Vida De PhD

In this episode of Vida de PhD, host Dr. Aceves sits down with Dr. Lupe Diaz Lara to reflect on her journey into and through her PhD. Lupe shares how she discovered research along the way—navigating aspects of doctoral training she hadn’t fully understood at the start, including milestones like comprehensive exams.Together, they discuss the critical role of mentorship, especially the impact of having an ally and advocate in your corner. A special shoutout to Dr. Alcalá, whose mentorship has been instrumental in shaping Lupe’s path and modeling what it means to lead with intention and care.This episode is a powerful reflection on perseverance, growth, and the importance of not giving up.En amor y poder,Lorena

This episode is part of the Navigating Uncertainty with Certainty series on Vida de PhD.In this conversation, Lorena and Deziah reflect on the highs and lows of navigating today’s job market. They share practical strategies, honest insights, and lessons learned from their own journeys.Whether you’re in the thick of it or trying to find your next step, this episode offers concrete tools and grounded encouragement to help you keep moving forward.En amor y poder,Lorena

In this episode of Vida de PhD, host Lorena Aceves sits down with Lucia Alcala to reflect on their shared Mexican backgrounds and the experiences that shaped their academic journeys. Lucia shares her path into graduate school, the challenges and opportunities she encountered along the way, and the people who helped guide her through pivotal moments in her career.Together, they discuss the importance of mentorship in academia—especially for scholars from historically underrepresented communities—and how strong mentors can open doors, provide guidance, and help scholars navigate spaces that were not always designed with them in mind. The conversation also highlights the value of community, representation, and the ways cultural identity influences both personal and professional paths.This episode is a thoughtful reflection on perseverance, mentorship, and the power of having people who believe in you along the journey to and through the PhD.En amor y poder,Lorena

This episode is part of the Navigating Uncertainty with Certainty series of Vida de PhD. In this conversation, Lorena & Vanessa sit with uncertainty and explore what it really means to navigate life, career, and identity when the next step isn’t fully mapped out. Through personal reflection and thoughtful dialogue, this episode invites listeners to slow down, name the questions they’re carrying, and recognize that uncertainty isn’t a weakness—it’s often a sign of growth.This episode is for anyone who has ever felt caught between where they’ve been and where they’re going next. Whether you’re in academia, transitioning out, or redefining success on your own terms, this conversation offers reassurance, perspective, and a reminder that you are not alone in the unknown.En amor y poder,Lorena

In this episode of Vida de PhD, Lorena sits down with Dr. Ximena Franco-Jenkins to unpack a journey that proves academic paths don’t have to be linear to be powerful.From aspiring flight attendant and future law student to developmental psychologist and systems-level research leader, Ximena shares how her lived experience as an immigrant, bilingual Latina shaped her commitment to children, families, and multilingual learners. She opens up about discovering research through hands-on clinical work, navigating graduate school as a parent of two (yes—she defended her thesis and dissertation while raising toddlers!), and choosing a research center path over the traditional tenure track.They also discuss what it really means to be grant-funded, why implementation science focuses on the how (not just the what), and the critical role of mentorship and community in sustaining a meaningful career.Ximena leaves listeners with a powerful reminder: give yourself permission to belong. Your lived experience is expertise—and building community is how we create lasting impact.En amor y poder,Lorena

This episode marks the beginning of a new era of Vida de PhD.The show will continue to feature interviews with incredible scholars navigating both academic and non-academic paths, while also shining a light on the journey into the unknown that so many of us are currently walking. These conversations will be part of a series titled “The Journey of [Guest Name].”This season also introduces a new series, “Navigating Uncertainty with Certainty,” featuring fireside-style conversations with guests who are joining me in sharing their wisdom, reflections, and lessons learned along the way. In addition, there will be solo episodes—like this one—where I speak candidly about the raw realities of reinventing myself and my career after being unexpectedly laid off.  When guests join me, they’ll share their insights alongside what I continue to learn as I move through this season of change. So buckle up and walk this journey with me. This episode is just the beginning. I can’t wait to look back on this moment and know—like everything else—that it was exactly as it needed to be.En amor y poder,LorenaPS- I’m also excited to share The Aceves Approach (which I share in the episode) — my coaching, professional development, and research consulting services designed to support students, emerging scholars, and professionals in taking intentional action during times of transition. Whether it’s one-on-one coaching, professional development workshops, or research consulting, The Aceves Approach is here to help you move forward with confidence and clarity in your personal and professional life.

