Side of the Mic

There is a difference between being busy and being dependable. That difference matters in classrooms, workplaces, families, organizations, friendships, and relationships. It matters because people are not just remembering what we say. They are remembering whether we follow through, whether we contribute, and whether we help move things forward when things are not convenient. Lately, I have been re...

Your career does not have to be something you passively “go through.” You can curate it like a syllabus: choose the core skills you need, add electives that keep you energized, and build in assessments that help you reflect, adapt, and grow. This episode connects naturally to career adaptability, engagement, and confidence by showing listeners how to design a life and career that is both practical...

RSI helps you: Build social capital (people who advocate for you) Increase career adaptability (you learn how to navigate systems) Create access to hidden opportunities (research, internships, recommendations) Students Bring goals, questions, follow-through, and willingness to learn. Faculty & Advisors Offer guidance, feedback, challenge, and access to academic pathways. Career Centers & C...

In this Commuter Chronicles episode, we are talking about what it really means to show up as a job seeker with purpose. Networking is not just collecting contacts. It is building repeatable, strategic, and professional interactions that help people remember you for the right reasons. We will break down how customer service, leadership, relationship-building, and strong communication all work toget...

Control the Scan: Why Your Resume is a Billboard, Not a Diary In this Commuter Chronicles episode, we are talking about the one-page resume, but not in a rigid, outdated way. This is about strategy. Your resume is not your whole story; it is your first signal. Your application is your details. Your LinkedIn or portfolio is your proof. In this episode, I break down how to control the flow, highligh...

Life rarely follows the script we wrote in our heads. Plans shift, timelines move, opportunities change, and sometimes the path we expected simply is not the path that shows up. In this episode of Commuter Chronicles, we talk about building the adaptability muscle, why having a second option is not a sign of weakness, and how to pivot without shame. This conversation is for students, professionals...

Sometimes the hardest part of growth is not failure itself. It is the silence that follows. The missing applause. The delayed results. The moment when you start wondering whether what you are doing even matters. In this episode of Commuter Chronicles, we talk about redefining failure, protecting your momentum, and staying committed when external validation is low. This is for students, professiona...

A lot of people are waiting for confidence to show up like a notification, a sign, or a perfect moment. But confidence is not something you find; it is something you build through action, repetition, reflection, and small wins. In this Commuter Chronicles episode, I break down how to start before you feel ready, how to turn hard work into a rewarding level-up system, and how to create momentum whe...

You ever end a day feeling like you ran a marathon but somehow ended up exactly where you started? That's the "Busy Trap." In this installment of the Commuter Chronicles, we're shaking the tree on one of the biggest lies we tell ourselves: that a full calendar equals a meaningful life. As a student drowning in assignments or a professional buried in back-to-back meetings, it'...

In this 40th installment of the Commuter Chronicles, we’re pulling over to talk about why you’re so exhausted and it’s not just the work. It’s the choices. If you’ve ever ended a day feeling like you’ve run a mental marathon simply because you had to answer emails, pick a project direction, or decide what to eat for dinner, you’re experiencing Decision Fatigue. As a student juggling deadlines or a...

We’ve all made a pros and cons list. But let’s be honest, most of them leave us just as stuck as before. Why? Because a simple list doesn’t account for what actually matters: your values, your energy, your future self. In this Commuter Chronicle, I’m sharing a framework for decision-making that goes beyond the basic list. You’ll learn how to weigh options with clarity, confidence, and a system tha...

You can manage your time like a pro and still feel completely drained by noon. Why? Because we’ve been taught to obsess over calendars while ignoring our most precious resource: energy. In this Commuter Chronicle, we’re doing an Energy Audit. We’ll identify the people, habits, and obligations that act like invisible leaks in your tank and, more importantly, how to patch them. If you’ve ever felt e...

Laptop dies. The car dies. Insurance runaround. A wedding to attend. Grading to do. And a two-hour commute staring you in the face. In this Commuter Chronicle, I take you behind the curtain of a week that tried to break me and why I refused to let it. We're talking about the power of choosing your response when chaos comes knocking. Not toxic positivity. Not pretending it's fine. Real talk...

Rejection is part of the job search, but it does not have to become the end of your momentum. In this Commuter Chronicles episode, we talk about how to reframe rejection as information, how to diagnose what feedback is really telling you, and how to build tactical resilience without burning out. You will walk away with a practical way to test, adjust, and keep going with confidence. #SideOfTheMic...

Rethinking Networking: The Personal Board of Directors We need to reframe how we view these events. "Networking" has a PR problem, it sounds transactional, like passing out business cards and hoping for the best. Instead of networking, I want you to think about recruiting for your Personal Board of Directors (or your Professional Cabinet). Just like a successful organization relies on a...

Most people think mentorship looks like one wise person handing down advice. In practice, careers are messy. You need a small committee, a personal Board of Directors, each member bringing a different kind of help. Here’s how to build one that works. Define the four essential roles: cheerleader, harsh critic, industry veteran, peer and one sentence on what each delivers. Pick your outcomes first....

Ever have one of those days where everything that can go wrong, does go wrong? In this Commuter Chronicle, I’m sharing a real-time brain dump about a 24-hour period where my laptop died, the warranty process became a maze, the power went out, and deadlines were looming. But this isn't a pity party. It’s a masterclass in staying in the driver's seat when life throws you a flat tire. We’ll e...

Ever been told you can't do something because "that's just how it's done"? In this episode of the Commuter Chronicles, we are shaking the trees and asking the quiet questions out loud. We break down the massive difference between a practice (a habit) and a policy (a vetted rule). If you want to be an agent of change in your workplace or classroom, you need to know how to spot...

A lot of people hear “working in silos” and think isolation, missed collaboration, or poor teamwork. I want to flip that script. In this Commuter Chronicles episode of Side of the Mic, I make the case that the ability to work independently is actually a high-value skill employers want. The key is to show both sides: you can produce focused results alone and also connect those results into the team...

Welcome to Commuter Chronicles episode 31. Today we're talking about The Messy Middle, that long, unglamorous stretch between starting strong and finishing well. The part no one posts about on social media. The part that doesn't make it into the highlight reel. But here's what I've learned: The middle is where the actual growth happens. The beginning gives you dopamine. The end giv...

Welcome to the Side of the Mic podcast, where I help people learn how to grow while they are still figuring it out. Today's topic is something we all experience but very few people actually learn how to use effectively. Feedback. More specifically, how to actually use criticism to grow without taking it personally. Because the reality is this: feedback is constant. And the problem is that most...

Academic freedom is important, but it’s often misunderstood. In this Commuter Chronicles episode I untangle what academic freedom actually protects, what it does not protect, and how that interacts with curriculum, syllabi, and intellectual property. I’m recording as both an instructor and a coach, because the way faculty use “academic freedom” affects students’ learning, course access, and whethe...

A handful of topics and future episodes briefly mentioned. Decision Fatigue: Navigating the "Too Many Options" Trap The "Good Enough" Trap: When Perfectionism Kills Progress The Feedback Loop: How to Actually Use Criticism to Grow The "Quiet Quitting" Conversation: Boundaries vs. Burnout The Art of the "Professional No" Protect Your Focus: How to Say No With...

Artificial Intelligence isn't coming, it's here. And if you're a student or professional navigating the job market, how you use AI might soon be a line on your resume. Welcome to Commuter Chronicle 27. I'm recording this brain dump as a career coach who watches students and professionals grapple with the same question: "Is using ChatGPT cheating, or is it the future?" The...

Ever feel like everything is pouring in at once? Emails, deadlines, projects, proposals, life, and you don’t even know where to start. That’s what this week felt like for me. In this Commuter Chronicles episode, I riff on the idea of “Be a funnel, not a cup.” If a cup gets too full, it overflows. A funnel is designed to move things through. It accepts input on the wide end and channels it into foc...