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The Academic Life

Christina Gessler
Higher Education
Education
Mental Health
Sociology
Immigration
Sustainability
Gender Studies
College Radio
Writing Process
Student Engagement
Witch Trials
Death Penalty
Rehearsals For Dying
Academic Publishing
Cancer Care Industry
Project Management
Confederate Monuments
Witchcraft
Criminal Justice System
Community Engagement

A podcast for your academic journey—and beyond! Created and produced by Dr. Christina Gessler, the Academic Life podcast is inspired by today’s knowledge-producers around the world, working inside and outside the academy. Support our show by becoming a premium member! newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/academic-life

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes333Founded6 years ago
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Artwork for The Academic Life

Latest Episodes

In Cast Out: A Call For A Forgiving Society in an Age of Incarceration (Beacon Press, 2026), civil rights lawyer Joseph Margulies insists that those who commit even the most heinous crimes are one of us and should be judged in a spirit of forgivenes... more

Heart-Centered Connections: Seven Essential Skills for Helping Neurodiverse and Marginalized Children Thrive is a transformative guide for working with a child who is left out, left behind, or labeled “difficult.” Dr. Niki Elliott teaches the best pr... more

More than eleven million children in the US live in doubled-up households, sharing space with extended family or friends. These households are even more common among low-income families, families of color, and single-parent families, functioning as a... more

In Thy Will Be Done: George Washington's Legacy of Slavery and the Fight for American Memory (UNC Press, 2026), historian John Garrison Marks tells the story of Americans’ long, fraught struggle to come to terms with Washington’s legacy of slavery.... more

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Recent Guests

Hope Harvey
Author of Doubled Up, Shared Households, and The Precarious Lives of Families
University of Kentucky, Martin School of Public Policy and Administration
Episode: Doubled Up: Shared Households and the Precarious Lives of Families
John Garrison Marks
Author of Thy Will Be Done, George Washington's Legacy of Slavery and the Fight for American Memory
University of North Carolina Press (publisher)
Episode: Thy Will Be Done: George Washington's Legacy of Slavery and the Fight for American Memory
Christian Miller
Professor of Philosophy, Wake Forest University; author of The Honesty Crisis
Wake Forest University
Episode: The Honesty Crisis: Preserving Our Most Treasured Virtue in an Increasingly Dishonest
Valena Beety
Professor of Law and Innocence Project board member
Indiana University Maurer School of Law
Episode: Pink Crime: Fighting Against the Criminalization of Motherhood, Pregnancy, and Queer Identity
Dr. Luthra
Author of Can I Say That? Your Go-To Guide for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Imperial Business School, London
Episode: Can I Say That: Your Go-To Guide for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Mollie Barnes
Author of Paper Heroines, Women Writers in Conversation and Community Across the Sea Islands, 1838 to 1902
University of South Carolina Beaufort
Episode: Paper Heroines: Women Writers in Conversation and Community Across the Sea Islands, 1838-1902
Atima Omara
Author of The Instigators, How Black Women Have Been Essential to American Democracy and What We Can Learn From Them
Amara Strategy Group
Episode: The Instigators
Dr. Fidan Cheikosman
Acquisitions editor for science topics at Springer Nature; former PhD candidate in Istanbul
Springer Nature
Episode: End of An Academic Dream
Jaclyn Fiscus-Cannaday
Author of Reflection in Motion, Reimagining Reflection in the Writing Classroom
University of Minnesota
Episode: Reflection-In-Motion

Host

Dr. Christina Gessler
Host and producer of The Academic Life; focuses on scholarly discussions across education, policy, and culture.

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars from 22 ratings
  • Answers the questions you didn’t know you have!

    You know that feeling after you finish an interesting book and have a million questions you want to ask the author? This podcast asks those questions. Dr. Gessler does a close read and stands in for the reader with thoughtful questions. I can visualize her coming to the interviews, her copy of the book about to burst with sticky notes! I’ve read so many books that I never would have found without This Academic Life.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Alli-Dee
    United States3 months ago
  • Engaging interviews

    Dr. Gessler is such an engaging interviewer. Her guests are varied, covering all aspects of life as an academic. She brings out the best in every guest.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Rebecca DB
    United States3 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Great for listeners who want depth without jargon.
Engaging interviews: hosts draw out thoughtful insights.
High-quality, rigorous discussions with accessible delivery.
Varied guests: wide range of scholarly perspectives.

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Myths and Legends
Myths and LegendsJason Weiser, Carissa Weiser, Nextpod
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Fantasy Fangirls
Fantasy FangirlsFantasy Fangirls
Poetry Unbound
Poetry UnboundOn Being Studios

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Doubled Up: Shared Households and the Precarious Lives of Families
Q: To start us off, will you please tell us about yourself?
Hope Harvey describes her background as an associate professor in public policy and sociology, focusing on housing, poverty, and families, and explains her main research on doubled up households.
Pink Crime: Fighting Against the Criminalization of Motherhood, Pregnancy, and Queer Identity
Q: Could you start by telling us a bit about yourself?
I am a law professor at Indiana University-Maurer School of Law, teaching criminal law and procedure, gender in the law, and wrongful convictions; I also serve on the Indiana Innocence Project board and represent people who are wrongly convicted.
Paper Heroines: Women Writers in Conversation and Community Across the Sea Islands, 1838-1902
Q: How does your method of 'nested stories' and 'Recovering Constellations of Relationships' operate in practice?
Barnes describes mapping relationships across diaries, letters, and public records to reconstruct networks, showing how women influenced one another and how their work was shaped by broader social and political contexts.
Paper Heroines: Women Writers in Conversation and Community Across the Sea Islands, 1838-1902
Q: Can you take us through the women that you chose for this book?
Barnes explains that she selected a handful of women whose lives and writings illuminate Sea Island history from multiple angles, focusing on their diaries, journals, and relief work, while also highlighting the interconnections among their lives and communities.
The Instigators
Q: Could you define what an instigator is in your terms?
An instigator is someone who initiates action, starts a movement, and insights change for the better, often seeing something wrong and choosing to act to fix it, driven by love for their community and a willingness to mobilize even when it's not popular.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About The Academic Life

What is The Academic Life about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A thoughtful, academically oriented show that centers on books, pedagogy, and policy across higher education and public life. Episodes often feature scholars, authors, and practitioners discussing research-driven insights on topics like mental health in academia, race and gender in institutions, urban policy, and public health. The conversations tend to blend personal career journeys with practical implications for students, educators, and policymakers, often weaving in archival or historical context and highlighting the real-world impact of scholarly work. A notable strength is the breadth of guest expertise—from novel scholarship to applied practice—coupled with accessible storytelling and sponsor reads that keep the show approachable for... more

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Which podcasts are similar to The Academic Life?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Academic Life:

1. Academic Book Writing Simplified: Write and Publish Your Academic Book
2. The Daily
3. The Mel Robbins Podcast
4. The Moth
5. New Books in Critical Theory

How many episodes of The Academic Life are there?

The Academic Life launched 6 years ago and published 333 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on The Academic Life?

Recent guests on The Academic Life include:

1. Hope Harvey
2. John Garrison Marks
3. Christian Miller
4. Valena Beety
5. Dr. Luthra
6. Mollie Barnes
7. Atima Omara
8. Dr. Fidan Cheikosman

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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