Episode 54: Balancing Dissertation and a Full-Time Job with Dr. Ashley Adams
Dr. Marvette Lacy:
Hey friend, the time has come to finish your dissertation, graduate and become Doctor. Welcome to office hours with Dr. Lacy, where we talk about how to finally master this time management thing so you can stay on top of it without losing your mind. Every Wednesday you can find a new episode wherever you listen to podcasts. Make sure you hit the subscribe button to make sure you never miss an episode. I'm Dr. Marvette Lacy, your dissertation writing strategist here to be with you along every step of the way and I would like to thank you for coming to today's office hours. Let's get started on today's episode.
Finish Your Dissertation
Hey, before we get into today's episode, I want to let you know about finish your dissertation. Do you know about it? It is my signature group designed to take you from being a candidate to doctor. I'm talking about getting the structure you need in your dissertation process so that you can show up every week consistently and focused on achieving your dissertation goals. We meet on a weekly basis to really make sure that you're maximizing your time and that you know the exact activities you need to focus on to move your dissertation forward and best of all the community is the best thing out there. I mean, we're talking students who are dedicated, who are supportive, who will hold you accountable when you need it, crushing their dissertation goals. So if this sounds like anything that you would be interested in and you could use a little bit more focus and accountability in your dissertation process, then you need to come on over to Marvettelacy.com and learn more about the finish your dissertation group.
Dr. Marvette Lacy:
Also, you can schedule your next step call while you're there so that we can have one on one time to talk and discuss you, your dissertation and your needs to make sure that finish your dissertation is going to be a good fit for you. Again, you can go over to Marvettelacy.com to learn more. Now let's get on to today's episode.
Dr. Marvette Lacy
Hello. Welcome back everyone to this week's episode. I'm so excited for today's guest. I met her at the ASHE conference. So the Association for the Study of Higher Education in November, and it was a panel of just, it's just a lot of black women. It was just great to be in a space and ASHE and be surrounded by all of the love and the support that you can get from being around a group of awesome black women. And today's guests was on a panel and she was talking about her experiences and her business and she said, Oh, she has a podcast, She says Schoolin Life. And I was like, I know that. What do I know that that's Beyonce. And if you know me, you know, you know my love for Beyonce, Giselle Knowles- Carter. I've been since I was 11 it's been a thing. And I was like, she doesn't know this, but she's going to be my friend whenever this is all over I'm gonna find her, I'm gonna introduce myself, we gonna make it happen. And so I did that and now we are here. And so I'm so excited to introduce Dr. Ashley Adams to the show. Welcome.
Dr. Ashley Asshire:
Thank you so much. And thanks so much for having me. We share a love of B and I'm so glad that you caught the reference and not everyone does. I mean, I'm so thrilled to be on the show. Thanks for having me.
Dr. Marvette Lacy:
Yes, I'm excited for today's conversation, but as always we open up, tell us who you are and what we need to know about you.
Dr. Ashley Asshire:
Sure. I'm Dr. Ashley Adams. I am the Director of Student Affairs at a large research one institution in the Northeast. And when I'm not teaching and supporting college students, I also host a podcast called Schoolin Life, which you've heard a little bit about. I co-host that with, um, Dr. Marci Sims, uh, who is a licensed clinical psychologist out of Atlanta and it's a weekly podcast about life love and occasionally libations. Um, we spend a lot of time talking about things that matter to women like us, um, and um, really are just committed to storytelling around the important stories of women. And in addition to that work, I also mentor new and mid-level professional women. Um, I'm really intentional about helping women level up at work. Um, manage up at work and really utilize the skills that they have to get what they want out of their work experience. And so I do a lot of one on one mentoring and you can learn more about all of that on my website at mentor-me.org.
