In this first half of this interview last week we talked about Dominique’s turning point from active PhD candidate to full time Comedian, and the reasons behind it.

We left off in the middle of a moment of revelation for Dominique.

Here in PART TWO we continue that conversation and dive deeper into Dominique's process of pursuing their dream as a comedian.

While you’re listening remember to follow @themillennialphd on Instagram for up to date information about this podcast and other creative survival in academia content. You can follow me @mela_moves and you can connect with Dominique by following @domloveslife.

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Interested in starting your own podcast? I host mine on Buzzsprout and I love it because, for me, it was the easiest and most user-friendly podcast hosting site. If you follow this link to sign up, you'll automatically get a $20 Amazon gift card included in your sign up; plus, it helps support The Millennial PhD. Happy podcasting!

Support the show

Dr. Carmela Muzio Dormani - aka your host, Mela - is a sociologist, dancer, and creative consultant.

Learn more about Mela and get access to creative resources at themillennialphd.com.

The Millennial PhD is all about building community. Join the conversation:
- Connect with Mela on IG @melamuzio
- Follow @themillennialphd for up-to-date info on the podcast & blog.
- Email [email protected] with feedback.

In Part 1 of this special two-part interview, Comedian Dominique Nispersos talks about stepping away from PhD candidate life to pursue the dream and the joy of comedy.

Follow Dominique at @domloveslife
And, check out their work at www.dominiquecomedy.com
Also follow the hashtag #bananaketchupcomedy

Connect with Carmela by following @themillennialphd
And, check out her personal/dance page @melamuzio

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Interested in starting your own podcast? I host mine on Buzzsprout and I love it because, for me, it was the easiest and most user-friendly podcast hosting site. If you follow this link to sign up, you'll automatically get a $20 Amazon gift card included in your sign up; plus, it helps support The Millennial PhD. Happy podcasting!

Support the show

Dr. Carmela Muzio Dormani - aka your host, Mela - is a sociologist, dancer, and creative consultant.

Learn more about Mela and get access to creative resources at themillennialphd.com.

The Millennial PhD is all about building community. Join the conversation:
- Connect with Mela on IG @melamuzio
- Follow @themillennialphd for up-to-date info on the podcast & blog.
- Email [email protected] with feedback.

Project Manager and freelance Designer Andrew Harris talks about pivoting from one profession to another, the importance of moving on if you're undervalued, navigating diverse work environments as a man of color, and translating so-called "soft" skills to a new career path. He shares about his journey into freelance design. And, for fun, we chop it up about our WEDDING - which just passed - and the life lessons we took away from it all.

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Interested in starting your own podcast? I host The Millennial Phd on Buzzsprout and I love it because, for me, it was the easiest and most user-friendly podcast hosting site. Follow this link to sign up, and you'll automatically get a $20 Amazon gift card included in your sign up; plus, it helps support The Millennial PhD. Happy podcasting!
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Support the show

Dr. Carmela Muzio Dormani - aka your host, Mela - is a sociologist, dancer, and creative consultant.

Learn more about Mela and get access to creative resources at themillennialphd.com.

The Millennial PhD is all about building community. Join the conversation:
- Connect with Mela on IG @melamuzio
- Follow @themillennialphd for up-to-date info on the podcast & blog.
- Email [email protected] with feedback.

How do you find the joy and balance in creativity?

Alyson Cadena is a bilingual singer-songwriter and powerhouse vocalist. She started her musical career by accident, when her father gifted her a Groupon for vocal lessons with celebrity vocal coach Craig Derry. What was intended to be a month-long hobby turned into 7 years of intense vocal and industry training alongside Grammy nominees & winners, platinum-selling artists, and Broadway stars. In 2017, Alyson participated in the televised talent competition “Ecuador Tiene Talento”, where she won a gold buzzer from the judges that sent her straight to the semifinals. In 2018, she debuted on Broadway as part of the cast of Rocktopia at the Broadway Theatre. Alyson is focused now on creating her own original music, and merging vulnerable and emotion-driven themes with honest and unfiltered lyrics. She often compares herself to Adele, but if she was a potty-mouth Latina from Queens. Her latest single “Red Flags” is available now on all digital platforms.

