Making Friends with Fear
An Unconventional Life
In this episode of An Unconventional Life, Mark Metry shares with Dr. Russell Strickland his story of growing up as an introvert. His struggles made him realize that he needed to speak up for the sake of his younger self, thus came the book, “Screw Being Shy.” The best-selling author talks about the many opportunities that built off each other when he put his authentic self out there for the world to meet. He also discusses the three biggest things he learned to overcome anxiety.
info_outline
Turning Pain into Purpose
An Unconventional Life
In this episode of An Unconventional Life, Dr. Suzana Flores speaks with Dr. Russell Strickland about the story of how she unexpectedly ended up in the comic book world as she recovered from pain and trauma. The author of “Untamed: The Psychology of Marvel’s Wolverine” shared how the X-Men character helped her turn pain into purpose. Having the first name “Doctor” has opened up opportunities for Dr. Flores, and she’s prepared to seize some more.
info_outline
Realizing the Dream...with a Twist
An Unconventional Life
In this episode of An Unconventional Life, Dr. Derichard McCoy shares with Dr. Russell Strickland how his childhood dreams were always about football and how these dreams motivated him to ultimately earn his doctorate in sports management. Derichard took football as far as he could on the field before he made an unlikely transition... effectively getting his doctorate in football. Dr. McCoy talks about how he found Dissertation Done and got the help he needed to push through to graduation.
info_outline
When Having the Smarts Is Not Enough
An Unconventional Life
In this episode of An Unconventional Life, Dr. Gregory Cason shares with Dr. Russell Strickland his dream of becoming a psychologist. Starting in Theater Arts and making his way to Psychology, Dr. Cason says that plans never worked out the way he wanted, but all that matters is you push through. Although his dissertation process wasn’t as easy as he thought it’d be, setting his mind to his goal of graduating eventually did the trick.
info_outline
Passion, Grit, and Initiative
An Unconventional Life
In this episode of An Unconventional Life, Dr. Michael Levittan talks to Dr. Russell Strickland about his journey as a student, transitioning to being a renown expert. Everybody has different goals in their dissertation process, but Dr. Levittan says that it was passion that carried him through. He also discussed the profound experience of becoming peers with your mentors, highlighting the transition from student to expert that every doctoral student undertakes during the dissertation process.
info_outline
Your LinkedIn Profile: It’s Not About You
An Unconventional Life
In this episode of An Unconventional Life, Sandra Long discusses with Dr. Russell Strickland why she chose to become a LinkedIn expert. She talks about her book LinkedIn for Personal Branding: The Ultimate Guide and also emphasizes the importance of maintaining a friendly and approachable online profile so you can build connections and help more people. Sandra also shares some interesting tips in building a strategic network and her personal hobbies when she is not knee-deep in the professional platform.
info_outline
From the Catwalk to the Commencement Stage
An Unconventional Life
In this episode of An Unconventional Life, Dr. Felicia Clark speaks with Dr. Russell Strickland about life’s ups and downs and how she braved through her PhD journey despite a significant loss. She credits having a hand to hold and a shoulder to lean on as critical to getting her dissertation done. She also talks about her passion for mathematics, her modeling career, and her upcoming book on debunking women’s beauty standards, "Beauty and the Beastly Standards."
info_outline
What’s Your Next Challenge?
An Unconventional Life
In this episode of An Unconventional Life, Dr. Diane Hamilton shares with Dr. Russell Strickland how curiosity has motivated her to pursuit of her PhD. The author of multiple books such as Cracking the Curiosity Code and The Power of Perception discusses her postdoctoral journey, the many doors of opportunities that opened along the way, and her experience in writing for people outside academia.
info_outline
Getting Through Your PhD One Day at a Time
An Unconventional Life
In this episode of An Unconventional Life, Dr. Stefanie Boyer shares with Dr. Russell Strickland about taking things one day at a time, and the experiences that prepared her for her doctoral journey. She talks about the importance of having a support network to get you by, and the opportunities that came her away after making it through. Dr. Boyer also discusses about her book “The Little Black Book of Social Media,” and gives a piece of advice to doctoral students going through this unconventional path
info_outline
The Terrifying but Exhilarating Pursuit of a PhD
An Unconventional Life
In this episode of An Unconventional Life, Dr. Angela Swain shares with Dr. Russell Strickland the story of the one thing she knows she was meant to pursue—her doctoral degree. She talks about transitioning from writing her dissertation to writing her book, "Kitchen Table Talks With Dad," and her experience becoming a doctor, author, and coach. Dr. Swain highlights the challenges in getting comfortable with change and the opportunities that came her way after earning her PhD.
info_outlineDarin Detwiler, LP.D., is the Assistant Dean at Northeastern University's College of Professional Studies and the Lead Faculty of the Master of Science in Regulatory Affairs of Food and Food Industries. As an Associate Teaching Professor of food regulatory policy, he has specialized in food safety, global economics of food and agriculture, Blockchain, and food authenticity.
Dr. Detwiler is also the founder and CEO of Detwiler Consulting Group, LLC. He is an internationally recognized and respected food policy expert with over 25 years’ experience in shaping federal food policy, consulting with corporations, and contributing thought leadership to industry events and publications, advising industry, NGOs, and government agencies, and addressing food safety and authenticity issues in the U.S. and abroad. In addition to serving in various educational, editorial, and advisory capacities, his committee work includes appointments to two terms as a member of the USDA’s National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection, where his work improved standards and policies related to risk-based sampling. As the senior policy coordinator for a national food safety organization, he evaluated pertinent regulatory issues for the USDA and the FDA as a consumer advocate in their stakeholder advisory group. His work supported the FDA’s efforts for implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act. He later served as a council member for the Conference for Food Protection, identifying and addressing emerging problems of food safety to influence model laws and regulations among all government agencies. Dr. Detwiler is the author of FOOD SAFETY: Past, Present, and Predictions (Elsevier, 2020); and Building the Future of Food Safety Technology (Elsevier, 2020).
In this episode…
When his middle school student asked him why he was here, Dr. Detwiler thought, "You're right," and walked out of the room George-Costanza-style, figuratively, at least.
In this episode of An Unconventional Life, Dr. Darin Detwiler shares with Dr. Russell Strickland the heart-breaking story about the loss of his son at 16 months and how it fueled his mission in life to make our food safer for everyone. His doctoral journey began with a moment of epiphany when one of his middle school students asked why are you here. His immediate (subvocalized) response was, "I quit." But quitting was just the beginning, as is so often the case. Dr. Detwiler went on to become an assistant dean at his doctoral university so quickly that he actually hooded himself at commencement!
Dr. Detwiler acknowledges that lifelong learning, ingrained in him throughout his doctoral journey, "has served me well in terms of trying to achieve what I can for my mission." How will your doctoral degree serve your mission?