Face Your Fears

In December 2024, my first book -- The Present Professor: Authenticity and Transformational Teaching -- was released. There's an audiobook of that available, but in this new series, I share some of the deeply personal stories that informed the book in my own voice. Buy The Present Professor from the University of Oklahoma Press. The audiobook is available from all major audiobook vendors and produced by Tantor Media.Older episodes of this podcast are available wherever you get your podcasts or on my website here.Get in touch with me on social media! I'm active on Bluesky and LinkedIn (find me @liznorell) or you can email me at liznorell at gmail dot com.More soon!

I'm back with another installment of What Liz Has Been Reading Lately, featuring Thomas King's excellent book, The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America, and Michael Lewis's latest book, The Premonition. Both are definitely recommended!To find out more about Thomas King, check out this profile from CBC: https://www.cbc.ca/books/thomas-king-is-hopeful-that-his-writing-has-changed-the-world-but-he-s-still-not-sure-1.5795015And be sure to look up the book I discuss here: https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/the-inconvenient-indianMichael Lewis is notoriously social media averse, but you can learn more about him and his work at his web site: http://michaellewiswrites.com/#topBoth books he's written in the last five years are among my top nonfiction favorites of all time! They make it easy to understand how, when, and why government is an important part of our overall health and progress as a country. The Fifth Risk: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780393357455The Prem

In this week's episode of What Did Liz Read This Week? I talk about Aubrey Gordon's book What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat and Isabel Wilkerson's book Caste. Y'know. Some light reading.Aubrey Gordon formerly wrote exclusively under her internet handle Your Fat Friend. She's a fat activist and co-host of the incredibly popular podcast Maintenance Phase, along with Michael Hobbes.Isabel Wilkerson won the Pulitzer Prize for her previous book, The Warmth of Other Suns. Her latest book Caste has similarly been hailed as an incredible achievement, chosen by Oprah and others as a book of the year. It's also the common read this academic year for my college's honors program.Links:What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat: https://www.yourfatfriend.com/home/bookMaintenance Phase web: http://maintenancephase.com/MP IG: https://www.instagram.com/maintenancephase/?hl=enMP Twitter: https://twitter.com/maintenancepodAubrey Gordon's web site: https://www.yourfatfriend.com/AG's IG: https://www.instagram.c

This week, I talk about key insights from the second half of Kim Scott's revised edition of Radical Candor: How to Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity.See the four quadrants that undergird Scott's arguments here: https://www.radicalcandor.com/our-approach/And read more about Kim Scott here: https://www.radicalcandor.com/I also share thoughts from Angela Y. Davis's 2003 book, Are Prisons Obsolete?  I'm so often reminded of the saying: "hurt people ... hurt people." Unless and until we can break the cycle of trauma and hurt that leads so many to have their lives forever altered by breaking a law, we will never achieve an equitable criminal justice system.Read more about Davis's book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/213837/are-prisons-obsolete-by-angela-y-davis/And consider supporting / researching further with these groups she recommends:http://criticalresistance.org/https://www.hrw.org/https://incite-national.org/http://www.ncianet.org/https://www.prisonactivist.org/https://www.prison

It's been a long time since my last episode, mostly because COVID sucks and my anxiety has been spiraling for a while. But I'm back! And starting what I hope will become a regular (or semi-regular) Sunday offering -- a short episode each week (ish) recapping what I've been reading that week. This week, I talk about key insights from the first third of Kim Scott's revised edition of Radical Candor: How to Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity.See the four quadrants that undergird Scott's arguments here: https://www.radicalcandor.com/our-approach/And read more about Kim Scott here: https://www.radicalcandor.com/This week, I'm hoping to read more of Scott's book AND I'm eager to dive into Angela Davis's short 2003 book, Are Prisons Obsolete?  

This is the fifth in a special series of "covid convos" -- conversations with women about how they've been navigating the coronavirus over the last few months. In this episode, I talk to Gaytha in Dallas, Tex., about how working from home and taking care of her three-year-old daughter Blanche has had a positive impact on her family. Gaytha has learned that "work-life balance" is something that's both easier and harder to achieve in a work-from-home lifestyle, in that she is often working much later in the day, but she also has the flexibility to decide when she's doing most of her work. She has also really loved getting to be Blanche's "person," for the first time since Gaytha was on maternity leave after giving birth.I'm pretty confident you'll find something in this episode to inspire you to think about what you might be taking for granted during these ... odd times. I know I did.If you'd like to be a part of The Liz Cast or share your own #CovidConvo, please reach out! You can get in touch via www.liznorel

This is the fourth in a special series of "covid convos" -- conversations with women about how they've been navigating the coronavirus over the last couple of months. In this episode, I chat with Stephanie about how her work as an event coordinator at a retreat center in Monteagle, Tenn., has changed since March. (Hint: It's A LOT.) We also talk about a wellness retreat she's planning in July 2020, as well as her thoughts on identity and this moment as a woman of color.Find out more about the conference Stephanie mentions, A Bounty of Good Health, at this web site: https://www.duboseconferencecenter.org/bountyDuBose Conference Center is a wonderful place to escape and hold your events, and it's right down the street from me, too! Find out more about it at https://www.duboseconferencecenter.org/If you'd like to find out more about Liz or her work, visit https://www.liznorell.com/. Get in touch with show ideas, feedback, or what's on your mind.

