself! JOANNA: But can you talk a bit about that? Where are the lines here? I'm never going to credit myself. I think that's frankly ridiculous. MELISSA: No, that's silly. I mean, it depends what you're doing. In your case, that completely makes sense. It would be really peculiar of you to sit down and write a whole new chapter desperately trying not to copy what you'd said in a chapter about exactly the same topic. That doesn't make any sense. JOANNA: I guess more in the wider sense. Earlier you mentioned you keep notes and you put page numbers by them. I think the point is with research, a lot of people worry about accidental plagiarism. You write a load of notes on a book and then it just goes into your brain. Perhaps you didn't quote people properly. It's definitely more of an issue in nonfiction. You have to keep really careful notes. Sometimes I'm copying out a quote and I'll just naturally maybe rewrite that quote because the way they've put it didn't make sense, or I use a contraction or something. It's just the care in note-taking and then citing people. MELISSA: Yes. When I talk to people about nonfiction, I always say, you're basically joining a conversation. I mean, you are in fiction as well, but not as obviously. I say, well, why don't you read the conversation first? Find out what the conversation is in your area at the moment, and then what is it that you're bringing that's different? The most likely reason for you to end up writing something similar to someone else is that you haven't understood what the conversation was, and you need to be bringing your own thing to it. Then even if you're talking about the same topic, you might talk about it in a different way, and that takes you away from plagiarism because you're bringing your own view to it and your own direction to it. JOANNA: It's an interesting one. I think it's just the care. Taking more care is what I would like people to do. So let's talk about AI because AI tools can be incredible. I do deep research reports with Gemini and Claude and ChatGPT as a sort of “give me an overview and tell me some good places to start.” The university I'm with has a very hard line, which is: AI can be used as part of a research process, but not for writing. What are your thoughts on AI usage and tools? How can people balance that? MELISSA: Well, I'm very much a newbie compared to you. I follow you—the only person that describes how to use it with any sense at all, step by step. I'm very new to it, but I'm going to go back to the olden days. Sometimes I say to people, when I'm talking about how I do historical research, I start with Wikipedia. They look horrified. I'm like, no. That's where you have to get the overview from. I want an overview of how you dress in ancient Rome. I need a quick snapshot of that. Then I can go off and figure out the details of that more accurately and with more detail. I think AI is probably extremely good for that—getting the big picture of something and going, okay, this is what the field's looking like at the moment. These are the areas I'm going to need to burrow down into. It's doing that work for you quickly so that you're then in a position to pick up from that point. It gets you off to a quicker start and perhaps points you in the direction of the right people to start with. I'm trying to write a PhD proposal at the moment because I'm an idiot and want to do a second one. With that, I really did think, actually, AI should write this. Because the original concept is mine. I know nothing about it—why would I know anything about it? I haven't started researching it. This is where AI should go, “Well, in this field, there are these people. They've done these things.” Then you could quickly check that nobody's covered your thing. It would actually speed up all of that bit, which I think would be perfectly reasonable because you don't know anything about it yet. You're not an expert. You have the original idea, and then after that, then you should go off and do your own research and the in-depth quality of it. I think for a lot of things that waste authors' time—if you're applying for a grant or a writer-in-residence or things like that—it's a lot of time wasting filling in long, boring forms. “Could you make an artist statement and a something and a blah?” You're like, yes, yes, I could spend all day at my desk doing that. There's a moment where you start thinking, could you not just allow the AI to do this or much of it? JOANNA: Yes. Or at least, in that case, I'd say one of the very useful things is doing deep searches. As you were mentioning earlier about getting the funding—if I was to consider a PhD, which the thought has crossed my mind—I would use AI tools to do searches for potential sources of funding and that kind of research. In fact, I found this course at Winchester because I asked ChatGPT. It knows a lot about me because I chat with it all the time. I was talking about hitting 50 and these are the things I'm really interested in and what courses might interest me. Then it found it for me. That was quite amazing in itself. I'd encourage people to consider using it for part of the research process. But then all the papers it cites or whatever—then you have to go download those, go read them, do that work yourself. MELISSA: Yes, because that's when you bring your viewpoint to something. You and I could read the exact same paper and choose very different parts of it to write about and think about, because we're coming at it from different points of view and different journeys that we're trying to explore. That's where you need the individual to come in. It wouldn't be good enough to just have a generic overview from AI that we both try and slot into our work, because we would want something different from it. JOANNA: I kind of laugh when people say, “Oh, I can tell when it's AI.” I'm like, you might be able to tell when it's AI writing if nobody has taken that personal spin, but that's not the way we use it. If you're using it that way, that's not how those of us who are independent thinkers are using it. We're strong enough in our thoughts that we're using it as a tool. You're a confident person—intellectually and creatively confident—but I feel like some people maybe don't have that. Some people are not strong enough to resist what an AI might suggest. Any thoughts on that? MELISSA: Yes. When I first tried using AI with very little guidance from anyone, it just felt easy but very wooden and not very related to me. Then I've done webinars with you, and that was really useful—to watch somebody actually live doing the batting back and forth. That became a lot more interesting because I really like bouncing ideas and messing around with things and brainstorming, essentially, but with somebody else involved that's batting stuff back to you. “What does that look like?” “No, I didn't mean that at all.” “How about what does this look like?” “Oh no, no, not like that.” “Oh yes, a bit like that, but a bit more like whatever.” I remember doing that and talking to someone about it, going, “Oh, that's really quite an interesting use of it.” And they said, “Why don't you use a person?” I said, “Well, because who am I going to call at 8:30 in the morning on a Thursday and go, ‘Look, I want to spend two hours batting back and forth ideas, but I don't want you to talk about your stuff at all. Just my stuff. And you have to only think about my stuff for two hours. And you have to be very well versed in my stuff as well. Could you just do that?'” Who's going to do that for you? JOANNA: I totally agree with you. Before Christmas, I was doing a paper. It was an art history thing. We had to pick a piece of art or writing and talk about Christian ideas of hell and how it emerged. I was writing this essay and going back and forth with Claude at the time. My husband came in and saw the fresco I was writing about. He said, “No one's going to talk to you about this. Nobody.” MELISSA: Yes, exactly. JOANNA: Nobody cares. MELISSA: Exactly. Nobody cares as much as you. And they're not prepared to do that at 8:30 on a Thursday morning. They've got other stuff to do. JOANNA: It's great to hear because I feel like we're now at the point where these tools are genuinely super useful for independent work. I hope that more people might try that. JOANNA: Okay, we're almost out of time. Where can people find you and your books online? Also, tell us a bit about the types of books you have. MELISSA: I mostly write historical fiction. As I say, I've wandered my way through history—I'm a travelling minstrel. I've done ancient Rome, medieval Morocco, 18th century China, and I'm into Regency England now. So that's a bit closer to home for once. I'm at MelissaAddey.com and you can go and have a bit of a browse and download a free novel if you want. Try me out. JOANNA: Brilliant. Well, thanks so much for your time, Melissa. MELISSA: That was great. Thank you. It was fun. The post Research Like An Academic, Write Like an Indie With Melissa Addey first appeared on The Creative Penn.