Power Your Research w/ Dr. Sheena Howard

Finding Purpose Beyond Academia

• Dr. Sheena Howard

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What if your academic journey didn't have to follow a straight path to be meaningful and impactful? Join us for an inspiring conversation with Dr. Sheena Howard, a creative entrepreneur and professor of communication at Rider University, who shares her unique journey from marketing and graphic design to earning a PhD in intercultural and rhetorical communication. Discover how her diverse academic background seamlessly integrated into a multifaceted career that transcends traditional academic boundaries.

In this episode, Dr. Howard opens up about her mission to empower scholars to break free from academic paywalls and leverage their expertise to achieve financial independence. 

Follow Dr. Sheena Howards' socials:
@drsheenahoward | Power Your Research

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I wasn't really thinking about majoring in something because it was going to have a financial gain at the end.

Speaker 1:

I really wanted to learn and I wanted to make sure I was interested in what I was learning, so I majored in things that were interesting to me.

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I don't want my work to be stuck behind an academic paywall. I want to leave a legacy, I want to reach my potential and I want to change lives. This podcast, power your Research, is my attempt to help the smartest people in the world do that very thing. My hope is that you use the lessons I share to make more money than what your higher ed job can ever pay you. I've done it, my clients have done it and so can you. My hope is that you'll apply what you learn here and one day join the Power your Research program, where you can work with me one-on-one is that you'll apply what you learn here and one day join the Power your Research program where you can work with me one-on-one. Now I know a lot of you watch my videos and you've been following me, and I give academic branding advice all day long to my PhDs and other people with advanced degrees, but I realize that you may get little nuggets about me in the content that I'm posting, but I haven't taken the time to tell you who Dr Sheena Howard is. So this video is a little bit about me so you can get to know me. I know when you follow people you often get curious about who they are and what their value system is and that sort of thing. So sharing personal things about yourself helps people understand your values and where you're coming from, and so that is the intent of this video. So hi, I'm Dr Sheena Howard.

Speaker 1:

I have a degree in business with a focus in marketing from Iona College, which is now Iona University. Shout out to Iona in New Rochelle, new York. They have an amazing business school. I have a master's in graphic design out of the communication department at New York Institute of Technology. Shout out to New York Institute of Technology, who just interviewed me for an alumni interview piece. So grateful for you reaching out. Thank you.

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I am honored and I have a PhD in intercultural and rhetorical communication from Howard University in Washington DC, where I did my dissertation on the history of Black comic strips, specifically the boondocks and shout out to Howard University. I had an amazing experience there. I love the DMV area and I am from Philadelphia, I live in Philadelphia and when you think about my degrees they all seem to be different and have kind of no logical connection. But I run a writing business, I run my Power your Research company, I run my Power your Research company and I am a professor of communication at Rider University, where I teach public speaking, I teach legal and ethical issues in communication, I teach interpersonal communication, I teach social media and social change just a range of communication classes and I'm a creative entrepreneur and a writer. Hey, everyone, real quick. I don't run any ads on this podcast, so I have to rely on word of mouth. If this podcast has helped you in any way, please share it with a friend and follow me, dr Sheena Howard, on LinkedIn, where I give more free content on building your brand as an academic. If you tell me you came to my LinkedIn from the podcast, I'll make sure I accept your request.

Speaker 1:

So when I look back on all of those different degrees, they actually all came together and make perfect sense. But in the moment when I was majoring in things in college, I wasn't really thinking about majoring in something because it was going to have a financial gain at the end. I really wanted to learn and I wanted to make sure I was interested in what I was learning. So I majored in things I was learning. So I measured in things that were interesting to me. That was the only metric. Am I going to be able to sit through these classes and enjoy learning what I'm learning and be invested in learning about marketing and graphic design? And so that was fulfilling to me. That's why I picked the majors that I did Now.

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When I did my dissertation on the Boondocks comic strip, that graphic design degree came in handy because part of my dissertation is on the aesthetics of what the characters were wearing and that I leaned on my knowledge of design in that dissertation, as well as African-American communication dynamics and the symbolic annihilation of women. And so it all came together nicely. And now I'm running Power, your Research, an academic branding company, and now I'm able to make connections between oh my goodness, I learned this in undergrad and now I'm actually using it and applying the things that I learned in a business setting, whereas I had all of this marketing knowledge but no application of it. So I learned the fusion of innovation theory in undergrad, but it was just a theory to me about how things spread. But now I've actually went through all of those phases of getting my messages to spread, and so now I know the application of all of those theories I learned in undergrad in a real life context, and it's so cool to see all of these things come together, and so my brand statement connects all of my interests.

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So whether I am writing Wonder Woman or Black Panther for Marvel or DC Comics, or whether I'm running my Power your Research company, it all falls under my brand statement. I'm completely clear on who I am and the vision I have for my life, and so my brand statement is I create experiences for free thinkers to feel empowered when they're challenging the status quo. So if you feel like that hits you and feels good to you, follow me, share this with your people, let me know in the comments or just direct message me and say hi. If I can help you with anything, I will. You.