Dr. Marvette Lacy:
Absolutely. Um, you know, also be linked in the show notes and I highly recommend you go listen to the podcast. It's like, you know, listening to a couple of girlfriends talking and I love the format of the show and how it switches up. But if you're someone like me who's like, I need things to constantly keep moving on a podcast, this is definitely the podcast to listen to. You a little bit of everything. And so again, it'll be listed in the show notes and we will definitely talk a little bit more about it later. But first I want to know why in the world would you decide to go get a PhD?
Dr. Ashley Asshire:
You know what? The reason why I have a PhD is because I'm a rule follower. Like I'm telling you, I was a part of the Ronald E McNair scholars program as an undergraduate, I think I joined the program, like as a sophomore or junior. And I remember one of our first sessions, like sitting in one of the classrooms at Truman State university, which is where I earned my undergraduate degree in Kirksville, Missouri. And they were like, okay, so this program is for, you know, students who want to like, you know, have or earn a PhD or you know, become Doctors. And I was like, okay. So I'm a rule follower and he told me like a program for people who wanted to get a doctorate. And I only joined because I knew like I had friends that were in it like in higher years or in their elder years.
Dr. Ashley Asshire:
And so I was like, Oh, like I just want to spend more time with them and like hang out or whatever. And I knew it had like a summer program. And so I was never trying to go home in the summer. I'm the oldest of seven children. I be trying to get away from my siblings. And so like I was like, yeah, like I can go there in the summer. Like I was all about it. I didn't even know what a PhD was like, didn't know how it was spelled, like, didn't realize the letters actually was an acronym. I'm talking about like no idea, but I'm a rule follower and I also am the type of person who I do what I say I'm going to do. I don't really engage with things that I'm not about. And so I literally was like, Oh, okay. Like that's what the program is for. And then I just like never stopped going to school. So that's how I earned my PhD. Yeah.
Dr. Marvette Lacy:
So you're like, okay, I'm gonna follow the rules. I got people here. I'm like, do that until you get in. You do your, your first semester, let's say. How did your understanding of what it meant to be in a doctoral program, how did that evolve over that first semester and even over the entire time you were there?
Dr. Ashley Asshire:
Yeah, I mean I think that I went to undergrad for four years and then I earned a master's degree in sociology. one after the other. And so I was in school for, I guess that's six years or so, like back to back. And then I actually took a number of years off before earning my doctoral degree. And I think for me that was good. Like it was good for me to sort of have that space and to really get some working experience and like, you know, reflecting what it means to be sort of a working woman and then go back to school to earn my PhD. And I think for me, I really, you know, I've understood the PhD experience to be like a scholarly one. So I was like, okay, I need to like quit my job. I need to like be a graduate student full time.
Dr. Ashley Asshire:
I need to get an assistantship, I need to be like, you know, reading and writing all the time. And so that's what I thought. So I was actually working in higher education. I'm in admissions for a couple of years prior to going back to school, get my PhD, but I quit my job and bouts were like a poverty and got a one bedroom apartment. I was just like, okay, I'm going to do this whole PhD thing. And then I realized that like not every PhD student was living like that. And I realized for me particularly I like, I was very conscious of like, I've always been like job conscious. Like I love to work, I love having a job and in my mind I was like, okay so I just quit my job. I'm pretty young so I only have a couple of years of like working experience and I'm going to have a PhD in, you know, three, four or five years and I'm going to have like two years of experience and nobody's going to hire me.
Dr. Ashley Asshire:
Cause they'll be like girl, like yeah the degree is cute but you don't have no, no experience. Like we're not going to hire you. And because I had worked before, like I kind of, I had a sense of like how people felt about experience versus education particularly for black women, um, in those identities are marginalized. Right? And so I was like really conscious of that. And so I was like, Oh no, they're not going to play me. So I saw my first year I was a graduate assistant, like traditional, you know, that whole process. And then actually my second and third year I went back to work full time and I completed my doctoral coursework and my comps and dissertation the last two years while working. And I think that I, I think initially I was like, Oh, like this is what it means to be a PhD student. So I thought I had to quit my job and do these things, but then I'm so grateful that like I had the sense of mind to be like, Oh, I can be a PhD student and be working full time. I could be a PhD student and go on trips with my girlfriends. I can be a PhD student and do like other things. And so I'm so glad that I had like the peace of mind or sense of mind I guess to like forge my own path in that.
Dr. Marvette Lacy:
Yeah, I really do appreciate this because I do think a lot of people get stuck in and it has to be an either or. It has to be, I'm going to only be someone who, you know, works full time and you know, figure out the school thing and go over here or I gotta be all in and live the life of like, you know, the graduate assistant stipend. And so I appreciate you talking about having both experiences. I feel comfortable asking you this question cause I know that you work with your clients on this a lot. Looking back on it, knowing what you've known now, what would you say for someone who is either thinking about, you know, I'm going to make this transition from being full time, the grad assistant life I'm going to go back into work or even someone who is working or just in general, what is the mindset you would say that you have to have when you have these two big things on your plate that you quote unquote are trying to balance? Not my favorite word, but I know it resonates with people
Dr. Ashley Asshire:
for sure. So I think when it comes to sort of the balanced conversation, I like to think a lot more about harmony, right? And like how things go together and how they fit together and feel together rather than balance. Because when I was, like in either of those scenarios when I was a doctoral student and I was only going to school and I wasn't working. And then when I was working full time, um, and being a doctoral student, like my life wasn't balanced. And even now I have this PhD and have, it'll be five years this year. And my life's still not balance girl. So it's fine, but my life is very harmonious and things feel good and things fit well and I'm grateful for that. And I would say if you are like, I don't know that I can like go to like work full time and go to school full time, I feel like that's real.
Dr. Ashley Asshire:
And so if that is your experience for me, I think at the time it was less about mindset and just more about support. So I was dating a guy at the time that I started my program and I was like, Hey, like I want to go back to school but I don't think that I can work, you know, can you support me? And he agreed to support me financially so that I could, you know, go back to school. And so like he was paying that one bedroom apartment rent and I was just like, you know, showing up everyday like, Hey, here are my books, you know Sam. So like I'm like for me like having that level of support that gave me the mindset or at least a peace of mind, right? To be able to be like, okay, I can focus on my studies. But then I guess on the flip side, when I did decide to go back to work, for me it was like my mindset was in a space of like, I want to be, I want to position myself as a top candidate.
Dr. Ashley Asshire:
And I talked to my clients a lot about that too, right? So we want to position ourselves as a top candidate and you don't want to be imbalanced. And it would've been imbalanced for me. Like because my age and my lack of work experience to have this high level credential, particularly in my industry, right? So my doctoral degrees in higher education administration. And so for me to secure those high level positions, they're gonna want the PhD, but they'll also gonna want five to seven years of experience. And SIS, this is me, was not going to have that with like, you know, like I literally had like a year and a half of experience. Right? And so like the support was there at the time and I'm really grateful for that and like that really help me have the peace of mind to feel like I could quit my job and really focus on my studies.
Dr. Ashley Asshire:
And honestly like I'm glad that like that first year I really was able to focus. Because know I hadn't been in school for awhile, you know, I just kind of felt like I need to get acclimated. I went to a small private Jesuit school for my doctorate program, shout out to the St. Louis University in St Louis, Missouri and like, I just need it. Like I think my mindset need to be focused on school. But like once I got the hang of it, I'm a smart cookie. So I was like, I can do both, girl, I can do both. So then I was like, okay, I can go and get a job and I can work and I can get this experience or I get my, get my money up, your mind experience up and then I can transition, you know, into life after a graduate student. And so I think safety and security was important for the time when I wasn't working. And then just like I'm definitely a type of person. I think this is true for a lot of people. Like if I can conquer one stage then I can conquer the next stage. I love an incremental step. So I was like, okay I did that. That was cute but now I can go to the next stage. And so like celebrating your wins at every milestone I think is a, is a good sort of framework for success as well.
Dr. Marvette Lacy:
Absolutely. I with my clients every week I'm like what are your wins and you need to come up with five. I don't care how small they are. Like you get out the bed this morning, sis let's celebrate, you know, because I think too often we wait until the big milestones to say like okay, let's celebrate. And even then if we're being honest, folks are not celebrating those. And so to get in the practice of celebrating, I'm like, we're going to do this on a weekly basis cause you need to get used to like looking for the good in your life and celebrating all the work that you put in, in the journey instead of waiting until the end of the journey. Another. So another thing that I talk a lot about with my clients is the importance of community. And when folks come to me and they're like, you know, what's the difference between you and a different coach?
Dr. Marvette Lacy:
I'm like, I'm a black feminist through in through. And so I believe that we have to be in community, in order, you know, to really be our best selves. Um, as cheesy as that may sound like you need community of other women and particularly women of color, and if we are being real like black women, like you, you, you need that. And so I'm curious. I know like what community did for me and my experience. Um, I didn't have it for the first half really strongly for the first half of my doctoral experience but that second half. I saw the difference that it made so I'm wondering what did community look like for you in your doctoral experience and did it have any impact on how you showed up throughout that experience?
Dr. Ashley Asshire:
Yeah, unfortunately I did not have very much community throughout my doctoral experience and I recognize that as like a gap in my experience. And I probably, I feel like I would've been better for it. Um, if I had it, I think I found the PhD experience would be very isolating. I found it to be very lonely. I sort of just felt like I was like on an Island knowing a whole lot about a very little thing that I could not clearly articulate to anybody besides my advisor. Right. And so I think for me it was super isolating. And so when I see communities like yours or you know, like first gen docs and things like that, I'm always like, I'm so jealous. Like I see like people with their like cohort, like I didn't, my doctoral program was not a cohort experience. And so I'm just like, Oh my gosh, look at them. Study buddies, you know, like, so I definitely am, um, like Majay super envious of that cause that was not my experience.
Dr. Marvette Lacy:
Yeah. I just, that's, that is my mission and is like, even if you think you have that experience, I don't, I don't feel like you can have too much community, but particularly, especially for folks who are like, Nope, it's just me, girl just hanging out, just trying to figure it out on my own. I'm like, come, come in and let us, let us support you, let us help you. So yes, I'm happy to be doing that work and spreading the message. What was your dissertation about if you feel comfortable sharing it with us?
Dr. Ashley Asshire:
Sure. So it was something I was, um, I was and still am really passionate about. So I do a lot of work with student engagement and retention. And so my dissertation was focused on sort of reasons for step out and drop out, uh, among graduate students, um, who are studying online. Um, and really like the reasons, like the, their primary reasons for dropping out, um, in their primary factors for retaining. Because I, you know, I was seeing, um, so many of you know, and because I knew I wanted to work in higher education administration and I knew that retention and student engagement are continuously something that's like very important, um, you know, to senior level administrators. I was really trying to think about how to position myself, um, and sort of life after doctoral studies. And I'll just put a pin in that just briefly to say that like when you are setting up your dissertation and when you are doing this scholarly work, I do think that it's important to think about whether or not it's valuable for it to be applicable to your life after earning your PhD.
Dr. Ashley Asshire:
Like what my, my primary feedback for like people who are going through the PhD program, is was like get it done. But then like 1.2 is like, like low key, do something that you're kind of like invested in so that you can leverage it later. Um, you don't even like, even if you don't publish it, like even if you don't like, but like it should be, it should be thought leadership that you can leverage at another time. Like I still know the primary factors and reasons why graduate students step out and drop out. And I use those in my work on a regular basis to engage the students that I currently work with. And so, so back to the question at hand. Um, so that's what it was about and I was, I did a mixed methods study, so I did qualitative interviews, you know, and I use video conferencing and recording to do that.
