Your Words Unleashed
Your Words Unleashed Podcast, hosted by author and writing coach Dr. Leslie Wang, helps women scholars master their writing habits and publish a book that matters.
Episodes
What helps some academic authors finish their books while others remain stuck for years? In this solo episode, Leslie explores the question she has been pondering throughout her coaching career: what truly creates writing success?
Drawing on her experience working with hundreds of scholarly authors, she challenges common assumptions about productivity, motivation, and time management.
Leslie shares a practical frame...
In this episode, I’m joined by Sarah Russo, founder of Page One Media, to talk through how these campaigns work and how they differ from what presses are able to do on their own. We discuss what publicity actually involves, how it connects to marketing and sales, and why the timeline and goals for a campaign matter so much.
We also talk about how to think about platforms in a more expansive way, what authors can do t...
A lot of graduate students—especially those who are first-generation or come from underrepresented backgrounds—enter academia without really knowing how it works behind the scenes. So many expectations are unspoken and timelines can feel fuzzy. A lot of what shapes success is never clearly explained.
In this episode, I’m talking with Dr. Yvette Martinez-Vu, the founder of Grad School Femtoring, about how to navigate ...
Turning a published article into a book chapter can feel daunting—but it’s also one of the smartest ways to build momentum on your manuscript. In this episode, I walk you through how to repurpose your existing work without simply copying and pasting. You’ll learn how to rethink your article as part of a larger narrative, clarify its role in your book’s overall argument, and shift your writing to engage a broader aud...
Many PhDs who are considering careers beyond academia struggle with a simple question: how do you explain what you do to people outside your field?
In this episode, I talk with David Mendes, host of Beyond the Thesis with Papa PhD, about science communication, career transitions, and how PhDs can start telling clearer stories about their work and their skills. David shares how his own experience navigating life after...
As political attacks on colleges and universities accelerate across the United States, what’s happening in higher education is increasingly a warning sign for democracy itself.
In this episode, Leslie speaks with Alison Gash, Professor and Department Head of Political Science at the University of Oregon, about coordinated efforts to undermine academic freedom—from curriculum bans and anti-DEI policies to broader atte...
Have you achieved a lot in your academic career — but something still feels off? In this episode, I explore the identity shifts that often hit academics in mid-career, especially around getting tenure.
Drawing on Arthur Brooks' provocative Atlantic essay on professional change, I unpack why purpose naturally evolves over time — and why that's nothing to fear. I talk about the post-tenure slump no one warns ...
Many women in academia are diagnosed with ADHD later in life, often after years of burnout, shame, and being told they’re “just anxious” or “not organized enough.” In this episode, you’ll hear why that experience is so common, and why it has far more to do with systems than with personal failure.
I talk with Karen Costa, author of An Educator’s Guide to ADHD, about what ADHD actually is (and isn’t), how deficit-based...
In this episode, Leslie sits down with Jennifer Polk, PhD—career coach, educator, and founder of From PhD to Life—to talk about what it really takes to leave academia and build a fulfilling career beyond the tenure track.
Jen shares why the hardest part of career transition often isn’t strategy, but mindset: the stories academics tell themselves about stability, meaningful work, and whether they’re “enough” for roles...
In this milestone 100th episode of Your Words Unleashed, I reflect on my podcasting journey and share one of the most courageous pieces of writing I’ve ever published: “The Case for Radically Inclusive Writing.”
After more than four years of podcasting—and major life and career transitions along the way—I look back on how using my voice consistently has shaped my values, my work, and my willingness to speak candidly ...
Many academic authors have little sense of what happens once a book is finished, especially when it comes to publicity.
In this episode, I talk with Amanda Ice, a senior publicist at Harvard University Press, about what happens behind the scenes once a book is finished and why so much of that work is invisible to authors.
We walk through the publicity timeline, what authors can realistically expect from a university ...
Check out Leslie's website at www.YourWordsUnleashed.com!
The three ways Leslie can help you with coaching & developmental editing:
#1: Six-month Your Words Unleashed signature book writing coaching program. Through 8 hour-long sessions tailored to your own needs and goals, we will pinpoint what’s keeping you stuck. We’ll figure out personalized solutions and strategies so ...
As another intense year in academia comes to a close, you might be feeling equal parts relieved and completely wiped out.
In this episode, I’m reflecting on what 2025 looked like in my business and why I intentionally chose to do less—and felt better for it. Then I’ll walk you through a simple, low-pressure reflection that can help you figure out how to do just 10% less next semester without blowing up your career o...
In this episode, Leslie talks with Dr. Abbie E. Goldberg—Professor of Clinical Psychology at Clark University and a leading scholar on LGBTQ+ families—about writing, research, and staying motivated when academic life feels overwhelming. Abbie reflects on how she came to see research as a form of storytelling and why life transitions for more than two decades.
They dive into the realities of academic writing: how to d...
In this deeply moving conversation, Leslie talks with Dr. Katherine In-Young Lee, a higher ed coach and former tenured professor, about what happens when academic life and caregiving collide. After her father’s stroke, Katherine became a full-time caregiver for both her parents—a journey that reshaped her understanding of productivity and purpose.
Together, they discuss the emotional, cultural, and institutional cha...
In this episode, Leslie explore the surprising perspectives people only gain after leaving academia. After three years outside higher ed, I’ve noticed unexpected shifts in my own habits, mindset, and relationships—so I asked thousands of former academics what changed for them once they left, too. Nearly 100 people responded, sharing candid reflections about work, health, identity, and what they thought they’d miss…b...
What would you do if your inbox filled with threats, your home address was posted online, or your university launched an “investigation” after a viral tweet?
In this episode, Dr. Heather Steffen, director of Faculty First Responders, joins Leslie to reveal how professors can protect themselves from doxxing, harassment, and politically motivated attacks.
Dr. Steffen shares:
- The anatomy of a smear campaign—and ...
In this episode, Leslie welcomes back book publishing expert Dr. Laura Portwood-Stacer, author of The Book Proposal Book and the new release Make Your Manuscript Work: A Guide to Developmental Editing for Scholarly Writers. Laura shares her practical, step-by-step approach to developmental editing and how she helps authors create manuscripts that truly resonate with presses and readers. She discusses the most common...
Feeling drained, scattered, or like your brain is running on fumes? You’re not alone—and you don’t have to give up on your writing. In this episode, Leslie shares what to do when your capacity is at rock bottom but you still want to keep your research alive.
This episode includes strategies for protecting your mental space, rethinking what “counts” as writing, and tracking small wins that actually build momentum. Wr...
How do you keep teaching with integrity when the ground beneath higher education is constantly shifting? In this episode, I talk with Dr. Brielle Harbin—political scientist, award-winning educator, and founder of Your Cooperative Colleague. Brielle helps scholars, especially women and nonbinary faculty of color, create values-aligned academic lives that resist burnout and grind culture.
We get into what it takes to b...
Popular Podcasts
Hey Jonas! The official Jonas Brothers podcast. Hosted by Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas. It’s the Jonas Brothers you know... musicians, actors, and well, yes, brothers. Now, they’re sharing another side of themselves in the playful, intimate, and irreverent way only they can. Spend time with the Jonas Brothers here and stay a little bit longer for deep conversations like never before.
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
A weekly podcast where host, Robert Smigel, and a rotating panel, his friends, assist callers seeking help in making something in their real life funnier. Anything. A best man speech, a eulogy, a breakup letter, a cover letter, an apology, a Tinder profile - Robert, with a panel of professional comedy writers and comedians, will punch it up and get results. Want help with your writing assignment? Submit it to: speakpipe.com/humorme