Resilience is Wonderful…Confidence is Key with Dr. Angela Pearson
Dr. Russell Strickland [00:20:28]
Yeah. When I used to coach I don’t know where that phrase practice makes perfect came from, but when I used to coach my kids Little League years ago now, we always made sure we were drilling into their head. Practice makes permanent whatever you do over and over again. That’s what gets ingrained. So perfect practice makes perfect. We wanted to make sure we’re doing a good job at practice because whatever you do at practice, that’s what you’re going to do for real. But yeah, it’s really unfortunate that the you let the urban legends and the folklore and everything get you down, because usually these days, most of the time committees, it’s really supposed to be more of a celebration when you get to your defense. They invited you to the defense on purpose, right? They they didn’t invite you there to fail you because that makes them look bad as committee members. They invited the you’re ready. And yeah, we always tell our students, just stay out of your own head, take it seriously, do a good job. But you’re ready. You’ve got this. By the time they accepted your dissertation in writing, they’re on board. So what they need you to do is just to have a conversation with them. Honestly, almost at a peer level, they’re still a little bit of of deference because they still have to make one more decision for you or about you. But you’re growing to the point where you’re a doctor, they’re doctors. That defense should be a little bit more of a peer level conversation. So if any of you guys who are listening or getting close to the defense, keep that in mind that you’ve got this. You’re there for a reason. You earned it. Don’t let the negative self taught get in your way because it it’s really the biggest obstacle you face at that point. Would you would you agree?
Dr. Angela Pearson [00:22:08]
I totally agree. Confidence is key.
Dr. Russell Strickland [00:22:11]
Yeah, now I’ll tell you, when I was a grad student at the University of Chicago, not in the defense stage, but earlier on, after our first year classes, we had this candidacy exam, which all the faculty took great joy in telling the students that none of the faculty could pass the candidacy exam because what they would do is they would go really deep on like several different professor’s specialties. So, like, you had to know what this guy was studying really, really deep in that guy. Not that it was about the professors, it was about material. But the point is that you, as you get away from graduate school, you specialize and this is what you know really, really well. But the candidacy exam requires you to know this and this and this and this and this all really, really well. Professors are like none of us can do it. So, like legit, we’ll walk into your office over the summer to ask you a question, because we figure, you know the answer. We don’t. And that happened, a couple of times. So that was what they expected of us. It was a really big deal. We worked really, really hard for it. So the way that it works is you took a written exam the first week. It was like I forgot one or two days and was really, really brutal. Then you were supposed to know whether you did well on the exam or not and specifically know the areas that you didn’t do well on because then you were expected, without any feedback to go back and prepare further for those things because there was an oral exam the following week. And in the oral exam, what they did is they basically were like a dentist giving out a sharp tool, finding a little hole in the tooth and just making sure that everything was solid by the time they got there. And so everybody knew that whatever you didn’t do well on a written exam, you better make sure you got it right before you go show up in front of that panel. And it really was meant to be they were really meant to test you. It was not like a defense for a dissertation where I said it’s more like a celebration. This was a test. This is they were really trying to challenge you. So that week between the written exam and the oral exam, we were walking around the halls and saw the professor who was in charge of administering the oral exam, this little printout, and it was rules for giving an oral exam. I don’t know where he got this from. It was printed in some sort of magazine or something. Rules for giving an oral exam. They talked about how you set it up like an old British medical theater, like if you’ve ever seen from Victorian times, they have these really high theater theater is a very ramped thing. It goes all the way around. And then there’s the cadaver’s in the middle, in the middle, and the professors teach you down there. Well, what they said is the professors need to be strategically placed around the outside of the theater. The student is sitting on the in the middle with lights and and on a swivel chair. And they and one of the rules was that any group of professors who could get the student to turn all the way around 360 degrees got a point. And Professor, who was able to turn that around so fast that they literally fell off their chair, won the exam. And it was kind of a cute article, except it was the guy who was administering the oral exam next week. It added on his door. And so I I was very, very nervous going in. I knew what I’d messed up on. And sure enough, for me, about five minutes into the oral exam when the professor started asking about it and I answered her question and she said, I’m satisfied without without dropping a beat, the guy who had this posted on his door from the other side of the room said, well, I’m not. And my heart just went out and he asked me some other question. And I remember in my head saying, what am I going to do? Wait, you know what he’s talking about. You know how to answer this, and I’m like having this conversation in like one or two seconds inside my head is like, this is what you need to say. And then I started telling them. And I think that that is probably the last time in my life, honestly, I’ve ever really been nervous about anything. That was a long time ago. But at that point, I was like, well, if I can get through that, I just have to slow down, think about things and I’ll figure it out. So it was a rite of passage, I guess, is the way that they looked at it. It was really tough. But ultimately, I, I, I look back on that as being something that was probably a good experience because I faced a lot of stuff since then and I’ve learned not to worry about it. I deal with what I have to deal with, but there’s no point in worrying about anything you can’t deal with. You know, if you were to ask me a question I didn’t know the answer to, I would have just had to say, I’m sorry. I don’t quite know the answer to that. I can look it up, come back and talk about it later, whatever. And quite honestly, they they actually did that to one of the other students. And that was exactly what they were looking for at the time, was for that student to say, I don’t know, because that’s part of it, too. As a doctor, people trust you when you talk. And so if you start spouting off about something, you don’t know what you’re talking about. That’s a problem, too. But but these days, I don’t see that happening so much anymore. These days, it seems like it’s you know, when you go into a defense, certainly they want you to be successful. So anybody out there listening, try to remember that, because it’ll it’ll help out a lot. And you got this. You’re ready for it. So anyway, so unfortunately, that defense was not the fond experience or memory that we would have hoped you would have had, but what about afterwards? What was the best part after you finished that defense? I mean, at the end, did they actually get to to say, congratulations, doctor? That’s often how these things go.
Dr. Angela Pearson [00:28:01]
Well, it was kind of funny because they told me to go away from the farm. I don’t know where they thought I was going. So I put myself on you and I went away from the phone. I could still hear them talking. And it was so funny. He was like, she did an awesome job. Oh, my gosh. And then one of the committee members said, What do you think we should tell her she’s Dr. Pearson now or should we wait. And I’m just in the other room like that was so exciting. So then I stayed away from the phone a little too long and then I could hear them saying what she did. She go get lunch. So then I come back to the phone and they said, you know, congratulations, Dr. Pearson. And then I tried.
Dr. Russell Strickland [00:28:41]
So awesome. How did that feel?
Dr. Angela Pearson [00:28:46]
It felt amazing. Yeah, probably one of the next best feelings to giving birth to my children. Yeah, it was just an amazing experience. I said to myself, finally, I have done this. Yeah. So it’s a blessing.
Dr. Russell Strickland [00:28:59]
That’s so cool that. Yeah, usually they’re a little bit better with the technology. There’s usually like hold technology that you can tell someone you were putting you on hold that we’re going to, we’re going to talk about you now. So at least that way when they come back, you’re still there waiting for them. But but yeah. So I have before I started Dissertation Done, I’ve been on faculty and been on some of those calls and that is always my favorite part is when we get to congratulations, Dr. So-and-so, because it is such an impactful moment. It is. Kind of the culmination of everything you’ve done, unfortunately, you still have a little work to do after that, right? You still have to get your I’s dotted and T’s crossed for publication, I’m guessing, right?
Dr. Angela Pearson [00:29:43]
Most definitely.
Dr. Russell Strickland [00:29:45]
Now, you mentioned this wasn’t long ago. Do you remember how long it was between your between your defense and when the university finally said, you’re all done and you don’t ever have to talk to us again? Finish, finish. Do you remember how long that took?
Dr. Angela Pearson [00:29:58]
It took about three weeks.
Dr. Russell Strickland [00:29:59]
Oh, that’s not too bad. You have to think about it usually a couple of months, but three weeks. That’s not too bad at all because that for a lot of folks, that seems to be the longest part. Like I’m done, that I’m not done.
Dr. Angela Pearson [00:30:11]
Exactly. Yes. You still you still have to maintain the things that you need to take care of to finish up.
Dr. Russell Strickland [00:30:17]
So this get this little little bitty things finished. So. All right, so then you you finished you you have been christened Dr. Pearson. You finished dealing with the university. What came next? What was it like now with this new doctoral title?