In this episode, Lorena shares some news and reflections as she navigates this new season of life that she's been launched into unexpectedly. She also expresses her deep gratitude appreciation for everyone and everything. Feeling invigorated for the next season. Bring on 2026! En amor y poder,Lorena

Lorena had the honor of interviewing Adriana! For the longest time, which she admits in the episode, she has admired Adriana's work. It was really awesome for Lorena to sit down with her and learn about where her professional journey started. They dove into the importance of really great mentors even when they may not have all the tools to guide us. Their belief and commitment can go a long way. Tune in to learn more! En amor y poder,Lorena

Sara has a pretty amazing story of pursuing not only a PhD but also a JD. Lorena dives into a fruitful conversation with Sara about all the unique places her PhD and JD journey took her professionally! If you are someone interested in a non-academic journey this episode is for you. Or if you want to just learn more so you can support someone as a mentor this is also for you! Tune in!

Learn hear how Maciel navigated her Mexican heritage in pursuing her higher education and then her PhD. Lorena and Maciel dive into sharing how their families are from the same Mexican state. We also talk about the importance of speaking up promote someone else especially when they can't be in the room. Maciel shares a powerful story. Tune in to hear more!En amor y poder,Lorena

This interview is part of a new series on Vida de PhD—a podcast hosted by Lorena Aceves, a research scientist at ChildTrends, that explores stories of impact at the intersection of research and people. In collaboration with Child Trends, this series aims to spotlight researchers whose work meaningfully supports youth, families, and communities. In this episode, Lorena interviews Dr. Andra Wilkinson, senior researchscientist at Child Trends, about her journey into research, her approach to impactful science, and her vision for the future of public health research.

In this episode, Lorena interviews Dr. Mara Lopez, who is just the coolest human ever. Her educational journey is uniquely hers and the story she tells with it is so empowering. Mara is an incredible human, professional, and student of life. Tune in to learn more about her journey! En amor y poder, Lorena

This interview is part of a new series on Vida de PhD—a podcast hosted by Lorena Aceves, a research scientist at Child Trends, that explores stories of impact at the intersection of research and people. In collaboration with Child Trends, this series aims to spotlight researchers whose work meaningfully supports youth, families, and communities. In this episode, Lorena interviews Dr. Renee Ryberg, senior research scientist at Child Trends, about her journey into research, her approach to making an impact, and her vision for the future of research on student parents.

In this episode, Lorena interviews Dr. Debbie Rivas-Drake who takes us through journey into academia. She shares a wealth of wisdom around mentorship and the power it has to transform journeys. We also touch on the importance of community beyond your institution , such as national societies like the Society for Research on Child Development. Enjoy this amazing episode, en amor y poder! Lorena

In this episode, Lorena interviews Dr. Rebecca Berger about her journey to pursuing her PhD and a non-academic career. Rebecca shares some precious gems around mentorship and her journey that may shed some light for your journey. Tune on in! En amor y poder, Lorena

This episode focuses on rebooting the show after a break for the summer. Lorena recaps the importance of community by finally sharing some highlights from the SRCD 2025 conference along with some comments from SRCD Latinx Caucus members. Tune in to relish in the beauty and importance of community.

This podcast is part of a new series on Vida de PhD—a podcast hosted by Lorena Aceves, a research scientist at Child Trends, that explores stories of impact at the intersection of research and people. In collaboration with Child Trends, this series aims to spotlight researchers whose work meaningfully supports youth, families, and communities. In this inaugural episode, Lorena interviews Dr. Samantha Holquist, program area director for education at Child Trends, about her journey into research, her approach to community engagement, and her vision for the future of education research.