This is the third in a special series of "covid convos" -- conversations with women about how they've been navigating the coronavirus over the last couple of months. In this episode, I chat with Rachel, who has weathered -- along with covid-19 -- a tornado and a bee infestation...! While it's been a topsy-turvy couple of months, she reflects back on this time with refreshing perspective and equanimity. I looooooove this episode!

This is the second episode in a special series of "covid convos" -- conversations with women about how they've been navigating the coronavirus over the last couple of months. In this episode, I chat with my fabulous friend Amanda, a single mom of two curious and energetic kids (both under 10, eeps!), who have been keeping her on her toes during this quarantine life. She talks about missing hugs, reading poetry, and also missing hugs ... did we mention?Amanda's not the only person who has found a new (or renewed) interest in birdwatching during #covid19 -- here's an AP article about the resurgent popularity of the hobby: https://apnews.com/94a1ea5938943d8a70fe794e9f629b13Thanks to Amanda for sharing her thoughts! If you'd like to be a part of this, reach out at www.liznorell.com,

Covid Convos with Katie S. Hall & Julie B.I'm kicking off a special series of "covid convos" -- conversations with women about how they've been navigating the coronavirus over the last couple of months. In this first episode, I chat with two dear friends while we escaped to Savannah for a responsibly-planned retreat, Katie S. Hall and fellow teacher Julie B. Find out how the three of us have been thinking about this slowing down of life, and tune in soon for the next installment of Covid Convos.Katie is a development professional who works with a ministry for men who are overcoming a history of addiction. She is also a yoga teacher with a special gift for helping women find ease and acceptance. Julie teaches English at Chattanooga State, and she's one of the most warm-hearted, quirky, delightful people I know. She loves Mister Rogers, Jeff Goldblum, and tiny hands more than anyone I've ever met, and she's learning how to play the ukulele during covid-19 because it's not so loud that it would disturb her c

What if one question could change your life?Author Jen Louden has been helping women care for themselves and achieve their creative goals for decades. Her latest book, Why Bother? Discover the Desire for What's Next is out April 21st. Listen to this episode to hear why life wants you to get your bother on, what Jen calls the alien invaders, the why bother canaries, and the time monsters, and why creativity happens in the gap between what you want to do and what you can do.Pre-order the book and get oodles of bonuses, including early access to Chapter 1, a brand-new, 5-day LIVE online training event, a virtual book party on April 22nd, and be entered to win a FREE retreat spot at a Desire Retreat this year!Share this episode with a friend (email me a photo of your share) and be entered to win a free copy of the book from me! (I pre-ordered a few, so I'll share the pre-order bonuses, too!!)Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the book:"Cynicism is perfectionism ... wrapped in self-protection ... disguised

Yogi Sho Higuchi (E-RYT) generously allowed me to share this 35-minute yoga nidra practice with you, in the hopes that it might bring you some peace in this challenging time of social distancing and stay-at-home quarantining. Listen anytime you want to calm your mind and soothe your nervous system.Along with two dear friends, I attended one of Sho's Yoga Nidra trainings in New York City last September. It was a weekend of profound rest (well, during the training, anyway) and inspiration. I've never met anyone quite like Sho -- he's deeply empathetic, kind, and has a wonderful, warm light that envelops those around him. I hope that comes across in this recording for you; it certainly does for me. Please find Sho to thank him for his generosity using one of these methods:Instagram: @restorewithshoWeb site: www.restorewithsho.comJoin his email newsletter / contact: restorewithsho@gmail.com

As all of higher education, basically, prepares to move its operations online, our students are struggling with life challenges, anxiety, and pressures. In this rapid-response episode, recorded hastily on the precipice of my own classes starting March 23, I talk to two students and a support center professional about things faculty should keep in mind as we make this seismic change.A few resources mentioned in this episode:The Happiness Lab podcast: https://www.happinesslab.fm/The specific episode about managing emotions in the coronavirus era: https://www.happinesslab.fm/coronavirus-bonus-episodes/beat-your-isolation-lonelinessSara Goldrick-Rab's webinar about things colleges/universities MUST keep in mind as we radically alter our operations: https://hope4college.com/2865-2/The Hope Center: https://hope4college.com/Article: "Please do a bad job of putting your courses online": https://anygoodthing.com/2020/03/12/please-do-a-bad-job-of-putting-your-courses-online/I also put together a one-pager on 10 Tips fo

After seeing Glennon Doyle (and her wife, Abby Wambach) on book tour earlier this week, I wanted to share something that I can't stop mulling over, from an audience question about body image.A few things from this episode:Buy her book! It's available using this link (which supports this podcast): https://amzn.to/3b4vGgP(I read from her chapter called "erikas")Find alllllll the body image resources worthy of a mention on Jes Baker's site: http://www.themilitantbaker.com/p/resources.htmlGet in touch! You can find all the details at www.liznorell.com. And thanks for listening.

