349: How to Stay Motivated in Higher Education Without Burning Out with Dr. Janice Castro

349: How to Stay Motivated in Higher Education Without Burning Out with Dr. Janice Castro

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[00:00:00] Welcome to the award-winning Grad School Femtoring podcast. The place for first gen BIPOCs to listen in on inclusive grad school stories and learn about personal development and productivity tips. This is Doctora Yvette Martinez Vu, a certified coach, consultant and author, and I will be serving as your femtor, providing you with insider knowledge to help you reach your personal and professional goals.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Welcome back everyone to another episode of the Grad School Femtoring podcast. This is your host, the Doctora Yvette. Today we are discussing the topic of motivation without burnout. Our [00:01:00] guest is Dr. Janice Castro. She's a bilingual, licensed psychologist. Speaker and host of the Latina ADHD podcast. As a first gen college grad and daughter of Peruvian immigrants, she specializes in Latina mental health and adult ADHD.

Through her talks and podcasts, she shares practical tools and culturally rooted insights on motivation, perseverance, and neurodivergence. Dr. Castro is passionate about destigmatizing mental health and empowering bipoc communities to thrive with authenticity and self-trust. And as you can see here based on the bio, there's a lot of reasons why I've brought her on here today.

So I'm thrilled to have you on the podcast, Doctora.

Janice: Thank you so much. I'm super excited to be here. I really appreciate you having me on your podcast and it's such an honor. thank you.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Yes, of course. Likewise, it's an honor to have you here. [00:02:00] I would love for you to get started by sharing a little bit more about your own personal and professional journey. I know that storytelling is important too, the work that we do, and I'd love to hear more about. What led you to focus on Latina mental health, on trauma-informed care, and even on ADHD?

Janice: Yeah. Thank you for that question. So I've. say that what led to this work was, fueled by my own personal experiences, so growing up I, as you mentioned in, in my bio, I grew up as a daughter of Peruvian immigrants, and I quickly learned that when it comes to mental health, there wasn't a lot of. or access to resources. there's also fears and stigma that played a role in being able [00:03:00] to get professional help. And I've had my own experiences of trauma, whether it's. because I, had my, my, my experience of my dad getting deported when I was a teenager. I grew up witnessing domestic violence.

I grew up working class family, like we were poor. 'Cause there was a while, like, 'cause my parents were undocumented and so that led to them having very limited income because of the jobs that they had. And so. When I went to college and I had decided to major in psychology because I thought I, I wanna help people.

And I'm a good listener, so I thought maybe counseling would be good. I realized in my classes that we didn't talk a lot about the experience of the Latina community. Even though we were talking about mental health and. It often showed up in classes as [00:04:00] there is limited research, especially for marginalized communities.

And I think that really fueled a passion in me to wanna pursue grad school to become a licensed psychologist. I learned that there's more career opportunities when it comes to getting degree after your bachelor's, and so. I had specialized in working in Latina mental health and, trauma-informed practice.

And so a lot of my research from grad school was around that. And then I would say that. Towards the end of my clinical training during my postdoctoral fellowship, I had gone to a training site that specialized in ADHD for adults. And I thought, you know, this would be a great opportunity to learn more about an area that I didn't have a lot of experience in.

And so [00:05:00] I don't identify as neurodivergent. So I don't have ADHD. And yet I noticed myself really gravitating towards these clients and really enjoying the work because I could deeply relate and empathize to the feelings feeling othered, feeling like I have to work twice as hard as people, constantly getting burned out Those feelings are very similar to what my clients with ADHD have. And I recognize that while I can't completely understand what it's like to have ADHD, I can empathize with that because I've been in a lot of systems that weren't built for people like me as a bicultural bilingual daughter of immigrants, first gen college graduate. So yeah, that's what led to my work in [00:06:00] specializing in this area of Latina mental health, trauma-informed care and ADHD.

And then I decided to develop my own business or grow my own business where I specialize in adult ADHD. So I see clients for therapy one-on-one, and I also have my podcast Latina, ADHD, where I bring on guests. Who share their experiences with having been diagnosed with ADHD, particularly within the Bipoc community. And my reason for that is because I wanna be able to amplify the voices of marginalized communities and by amplifying their stories. My hope is that it will reduce the stigma around neurodiversity. And I also bring on experts who specialize in neurodiversity. Because under this umbrella of neuro being neurodivergent, there is a lot of overlap of not just having ADHD, but also having autism, dyslexia, [00:07:00] dyspraxia. and then I have some solo episodes where I provide some psychoeducation.

And I do a lot of speaking related to perseverance, motivation cultural competence or humility cultural humility when it comes to working with the Latina community and understanding how to work with ADHD and understanding and embracing neurodiversity. So, yeah, that's a little bit about my work.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: I appreciate everything that you shared, and I appreciate too that you went all the way back. So some folks would choose to focus solely on, oh, where did my career start? But you're like, no, no, no. Let's go back to my childhood. Let's go back to some of these pivotal moments, including, you mentioned your dad's deportation.

You mentioned your family's limited income you mentioned. The, [00:08:00] that you witness domestic violence. And a lot of times individuals work under this assumption that someone who is a professional and a licensed psychologist in the field that, oh, they are privileged and they must not relate to me and my struggles and my experiences.

And so it's really helpful to have that context just to see you as a full human being, not just as a professional. You're much more than that.

Janice: Yeah.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: And then I also like that you told us and and it's a great ex, it's a great example of how sometimes we might try to plan as much as we want, but we land in some places unintentionally.

So you mentioned being it, well first of all, be. Being in your curriculum, your coursework, and noticing that lack of representation. That was the one thing of like, okay, I need to specialize in this because they keep telling me there's not enough research on the topic. So that was the first thing. And then the second thing with the postdoc of things [00:09:00] collided and you found this opportunity and you took it, and then you found a lot of parallels there, and so you decided to.

Focus and specialize on, Latine ADHD in particular, which is the same name of your podcast where you're providing this free resource, which is so essential, and we're gonna make sure to, to mention it in the show notes so folks can listen to your podcast because you do, you have a lot of great guest episodes and also solo episodes to support individuals who are neurodivergent and who have ADHD.

So I, I appreciate you sharing. Your journey and also how it's led to where you are now. Today we're talking about motivation and burnout. So motivation without burnout, and I'm curious for you. What comes up to you when, when we hear these terms? So how do you define motivation? How do you define burnout and why are they [00:10:00] important topics for you to cover today?

'cause you could have covered anything. I've just, I left the lane open,

Janice: Yeah,

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: so I'm curious why that, yeah, why that topic?

Janice: Yeah. You know, I, I appreciate you highlighting how I did bring up my personal experience and how it connects to the work that I do today, because that is also why I am so passionate, right? Because if. A lot of the experiences I've had influence the work that I do. It makes me want to give back to my community because I know I'm not alone in those experiences.

And so when you ask about motivation and burnout, those are two things that have come up for me that I've struggled with. And so in terms of providing, a definition for motivation, I think first about the different types of motivation that exist. And so thinking about both [00:11:00] intrinsic and extrinsic motivation intrinsic motivation meaning within, so what. Is what your why? You know, why did I pursue grad school? For a lot of reasons, honestly. It was a very important because I needed money. You know, I was like, if this is gonna gimme a career that I can have professional options, because at the time, it was during the recession. When I graduated from undergrad, and so they kept encouraging us to go to grad school, so I was like, okay, if I can't get a job that's gonna pay me well after my bachelor's, then I need to go where I can get a career that will pay well.

So that was considered e xtrinsic motivator. So, extrinsic motivator, I would say is the rewards, the external stuff. So let me, let me correct myself 'cause that was not my why. That was my why, but that was my extrinsic motivator. In terms of, [00:12:00] in intrinsic, I thought. why? Because I really care about my community. I really value being able to authentically show up for folks where often we don't see people who look like us. And, and I'm just speaking as a woman of color, as a Latina who phenotypically does look what stereotypical Latinas will be boxed into. And then. I think just understanding those two differences of like your why is, is your intrinsic motivator.

What, what feelings come up for you that lead you to wanna keep doing this? Extrinsic being the certificate, the diplomas, the money. And we can have both, like both my intrinsic and extrinsic motivators are what's gotten me this far.

When it comes to, burnout. Man, that's a tough one for me to, to find. I think [00:13:00] burnout.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Or what comes to mind?

Janice: So I would say burnout, oof cynicism feeling cynical feeling depleted, exhausted. Tired of feeling tired all the time. Lacking empathy, having compassion fatigue and. Yeah, I think those are the things or the terms, the feelings that come up when I think of burnout.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: And I mean, the topic is motivation without burnout. So I, I think you in some ways have told us part of what could be key to maintaining motivation without burnout. Because you mentioned in defining or in like describing motivation, you mentioned that the two things that come to mind are intrinsic and extrinsic

Janice: Mm.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: how it's okay to [00:14:00] have both.

Janice: Yeah.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: what comes to mind for me is that when you have too much of one and not the other. Especially that extrinsic motivation

Janice: Yeah.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: that could lead to burnout. Of course, there's a lot of other factors that impact burnout.

Janice: Hmm.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: curious about like your own lived experience and, and if there's anything else you wanted to share about how it's shaped the way you think about motivation and burnout.

Janice: Yeah. I think that while having both was helpful for me to get me this far into my career. I didn't understand at the time, which, you know, in hindsight I'm like, oh, well it makes sense why I didn't understand. I can have compassion for not knowing. That when you, when you're relying too much on the extrinsic motivators, it can lead to burn out. And think that growing up with a [00:15:00] scarcity mindset, because I recognize like. Growing up with undocumented parents, it, you're on survival mode, right? And then you're, there's fears. And then growing up, like low income, moving around, like not being able to have a stable home. also brings up that scarcity mindset of like, you don't know how much longer you're gonna have access to this place, or how much food are you gonna have on the table? I think those experiences have really influenced how I would view my career. There was just so much pressure, right, of like, I, I wanna get this career because I wanna make more money so I can. Meet my basic needs because I've struggled growing up, not being able to do that with my family. but then there's the pressure of [00:16:00] like, well, I'm the first one in my family to go to school, like to go to college.

And so that means that I, I gotta try really hard. I gotta get this degree so that I can be successful. Success, right? What does that even mean? And starting to think like, well, success means getting the degree, it means getting the high GPA, it means having those leadership roles on my resume so I can stand out. So, and then it also means what does your advisor think? What about those recommendation letters? So all of those external motivators. Started to create a lot of pressure that while intrinsic motivators were still there, I still felt passionate about wanting to give back to my community as a therapist. I just. Lost myself in it. And, and that pressure of just keep going. Just keep, you're doing your best. Like, don't give up. And that would lead to [00:17:00] multiple moments of burnout where sometimes I would get depressed, like clinically depressed, and I'd have to get on medication to help me get through it, because in my mind, I had to keep going.

There was no stopping. There were pauses that I took. There were moments where I asked for help. Moments where I had to recalibrate because things were not going as planned because I was retaking exams that, you know, when I compared myself to cohort members, they were get, I felt like I was falling behind.

And so I think extrinsic motivators really weighed heavy that led to some burnout.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Yeah, I really sense that heaviness and the pressure,

Janice: Mm.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: I can certainly relate to some of what you shared, especially the piece where you talked about the scarcity mindset, like just being raised in survival mode where it is not just a mindset, [00:18:00] it's an actual lived experience, and then feeling that pressure, especially when you're first gen.

Janice: Mm-hmm.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: the first in your family and you're just trying to do whatever you need to do to survive and to meet your basic needs, that's a lot of pressure to have, and I noticed that this is also really common, not just. Among us where we have shared experiences, but also among first gen students in general, they feel this pressure to just keep going, to keep pushing through.

They have to figure it out. I remember thinking actually that failure was not an option. And I was like, I'm just gonna push through no matter what. And I've witnessed this among other first gens too, where they just keep going, keep going, keep going. And I'm wondering why do you think that this belief of pushing through no matter what, why is that so common among first gen students and in our [00:19:00] communities?

Janice: Hmm. Yeah, I would say that I think it's really common among first gen students because I believe that our self-worth is too. Too intertwined tangled up with our careers. Like we, we associate our self-worth with our careers. And I am a prime example, right? Like, I was just like, yes, I, I care about wanting to give back to my community.

I wanna provide therapy. I love to help others. when you start to be. In that, in those spaces, in those bubbles who are like, oh, like what's your GPA? Like, do you have strong recommendation letters passing the test, getting you know, the ne the dissertation D defended? All of those things are external and, and because it's, you're so consumed by [00:20:00] it every day. And then on top of that, those extrinsic factors of like, well, I, I can't quit because I need a good paying job. Or, you know, I can't quit because I've gotten this far. And like I'm the first in my family to get this far. it, it starts to make you think like. And I need to work harder. I'm not good enough.

I just need to do better. I, I need to just, you know, maybe I just gotta work twice as hard as my white colleagues because we're, these systems weren't built for me, but that just means I gotta work harder then. And so then you get caught up and, and it gets really hard to untangle that. And so when I think about our self-worth being tied to our careers. It definitely gets into this grind mode of just, just keep hustling, keep grinding, and the imposter [00:21:00] phenomenon starts to creep up. voice, right, of like, you're not doing enough. Keep going. You got this. And then it starts feeling like a sprint. 'cause you're just hyping yourself up. Like, just keep going.

Don't stop. Okay, take a pause. Just take a nap, but keep going. And then that sprint is what burns you out because you don't rest enough. And it's a marathon, it's not a sprint. Right? Because grad school is, is a long. Long-term goal. It is, is it's really hard because there's so much pressure around you with, you know, people always hearing people on the go, constantly making moves. I envi like I think about how my marathon was 15 miles. And I say that because. I, it took me 15 years to get to where I am as a licensed psychologist from undergrad. [00:22:00] Through grad school and taking my licensure exam and across those 15 miles of the marathon, I fell so many times I had to retake things, redu like internship. And it was hard. And, and it, really started to make me question myself because there is this expectation that gets placed on us like. Well, this is the average. This is what students typically do, and then I to constantly feel like you're the only one who didn't do what is expected, very easily gets to your self worth of like, what's wrong with me?

If you've been carrying a long-term project that keeps getting pushed to the side over and over and over again, I want to invite you to my Compassionate Accountability Retreat next week on December 12th and 13th. This is a gentle two day virtual retreat designed for first [00:23:00] gen grad students and professionals who want structured support without pressure.

Across the weekend, you'll get many workshops, guided reflections, a resource bundle, and four hours of focused working time to help you reconnect with your project and finally make meaningful progress on it. You can bring anything you've been trying to prioritize, a dissertation chapter, a manuscript, a portfolio application, materials, or a creative project you want to return to.

Right now I'm offering a special holiday rate through December 7th, and because you're a podcast listener, I'm extending that rate just for you. Use the code Podcast 25 at checkout to join the two day retreat at my holiday rate through December 10th. Don't wait. There's only three spots left. So learn more and save your seat by heading to the link in my show notes.

Join us to make progress on your project with [00:24:00] compassion, community, and care. See you there.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Right. So what I heard you say is that a lot of times. Those of us that come from first-gen backgrounds, we push through no matter what, because we, a lot of us, not everybody, but a lot of us will tie our self-worth to our careers. And then because of that, when maybe we might not have the same level of support or access to resources, or for whatever reason, we start to play the comparison game, then that's when you're like, oh, wait, but I have to try harder.

Or I have to work harder or I have to do better. And that's tied to the imposter phenomenon or this idea of like, oh, well I'm a fraud, or I don't belong, or someone's gonna find me out. And it, I even noticed your voice sped up as you were describing it. You were just, you gotta try harder, I gotta do this, gotta do that.

So your voice sped up [00:25:00] reflecting that grind mode, reflecting the sprint. That metaphor of like, is it. Oh yes. Oh, I know. So you're like, is this a sprint or is this a marathon? And we're talking metaphors here. It's a marathon. And if when you think about marathons, you're not going at the exact same fast pace that you would in a short sprint.

You have to slow down.

Janice: Mm-hmm.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: You have to change your pace. And so what's missing in the gotta push through is. The rest, the slowing down, and not everybody may feel like they even have the privilege to slow down,

Janice: Mm-hmm.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: But I'm curious what that resting or slowing down can look like for students who might be listening right now and thinking, well, I grew up being told that, you know, you just keep going. Hechale ganas.

Like you just keep going no matter what.

Janice: [00:26:00] Yeah,

yea. I think what it looks like is it can be simple. And strategic. so for example, what I mean by simple is taking small breaks in between different tasks. When you're transitioning from one thing to another it's so hard because it comes with. Right, of like, how am I gonna take a break and between this and that, like, I'm gonna be late, or this is due right now. And so that sense of urgency, it'll creep up. And it's, it's hard because then we care about what others think, right? Because then it goes down to like, well, if I take this break. How is that going to look to my supervisor, advisor if I'm a few minutes late? And the people pleasing starts to creep up too.

I, I struggled a lot with people pleasing, and I think if, if we're thinking about rest, those simple [00:27:00] breaks of, you know, giving yourself 10 minutes to go out for a walk, you know, just getting some fresh air. Another simple but strategic. A way to rest is being able to have lunch without your laptop or your phone.

Allow yourself to get bored, you know? And just that slowing down is what's gonna help you move further in this marathon. Like I think about how there's that story of the cordes and the hair. Did you ever hear that one? Yeah,

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Yes.

Janice: The tortoise and the hare is about like, you know, the tortoise being really slow but still winning the race.

And I bring that one up because I think that that's, that's ideal that, I guess the tortoise in this case would be winning with setting boundaries. Being able to say no. drinking water, [00:28:00] going out for, for strolls, logging off. And when I talk about rest, I think about it as energy management. because we can't run on fumes if we're constantly in a sense of urgency. It's really going to impact the work that we produce.

And while some may say that they work well under pressure because it gets them focused and it gets them to do the tasks that they've been procrastinating on, what I recognize is that yes, the tasks may get done and it's not being done. At your best. Right? And our best looks different every day. But by stressing ourselves out, waiting till the last minute thinking, we work well under pressure, urgency, messing up our mental health because biologically we are reducing a lot of [00:29:00] cortisol in our brain. And if it keeps getting released constantly because you're on this sense of urgency that can start to develop into challenges with your executive functioning and if it's chronic. It can start to impact both mental and physical health. And it can show up in so many different ways. Whether that's it showing up as anxiety, depression or burnout, which then impacts your ability to keep going on the race or the marathon. so yeah, I think rest can be simple and strategic. And with, with small breaks.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: I was actually going to ask you after this about like what's the tool or mindset shift that has helped your clients or helped you with like stopping this cycle of running on empty. And I feel like you're already doing that because you shared with us these simple strategic [00:30:00] ways to rest or to slow down from.

Taking breaks and giving yourself time and permission to honor the guilt that comes with it. Let that go. And then, or even like, just take a lunch break to yourself. Do nothing. Just give yourself permission to get bored.

Janice: Mm-hmm.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: And I think about that a lot. Especially like things, doing things like taking a shower.

It's like one of those rare moments that. People who are like in high-paced environments, they're like, oh, in the shower, they finally get to just sit down and relax. Well not sit down, but like relax while they're doing that. And that's when they produce the most creativity or ideas. So give yourself permission to slow down and to be bored.

Set boundaries. Test out saying no more often, especially for my people pleasers and those of us that are also recovering people pleasers. I'm one of them too.

Janice: Yeah.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: And then of course, this idea of the energy management piece is like you can't just keep going, [00:31:00] going, going at the same pace all the time. So when can you change up your pace?

When can you slow down? When do you need to go faster, slower, et cetera.

Janice: Yeah.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: I'm curious though, these are a lot of different strategies, but yeah. Again, going back to the mindset piece, is there a mindset shift that can support our listeners who feel like they're always running on empty?

Janice: I, I think so. And when I think about that mindset, mindset shift, it's, doesn't come easy, right? Like it's not gonna happen overnight. I think it's a, a practice. And I think that. Part of recognizing when we create these mindset shifts or we start to create changes in, you know putting breaks in our schedules, is that it does come with guilt, like you said, and it's just acknowledging [00:32:00] that it's there. But not letting your guilt direct your actions. Not letting that guilt be like, oh, I feel guilty for resting, so I'm just gonna stop resting. You can acknowledge that it's there and, and keep, go and keep resting. I think part of the mindset shift that may come with guilt is reminding yourself that who you are matters. And it matters so much more than what you do.

And that's really hard when you're in grad school because you're asked to do so much that it makes it really challenging to do boundaries. And I think part of that mindset, mind set shift, having like a tongue twister, to be able to implement a tool, I think is chunking. So chunking, I talk to a lot of my therapy clients about it. When I give my speaking engagements on motivation and I'm talking about [00:33:00] energy management, chunking is a really great tool because it is a way of. Breaking down a task or a goal into smaller goals or smaller steps, and then you think that small, make it even smaller.

So for students that could look like telling yourself, okay, today I am gonna write my thesis. that's the big goal, right? And so break chunking, it means creating moments. So for example, you break it down and you think, okay, my first step is. To choose where am I gonna write my thesis? What environment are you gonna do it at home?

Are you gonna do it from your bed? Are you gonna do it at the library? Are you gonna ask somebody to join you so that you have the accountability and do some body doubling? 'cause you know that that might work for you. So that's one step. You choose the environment. The next step is. [00:34:00] Opening up your laptop and being able to open up the Word document. It may seem very simple, and that's what we're going for. We're going for simple steps because those are already two moments you've cr. Chosen a space. You go to that space, you open up your laptop, you've opened up the Word document. These moments have created momentum. That momentum is what's going to get you moving towards your goal.

And so I think that being able to use that tool of chunking and reminding yourself that who you are matters so much more than what you do can really help.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: When you mentioned the mindset shift, the first thing that came to mind is that some people don't know who they are outside of what they do.

Janice: Mm. Yeah.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: So maybe even digging deep into that, the [00:35:00] reflection piece of weight, hold up. Maybe I've never thought about myself beyond what I do, beyond what I produce,

Janice: Yeah.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Beyond how useful or helpful I am.

And I say that calling myself in 'cause I've definitely experienced that. And so yeah, I think it's important to know who you are, like as you said, and then to remind yourself that who you are matters more intrinsically, like just who you are. You are enough just as you are, even without thinking about everything that you do.

And then I appreciate you mentioning the chunking, because that's something that comes up a lot in my work too with supporting grad students is sometimes they just need that support with breaking things down. And you'd be surprised because chunking is so common in the K through 12 setting. Uh, that like we forget that sometimes as adults we, we might need that support too, or, or, and it might not be all the time, but sometimes it's during [00:36:00] moments where depending on your circumstances, like you said, the executive functioning might go down or you might just feel, be feeling, especially overwhelmed, or maybe you just.

Need something small, like you said, to maintain or to create and then maintain the momentum. So I think those are two really, really helpful ideas that you just shared with us. Is there any other question you were hoping I would ask you today?

Janice: I don't think so. I think those are some really great questions. Very helpful to help me reflect back on my experiences and honestly, just my own benefit has been like, damn, I the growth. That I've done, I've, and I am so glad that you and I can talk about it so that others I hope, feel inspired because it is not easy.

It took many breaking points for me to finally realize that my self-worth was tangled up with my career and, [00:37:00] being able to. Stop and ask myself like, who am I? Well, I am more than this career. I'm more than this job. It honestly felt like a spiritual awakening. And everything changed after that and for the better.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: As we get close to wrapping up, I am not just thinking about us and our conversation. I'm also thinking about our listeners, and I'm especially thinking about those that maybe are on the verge of burnout or are already burnt out, and they clicked on the button to press play because they, they thought, wait.

If I'm feeling this way, I need a little bit of extra support. Are there any closing words you can offer them to help them make these, even if it's a baby step, to shift more toward more sustainable forms of motivation or to increasing motivation, or even as you mentioned earlier, to [00:38:00] get them back into that sustainable form of momentum?

And I'm using that word sustainable because we're thinking about folks who are burnt out, where sometimes it's, it can be hard to even take one baby step.

Janice: Yeah, yeah, for sure. I think when I consider just some takeaways, for the listeners is like, I hope that. You can give yourself some grace and compassion because if you're currently working or studying under a system that was built for and white men, then it makes sense why it's hard for you to be able to keep up and maybe you have other things going on outside of your job or work or.

Your schooling that's impacting you, that's why it's important to recognize that. You are on your own journey, and that in these moments, it [00:39:00] is important to allow yourself to ask for help when you need it. Being able to delegate tasks, and sometimes that comes with shame because of the imposter phenomenon, and it goes back to acknowledging like, yeah, I feel shame.

You can acknowledge how you feel. Be compassionate in that you can be mindful that you're not alone with that and being able to. Hold space to give yourself some passion patience and grace. I think those self-compassion breaks can really make such a difference. You don't need anybody else around you.

You don't need a therapist, you don't need anything besides those three steps of acknowledging how you feel, recognizing the common humanness that I am not alone with this feeling. A lot of people feel this way, and may I be patient with myself?[00:40:00]

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Yeah. So recognizing how you feel, recognizing your humanity, and recognizing your need to be patient with yourself.

Janice: Mm-hmm.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: I love that. For folks who want to learn more about you and your work, how can they connect with you?

Janice: Yeah, thank you for asking. You can connect with me on my newsletter. I have a newsletter that you can sign up for. I share a little bit about myself and then also some ADHD tips also through, , the Latine ADHD podcast. So. That is available both on YouTube and whatever audio podcast you listen to. And I'm also on social media. So I will post on LinkedIn under Janice Castro or on Instagram is Dr. Janice Castro.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Thank you so much Dr. [00:41:00] Janice, for sharing your insights and experiences with us today. It was greatly appreciated.

Janice: Yeah, of course. Thank you so much for having me, Dr. Yvette.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Thanks so much for listening. If you liked what you heard, here are three ways you can support the show. The first is to make sure you're subscribed and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. The second way is to get your copy of my free resource kit linked in my show notes. This kit includes tools, playlists on all things grad school, productivity, and personal development.

The third way to support my show is to follow me on social media. You can find me on Instagram with the handle at gradschoolfemtoring and on LinkedIn by searching my name. Thanks again for listening. And until next time.