In this episode, Lorena interviews Dr. Elizabeth Munoz a fellow Latina scholar who is also a Penn State grad! Elizabeth is the first aging researcher that Lorena has on the show. She talks about the importance of family in her educational and professional journey and making career decisions that uplift your personal life goals too! Tune in to hear her story and be inspired! En amor y poder, Lorena

In this episode, Lorena sits down to interview Karina who now is Dr. Karina Jalapa. Karina shares her journey growing up in a Hispanic family and pursuing higher education. She dives into her graduate school experience which is almost complete. Karina ends by sharing that she's open to exploring where her journey may take her outside of the academy. Tune in, especially if you are at the beginning of your doctoral journey. En amor y poder,Lorena

In this episode, Lorena interviews Dr. Lisa Lopez that walks us through her journey in higher education to her current position as a full professor. Lisa talks about the important of role that community and community partnerships has played through her academic journey. Tune in to listen and learn more about her journey. En Amor y Poder, Lorena

In this episode, host Lorena interviews Dr. Joshua Wallace to finally record the podcast Black History Month feature. Josh takes us through his journey in higher education to obtaining his PhD. He shares some very important insights for those out there early in their careers. Also shout out to Vanessa Esquivel, Josh's wife and the face behind latinasgettingphds, and her mom's tacos! Don't miss this episode. En amor y poder,Lorena

In this episode, host Lorena has an amazing conversation with Dr. Suzanne Le Menestrel about her journey that led her to various amazing professional experiences outside of the academy. Lorena quickly learned how many professional similarities she shares with Suzanne, especially how one of her initial professional experiences was at Child Trends. There was a special shout to a few of Child Trends’ seasoned scholars. Suzanne ends by sharing some very important words of wisdom especially for those of us paving the way outside of the academy. Tune in!En amor y poder,Lorena

In this episode, Lorena has a spanglish conversation with a great mentor of hers Dr. Ruben Anguiano. Ruben shares about his early days as a child and adolescent and how that shaped his journey. Ruben also really dives into the importance of community in the work that we do and how being rooted in community has driven where his professional journey has taken him. My son Gabe makes a special appearance on this episode with his babbles in response to Ruben. Tune in and enjoy!En amor y poder,Lorena

In this episode, Lorena sits with Dr. Koraly Perez-Edgar to hear about her journey to where she is today. Our conversation got really deep and vulnerable when Koraly shares the beauty and challenge of growing professionally in ways that come at a cost to family closeness. We finish with Koraly sharing her words of wisdom. Tune in... this is probably my favorite episode so far!En amor y poder,Lorena

In this episode, Lorena interviews Dr. Pinetta who shares her journey to her current role as a postdoc at UCLA. Bernadette shares how her work has come full circle and she is now conducting research with the high school she attended. She also shares really important nuggets of wisdom around building community and how useful that is in graduate school and beyond. Tune in to hear for yourself. En amor y poder, Lorena

In this episode, Lorena and Juan get together and talk about vision setting for 2025. They both are open and vulnerable about how this season of life has got them thinking about vision and goal setting in a whole different way. We share 3 main take aways and tons of nuggets of wisdom that are helping us as we move into 2025. Hope they are useful for you too! En amor y poder, Juan & Lorena

In this episode, host Lorena reflects back on the year 2024. She talks about the 3 major take aways for 2024 and the major theme she also takes away from this year. Tune in to hear more and hopefully you have time to dive into your own reflections for 2024. Don't forget about the magic of life <3 En amor y poder, Lorena

In this episode, host Lorena reflects back on 3 major things she has learned 6 months into parenthood and 3 months after her return to work. These reflections can also apply to other life transitions that you may be going through. Tune in if you would like to learn and also hear a few updates I have about more reflection episodes to come! En amor y poder, Lorena

In this episode, Lorena interviews Dr. Wendy Castillo who shares her journey as a Latina scholar to pursuing her PhD and moving into a non-academic space. She also talks about her current journey back into academia. We also talk about her awesome line of QuantCrit work! Tune in! En amor y poder, Lorena

In this episode, Lorena interviews Dr. Deziah Bermudez and get to dive into her journey to the PhD. She talks about how life gets real while getting your PhD and how to balance personal life with the academics. Deziah also shares the importance of support during the journey. Hope something from her story resonates with you. En amor y poder, Lorena

