“Focusing on truth, goodness, and beauty first takes us outside of ourselves...but also it also changes who we are and how we are and how we do what we do.“ — Karen Swallow Prior

Reader, writer, and erstwhile professor Karen Swallow Prior joins us on the podcast to discuss vocation, literature, and spiritual formation.

What does it mean to have a calling and how does one begin to discover it? Karen Swallow Prior joins us on the podcast to discuss her recent book You Have a Calling: Finding Your Vocation in the True, Good, and Beautiful. Karen unpacks our understanding of vocation and brings new insight into the breadth of one’s callings and how they can change throughout the span of a life. Her skillful use of literature helps to illustrate and amplify her prose, and the pairing brings fresh understanding and new questions to the process of uncovering one’s calling. Karen offers thoughtful insights about this time in history, and if you listen to the end of the credits you’ll hear an excerpt from our conversation where Karen shares what is bringing her joy today.

So jump right in! We're so glad you're here.

— Ann Boyd

For show notes or more information please visit our article at The Well.

If you'd like to support the work of InterVarsity's Women Scholars and Professionals, including future podcasts such as this episode, you can do so at givetoiv.org/wsap. Thank you for listening!

"I start off with trying to make sure the student knows someone is looking forward to seeing them." — Jana Young

How do you prepare to successfully kick off a new school year? Listen in on our first in a series of episodes where we answer some of your Dear Mentor questions.

Hello, dear listeners! To start us off this August, we’re offering a re-broadcast of one of our favorite episodes to kick off the new school year. So listen in on our back to school special, complete with all the original introductory content (including a note referencing our 2022 name change), and we’ll see you next week with a fresh new episode.

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Let me invite you into a special episode, our first in a series of episodes where we answer some of your Dear Mentor questions. First up: back to school rhythms. How do you get geared up for the semester? What habits get you in the mindset for an energizing start to the school year? Karen Hice Guzmán, director of Women Scholars and Professionals, sat down with three women faculty members — representing the fields of chemistry, music, and business — and recorded their best tips and wisdom to help you start your school year on the right foot. ​

Let me add a special note here for those of you who are not professionally aligned with a school schedule at this time of year — you are welcome, too! The ideas that emerge from these three conversations can be applied easily to a number of contexts, so we hope you listen in and glean the wisdom that connects with your life and work situation.

So have a listen! We're so glad you're here.

— Ann Boyd

Featuring Rachel Barnard, Cristina Espinoza-Alguera, & Jana Young, with Karen Hice Guzmán.

For show notes or more information please visit our article at The Well.

If you'd like to support the work of InterVarsity's Women Scholars and Professionals, including future podcasts such as this episode, you can do so at givetoiv.org/wsap. Thank you for listening!

“I think this would be a perfect time to choose to trust God with your future and with your present and just spend some time with him in nature, with other colleagues in prayer, in the word, etc.“ — Dr. Denise-Margaret Thompson

Four esteemed guests join us on the podcast to discuss how we can reflect on this school year and enter into summer from a place of spiritual vitality.

What does it look like to enter into summer from the position of this current cultural moment? We’ve invited four guests to participate in a roundtable discussion for this special episode as we wrap up our podcast season for this academic year. You’ll get to hear from four women with expertise in university culture, spiritual formation, and faith-work integration as we talk about the uniqueness of the days we’re living through. In this conversation, we’ll talk about the challenges we are seeing on campus these days and the opportunities we have to respond faithfully. We also talk about how to wrap up the school year and enter into summer with a posture that is reflective and intentional and life-giving. I think you’ll really enjoy this episode, and if you listen to the end of the credits, you’ll hear a blessing that we are praying over all of our listeners. ​

So jump right in! We're so glad you're here.

— Ann Boyd

For show notes or more information please visit our article at The Well.

If you'd like to support the work of InterVarsity's Women Scholars and Professionals, including future podcasts such as this episode, you can do so at givetoiv.org/wsap. Thank you for listening!

“Doing your PhD is ... there's a lot of pressure for sure, but you never get that kind of space and time [again] to focus on a single project. As soon as you leave ... there are so many other demands in your time. The privilege of getting to sit with a topic for years and have so many people invest in the work that you're doing and speak into it and help you to improve it — it's so wonderful. I would do PhDs for the rest of my life.“ — Jennifer Powell McNutt

Professor and author Dr. Jennifer Powell McNutt joins us on the podcast to discuss the place of Mary Magdalene in the biblical story and what she can teach us about walking with Jesus.

Who was Mary Magdalene and what does her story offer to Christians in the 21st century? Dr. Jennifer Powell McNutt joins us on the podcast to discuss her recent book The Mary We Forgot: What the Apostle to the Apostles Teaches the Church Today, which recently received the honor of being a 2025 ECPA Christian Book Award Finalist. Jennifer helps us to understand the unique place Mary Magdalene has in the story of Jesus as a woman, a believer, and a model for Christians across the ages. We talk about the ways Mary’s life impacted the church across the world, and we learn about some crucial misunderstandings that have maligned Mary’s name over the years. Jennifer also offers encouraging thoughts about her experience as a woman in the academy, and if you listen to the end of the credit, you’ll hear an excerpt from our conversation where Jennifer shares her story of advocating for maternity leave on campus.

So jump right in! We're so glad you're here.

— Ann Boyd

For show notes or more information please visit our article at The Well.

If you'd like to support the work of InterVarsity's Women Scholars and Professionals, including future podcasts such as this episode, you can do so at givetoiv.org/wsap. Thank you for listening!

