PhD career transition

From Regret to Reinvention: Designing Your Life After Grad School with Ashley Jablow

Welcome back to Beyond the Thesis with Papa PhD! This week’s guest is Ashley Jablo – founder of Wayfinders Collective and creator of Life Design School – who brings powerful insights for anyone feeling lost, stuck, or regretful after finishing grad school or stepping away from academia. In this deeply honest and inspiring conversation, Ashley…

Read More

From Executive to Passionpreneur – Career Reinvention with George Appling

What if your next job wasn’t about status, but about passion? In this powerful episode of Beyond the Thesis with Papa PhD, David sits down with George Appling—former McKinsey partner, telecom CEO, and now a self-described “passionpreneur.” George shares his journey from high-level executive roles to building a portfolio of ventures that light him up:…

Read More

Mindset Shifts: Tina Persson on Leaving Academia and Embracing Industry

In this episode, host David Mendes sits down with Tina Persson, a PhD in organic chemistry turned career coach, recruiter, and author, to dive into the reality behind making the leap from academia to industry. During the conversation Tina shares her personal journey, from her PhD and climbing the academic ladder, to discovering that professorship…

Read More