Gwendolyn Dolske, Ph.D. teaches Philosophy at Cal Poly Pomona. Her award winning educational podcast, Good Is In The Details, features experts from a variety of fields who are invited to discuss the ideas underscoring their work. (Gwendolyn’s co-host and co-producer is Rudy Salo, author, lawyer, and actor.) She is the author of Tips From The Professor A Guide For College Success in addition to scholarly articles on film, Simone de Beauvoir, and other existentialist literature. Gwendolyn’s areas of expertise are Existentialism and Moral Theory… how incredible is this woman? 😍
Keep reading to get to know Gwendolyn better!
Name:
Gwendolyn Dolske
Podcast Name:
Tell us about your podcast in 3 sentences or less!
We aim to learn what we didn’t know we didn’t know, in the spirit of Socrates. Our goal is to promote conversations that are educational and entertaining.
What’s a quote or piece of advice that you try to live by?
The unexamined life is not worth living, Socrates.
Your Superpower:
I’m a mom
One thing on your bucket list:
More travel. I’ve been blessed with much in the Americas and Europe and some Middle East, but I’d love to see Asia and India.
What was your first job?
Babysitting
Any unusual hobbies?
No. But I read a lot!
Biggest Pet Peeve
Picky eaters
What inspired you to start your podcast?
The belief that education should not be reserved for the few who can afford university. I (and my co-producer Rudy) wanted to create a space for a fun and engaging way to learn and share ideas for a broad audience.
Tell us more about your work/life outside of your podcast.
I’m a professor, a Ph.D., and most of my time (outside of being a mom) is dedicated to teaching and researching for academic writing.
What is your show’s USP?
We are a philosophy podcast designed for a broad audience. It’s not esoteric at all. We break down ideas so that our audience can learn and feel good about the experience of listening to the podcast.
What is one of the greatest challenges you have personally faced with your podcast?
Monetizing so that I can spend more time on the podcast. We’re currently bi-weekly, but I’d love to add a third or fourth episode per month.
What was one of your favorite episodes you’ve ever done? Why does it stand out?
One of my friends of Chinese decent posted a story on Instagram about the emotional trauma and fear about Asian hate. I wanted to somehow honor her and learn more about the problems facing my friends and fellow citizens confronted with the surge of prejudice.
I reached out to a friend from undergrad who is a professor on Asian-American studies. He was an incredible guest and I’m forever grateful he gave his time to teach us about the history and cultural context of the reality for Asian Americans.
My students have listened to the episode and they’ve thanked me for putting the topic out. It’s humbling to have that response and I’m still in awe of how knowledgeable my friend was and how much that episode has meant to listeners.
What is one thing you have accomplished with your podcast thus far that you are most proud of?
That we’ve reached 100 episodes and have positive reviews!
What is one major milestone that you would like to accomplish through your podcast in the next year?
Sponsors for every episode (we’ve only had a few sprinkled in this last season).
What is a trend or development in the podcast industry that you foresee happening in the next few years?
I think podcasting is the new blogging for business. It’ll eventually be essential for any business. The problem, however, is that podcasting is more than simply hitting record.
What is one of the best pieces of podcast-related advice you’ve ever received & why?
It’s worth it to edit out “umm” and long pauses. I realize that’s time consuming, but a polished episode is something the guest will be proud of and more likely to share. I tell all my guests that my goal is to put out the best version of our conversation. It’s all in the details 🙂
What are some of your favorite women-hosted podcasts (besides your own)?
Hot Pizza Ass with Erin Darling. Hysteria (by Crooked Media).
Can you tell us about a time when you took a huge risk/did something you were scared to do, and it totally paid off?
In general, I decided to move to Western Europe for my graduate studies. Best decision ever.
Are there any great podcast-related resources you love that you would like to share?
Google 😂
How do you feel you’re making a positive impact and generating change through your podcast?
I genuinely hope that through podcasting I’m participating in creating a better place for people to engage in ideas, be open to different points of view, and honor great writers and thinkers.
For more from Gwendolyn:
