Heel Talks

For the whole month of April we have been sitting with seniors from the Class of 2021 about their experiences over the last four years. Join us as we listen to Anaia share about her “unexpected growth” and the community she’s gained over the years.

For the whole month of April we are sitting with seniors from the Class of 2021 about their experiences over the last four years. Join us as we speak with Bryan, celebrate his achievements, and gleam wisdom from his experiences and growth during his time at Carolina

As we close out women’s history month, join us for a conversation with world renowned marine biologist and policy expert, Dr. Ayana Johnson. She will discuss her journey within environmental justice and the advice she has for those hoping to join the fight.

Rachel’s journey within diversity and inclusion initiatives began during her time as an undergrad at UNC. Join us as we talk with her about the what she’s learned and the evolution she’s seen with the areas of diversity and inclusion over the past 10 years.

Being a women in leadership can be difficult. Women have to work harder to overcome the stereotypes that have been created about their ability to lead. Join us as we talk with Sarah Bradley and Kira Griffith about their experiences heading UNC’s two largest student organizations: RHA and CUAB.

Each individual has a factors that impact their identity and style of leadership. Soccer was this influential factor for Claudia Dickey. Join us as we talk with her about the growth she has seen and the lessons she has learned by being a part UNC Women’s Soccer team.

As we start women's history month, HeelTalks wants to recognize women on campus who are making a difference. Join us as we talk with two female student athletes about their experiences and the way in which sports have shaped their leadership.

Leadership is a constant learning process that becomes more refined as we gain more experiences. Join me as I chat with graduate student Danielle Caster about her journey through her graduate program, the lessons she has learned, and how she applies those to other areas of her life.

Identities are ones individual characteristics that are unique to who we are as individuals. Often times, we have different identities based on the environment we find ourselves in. Join me as I talk with DJ Hamilton about how he’s learning to bring his different identities into all the spaces he occupies.

As student leaders, reflection is key to continued progress and evolution. Join me as I talk with Brady Creef about the changes and growth he’s seen not only in his personal life, but also across UNC’s campus.

Master of Public Health candidate Danielle Caster joins us today to talk about how she has grown as a leader in her professional life and academic life! 

The transfer experience is one that we may not hear about often, but it is still very worthwhile. Join me as I chat with transfer student Courtney Witherspoon about her transition to Carolina and her position as President of the TarHeel Transfer Program.

Liam Hysjulien, the NC State Director for the Campus Election Engagement Project, where he has been working to get college students out to vote. Liam shares his philosophy of organizing and provides some important reminders for people who will be voting in the next few days.

Join me and Francisco Cantu, the President of Phi Sigma Pi, a gender inclusive national honor fraternity, as we discuss leadership within the organization! 

Social media has opened many doors for connectivity, but also posed many challenges. Join myself as I speak with two campus influencers about what their social media presence has taught them about leadership.

Francie Sentilles, President of APPLES Service-Learning, joins Heel Talks to talk about how the organization helped her get more involved in the Chapel Hill community.  Francie also tells us about other opportunities for getting involved with the Carolina Center for Public Service!

Join us as we talk about what leadership looks like on and off the field with UNC's Women's Field Hockey Goalie Megan Ragusa! Look out for #88 on Friday, October 30th at 4:30pm on the ACC Network as Ragusa and her teammates take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons!

Join me as I chat with Sarah Levine about self-awareness and her journey of developing her own self-awareness as a leader.

 Nicholas Batman, Director of the Institute of Politics' Civic Engagement Action Coalition joins HeelTalks to talk about their efforts to get Tar Heels out to vote and keep them engaged past the election!

Today's podcast features Collin O'Donnell, President of the Carolina Veterans Organization! Listen in as we discuss leadership from a unique perspective! 

Leadership is never one track. It is a process that evolves as a person grows and gains new experiences. Join me and Jared Ward as we dive into his leadership evolution in this episode of HeelTalks.

What does it look like to serve your home community after graduation?  Dante Pittman '18 shares his story of returning to Wilson, NC to serve the City of Wilson while also staying ready to serve our  state in the National Guard.

Today's podcast features Veda Patil, Co-President of Campus Y!  Today's discussion is centered around leadership and activism! 

Join me as I chat with Darian Abernathy about her role as the Director of the Carolina Union Board of Directors, and the ways in which the Union is transitioning to remain a resource for students during these times.

North Carolina has one of the longest ballots in the country.  Have you thought how you will vote in Judicial and Council of State elections?  Retired NC Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr and Retired Superintendent of Public Instruction June Atkinson join us to talk about these important races.

Today's podcast features Ryan Collins, the President of The Graduate and Professional Student Federation! Learn more about what it is like to be a leader from the perspective of a Graduate student in 2020! 

Join us for an episode with Dr. Shauna Harris, the Assistant Dean of Students Affairs for the School of Education at UNC Chapel Hill, as she shares stories about the lessons she's learned through quarantine and now navigating the virtual workspace.

Protecting citizens' ability to vote is as important as ever in this election cycle.  Allison Riggs joins us to talk about types of voter suppression that she and her team at the Southern Coalition for Social Justice are working to prevent.

Join us as we talk about what leadership looks like on and off the field with UNC's Women's Soccer Team member Isabel Cox! Look out for #13 this Sunday, September 27th at 3:30pm on the ACC Network as Cox and her teammates face Duke! 

Join us for a conversation on advocacy, activism, and the importance of raising your voice with Collyn Smith and Lamar Richards! 

Join us as we discuss data and the upcoming election with Dr. Bitzer from Catawba College! 

Join us as we discuss leadership with UNC Chapel Hill's College Republicans President Eli Grossman!

Join us on this episode as we get to know Dr. Sibby Anderson Thompkins, Interim Chief Diversity Officer, and her leadership journey.

Join us as we discuss leadership with UNC Chapel Hill's Young Democrats President Rupi Jain! 

Join us on this episode as we get to know Dr. Amy Johnson, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, and her transition to UNC and her leadership journey.

Tar Heels, do you have questions about voting?  Rachel Raper, Orange County Director of Elections, joins Heel Talks to cover registering to vote, requesting an absentee ballot, and important dates to keep in mind this election season.

Join us as we discuss leadership with Caroline Le, UNC Chapel Hill's chapter president of the National Health Preprofessional Honor Society. 

On this episode of Heel Talks, we spotlight one of our many student organizations, "A Novel Idea". The purpose of A Novel Idea is to encourage reading for fun in order to instill a lifelong love of reading across the disciplines, as well as in the community. This club gives UNC students the chance to foster this passion for reading in children by giving back to the community through volunteer organizations such as Book Harvest. We sat down with club president, Lauren Westbrook, to learn more about the group and their plans for the fall semester!

A big part of being a leader is having the ability to make the right calls in difficult situations. While this seems very intuitive,  the decisions aren't as clear cut with a right or wrong answer. Sometimes there can be more than one "right" answer between the parties involved. Join us as we talk about the importance and complexities of leading ethically and what that means in the context of working with others. 

Podcast Guest:

Amy Holway | Assistant Director, Student Conduct

Audrey Walker | Assistant Director, Student Conduct

Q Bobb | Outreach Coordinator & Managing Associate | UNC Honor System

The "Leading By Example" series within Heel Talks asks leaders to share a personal story in their own leadership journey and connect it back to who they are today. The stories range from memories of childhood, to present day leadership encounters surrounding the pandemic. This episode shares the story of a former graduate student who struggles of leading from the middle, as she is a supervisor for undergraduate students and a supervisee to the professional staff in her office. 

Podcast Guest: Krystal Andrews | Academic Advisor - UNC

When we think about leadership, we often think about the giving of our time and energy to people and causes that we are deeply passionate about.  Acts of service and volunteering are two of many ways that leaders give back to their teams,  their communities, and the world. Join us as we sit down with our podcast guest and talk about the importance of, engaging in service projects and volunteering,  making those experiences meaningful and mutually beneficial for all involved, and common pitfalls that can happen when service isn't done with intentionality.

Podcast Guest: Kate Palmer | Program Officer for Community Engagement

On this episode of Heel Talks, we discuss the importance of strong leadership during times of crisis with members of Carolina Housing. Whether it be dealing with a conflict in your friendships, or grappling with a global crisis such as a pandemic, good leadership is essential to achieving the best possible outcomes  when making it out of those situations. We hope that you are able to take the many gems from this conversation and apply it to your daily lives!

Podcast Guest: 

Kala Bullett: Senior Director Residential Education | Carolina Housing

Annie Lundeen: Community Director | Carolina Housing

The "Leading By Example" series within Heel Talks asks leaders to share a personal story in their own leadership journey and connect it back to who they are today. The stories range from memories of childhood, to present day leadership encounters surrounding the pandemic. This episode features a new graduate student, a new team, meaningful work, but a big disconnect in communication styles. 

Podcast guest: Viviane Linos | Interpersonal Violence Prevention Programs Coordinator in the Student Wellness Office-UNC

The "Leading By Example" series within Heel Talks asks leaders to share a personal story in their own leadership journey and connect it back to who they are today. The stories range from memories of childhood, to present day leadership encounters surrounding the pandemic. This episode features the tale of a 7 year old, her siblings, and their quest to discover the content of their Dad's forbidden VHS Tape during a short window of time. 

Podcast Guest: Caress Roach | Health Promotion and Well-being Programs Coordinator in the Student Wellness Office-UNC

Throughout the year, the Office of Student Life and Leadership hosts a multitude of classes geared towards leadership development. One of those classes is EDUC 309: Leadership for a Better World, co-taught by Sydney Howell and podcast co-host, Anthony Wright. As the semester/school year comes to an end, Anthony sat down with two of the graduating seniors in his class and asked them to reflect on their experience with EDUC309  and how it impacted them as they prepare to enter alumni-hood. 

Podcast Guests: Avra Salters and Andrew Stratton | UNC Class of 2020!

This "Leadership Spotlight" features The Office of Student Life and Leadership's very own Student Leadership Coordinator, Rebecca (Becca) Menard! In this episode Anthony and Becca take a look back at their four years at UNC, reflect on their own leadership development over the course of that time, and provide some final words of wisdom to their fellow graduate, incoming first year students, and everyone in between! 

From March 6th-March 12th, students from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University came together for a week of community building, leadership exploration, and vision mapping during our first joint Leadershape Institute session. Join us for this episode of Heel Talks as we sit down with 3 of the Leadershape participants (Naima Cooper, Phoebe Pak, and Erin McIndoe) as they reflect on their experience ad share some valuable takeaways that they will use for the rest of their lives. 

Podcast Guests:

Erin McIndoe: Erin McIndoe is a first-year, pre-business administration major who is from Cary North Carolina.

Phoebe Pak: Phoebe Pak is first-year, neuroscience major. She is from Cary, but has moved around a lot (South Korea, Alaska, Chicago, and NC).

Naima Cooper: Naima Cooper is a sophomore  majoring in Human Development and Family Studies and minoring in Health and Societies from Atlanta, Georgia.

This episode of Heel Talks brings you another Leadership Spotlight, featuring the Associate Artistic Director for Playmakers Theater at UNC-Chapel Hill. Alejandro Rodriguez. Tune in to hear about how his time in Miami, New York, and Chapel Hill coupled with his passions for social change, social justice, and theater, have led to his understandings of leadership and its deep rooted connection to the arts!

What is it like being a woman in leadership? Throughout history, women have been forerunners in leadership, but with growth comes growing pains. This podcast is dedicated to talking more about the obstacles women have overcome to reach the positions they are in now and highlight how women can contribute to walk in their leadership abilities.

Podcast Guest: 

Dr. Charla Blumell-Assistant Director of Health Promotion and Prevention

Dr. Kyra Kendrick- Director of On-Campus Recruiting & External Relations