In today's episode, Vanessa and Lorena dive into Vanessa's recent trip to the motherland (Mexico) to celebrate Mexican Independence Day! We also got to dive into reconnecting with our roots, getting to visit our parents' hometowns, and how that has connected us more to our Latindad and what it means to be a Latina. Hope part 2 of the Hispanic Heritage Month special does not disappoint! En amor y poder, Lorena

In today's episode, Juan and Lorena give you a special treat talking about all things Latino. We have a back and forth conversation about what it means to be Latino, our culture, our food, the family values, ALL OF IT! This episode is a bit different from the usual scheduled programming, but a nice way to honor Hispanic Heritage Month. Hope you enjoy this special. En amor y poder, Lorena

In this episode, Lorena kicks off the new practice of the ice breaker question instead of guest's favorite song. Then we dive into newly minted PhD, Dr. Matano-Bueno's journey to her PhD. She shares the role of her Latina identity and how important it is for her to have work life balance. Enjoy what Elia had to share with us! En amor y poder, Lorena

In this episode, host Lorena gives you a more detailed update on what’s to come on the podcast. Lorena then shares how life has changed now that she is a mom. This episode focuses specifically on how to navigate all the changes that life likes to throw at us. She talks about pivotal points in her professional journey and how she navigated them. This one is for everyone who is jumping into something new in their life whether it’s parenthood or uncharted territory in your educational or professional career. Give it a listen!  En amor y poder, Lorena

I meant to upload this big update earlier this summer, but once you hear the update you will understand the delay haha I am looking forward to publishing more solo episodes and having more guests on the show. The show will be going through an expansion of topics to include parenthood and caretaking and how that intersects with being a developmental scientist. If you are interested on being on the show, to share your story or talk about your parenting journey as a PhD, would love to have you! En amor y poder Lorena

In this episode, host Lorena talks about the power of trusting yourself and having confidence in you along your personal and professional journey. Lorena also shares some updates about the podcast. We will be going on a quick pause as Lorena navigates some exciting life transitions which she will share more about  in the future!  En amor y poder, Lorena  *I do not own the rights to any of the music shared*

In this episode, Guest Doré shares her journey into the non-academic world. Doré talks about some of the key differences between non-academic and academic professions which can be useful to learn about if you are on the fence on where your career can take you. Doré also shares about how national organizations have brought community into her life and professional life. Tune in to learn more!   En amor y poder, Lorena  *I do not own the rights to any of the music shared*

In this episode, Guest Juan shares his inspirational background as a Latino male and high school English teacher. Juan also walks us through the journey of being a full time teacher while balancing pursuing his PhD. Finally, he shares what the future holds for his journey and his words of wisdom for those who may be on this non-traditional path of pursuing a PhD.  En amor y poder, Lorena  *I do not own the rights to any of the music shared*

In this episode, Guest Mindy shares her journey as a first generation multi-racial scholar and how her inspiration for her research interests and career fall into place very naturally. Mindy opens up and shares a very vulnerable part of her journey of becoming a parent through the adoption of her nephew at 24 during the pursuit of her PhD. Mindy’s openness reminds us that we all are on unique journeys and should be supportive of each other. Mindy ends by sharing how integral the support of her lab sisters and cohort friends was to surviving the PhD. Tune in to learn from Mindy’s story and her words of wisdom.  En amor y poder, Lorena  *I do not own the rights to any of the music shared*

In this episode, Guest Gustavo starts by sharing his favorite song which had a fun back story to it and it's a song that many Latinos enjoy! Gustavo then walks us through his journey through academia and to his current position as a full professor. The field has a limited number of Latino scholars and to be able to interview one that is a full professor and towards the more experienced end of his career was incredible. Gustavo ends by sharing some inspiring words of wisdom. Tune in to learn from Gustavo’s wisdom.  En amor y poder, Lorena  *I do not own the rights to any of the music shared*