“Show up as your authentic self. Please don’t mold yourself into what you think you ought to be or how you think you ought to be received. Just be who God has called you to be, because when you do that, you give other women permission to be themselves, and I want my daughters to have that.” — Nicole Massie Martin

Executive leader and author Rev. Dr. Nicole Massie Martin joins us on the podcast to discuss principles of sacrificial leadership and how Christians can follow Jesus in their own roles.

How do leadership principles look different for those who wish to integrate their Christian faith into their roles? Rev. Dr. Nicole Massie Martin joins us on the podcast to discuss her recent book Nailing It: Why Successful Leadership Demands Suffering and Surrender. Nicole describes the contrast between common leadership practices and the kind of sacrificial leadership that Jesus modeled for us. We discuss unique challenges for women leaders within this framework, and Nicole talks the ways our current cultural moment is exemplifying these leadership dynamics. In addition — I’m pleased to tell you that InterVarsity Press is offering a discount on Nailing It for listeners of this podcast. Just use the code IVPWSAP25 for 25% off and free shipping when you purchase the book at ivpress.com. You can find a link to the book and the discount code in the show notes. And if you listen to the end of the credits, you’ll hear an excerpt from our podcast where Nicole shares her recommendations for overcoming imposter syndrome.

So jump right in! We're so glad you're here.

— Ann Boyd

For show notes or more information please visit our article at The Well.

If you'd like to support the work of InterVarsity's Women Scholars and Professionals, including future podcasts such as this episode, you can do so at givetoiv.org/wsap. Thank you for listening!

“The pastor’s wife, in many ways, embodies the history of the Protestant church….Refocusing on her and putting her at the center helps us to understand the bigger picture of the role women play in church history and how women are overshadowed by these patriarchal structures.” — Beth Allison Barr

Historian and professor Beth Allison Barr joins us on the podcast to discuss women’s leadership in the historical church and the cultural cost of forgetting our roots.

What happens when historical evidence for women’s leadership in church is buried and even forgotten? Historian and professor Beth Allison Barr joins us on the podcast to discuss her recent book Becoming the Pastor’s Wife: How Marriage Replaced Ordination as a Woman’s Path to Ministry. Beth traces the way centuries of women’s leadership were swept aside as female ordination declined and the role of the pastor’s wife was elevated in the white evangelical church. We talk about Beth’s scholarship, including some of her practices regarding teaching and collaborative research, and we hear Beth’s reflections on our current cultural moment and how we can thrive as women academics. And if you listen to the end of the credits, you’ll hear an excerpt from our podcast where Beth shares her thoughts on the benefits of working with a supportive writing group.

So jump right in! We're so glad you're here.

— Ann Boyd

For show notes or more information please visit our article at The Well.

If you'd like to support the work of InterVarsity's Women Scholars and Professionals, including future podcasts such as this episode, you can do so at givetoiv.org/wsap. Thank you for listening!

“One of the practices I use a lot in clinical supervision with burned out and stressed therapist or academics is asking people to remember why we got into this work in the first place, remembering back about the original hope and intention for my life with this work. What was God’s call on my life?” — Terri S. Watson

Psychologist and professor Terri S. Watson joins us on the podcast to discuss therapy, human flourishing, and the practicalities of healing your mental health.

When someone decides that they are ready to go to therapy, how do you even begin the process? Psychologist and professor Terri S. Watson joins us on the podcast to discuss her recent book The Client’s Guide to Therapy: How to Get the Most out of Your Counseling Experience. Terri talks about the sacredness of therapy as a tool to promote human flourishing, and we hear her practical suggestions for getting started yourself or helping a loved one. We talk about the unique psychological stresses on academics today, and Terri shares a few strategies to ground yourself when you’re feeling overwhelmed. In addition — I’m pleased to tell you that InterVarsity Press is offering a discount on The Client’s Guide to Therapy for listeners of this podcast. Just use the code IVPWSAP25 for 25% off and free shipping when you purchase the book at ivpress.com. And if you listen to the end of the credits, you’ll hear an excerpt from our podcast where Terri offers some suggestions for getting the most out of a therapy session.

So jump right in! We're so glad you're here.

— Ann Boyd

For show notes or more information please visit our article at The Well.

Interested in a written version of this interview? We're experimenting with an auto-generated transcript service, unpolished and far from error-free, but we hope it's useful! Click here for the imperfect transcript.

If you'd like to support the work of InterVarsity's Women Scholars and Professionals, including future podcasts such as this episode, you can do so at givetoiv.org/wsap. Thank you for listening!

“I managed to divide myself in half. We can let our lives run on parallel tracks, and that is one way people deal with things. But it’s not healthy because the trains will collide.” — Ruth Bancewicz

Science and faith professional Ruth Bancewicz joins us on the podcast to discuss the integration of faith and science and the way churches can help.

How does a scientist find space to express their faith within their research and teaching? Ruth Bancewicz joins us on the podcast in an interview with guest host and Women Scholars and Professionals Director Karen Guzman. Ruth and Karen sit down together to discuss Ruth’s work as a science and faith professional, serving as a thoughtful catalyst for integration at the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion at Cambridge University in England. Ruth describes her journey into this unique position and offers encouragement to women who are working toward more fully integrating their faith with their work life — and encountering struggles along the way. And if you listen to the end of the credits, you’ll hear a short passage from one of Ruth’s books entitled Wonders of the Living World.

So jump right in! We're so glad you're here.

— Ann Boyd

For show notes or more information please visit our article at The Well.

If you'd like to support the work of InterVarsity's Women Scholars and Professionals, including future podcasts such as this episode, you can do so at givetoiv.org/wsap. Thank you for listening!