Podcast Episode Summary

Dr. Lyndsay Wright shares her journey from working as a CNA to becoming a bedside neurology nurse and ultimately an assistant professor of nursing with a focus on lifestyle medicine. She reflects on how her passion for teaching, prevention, and chronic disease management shaped her academic and clinical path. Dr. Wright highlights the critical role of scholarship and evidence-based practice in strengthening patient outcomes and nursing education, offering encouragement for nurses at all stages of their careers to stay curious, ask questions, and pursue their passions to advance the profession.

Guest Bio

Podcast Episode Summary

Dr. Kimberly Dunker shares her journey from bedside nurse to nationally respected nursing educator and scholar. She reflects on how her family’s legacy in nursing inspired her early career, her deep passion for acute and critical care practice, and the pivotal moments that drew her into education and research. Dr. Dunker highlights the role of mentorship, collaboration, and perseverance in building a scholarly career, offering practical encouragement for nurses at every stage to embrace evidence-based practice and remain engaged, empowered leaders in the profession.

Guest Bio

Podcast Episode Summary

Dr. Ronald Vance reflects on more than three decades of nursing practice and education, tracing his journey from a high school nursing assistant to a leader in undergraduate and graduate nursing education. He shares how embracing AI-enabled teaching strategies and experiential, interprofessional learning has transformed student engagement, professional identity, and clinical judgment. Dr. Vance also offers thoughtful guidance for emerging nurses, encouraging intellectual curiosity, evidence-based practice, and a passion-driven approach to shaping the future of the profession.

Guest Bio

Podcast Episode Summary

Dr. Christopher Smith shares his deeply personal journey into nursing, reflecting on a challenging upbringing, early academic struggles, and the moments that ultimately led him to discover a passion for science and patient care. Drawing from a wide range of clinical experiences—including acute care, private practice, and perioperative nursing—Dr. Smith highlights how scholarship became central to his professional identity. He discusses overcoming self-doubt, reframing scholarship as a mindset of curiosity and resilience, and offers practical advice for nurses to start small, integrate scholarship into everyday practice, and use their lived experiences to create meaningful change for patients and communities.

Podcast Bio

Episode Summary

Guest Bio

Dr. Carolyn J. Godfrey is a professor of nursing at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park (MO), where she has spent the past 21 years teaching maternal–newborn nursing. With a career that began in labor and delivery, she went on to earn her PhD in Nursing Education and has since been recognized with awards such as Teacher of the Year, the Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award, and the March of Dimes Nurse of the Year Heroes Award. Dr. Godfrey is passionate about the art of scholarship in nursing education, mentoring both students and new faculty. She is also the founder of OB Clarity with Dr. Godfrey, where she shares her expertise and encouragement through teaching, mentoring, and a podcast created to support nursing student success.

Joseph Wright, MSN, RN, CMSRN, is a nurse educator at Tulsa Community College. He helped establish the first official American Association for Men in Nursing chapter in Oklahoma and encourages his students to engage in scholarship and advocacy. 

Jeffrey Williams, DNP, APRN, CCNS, CCRN, CNE, has been an RN for 32 years and an APRN for 24 years. He teaches in the undergraduate nursing program and the DNP program at Texas Woman's University, in Dallas, Texas. 

Alphonzo Baker Sr, DNP, MSN, RN, PAPA, FASPAN, is an experienced nurse leader with over 27 years of experience in psychiatry, critical care, surgical, and peri-anesthesia nursing. He is the current president of the American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses. In 2024, he was inducted as a Fellow of the American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses (FASPAN).

Dr. Chris Martin, PhD, MSN, RN, is an assistant clinical professor and teaches pharmacology and professional practices courses again in the undergraduate nursing program at Auburn University. 

Mr. Clay Young, MSN, RN, FNP-C, is an assistant clinical professor and teaches primarily senior-level nursing courses, including critical care and leadership, at Auburn University.