Send us Fan Mail

A lot of graduate students—especially those who are first-generation or come from underrepresented backgrounds—enter academia without really knowing how it works behind the scenes. So many expectations are unspoken and timelines can feel fuzzy. A lot of what shapes success is never clearly explained.

In this episode, I’m talking with Dr. Yvette Martinez-Vu, the founder of Grad School Femtoring, about how to navigate grad school with more clarity and support. She shares her own journey through academia and how it led her to support first-gen, BIPOC, and non-traditional students in the work she does today.

We talk about:

-the “hidden curriculum” of graduate school

-why so many students struggle with all the ambiguity

-and what faculty and institutions can do differently to better support them.

Yvette also speaks to the importance of values, community, and sustainable ways of working—and how confidence often grows when expectations are clearer and you can actually see your own progress.

So whether you work with graduate students or are in grad school yourself, this conversation will give you a new way to think about support, structure, and what sustainable progress can look like.

Support the show

Check out Leslie's website at www.YourWordsUnleashed.com!

The three ways Leslie can help you with coaching & developmental editing:

#1: Six-month Your Words Unleashed signature book writing coaching program. Through 8 hour-long sessions tailored to your own needs and goals, we will pinpoint what’s keeping you stuck. We’ll figure out personalized solutions and strategies so you can create direction and lasting momentum with your book writing. I’ll also provide detailed feedback on your writing throughout

#2: Four-month Career Reset Program for Overwhelmed Academics who want to reconnect with purpose. Over the course of 6 hour-long sessions, we’ll clarify your personal career vision, create space for what matters, overcome internal obstacles to change, and define what success means on your own terms so you can work less and live more.

#3: Group Workshops that balance personal well-being with writing productivity. Topics include transforming your dissertation into a book; connecting to the deeper purpose of your work; as well as boundary setting. 

Check everything out! If you're interested, shoot me an email at ...