Ep. 146: Dr. Adia Gooden on Unconditional Self-Worth and Choosing Entrepreneurship Over an Academic Career

Dr. Adia Goode

Ph.D. in Clinical Community Psychology

DePaul University

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Many of us anchor our self-worth to our achievements, be they academic, physical, or fiscal. While we may find it motivating in the short term, the long-term effects of this can often result in unhealthy coping mechanisms and a paradoxically low sense of self-worth. Our guest today, Dr. Adia Gooden, is a licensed clinical psychologist, speaker, and host of the podcast Unconditionally Worthy. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Stanford University and earned her PhD in clinical Community psychology from DePaul University. She formerly worked as a college counselor and recently set out on her own by starting her private practice. In today’s conversation with Dr. Gooden, we discuss her journey to psychology, why she decided to pursue entrepreneurship over academia, and her deep passion for educating people on their unconditional worthiness, especially women of color. She shares insights into her self-worth journey and explains how therapy helped her address her harmful relationship with achievement and the unhealthy coping mechanisms she relied on during graduate school. We also touch on her parents’ work as clinical psychologists and academics and discuss how their careers influenced her studies, including how their expertise in academia helped her navigate university life. Dr. Gooden has a wealth of insights to offer for students and non-students alike, so tune in for an informative and thought-provoking discussion on academia, entrepreneurship, and the power of unconditional self-worth, plus more!

Connect with Dr. Gooden on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and her website.

Key Points From This Episode:

• An introduction to today’s guest, Dr. Adia Gooden, and her work as a clinical psychologist.

• How her work as a therapist and speaker aligns with her passion for helping people embrace their unconditional self-worth.

• Hear how she became interested in psychology and chose to pursue a doctoral degree.

• How her parents' flexible careers impacted Dr. Gooden’s own career choices.

• The benefits of having two parents who were academics while navigating graduate school.

• Her journey from undergrad to doctoral degree and her efforts to obtain enough research experience for her applications.

• Why DePaul University was a good fit and why she didn’t choose a research-heavy institution.

• Dr. Gooden’s positive experience with her cohort and the benefits of having a culture of collaboration rather than competition.

• The ways her mentor supported her and the immense value of a mentor who pays attention.

• Her early experiences with publishing and why she chose entrepreneurship over academia.

• The Black women she was able to connect with and how it positively informed her experience.

• Some of the struggles that Dr. Gooden encountered during her doctoral program.

• Using her graduate program to prove her self-worth and the emotional distress it caused her.

• Dr. Gooden’s post-doctoral journey and how she decided to pursue entrepreneurship.

• The sense of fulfillment that comes with community work and private practice.

• Dr. Gooden’s courses on self-worth and how she’s seen people’s lives transform.

• The joy she has experienced in creating her podcast, Unconditionally Worthy.

• Her parents' thoughts on her decision to leave academia.

• How Dr. Gooden sees her business growing in the future.

• Learn about her mission to get the message ‘you’re unconditionally worthy’ out to as many women as possible, especially women of color.

• Dr. Gooden’s advice for Black women who are currently doing their doctoral program.

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