Chris Emdin says, "You can't teach who you don't love. You can't teach who you don't respect." I couldn't agree more. In this solo episode, I rant about where my mind is vis-a-vis my teaching lately. I'm ready to start a revolution. Who's with me?Brene' Brown's actual quote, which I somewhat butcher in this episode: "Stop walking through the world looking for confirmation that you don't belong. You will always find it because you've made that your mission." (from Braving the Wilderness)Resources I mention in this episode:Love, Curvy Yoga podcast: https://www.curvyyoga.com/podcast/ (or search for it where you get your podcasts)MyIntent (to buy word-of-the-year bracelets and things): https://www.myintent.org/Tara Mohr's Playing Big resources: https://www.taramohr.com/the-playing-big-book/Dr. Donna Beegle: https://www.combarriers.com/index.php/node/176 & her company: https://www.combarriers.com/Jen Louden's fabulous site: https://jenniferlouden.com/ & writing retreats: https://jenniferlouden.com/workshop

Four women, including host Liz Norell, gather to discuss their different relationships to mental health. Topics discussed include depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, taking medication for mental health, side effects of doing so, stigma/shame, addiction, dealing with doctors, and more.You'll hear in this episode Andrea (who deals with anxiety and depression), Amanda (who deals with bipolar disorder, anxiety, and depression, and has dealt with addiction), Mollee (who deals with anxiety), and Liz (who deals with anxiety). We talk openly and honestly, in the hopes that doing so will raise visibility and decrease stigma. Each of us feels that these conversations need to come out of the shadows more -- so many people are dealing with these things, and having these conversations normalizes that experience.

A former student, Mikaila, stopped by to talk to me while she was home on her summer vacation. This conversation has stayed with me for every moment since we talked then... and I'm so proud to share it with you now. My big takeaway: BE KIND. TO EVERYONE. ALWAYS. Spread love, not hate.

Joined by friends and fellow political junkies Scott Foster and David Mabry, we dive into the hottest topic around right now -- IMPEACHMENT! Three normal (well, normal-ish) people, talking politics. If you want more politics talk, let me know!A few resources we recommend:Scott/Liz recommend  "Predisposed," by John Alford, John Hibbing, and Peter Smith (https://amzn.to/2ojxY8w); "The Religious Mind," by Jonathan Haidt (https://amzn.to/2nCTmpa); and the Heterodox Academy, a project co-founded by Jonathan Haidt (https://heterodoxacademy.org/)David recommends Joe Rogan's podcast (http://podcasts.joerogan.net/) & the Hidden Brain podcast  (https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510308/hidden-brain) For giggles, watch this delightful video made by John Alford to promote "Predisposed": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQnE9iupc1Y

Two former students, Colin McCormick and Itzel Garcia, were visiting just before classes started up again in August. I hustled them into a recording studio and made Colin tell me about his incredible experiences this summer. While Colin studies international relations at DePaul University in Chicago during the school year, he makes a compelling case in this conversation that to REALLY understand what's happening somewhere in the world, you really need to go there and meet the people. Colin mentioned reporting in August about Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar having been denied entry into Israel. Here's a link to remind yourself what happened: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rashida-tlaib-ilhan-omar-israel-bars-entry-to-outspoken-us-congresswomen-netanyahu-says/ We also discussed a book called "The Lemon Tree," by Sandy Tolvar. You can get a copy here: https://amzn.to/2LG7wit Read the author's reflection on the process of writing the book here: https://sandytolan.com/the-lemon-tree And listen to the audio do

Welcome to season 2 of my podcast, which I've renamed The Liz Cast. Why the change? Mostly because I wanted to widen the circle of topics I can talk about ... because it's just becoming TOO hard not to talk about politics, books, travel, etc. In this very brief re-introduction to my podcast sphere, I preview some of the episodes to come in this season. If you'd like to be on the pod, let me know! You can get in touch at www.liznorell.com. Next week, you'll be hearing from a former student, Colin, who had an incredible summer filled with enriching (and heart-wrenching) experiences working in Europe and the Middle East. You won't want to miss this inspiring conversation!