Engineering Pack Pod

This week, Marcy is joined by NC State and Smooth Sailing alumna Dr. Rahaf Abdullah to discuss the importance of mindset in personal, academic, and professional transitions. Rahaf recounts her various transitions–moving to a new country, interning, applying for jobs, and relocating for full-time work–sharing how her mindset and personal goals give her the courage to continue growing on her journey...

Marcy shares her word of the year and offers inspiration to begin 2026 with intention and gratitude.

In this Courage Corner conversation, Marcy sits down with Dr. Rita Renee, a TEDx speaker, author, and empowerment coach who helps women step out of the shadows and share their stories with confidence. Together, they explore what it means to be authentic in a world filled with comparison, fear, and imposterism, and they discuss how community, collaboration, and small steps forward can spark real tr...

In this Courage Corner episode, Luka and Marcy break down what core career skills are and why they matter just as much as your technical expertise. They explore how understanding your strengths, gaps, and growth areas helps you tell your story with confidence, and they share practical ways to identify which skills are most important for your goals. Through self-assessment tools and campus resource...

This week, Dr. Emily McCain joins us to talk about what it really means to explore your options as a student and young professional. Emily shares how taking a gap year shaped her confidence, how studying abroad expanded her perspective, and why beginning college as “deciding” can be a healthy and productive choice. She also reflects on finding the right academic culture, discovering what you truly...

In this Courage Corner episode, we dive into one of the most important parts of the grad school journey: building a strong, healthy relationship with your advisor. Luka sits down with Marcy Bullock to explore how communication styles, cultural backgrounds, and personal habits all shape the advisor-student dynamic. Together, they unpack how to build rapport, set shared goals, navigate conflict with...

Join us this week as NC State student Victoria Canala-Echevarria shares her story of leaving Ecuador and finding her place at NC State through thrilling traditions such as cheering at football games and rushing the bell tower. She opens up about navigating cultural challenges, the importance of asking for help, and discovering new joys like Howling Cow ice cream and seeing snow for the first time....

How do you get what you’re worth in a career position? The answer is the topic in this week’s installment of the Courage Corner: Salary Negotiation. Tune in to hear Marcy describe exactly when, why, and how you should negotiate a salary, including helpful resources to know what you’re worth. Along the way, you’ll learn that there’s much more than just money when it comes to offer negotiations and...

In this episode, Rob Drew, Senior Manager of IT at Red Hat and NC State alum, joins us to talk about what it truly means to lead and mentor with purpose. He shares lessons in resilience, navigating change, and building trust within teams, along with insights on balancing work and happiness. Rob also discusses the importance of transparency, listening, and self-awareness in leadership, plus how too...

In a time when you’re working around the clock to finish your classes and research, professional development might sound unimportant and almost impossible. Marcy and Luka, however, in this new installment of the Courage Corner, explain that professional development is an incremental task that starts small. They break down how to navigate your first performance review, set manageable short-term goa...

Feeling stuck in a campus conflict or overwhelmed by university policy? You're not alone, and there's a confidential resource designed specifically to help. This week, we sit down with Mike Giancola, NC State’s Student Ombuds, to demystify this vital service. Mike discusses how he helps students, faculty, and staff navigate tough situations by offering a neutral perspective, facilitating c...

This week, Luka sits down with Marcy to discuss his journey in time management, from feeling completely overwhelmed to taking control of his time. He shares the practical strategies that helped him turn things around, from using a simple reminder app to centralize his chaotic schedule to the goal-setting powerpoint that keeps him motivated. Luka gets real about the challenge of saying "no,&qu...

This week, Luka sits down with Marcy to tackle a topic that can make even the most confident professional hesitate: networking. Marcy reframes networking, describing it not as transactional schmoozing, but as the courage to build genuine connections. She unveils the reality of the “hidden job market,” where most opportunities are filled through relationships long before a job is ever posted. Toget...