Follow Alyson at @alychainz.

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Interested in starting your own podcast? I host The Millennial Phd on Buzzsprout and I love it because, for me, it was the easiest and most user-friendly podcast hosting site. Follow this link to sign up, and you'll automatically get a $20 Amazon gift card included in your sign up; plus, it helps support The Millennial PhD. Happy podcasting!
-

Support the show

Dr. Carmela Muzio Dormani - aka your host, Mela - is a sociologist, dancer, and creative consultant.

Learn more about Mela and get access to creative resources at themillennialphd.com.

The Millennial PhD is all about building community. Join the conversation:
- Connect with Mela on IG @melamuzio
- Follow @themillennialphd for up-to-date info on the podcast & blog.
- Email [email protected] with feedback.

Physical Therapist Dr. Laurence Agenor talks about how movement can open up new avenues for healing and liberation work.

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Interested in starting your own podcast? I host The Millennial Phd on Buzzsprout and I love it because, for me, it was the easiest and most user-friendly podcast hosting site. Follow this link to sign up, and you'll automatically get a $20 Amazon gift card included in your sign up; plus, it helps support The Millennial PhD. Happy podcasting!
-

Support the show

Dr. Carmela Muzio Dormani - aka your host, Mela - is a sociologist, dancer, and creative consultant.

Learn more about Mela and get access to creative resources at themillennialphd.com.

The Millennial PhD is all about building community. Join the conversation:
- Connect with Mela on IG @melamuzio
- Follow @themillennialphd for up-to-date info on the podcast & blog.
- Email [email protected] with feedback.

Broadway dancer and artist Angelica Beliard talks through the hustle, magic, and serendipity of artist life.  

Angelica is an Afro-Latina actress, dancer, singer based in New York City. She made her Broadway debut in "On Your Feet" and then performed in "Summer: The Donna Summer Musical". She has also appeared in regional theater productions, including in John Leguizamo's musical comedy "Kiss My Aztec!" and in film and television projects, including on Last week Tonight w/ John Oliver, The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon, and The Late Show w/ Stephen Colbert.

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Interested in starting your own podcast? I host The Millennial Phd on Buzzsprout and I love it because, for me, it was the easiest and most user-friendly podcast hosting site. Follow this link to sign up, and you'll automatically get a $20 Amazon gift card included in your sign up; plus, it helps support The Millennial PhD. Happy podcasting!
-

Support the show

Dr. Carmela Muzio Dormani - aka your host, Mela - is a sociologist, dancer, and creative consultant.

Learn more about Mela and get access to creative resources at themillennialphd.com.

The Millennial PhD is all about building community. Join the conversation:
- Connect with Mela on IG @melamuzio
- Follow @themillennialphd for up-to-date info on the podcast & blog.
- Email [email protected] with feedback.

Marissa Gutierrez-Vicario is the Founder and Executive Director of Art and Resistance Through Education (ARTE). As a committed human rights activist, artist, educator, and advocate for youth, Marissa launched ARTE in 2013 to help young people amplify their voices and organize for human rights change in their communities through the arts. Marissa holds an M.P.A. from the Wagner School of Public Service at New York University, and an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Marissa is currently an Adjunct Lecturer at the Art Department at the City College of New York and this spring served as the George Soros Visiting Chair at the School of Public Policy at Central European University in Vienna, Austria.

Find out more about ARTE at @artejustice on IG, or check out www.artejustice.com.