Dr. Marvette Lacy:
And then I was able, thankfully to get, um, a lot of their biographical and demographic and like course records from the institutions that they were at. I did three different, three different institutions and I was able to get some of that information to sort of look at trends based on identity and based on like grade attainment as well. Yes, yes. Child. Listen, listen, I can go on a rant about online programs and this whole, particularly for profit institutions, we won't this a whole different episodes of it as just someone needs to be doing the work and telling the people it ain't working well it might be working for you and your bottom line. But for the people that's in the program, we need some work. We got some work to do when you were working on that, right? Cause you were working full time. Right. How? That's a question I hear in my head from people, it's just like how, how, how all the things?
Dr. Ashley Asshire:
so let's see. Gosh, when I started, so when I started back working I was honestly, I was working as a retention specialist. So I was like doing, you know, doing the work every day and then like studying it. Um, so I was a retention specialist, um, which is like sort of an entry level job in higher ed. And then, My last year I, I transitioned into, I'm an Assistant Director of student services. And so I was doing like, um, academic advising, student engagement support services and retention programming. And so I think for me I'm a very like structured and organized person and I like time boundaries. And so I use the Pomodoro method pretty popular like time management method where you sort of identify like, okay, I have an hour to work on this.
Dr. Ashley Asshire:
And then you like break that hour to small. And for me what worked really good is like small dis-similar times. And then I would just like set an alarm and then work and then once the alarm go off it would take up one minute break. And then I would set an alarm for 17 minutes and then I would take a three minute break. And then I would set an alarm for four minutes. And then I would say, you know, take a one minute break and being able to like really focus on writing for 17 minutes and then take a two minute break and then really focus on writing for 22 minutes and then take a four minute break and, you know, kind of go back and forth with that really helped me focus my energy, focus my, my intentions and my on my writing and then I could like go back to scrolling on social.
Dr. Ashley Asshire:
And so that really worked well for me. I also did take the liberty to travel. I did take the liberty to like do stuff with friends. Um, because I felt like, again, I didn't have that community that so many other people have. And so I found it to be very isolating. So I was intentional about like reconnecting with, with like, you know, friends and going on trips and trying not to miss everything. Right. Cause then you just become resentful anyway. So I try not to do that. And then I was also really honest with everybody in my life about what I was doing. Right. So I was honest with my employer about my priority and that was finishing my PhD. I would like take like a random Wednesday off and just like, you know, use the Pomodoro method all day. Right. Like I leveraged, you know, like it wasn't like, Oh, I just did my PhD in the evenings and on weekends, no, I'm like, I'm off on Tuesday and Wednesday this week cause I need to write, you know?
Dr. Ashley Asshire:
And so stuff like that was really important. I was single at the time, you know, so that boyfriend that I had, the beginning, I did not have at the end. Um, so that freed up a lot of my time. Uh, but I was like really honest with my friends and stuff, you know, like this is a priority. I gotta get this done. And so I did try to show up for the things that matter, but then I would not always be there for, you know, everything. And then I think really carving out every, like I'm telling you, if I had like 22 minutes I would be like, okay, I'm a write for 14 rest for two, write for six rest for three. Like every I used every minute of every day and that is how I got through dissertating.
Dr. Marvette Lacy:
Yeah, like that saying if you want something done, give it to a person that's busy. I mean busy also is not another word that I don't like. But the point is when you have a lot of things that are on your plate, like you don't have time to like indulge. Like should I do this? I dunno. Let me like, let me take an hour to ease into this and write the one sentence. Right? A question that I hear people asking is like, okay, so you were traveling, you were doing things right, you have things flowing in harmony. Did you ever have to deal with, with guilt of like when you're traveling, like I should be reading something, I should be writing something. And if you did, how did you navigate that?
Dr. Ashley Asshire:
No, I didn't. I didn't, I didn't feel guilty because I was working so hard when I was working and when I was not working, I was not working. And I do think that sometimes we feel guilty about like not putting our all into stuff because we didn't put our all into it when we, like when we were quote unquote putting our all into it. So we were kinda like writing but kind of watching TV and then when we really like when .