Dr. Angela Pearson [00:30:38]
I tell you, it was funny because I still struggle to call myself Dr. Pearson sometimes, so actually knowing that I could put that in front of my name and then having the different conversations with people about, well, well, what kind of doctor are you? And then explaining to them my specialization is and so on and so forth. So and I don’t know if it’s been good. It’s been real good.
Dr. Russell Strickland [00:31:04]
So the thing that that I’ve noticed is that for anybody that you knew that knew you back when you’re the same Angela. Right. But it’s the new folks that you meet. Yes. That you know now your doctor Pearson. And that for a lot of folks is it’s a little bit of a head trip that they really do treat you differently than you. Was there a story that you can maybe relate to where you felt like you met somebody new and they treated you differently than they would have a few years earlier?
Dr. Angela Pearson [00:31:38]
Probably. I don’t know.
Dr. Russell Strickland [00:31:44]
I know I remember a story from when I was in graduate school, my college roommate was getting married and so his parents flew me back down from from grad school so that I could be a part of the wedding party. And so we had to go to the day I got in. We had to go to rehearsal dinner that evening. We were trying to get checked into the hotel. They provided a hotel room for me, which was really nice because I was a really poor graduate student at the time. And and for some reason, the room wasn’t ready. And his mom, who was the the head of the Education Department at the local university, she was asking what was going on and so forth, said, listen, it’s really important not to get him into a room because we’ve got to go. We can be late for the rehearsal dinner. And the person at the desk was just exasperated. And she said her name wasn’t Smith, but she said Mrs. Smith and was getting ready to explain to her why it wasn’t ready. And she took a little step back and kind of crossed her arms and looked down a little sideways and like, that’s Dr. Smith. And the woman looked at her like, I’m sorry, let me go get the manager. And everything got taken care of right away. And I remember looking over at her. That’s something like I don’t know if I’ve had of those moments as I’ve earned my degree because I don’t know, outside of professionally, I don’t use the title at all. I don’t introduce myself that way or anything else. But if I’m doing work professionally, then I do. But that was one of those cases where I was like, that was really special.
Dr. Angela Pearson [00:33:22]
And oh, it makes a difference why you were talking. You made me think about a childhood friend I grew up with and his father is a chiropractor, OK? And his name was Dr. Fletcher. And when I received my Ph.D., he started calling me Dr. Pearson, and it was weird because all my life I said Dr. Fletcher and then he’s been like Angela, so when he acknowledged that that was it was amazing. Yeah. Yeah.
Dr. Russell Strickland [00:33:47]
I still keep in touch with a couple of my students from Dissertation Done long after they graduated. And and one of them, they always would call me Dr. Strickland when we were when we were working together professionally, which I consider to be appropriate. But then I called one of them up to check in on them. Later on, I called him Dr. So-and-So and he thinks it’s cute to call each other doctor back and forth on a first name basis, that he still thinks that’s cute, so. And and then I know some folks will go out and can’t do it these days. We’re still in this COVID lockdown period right now as we’re recording this. But some folks would go out in a little group when they graduate and they go to the airport and they would page each other on the overhead thing. So it would say, “Paging, Dr. Pearson, come to get a white courtesy phone or something like that.” You have… Yes, I’m Dr. Pearson, I’m going to go.
Dr. Angela Pearson [00:34:42]
Oh, that’s funny.
Dr. Russell Strickland [00:34:44]
Little thing. This little indulgence is right. I mean, you work hard. You’ve earned this. It’s it’s it’s one thing to be obnoxious about it in front of people. You have to call me doctor when they’re like your kids school teacher or something. But it’s it’s nice to indulge a little bit because you worked hard. You earn that title. And like I said, I think that folks who some folks don’t use it professionally and I think that they should you did earn it is not really being a jerk, so to speak, to say that that’s so and so in a professional situation, no point hiding that accomplishment. People will treat you differently when they know and you should not be shy about it. Absolutely.
Dr. Angela Pearson [00:35:24] So that’s true. You’ve earned it.
Dr. Russell Strickland [00:35:26]
What’s what’s the best thing that’s happened, would you say, since you’ve graduated with respect to haven’t earned your doctoral degree? What would you say is the best or most unexpected thing that’s happened to you in that time?