In part two of our conversation with Dr. Devin Hubbard, we explore what it really takes to adjust to new surroundings in work and life. He opens up about the value of building a strong network, the underrated power of saying “no,” and the lessons he learned from early teaching missteps. Dr. Hubbard also shares insights on balancing career and family, the challenges students faced during the pandem...

This week, Dr. Devin Hubbard from the UNC/NC State Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering joins the show. He argues that while technical skills are essential, the true differentiators for a successful engineering career are often the professional skills: communication and networking. Dr. Hubbard shares his hands-on methods for teaching these competencies, from a deliberately awkward 30-second...

This week, professor, associate department head, mother, and coxswain Katherine Saul joins us to explore the question: How do you integrate a high-powered career with family life? Dr. Saul reflects on the pivotal moments that shape us, from a wall of pictures honoring those who came before to the unexpected gift of building a “found family” network. She offers candid advice on choosing a true part...

Too often, graduate students sacrifice rest, nourishment, and connection in pursuit of achievement, only to find themselves overwhelmed and running on empty. In this third installment of the Courage Corner, Luka turns the mic on Marcy, inviting her to share her own self-care practices and the science that backs them. She explores why movement should feel joyful, how gratitude rewires the brain, an...

This week, Dr. Amna Shabbir joins Marcy to share her transformative journey from physician to wellness advocate, beginning with the moment she fell off the "hedonic treadmill" of perpetual achievement. She dismantles the myth that we must choose between being extraordinary and caring for our well-being, arguing that ambition and wellness must coexist. Along the way, Dr. Shabbir shares ho...

What does true career success really look like? This week, host Marcy Bullock is in the guest seat for another episode of the Courage Corner where we dive deep into the invisible force that guides our biggest decisions: our values. Marcy explores how to pinpoint what truly energizes you, moving beyond abstract ideals and gets personal, sharing her own core values like growth, empathy, and responsi...

This week, Dr. Maria Mayorga joins Marcy to share her insights as an NC State professor and operations research expert, focusing on the realities of academia from unexpected PhD challenges to leading impactful work in colorectal cancer screening. After relocating mid-degree to continue her research,, Dr. Mayorga learned to navigate rejection with perspective. She shares how partnership shaped her...

In this special solo episode, Marcy kicks off a new mini-series called Courage Corner featuring bite-sized deep dives into essential career skills. Today’s focus: interviews. Whether you’re prepping for industry, academia, or anything in between, Marcy covers everything from crafting a standout elevator pitch and navigating different interview formats, to staying calm under pressure and making a m...

This week, Dr. Anita Vila joins Marcy to share her journey from NC State classrooms to leading healthcare innovation at Amazon and McKesson. With 15 years of building patient-focused tech, Dr. Vila gets real about the uncomfortable but necessary parts of growth: leaving academia without a safety net, spotting the difference between "this is hard" and "this is wrong," and the im...

Dr. Shana McDowell joins Marcy again this week to discuss the dreaded job search. Tune in to hear about those next steps after finishing your graduate program, tips and tricks in finding the right job for you, and how to strategize your time to maximize the efficiency in your job search. Learn how applying and preparing for jobs can be a full time job in itself and never forget that you’re not alo...

This week, Marcy is joined by Dr. Shana McDowell, who recently completed her PhD in Biological and Agricultural Engineering, for a candid conversation about navigating graduate school's challenging middle stages. Dr. McDowell shares insights on overcoming imposterism, celebrating small wins, and why soft skills matter just as much as technical expertise in STEM fields. From her pivot from teac...

This week, Marcy sits down with engineer, educator, and founder of STEMedia, Dr. Nehemiah Mabry, as he discusses his journey in the field of STEM. From his early days at NASA to building a company that bridges engineering and storytelling, Dr. Mabry shares how embracing both creativity and technical expertise shaped his path. He reflects on pivotal moments such as a national video contest that cap...