Dr. Marvette Lacy:
Preach!
Dr. Ashley Asshire:
Like right and so then we leave and we go out with bae and now you feel guilty because you didn't do what you were supposed to be doing. You was supposed to be doing, you would feel guilty if you, it was really sitting there for 90 minutes and using that Pomodoro method and like really getting it in right.
Dr. Ashley Asshire:
And so I kind of feel like I did not have that experience because I was really diligent about about like doing the work when I was supposed to do it and then not doing it when I was not supposed to do it. And like I said, because I was really intentional about being honest with people, like, like everybody pretty much knew what was up. I remember, I'm pretty sure I went to like a Beyonce concert. Like sometime I think like while I was writing like chapters four and five and I remember thinking like, is this the best decision in my life? But then I thought like Beyonce and I'm still gonna finish this dissertation, like I'm going to give Beyonce, this good like 48 hours. Cause like I got to practice all the songs, work on my, no, I was like get my outfit together.
Dr. Ashley Asshire:
But then like I'm gonna come back and hit it hard. So like, I don't know, like I, I think guilt is not purposeful, guilt is not useful. So I show, I showed up for my dissertation and I did the work and when I was not working I didn't feel guilty cause I had done the work. And I also think like setting realistic expectations. So if I got 22 minutes to write, I'm gonna write really hard for 22 minutes and then I'm going to be like, but I only had 22 minutes today. And that's just what it is. So yeah, I think that model served me well.
Dr. Marvette Lacy:
And so I, I do like this piece of like, I got 20 minutes to go make it work and I'm going to take a break in that 20 minutes. This might be a random question at first. People always ask me like, well how do you know what to write? How do you know it's going to take the 14 minutes or the 16 minutes in a 20 minute period?
Dr. Ashley Asshire:
So I did a lot of free writing. Um, and I recommend this like even for my mentees, like when they're writing cover letters and stuff, literally just free, right? So let me see if I can open up this document. I was working on something earlier today. And like, so one of the questions that, for example that I asked my mentees when they're like thinking about cover letters and thinking of my resumes, I say what's the most successful project you've ever tackled and what made it successful? Right? So this is like a free writing prompt. Like what's, what's the most successful thing you've ever done? And you just read about it, you just talk about it. And then out of that, a good mentor, I can identify your key competencies, the things that you're good at, the things that you're strong in, the things that is going to connect with an employer.
Dr. Ashley Asshire:
And then I can help you understand how to talk about that on a resume or a cover letter. So I feel like it was the same for like my, my dissertation, especially for chapters two and four and I guess a little bit for five. So like in chapter two I'm reading all this stuff I've been reading for years, right? And now it's time for me to like, write. Something about what I read. So I literally sometimes would just be like, you know, Tinto says blah blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And it's not even like APA, it's not like, it's like slang, like you know, whatever. I'm just like, I need to get the things that are in my head on a piece of paper and then I need to leave them alone. And then I needed to come back and edit them and I like to free write and then edit, free write and then edit free write and then edit.
Dr. Ashley Asshire:
And then, you know, I know this is like taboo in some circles, but girl, Sis, had an editor, I am Sis. So I definitely would give it to my editor and be like, okay girl, now make the sentences. Like make the paragraphs make sense. Like it's like a puzzle. Like you just kinda like stack the paragraphs on top of each other. You know, how whatever editors do. So. So yes. So I had an editor and like, you know, then they helped me do that part. And so I think one, when you're writing a dissertation, you're an expert. Like you are the literal foremost expert in that thing. So it shouldn't be an, it should ever be an issue of like what's a, right, because don't nobody know more about this than you. So just write whatever is in your mind and then edit, write, edit, write, edit. And I think that that helps. That's for chapter two. And then I guess chapter four, like your, your, the data or your participants will tell you what to write. So you don't have to, that's not the time to be making up stuff, right? Like you just write whatever they told you. Literally. Um, and then like go back and you can do some stuff with synthesizing. But really I think it's a lot about focusing on writing what they tell you.
