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About Christina Gessler

Dr. Christina Gessler uses her Ph.D. in American history to explore what stories we tell and what happens to those we never tell. In early 2019, she began creating the Academic Life podcast, and launched it in late 2020. She has continuously served as the producer and show host. She recently designed the Academic Life book bag, t-shirt, pet shirt, and coffee mug which are all available at https://academic-life-2.creator-spring.com
Dr. Christina Gessler holds a PhD in U.S. history.
Christina's website

NBN Episodes hosted by Christina:

Academic Life September 21, 2023

A Calm and Normal Heart: Stories

Chelsea T. Hicks

Hosted by Christina Gessler
Listen:
Today’s book is A Calm and Normal Heart: Stories (The Unnamed Press, 2022) by Chelsea T. Hicks. The heroes of A Calm and Normal Heart are modern-day adventurers—seeking out new places to …
Academic Life September 14, 2023

The Other Side of the Desk

A Discussion with "The Conversation" Editor Emily Costello

Emily Costello

Hosted by Christina Gessler
How can writing for the general public help scholars to democratize education? Today, The Conversation editor Emily Costello takes us behind the scenes of a “typical” day at her editor’s …
Academic Life September 7, 2023

In-Person Research and Writing

Visiting Archives and "Selling Anti-Slavery"

Teresa Goddu

Hosted by Christina Gessler
Listen:
What does it feel like to hold that diary or broadside or sugar bowl you are writing about? In today’s episode, Dr. Christina Gessler is joined by Dr. Teresa Goddu …
Academic Life August 31, 2023

The Power of Play in Higher Education

A Conversation with Alison James

Alison James

Hosted by Christina Gessler
Why are academics encouraged to be rigorous and exhausted, instead of innovative and engaged? What learning outcomes are we sacrificing by being so serious? Dr. Alison James joins us to …
Academic Life August 24, 2023

Managing your Mental Health during your PhD

A Discussion with Zoë J. Ayres

Zoë J. Ayres

Hosted by Christina Gessler
Listen:
Can your graduate school affect your mental health? Dr. Zoe Ayres joins us to discuss what she wishes she had known before starting graduate school, including: What happens when you …
Academic Life August 17, 2023

Whisper Networks

A Discussion with Carrie Ann Johnson

Carrie Ann Johnson

Hosted by Christina Gessler
Listen:
What is a Whisper Network? What can you gain from being in one, and what is expected of the network members? Not everybody is invited is into a Whisper Network—which …
Academic Life August 10, 2023

Academic Aunties

A Conversation with Dr. Ethel Tungohan

Ethel Tungohan

Hosted by Christina Gessler
Listen:
You’ve probably heard by now that there’s a hidden curriculum in academia. But it’s called hidden for a reason—only some [privileged] people are in the know about what it contains …
Academic Life August 3, 2023

Share and Share Alike

Researching Sibling Relationships in Eighteenth-Century England

Amy Harris

Hosted by Christina Gessler
Listen:
What defines the complicated relationship between brothers and sisters—is it lineage? Love? Obligation? Friendship? Need? And why did so many parents expect their offspring to share and share alike? Historian …
Academic Life July 27, 2023

The Other Side of the Desk

A Discussion with Danielle D'Orlando, Princeton UP's Audio Books Editor

Danielle D'Orlando

Hosted by Christina Gessler
Listen:
Does listening to an audio book count as reading? Can audio books help democratize education? Will more academic presses be creating audio versions of their books? Princeton University Press audio …
Academic Life July 26, 2023

Forager

Field Notes for Surviving a Family Cult--A Memoir

Michelle Dowd

Hosted by Christina Gessler
Listen:
Today’s book is: Forager: Field Notes for Surviving a Family Cult, published by Algonquin Books, and written by Michelle Dowd. Forager is a memoir which showcases Michelle’s life growing up …
Academic Life July 20, 2023

Sharing Lessons From His Working-Class Parents

A Conversation with Dr. Jorge Juan Rodríguez

Jorge Juan Rodríguez

Hosted by Christina Gessler
Listen:
Why are students encouraged to move far from home and family, to attend “the best school”? Why aren’t the emotional and physical costs of this disclosed to students and their …
Academic Life July 14, 2023

