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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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."
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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.
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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
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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_outlineFrancisca Enih, Ed.D. was born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. The first of eleven children. Growing up, she was fascinated with taking care of the needy, and this interest led to some early exposure to Saint Vincent De Paul Society, since she was drawn to stories related to caring.
During the devasting Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, Dr. Enih served as the President of the Nigerian Catholic Ministry at Saint Albert of Trapani Catholic Church in Houston, Texas. One the missions was to help the needy and those affected by the hurricane. Within the ministry we provided hot meals to the individuals displaced by the hurricane.
Later, Dr. Enih, who now teaches Skills for Living and Learning at the middle school level, developed a passion for ideas. She took professional developments in science, technology, mathematics and engineering and in 2007-2008 school year was name Houston Geological Society Earth Science Teacher of the Year from Rice University, Houston, Texas and Houston Independent School District Cream of the Crop in 2007. In 2008 and 2009 she was elected Holland Middle school Special Education Teacher of the Year. Also, she is certified to teach English as a Second Language.
Dr. Enih, who lives in Houston, Texas has been an educator since 1997. She earned her Doctorate degree from Texas Southern University, Houston, Texas and her dissertation title is “The Relationship Between Parental Involvement and Middle School Student Achievement in Mathematics”. She is currently the Parish Pastoral Council member of St. Albert Catholics Church, Texas. Her goal is to uphold human self-esteem, to always be patient, and to promote fairness and kindness.
In this episode…
What do you want to do when you graduate? Dr. Francisca Enih became a published author, and she couldn't be happier.
In this episode of An Unconventional Life, Dr. Francisca Enih and Dr. Russell Strickland discuss her experience in developing academically successful children. Dr. Enih is quick to point out her view that excellence is not just about academics. She relates stories, with equal pride, of the student who helped his fallen classmate up from the ground and the former student who is currently attending Harvard University. Dr. Enih has distilled her process of instilling excellence in children and poured it into her new book, 15 Minutes a Day.
Dr. Enih's infectious enthusiasm is evident throughout this episode, but never mores than we she lifts her new book for our YouTube viewers to see. Discover what it's like to truly follow your dreams, and then get back to it yourself!