Dr. Marvette Lacy:
I just would like the record to reflect that I did not tell her to say this ahead of time and that we can really just end this interview because you say everything that I've been preaching for the past two and a half years and whenever I tell, whenever I tell, a lot of times when we're working with a new client, I'll say, they're like, okay, so where am I starting? What am I writing? And I'm like, journal, no, but for real, where am I starting your thoughts? You can free write for the next week, but none of that's you wasting time. I'm like, no, you're wasting time because you don't, you don't even recognize the knowledge that you have in your mind. Yes, I love this piece that you are the expert and the only way that you are going to be able to register that for yourself in your brain is for you to write out your thoughts and reread it and say like, Oh, I do know way more than I think I do and I need to stop reading all of the articles and books and just write the second piece that I want to play now because people also think I make this up.
Dr. Marvette Lacy:
Writing, editing are two different things and you do not need to be doing them both at the same time because you're just going to slow yourself down and when you do this process, like you're saying, free write, edit free write, edit. You get done so much quicker. The third thing you know I was going to ask you about is like did you invest in yourself by building out your team, beyond your chair and your committee and said yes, you had an editor because that's the other piece of the question and or the objection that I deal with Moses. Well, why would I need a coach when I have my chair? And I'm like, because your chair can be all things to you, your committee can't be all things to you. They got lives, they got kids, they got research projects, they got other advisees, they got all the other things and you keep wasting a good old time going into they office talking the same thing you've talked about last week but with no pages to show for it is not helping them or in their motivation to help you. So thank you for all of that.
Dr. Ashley Asshire:
You are welcome. And um, yes she did not pay me to say that but it's true. That's, that's my personal experience and I'm so glad it resonates with your like with how you coach your, your, your clients and I think, yeah, I definitely had an editor and like I said, I know it's taboo. Some people are like, Oh, is that authentic? Well, Girl I'm authentic and done so you know, do your best. I'm done. Also I feel like I know what I'm good at. Like, I am the literally like nobody knows more about the retention for graduate students studying online than me, but I can barely decipher there, their, and they're. So I'm not going to play myself. Right. It is what it is.
Dr. Marvette Lacy:
Listen, send it to an editor, be blessed and go watch TV or something like yes. I love this. Thank you. To switch gears. Can you tell us a little bit more about podcast, about business? How did you get started? Because a lot of clients come to me and they're like, look, I need to finish this dissertation because I need to launch this dissertation into a consultation practice or a business and you know, but I just, I need to do this. First of all, I tell me all the things about the business and when I say yes, this business is based off of my dissertation work, you can do it. Uh, but I think sometimes people don't understand the realities of one, building a business and then two doing stuff primarily on an online platform. So can you talk to us a little bit about your experience and what that's been like for you?
Dr. Ashley Asshire:
Yeah, Marcy and I will be celebrating three years of podcasting this summer. Yay. I'm so proud of Schoolin Life podcast and it is really like my heart's work. I'm so passionate about serving women and helping them tell their stories and you know, and through that telling my own, you know, the podcast is really, like I said, it's a podcast for women like us. So smart, thoughtful, funny women who want to talk about, like to have real conversations. Some of the conversations we've been having on the podcast lately, we've been talking about compatibility. We were talking about personal finance, we've been talking about boundaries and finding your dream job about like comparing ourselves to other women. Um, you know, health and wellness and family. And there are conversations that like, it's the Kiki conversation, it's the girlfriend conversation. But because Marcy and I are both PhDs, she's a licensed clinical psychologist, I'm a career development strategist.