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Interested in starting your own podcast? I host The Millennial Phd on Buzzsprout and I love it because, for me, it was the easiest and most user-friendly podcast hosting site. Follow this link to sign up, and you'll automatically get a $20 Amazon gift card included in your sign up; plus, it helps support The Millennial PhD. Happy podcasting!
-

Support the show

Dr. Carmela Muzio Dormani - aka your host, Mela - is a sociologist, dancer, and creative consultant.

Learn more about Mela and get access to creative resources at themillennialphd.com.

The Millennial PhD is all about building community. Join the conversation:
- Connect with Mela on IG @melamuzio
- Follow @themillennialphd for up-to-date info on the podcast & blog.
- Email [email protected] with feedback.

Jazmin Tejada is a yoga instructor, creative entrepreneur, and all around wellness extraordinaire. Prior to deepening her yoga practice, she was a professional salsa dancer. She traveled nationally and internationally as a performer and has been renowned as an incredible instructor in both dance and yoga. She also created a course geared toward fellow instructors called “Find yo’ feet” and has partnered with brands like Athleta.

Find Jazmin on Instagram at @jazmintejada_yoga or follow her new design project @muthatufter .

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Interested in starting your own podcast? I host The Millennial Phd on Buzzsprout and I love it because, for me, it was the easiest and most user-friendly podcast hosting site. Follow this link to sign up, and you'll automatically get a $20 Amazon gift card included in your sign up; plus, it helps support The Millennial PhD. Happy podcasting!
-

Support the show

Dr. Carmela Muzio Dormani - aka your host, Mela - is a sociologist, dancer, and creative consultant.

Learn more about Mela and get access to creative resources at themillennialphd.com.

The Millennial PhD is all about building community. Join the conversation:
- Connect with Mela on IG @melamuzio
- Follow @themillennialphd for up-to-date info on the podcast & blog.
- Email [email protected] with feedback.

Tony award-winning Moulin Rouge composer Justin Levin discusses how many different paths can lead to Broadway, and artistic success.

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Interested in starting your own podcast? I host The Millennial Phd on Buzzsprout and I love it because, for me, it was the easiest and most user-friendly podcast hosting site. Follow this link to sign up, and you'll automatically get a $20 Amazon gift card included in your sign up; plus, it helps support The Millennial PhD. Happy podcasting!
-

Support the show

Dr. Carmela Muzio Dormani - aka your host, Mela - is a sociologist, dancer, and creative consultant.

Learn more about Mela and get access to creative resources at themillennialphd.com.

The Millennial PhD is all about building community. Join the conversation:
- Connect with Mela on IG @melamuzio
- Follow @themillennialphd for up-to-date info on the podcast & blog.
- Email [email protected] with feedback.

From USC to the "A Million Little Things" writer's room, Nikita T. Hamilton, PhD. shares her experience and talks us through "how the sausage gets made" in Hollywood. If you've dreamed of leaving academia to pursue any type of writing or the entertainment industry, this is the episode for you. Dr. Hamilton shares about her journey, and drops key inspiration and wisdom along the way. She breaks down the different roles and levels in Hollywood's TV writers' rooms and talks networking, diversity, and finding your people in the cutthroat industry that is entertainment.

Follow Nikita on IG at @nikitathamilton or check out her work at http://www.nikitahamilton.com/.

Love this episode? Read it on the blog.

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Interested in starting your own podcast? I host The Millennial Phd on Buzzsprout and I love it because, for me, it was the easiest and most user-friendly podcast hosting site. Follow this link to sign up, and you'll automatically get a $20 Amazon gift card included in your sign up; plus, it helps support The Millennial PhD. Happy podcasting!
-

Support the show

Dr. Carmela Muzio Dormani - aka your host, Mela - is a sociologist, dancer, and creative consultant.

Learn more about Mela and get access to creative resources at themillennialphd.com.

The Millennial PhD is all about building community. Join the conversation:
- Connect with Mela on IG @melamuzio
- Follow @themillennialphd for up-to-date info on the podcast & blog.
- Email [email protected] with feedback.