Make This Make Sense

Babies, Bootstrapping & Building a Business: MakeThis Make Sense ep17 Dr. Athena Jackson Pavlovich and Kaitlyn Schoeffel Two moms, young kids, no investors, and no permanentlocation—so how do you build a thriving wellness business? In this episode of Make This Make Sense, Dr. Athena Jackson Pavlovich and Kaitlyn Schoeffel share how they bootstrapped Fit and Flow Mom Club by turning an unmet ne...

Women entrepreneurs get less funding, build different kindsof companies, and often approach risk, growth, and networking differently than men—but Dr. Amanda Elam argues that trying to “fix” women may be missing thepoint. Drawing from decades of research and her own experience co-founding Galaxy Diagnostics, Amanda explains why women need to be bold AND smart, why industry matters more than we thin...

Estrogen Left the Party—and Took Everyone With Her: MakeThis Make Sense ep15 Ellen Scherr Midlife can feel like someone changed the rules withoutbothering to tell women: your body changes, your brain changes, relationships shift, parents age, careers implode, and suddenly your tolerance for people-pleasing disappears. Therapist Ellen Scherr joins us to make sense of the anger, grief, changing frie...

Solve a Problem People Will Actually Pay For: Make ThisMake Sense ep14 Rachel Braun Scherl Healthcare entrepreneur and growth strategist Rachel Braun Scherl joins Make This Make Sense for a wide-rangingconversation about women’s health, entrepreneurship, workplace culture, and what it really takes to build a business people will pay for. From the unglamorous reality of being a founder to Gen Z rew...

Competent, Likable & Exhausted: The Double Bind ofWomen Leaders: Make This Make Sense ep13 Colleen Ammerman Why does being a woman at work sometimes feel like animpossible balancing act—be confident but not intimidating, ambitious but likable, decisive but warm? Colleen Ammerman, Director of the Race, Gender & Equity Initiative at Harvard Business School and co-author of Glass Half Broken...

Why Are We So Afraid of Getting Older? Make This Make Sense ep12 Ashton Applewhite Getting older is inevitable. So why does our culture treat aging like something to fight, hide, apologize for—or fear? Author and anti-ageism activist Ashton Applewhite joins us to unpack the stereotypes we’ve absorbed about getting older, why ageism affects people of all ages, and how our fear of aging may actually...

Who Gets Left Out of Clinical Trials of the Medicine That Treats Us?: Make This Make Sense ep11 Dr. Jennifer Kim Who gets included in the clinical trials that determinewhether our medicines are safe and effective—and who gets left out? Organizational psychologist Dr. Jennifer Kim of Tufts University joins us to unpack inequity in drug development, physician bias, patient advocacy, and why better h...

The Myth of Meritocracy and Harsh Medicine: Make This Make Sense ep10 Dr. Jennifer Grandis What happens when highly accomplished women do everything “right” and still face barriers that talent and hard work can’t overcome? Dr. Jennifer Grandis joins us to unpack the research behind her book Harsh Medicine , exploring gender inequity in science and healthcare, the hiddencost of “barreling through,”...

Making Sense of How We're Wired: Make This Make Sense ep9 Dani Williams What if better relationships with our kids, partners,coworkers—and ourselves—start with understanding how each person is actually wired? Dani Williams, founder of NXT Generation Wellness, joins us to talk neurodivergence, family dynamics, self-regulation, Human Design, and why creating environments where people can show up...

Brain-Based Learning and Teaching that Actually Works: Make This Make Sense ep8 Dr. Katie McKnight Why do so many students struggle in school even when they're trying their best? Literacy expert Dr. Katie McKnight explains how brain-based learning, adolescent development, and evidence-based teaching strategies, including improv, can transform the way we educate—and why understanding how studen...

She Built a Business That Saved 2,500 Cats and counting: Make This Make Sense ep7 Amber Redfren What happens when you ignore the rulebook, go into business with your spouse, and build a café where the customers come for coffee but leave with a new best friend? Amber Redfren shares the remarkable story behindCattyshack Café, the realities of balancing entrepreneurship and marriage, and how a purpos...

AI Won't Replace You… But It Will Change How You Think: Make This Make Sense ep6 Tina Austin Artificial intelligence is transforming education faster than most institutions can adapt—but how do we embrace AI without losing critical thinking? In this episode, AI education leader Tina Austin explains why traditional teaching models need an upgrade, introduces her UnBlooms framework, and shares p...

Why Great Teachers Are Leaving—and What Can Bring ThemBack: Make This Make Sense ep5 Rachel Robins   Instructional coach Rachel Robins joins Make This Make Sensefor a candid conversation about why teacher burnout has reached a crisis point—and what schools can actually do about it. From cell phone policies and student relationships to educator wellness and sustainable leadership, Rachelshares prac...

Why Most Workplace Training Fails (And How to Fix It): MakeThis Make Sense ep4 with Dr. Heidi Kirby   What if the biggest problem with education isn't students—it's how we've designed learning itself? Dr. Heidi Kirby joins the professors to unpack instructional design, why most corporate training misses the mark, how AI is reshaping education, and why meaningful human learning experien...

Why Trauma-Informed Yoga Is Different: Make This MakeSense ep3 with Jess Ramos What if yoga wasn't about touching your toes—but aboutlearning how to feel safe in your own body again? In this episode, the hosts sit down with trauma-informed yoga instructor Jess Ramos to explore how breathwork, mindfulness, and intentional movement can reduce stress, support healing, and help anyone build a more...

Career Advice College Students Actually Need: Make ThisMake Sense ep2 with Nicki Joiner Former Fortune 100 recruiter turned career strategist NikkiJoiner pulls back the curtain on how hiring really works, sharing practical advice that helps students and early-career professionals stand out in an increasingly AI-driven job market. The conversation explores recruiting myths, networking, LinkedIn, in...

The Research behind Mansplaining: Make This Make Senseep1 with Dr. Chelsie Smith In the debut episode of Make This Make Sense , hostsDr. Colleen Robb, Annie Stout, and Kelly Werder sit down with Dr. Chelsea Smith to unpack the research behind mansplaining, workplace incivility, and why seemingly small interactions can have lasting effects on employees. Throughresearch findings, personal stories, a...

Make This Make Sense brings together three Entrepreneurship professors unpack the systems, trends, and social dynamics everyone is confused about — with the women who actually understand them. Guests include academics and entrepreneurs covering various industries diving into the latest research and sharing their experiences. Introducing your cohosts: Dr Colleen Robb: Since Colleen started teaching...