Dr. Ashley Asshire:
We're able to have those conversations in a sort of strategic and thoughtful way too. So that you really get schooled, right? Like you're, you're coming to class and that's what we call our podcast. Like, Hey class. So like we, you know, we're, we're really, we're giving you good, good tea every week and we know that it's, you know, the, the homework that we give out is something you're going to be able to apply to life. And so that's something that we're really passionate about. Over the course of three years we've been able to do live shows. We've had, now I think over 60,000 downloads for the life of the show. Uh, we've won awards, um, and traveled with the podcast. It's just something that, um, has blessed me so much. And through the podcast we've had over 30 guests over the life of the podcast, you know, some really outstanding women.
Dr. Ashley Asshire:
Um, some well knowns, um, some not, um, but really just giving women a platform to tell their story and to talk about themselves and their work and, and, and really talk about how they schooled life, right. In a number of ways. So, so that's amazing. Um, and then, you know, I think like always I've been a mentor, right? Always. I've been helping women and serving them in particular ways, but it's really been over the last six months that I formalized, um, my mentorship, um, into one-on-one career development, mentoring for women through my mentor me platform. And I'm so grateful that I did like, I'm so grateful for the women that I get to connect with and Marvette and I have, um, a shared client, uh, shared of a mentee and I'm so proud of that, um, that I'm able to like help my mentees connect with other smart women who can help them in other areas of their lives.
Dr. Ashley Asshire:
So that's really awesome. And I just really like helping women find their career area of impact and love their work. I just, I think growing up, um, and sort of like in my youth, even like I didn't know anybody who loved their job. I didn't know anybody who enjoyed work, who felt fulfilled by work and the work that I do now. I love, I love it and I'm so passionate about it and I want other women to find their career area of impact and be able to love their work to be able to, to find jobs that are fulfilling to them that, that they can serve themselves, serve their family and get paid well for what they do. I think particularly for black women's too often we are martyrs. We are not being paid our worth. And I am committed to teaching women how to position themselves and strategically get what they want out of work.
Dr. Marvette Lacy:
Yes. And that for the people in the back, that means even in higher ed and student affairs- In your work you can be happy.
Dr. Ashley Asshire:
True. I feel like so, and I think this is, you know, true certainly in, in student affairs, in higher ed, but in all heart work, right? Social workers, teachers, you know, educators of any kind anybody that is working for a nonprofit, they're like, you know, super, super passionate about the work. But you know, I know the organization doesn't have any money. Girl. Just because it's nonprofit don't mean they'll have no money. Right? Like so let's like they are paying somebody. It might not just be you. And so like let's talk about how we can do heartfelt mission-driven work but also get paid for the literal expert that we are.
Dr. Marvette Lacy:
Yes. Yes. Thank you so much for taking time out being on today's show. If you could remind the people, it'll also be linked down below in the show notes, but if you can remind people, if they are curious to just follow up with you and see what you're doing and um, all the things, how, what would be the best way for them to do so?
Dr. Ashley Asshire:
Yes. So I'm really active on social, so you can find me on Instagram @AshleyAsshire. That's a S H L E Y. A. S. S. H. I. R. E. so that's Ashley Asshire on Instagram. On the web, you can find me at Schoolin Life pod. That's S C H O O L I N life pod. So schoolinlifepod.com. Or if you're looking for a career development mentor and you know that you really need some help in leveling up your career and getting what you want out of work. Um, I'd love to meet with you one on one. Um, I have some availability in early March, um, and I'm meeting, uh, with new mentees so you can connect with me at mentor-me.org. That's M E N T O R dash me dot org.
Dr. Marvette Lacy:
Awesome. Thank you again and I know I'm gonna see you someday soon, so, so, yes. Yes. Thank you.
Dr. Ashley Asshire:
You're so welcome. It was an absolute pleasure. Thanks again for having me on. I'm so honored.
Dr. Marvette Lacy:
Thank you for joining in for today's office hours. Make sure you come on Instagram and tag me @MarvetteLacy, let me know what your thoughts were on today's episode. Until next time, do something to show yourself some love. I'll talk to you next week. Bye for now.