Dr. Angela Pearson [00:35:41]
Well, I have a part time consulting business name OD Synergistics Consulting, LLC, and since I received my Ph.D. actually gotten a lot more business. I’ve been networking in this area even through COVID and been able to get that business up and running much more efficiently since my Ph.D.
Dr. Russell Strickland [00:36:05]
It’s helped a lot, opens a lot of doors. Having that doctoral degree people gives you immediate credibility, right? People assume that you know what you’re talking about when your first name is doctor, then you just got to make sure you’ll prove them wrong. Right?
Dr. Angela Pearson [00:36:19]
That is so true.
Dr. Russell Strickland [00:36:21]
But, yeah, that’s that’s wonderful. So what kind of what kind of clients do you help and what do you tend to do with those clients?
Dr. Angela Pearson [00:36:29]
So I help individuals and also organizations and I help them with organizational development, leadership development, strategic planning, leadership development, all those great things.
Dr. Russell Strickland [00:36:42]
Awesome, awesome. And I assume that that’s the part of your passion, that’s part of your calling that they be able to follow now that you have that degree.
Dr. Angela Pearson [00:36:52]
It is I love helping others.
Dr. Russell Strickland [00:36:54]
Congratulations, that is that is really awesome. Yeah. Is there anything else you’d like to tell folks who are going through this process right now who are still kind of struggling in the dissertation process that you’ve learned from from your own experience?
Dr. Angela Pearson [00:37:12]
Yes, most definitely. Number one: don’t give up. Continue to believe in yourself because you started this journey for a reason and you’re going to finish it and actually leverage to the resource groups I know through my school. I joined a couple of resource groups on Facebook and interacted with other people that were going through the same things as I was. And it helped a lot to keep me grounded. I know that if they can achieve it, I can too. So make sure you use your support network.
Dr. Russell Strickland [00:37:41]
Yeah, it’s really important. And, that’s part of the reason why I put this podcast out out here every week is to help, you know, that you’re not alone because so many people, when they’re going through this, they don’t know they don’t personally know anybody else who’s going through this dissertation process. At the same time, they are a lot of people don’t personally know anybody else who went through the dissertation process ever, because it’s only like one percent of the population who successfully earns a doctoral degree. So unless you’re working in a university where they all the doctors come together, you don’t you don’t see it that much, just kind of out there in the world and knowing you’re not alone is important. And like you said, having a group that you can that you can lean on is is also important. So whether you go out and bring someone in to support you like we do for our students or you can find support online somewhere, it’s really important to have that both from an idea of knowing that you’re not alone. Also, there’s a normative peer pressure of positive peer pressure that builds up when you are in a group of people that all have similar goals. And so that’s really important as well.
Dr. Angela Pearson [00:38:47]
Yes.
Dr. Russell Strickland [00:38:47]
Well, Dr. Pearson, thank you so much for joining us here today. I really appreciate it. Now tell folks how they wanted to get in touch with you if they needed some help with leadership development or want it to continue this conversation in any way. What’s the best way for for them to reach out to.
Dr. Angela Pearson [00:39:07]
The best way to reach me is that LinkedIn.com you can find me under Dr. Angela Pearson.
Dr. Russell Strickland [00:39:13]
Awesome. So we’ll have that down in our show notes and link to it. So if somebody would like to just go directly there, they can click on the show notes. But look at Dr. Angela Pierson on LinkedIn and you will find her there. I’d like to remind everybody that this episode has been brought to you by dissertation done. If you’re struggling with your dissertation, just getting ready to get started and you want some help, guidance and support to get you done as quickly as possible, go to DissertationDone.com/done. And if you’re out there living your unconventional life right now and you’ve got a message to share with your audience and you want to expand your authority platform so that your expertise you can put your expertise in front of more people a great way to do that by becoming a published author, there’s no better way to attract people to your business than by telling them. I literally wrote the book on this. So if you’re interested in that, go to DissertationDone.com/book once again. Dr. Pearson, thank you so much for being here with us today.
Dr. Angela Pearson [00:40:11]
You’re welcome. Thank you for having me.
Dr. Russell Strickland [00:40:13]
Awesome. And for all of you out there, go out and live your unconventional life.
Outro [00:40:23]
This has been an unconventional life. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed today’s episode, subscribe now to keep getting inspirational stories of unconventional lives as soon as they’re released. Until then, go out and live your best unconventional life.
