What can we do, individually and collectively, to change academic life to be more sustainable, collaborative and effective? This podcast series offers long-form conversations with academics and thought leaders who share stories and insights, as well as bite-size musings on specific topics drawing on literature and personal experience.
For more information go to https://changingacademiclife.com
Also see https://geraldinefitzpatrick.com to leave a comment.
NOTE: this is an interim site and missing transcripts for the older podcasts. Please contact me to request specific transcripts in the meanwhile.
Celebrating 10 Years & Season Reflections on Meaning, Identity, Care, and Leadership
This is a special episode because it’s not only marks the end of the current season, it also celebrates 10 years of the Changing Academic Life podcast, The first podcast episode went out on 3 July 2016 and it has now reached 156 episodes by late June 2026. In this episode I start off reflecting on the podcast as a service contribution towards trying to create a better academia and the reminder that small actions can have big impacts. A big thank you to my guests and listeners, and for your feedback as exemplified in a supportive email I just received from Eleanor, among others. And I ask listeners to share the podcast and consider informal discussion groups. I then go on to reflect across the 11 season episodes, highlighting themes of meaning and joyful effort, evolving identity, navigating academic “games,” bureaucracy and corporatization, better leadership grounded in trust, deep listening, and care and wellbeing. My last invitation is for you to make one small intentional change towards your better academic life and creating better cultures.
00:00 Welcome to the Podcast
00:32 Ten Year Milestone
02:21 Why Keep Going
03:58 Listener Messages Matter
05:59 Share the Podcast
06:38 Season Episodes Recap
12:30 Meaning and Joy
14:37 Identity and Agency
17:01 Bureaucracy and Leadership
19:47 Listening and Care
24:48 Intentional Next Steps
26:36 Closing Thanks
Previous CAL100 episode from Feb 2024: Celebrating 100! (https://changingacademiclife.captivate.fm/episode/celebrating-100/)
17 Jun 2026
Cultivating Deep Listening: Showing Up, Staying Curious, and Resisting Advice (CAL146, S8E11)
Deep listening is a foundational yet undervalued skill across all our supervision, leadership, and collaboration relationships. My motivation for this episode came from some recent workshops experiences, conversations with colleagues, and posts from others that have all highlighted the importance of listening in different ways. This is a multi-voice episode, weaving together insights from past conversations with Christian van Nieuwerburgh (https://coachonamotorcycle.com/#top), Oscar Trimboli (https://www.oscartrimboli.com), and Michael Bungay Stanier (https://www.mbs.works). Together we explore how we can cultivate better listening.
Good listening starts with how we show up—our wellbeing, intention, and undivided attention—and practical preparation such as reducing notifications, hydrating, and breathing. Good listening then is a way of being, staying curious longer with open “what” questions, checking what support is wanted, and resisting “advice monsters” that push premature solutions. We also discuss the relational, developmental and productivity costs of poor listening, and I close with Oscar’s five levels of listening and Michael’s exhortation to stay curious a little longer. The invitation to you is to consider how you might practice deeper curiosity and presence for better listening where you are.
00:29 Why the Focus on Listening
05:36 Listening Starts with Listening to Ourselves
13:27 When the Content isn't the Real Content - Curiosity and Questions
18:05 Christian on Optimal Matching
20:58 Michael on our Advice Monsters
26:39 Michael on the Problem with Rushing to Advice
29:59 How We Ask a Question Matters
33:44 Relationship Costs of Poor Listening
42:52 Oscar's Five Levels of Listening
44:23 Wrapping Up
The Full Podcast Episodes:
Michael Bungay Stanier (https://changingacademiclife.captivate.fm/episode/michael-bungay-stanier) on the power of curiosity and taming your advice monster
RW8 Asking good questions (https://changingacademiclife.captivate.fm/episode/rw8-asking-good-questions-empowering-good-people), empowering good people
Oscar Trimboli (Part 1) (https://changingacademiclife.captivate.fm/episode/oscar-trimboli-listening-part-1) on being better listeners (CAL61)
Oscar Trimboli (Part 2) (https://changingacademiclife.captivate.fm/episode/oscar-trimboli-listening-part-2) on how to listen deeply (CAL62)
Christian van Nieuwerburgh (https://changingacademiclife.captivate.fm/episode/christian-van-nieuwerburgh-cal142-s8e7) on Bringing Back the Joy (CAL142, S8E7)
Related Links:
Uni of Glasgow Outstanding Catalyst Mentors (https://padlet.com/researcherdevelopment/outstanding-catalyst-mentors-9kinh2y2mk6gsunr) – Padlet with testimonials (Kay Guccione (https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/ris/staff/kayguccione/))
Narelle Lemon, (https://www.drnarellelemon.com/) Deep Listening: Are You Being Helped, Hugged or Heard? (https://www.drnarellelemon.com/blog/deep-listening-are-you-being-helped-hugged-or-heard) Jun 9 2026
The Thriving PI Summit (https://ifocusandwrite.lpages.co/summit-the-thriving-pi/?utmsource=organic&utmmedium=geraldine&utm_campaign=summit) (https://ifocusandwrite.lpages.co/summit-the-thriving-pi/?utmsource=organic&utmmedium=geraldine&utm_campaign=summit)– free online event June 29-Jul 2 2026 – organized by Ana Pineda (https://www.ifocusandwrite.com/). Free registration.
3 Jun 2026
Mike Levin on navigating academia as a disruptive interdisciplinary researcher (CAL145, S8,E10)
Professor Mike Levin shares how he navigates academia as a disruptive interdisciplinary researcher, offering insights on challenging paradigms and building a unique scientific career.
Who has been a guest on Changing Academic Life
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Mike Levin
Raffael Himmelsbach
Christian van Nieuwerburgh
Jayne Price
Sarah McLusky
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.2 / 5
9 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
15 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 52 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
67
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
92
Contact Changing Academic Life
Guest appearances
Does not typically book guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Questions about Changing Academic Life
Who hosts Changing Academic Life?
[Host Name] and Matthew Barr and Oana Andrei host the show. Published by Geraldine Fitzpatrick.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes weekly, based on its RSS feed.
Does Changing Academic Life take guests?
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