We Are Too Many

A Memoir [Kind Of]

Hannah Pittard

Hosted by Christina Gessler
Listen:
What happens when you come of age in mid-life? Why is so challenging to figure out your own past? Can you find the permission to be weird? (And can you …
Academic Life July 13, 2023

Speaking While Female

75 Extraordinary Speeches by American Women

Dana Rubin

Hosted by Christina Gessler
Listen:
From Dr. Painter restoring the words of Sojourner Truth’s original speech, to VP-candidate Kamala Harris enduring through repeated interruptions at her debate, to Katie Porter silently reading The Subtle Art …
Academic Life July 6, 2023

Studying the Pipeline to Politics for Women

Heather Lende

Hosted by Christina Gessler
Listen:
When we teach about how women go into politics, how are we looking for the places and ways that women get involved? Are we giving enough consideration to small towns …
Academic Life June 29, 2023

The Killer Whale Journals

Our Love and Fear of Orcas

Hanne Strager

Hosted by Christina Gessler
Listen:
Like wolves, orcas have been loved and loathed throughout history. What created this complicated relationship between humans and whales? And have we changed our attitudes toward them and their habitat …
Academic Life June 22, 2023

The Fun Habit

How the Pursuit of Joy and Wonder Can Change Your Life

Mike Rucker

Hosted by Christina Gessler
Listen:
When we are tethered to our responsibilities, it can feel like we need someone to give us permission to go have fun. Maybe some of us have begun to forget …
Academic Life June 15, 2023

The Lost Journals of Sacajewea

A Discussion with Debra Magpie Earling

Debra Magpie Earling

Hosted by Christina Gessler
Listen:
Today’s book is: The Lost Journals of Sacajewea (Milkweed Editions, 2023), by Debra Magpie Earling, which is a devastatingly beautiful novel that challenges prevailing historical narratives of Sacajewea. Among the …
Academic Life June 8, 2023

Academic Ghosting

A Discussion with Alicia Andrzejewski

Alicia Andrzejewski

Hosted by Christina Gessler
Listen:
Have you ever been ghosted in academia? The mentor who no longer replies when you reach out, the collaborators who mysteriously stopped collaborating with you, the search committee that said …
Academic Life June 1, 2023

My What If Year

A Discussion with Alisha Fernandez Miranda

Alisha Fernandez Miranda

Hosted by Christina Gessler
Listen:
Did we miss a fork in the road somewhere? What if our lives are going just fine, but we still want to hunt for the pieces of ourselves we’ve dropped …
Academic Life May 25, 2023

Navigating the Community College Job Market

A Discussion with Rob Jenkins

Rob Jenkins

Hosted by Christina Gessler
What makes a community college job interview different than one at a four-year college or a university? Do you need a PhD to get hired? What are they looking for …
Academic Life May 18, 2023

Making a “Junk Drawer” CV

A Discussion with Kate Stuart

Kate Stuart

Hosted by Christina Gessler
How can the things you normally leave off of a CV help you navigate the job market? What if you made a list of all of the highs and the …
Academic Life May 11, 2023

Living Resistance

An Indigenous Vision for Seeking Wholeness Every Day

Kaitlin B. Curtice

Hosted by Christina Gessler
Feeling worn out by the work of resistance? How do you persevere? Why is so challenging to find wholeness? Kaitlin Curtice joins us to share: The four realms of resistance.Why …
Academic Life May 4, 2023

Do You Have Imposter Syndrome?

A Discussion with Darragh McCashin

Darragh McCashin

Hosted by Christina Gessler
Why do so many students and academics worry that they are imposters? Is it normal to experience this kind of self-doubt? This episode explores: The difference between imposter syndrome and …
Academic Life May 2, 2023

Tell Me What You Want

A Therapist and Her Clients Explore Our 12 Deepest Desires

Charlotte Fox Weber

Hosted by Christina Gessler
Do we know what we really want, and what we are willing to do to get it? What if what we want doesn’t align with who we think we are …