In honor of Black History Month, in this episode two amazing friends and Black scholars in Lorena’s life were interviewed. Guests August and Tekisha started by sharing their journeys as Black scholars in academia, their research agendas on Black families, and where their inspiration for that work was born. They also share so MANY nuggets of wisdom that I hope uplifts and sheds some inspiration for Black scholars out there and also scholars of color.  Tune in, this one is not one to be missed! En amor y poder, Lorena  *I do not own the rights to any of the music shared*

In this episode, Guest Melissa has a fruitful conversation with Lorena on mentorship and editorship. Lorena starts by sharing how Melissa’s mentorship was integral to her successful PhD journey. Melissa shares tidbits on how professors can support students in their academic pursuits. Next, we dive into Melissa’s work as editor of the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships and how she has invested time and resources into making the peer review process more equitable. Dive in to learn from Melissa and her awesome experiences.  En amor y poder, Lorena  *I do not own the rights to any of the music shared*

In this episode, Guest Norma shares her humble beginnings and how it led into her passion for research and doing community engaged work. Norma highlights some key parts of her Latina identity and experiences that were integral to her journey to pursuing her PhD and the work she conducts now as an academic. Norma also shares some great nuggets of wisdom for aspiring applied researchers out there who may wonder how to straddle the world of academia while still making an impact on their communities.  En amor y poder, Lorena  *I do not own the rights to any of the music shared*

In this episode, Guest Lauren shares all the different kinds of non-academic spaces she has worked in throughout her professional journey. Lauren also dives into nuggets of wisdom about the differences between the diverse non-academic spaces through which your career can take you. We also talk about key points you should know as you make decisions about where to take your non-academic journey. Most importantly, Lauren shares some words of wisdom that may serve you well as you make the move into the non-academic world. Tune in, if you are in your journey of moving into an non-academic career path! En amor y poder, Lorena  *I do not own the rights to any of the music shared*

In this episode, Guest Jenny shares her journey into starting her Clinical Psychology PhD. She shares how the years between her bachelor’s degree and starting her PhD were integral to her journey. We also jump into the mental health needs we would love for research and practice to better serve Latino families in. Finally, we also dive into the role of God and faith play in our professional journeys. Hope you enjoy this episode.  En amor y poder, Lorena  *I do not own the rights to any of the music shared*

In this episode, Dr. Aceves takes some time to express her gratitude for you all and all the challenges and amazing things that have unfolded for her in 2023. She ends the episode by challenging you to reflect and set your intention for 2024. Thank you for listening and following. Can’t wait for the stories that will be shared in 2024! En amor y poder, Lorena  *I do not own the rights to any of the music shared*

In this episode, Guest Gaby shares her journey from getting her PhD to where she sees the future taking her journey. Dr. Livas Stein is open and vulnerable with us about how she has felt she is ”faking it” to make it at times. It was amazing to hear about the community engaged work she does and how her work and research have evolved. Dr. Livas Stein also shares some amazing wisdom on how to overcome imposter syndrome and how to build relationships with colleagues. I learned so much about Gaby. I hope you take away some nuggets of wisdom just like I did!   En amor y poder, Lorena  *I do not own the rights to any of the music shared*

In this episode, Guest Sendy shares her journey into advocacy work. Sendy is one of the first guests on the podcast without a PhD who has such an amazing and inspiring journey. Her journey sheds light on the value of experience and heart and I would say she has an honorary PhD in life as she mentions in the episode. Life experience and heart can take you pretty far in life if you allow them to. Hope this episode inspires you to think and go outside of the box like it did for me.  Thank you Sendy!   En amor y poder, Lorena  *I do not own the rights to any of the music shared*

In this episode, Guest José shares his journey to academia as a professor. He talks about his first failed PhD and how meeting the right people at the right time set him on his current path. He ends by sharing his words of wisdom to show up just as you are… that is your value! Hope this one resonates with you like it did for me.     En amor y poder, Lorena  *I do not own the rights to any of the music shared*

In this episode, Lorena shares her experiences with the internships that she did in graduate school. Lorena also talks about key things you can do if you are interested in pursuing an internship to explore your career options! Lorena also talks about wisdom she learned from doing these internships and hopes its resonates with you!    En amor y poder, Lorena  *I do not own the rights to any of the music shared*