Samuel Tolbert
How Dr. Shandra McDonald’s Podcast Offers Tools for Mindset, Belonging, and Resilience That Mirror ETA’s TSM and MV‑SOAR Frameworks
When a third of college freshmen drop out in their first year, we know the struggle isn’t just academic—it’s emotional, mental, and identity-driven. Academic Survival®, hosted by Dr. Shandra L. McDonald, speaks directly to those multi-layered challenges. Each episode focuses on the freshman-year grind: navigating self-doubt, culture shock, mental health, and purpose. In ETA’s world, that’s exactly where mindset elevation, belonging, and identity-building begin.
Highlight Episode:
“Our Academic Story: Dr. Shandra and Dr. Dar”
(Apr 28, 2025)
In this moving episode, Dr. McDonald and co-host Dr. Dar Mayweather share their first-year journeys: overcoming reading struggles, financial hardship, and academic overwhelm—ultimately graduating and giving back to students like those in urban and HBCU settings .
How This Podcast Speaks to Key Student Pain Points
Student Challenge | How Academic Survival® Addresses It |
Academic Overwhelm | Dr. McDonald admits she once “felt academically inferior and overwhelmed,” yet she developed daily habits to earn honors, showing students that strategic effort beats perfectionism . |
First-Gen Identity Crisis | Both hosts were first-generation and lacked family roadmaps. They share ways of self-advocacy (“speaking up vs. talking back”) and resilience that mirror ETA’s TSM reinforcement phase. |
Mental Health & Burnout | From binge-nap avoidance to managing anxiety, the podcast normalizes emotional fatigue and offers concrete routines—aligning with MV‑SOAR’s Emotion & Responsibility pillars . |
Self-Advocacy & Support | Stories include directed help (Upward Bound), office hours, peer support—highlighting that belonging isn’t automatic; it’s built through action and community. |
Purpose & Self-Worth | The hosts stress: “You’ve got to have purpose—it drives everything” . ^[That’s core to ETA’s values-driven MV‑SOAR approach. |
Mapping to ETA Frameworks
Thought Seeking Model (TSM)
Beliefs: “I can’t do this,” “I don’t belong.”
Reinforcement: Hearing their mentors say, “Yes, you can.”
Action: Joining study groups, seeking academic resources.
Emotion: Anxiety reframed as a signal not a sentence.
Thoughts: “I got this—not despite challenges, but through them.”
MV‑SOAR Model
Mindset: From survival to purposeful growth.
Values: “I deserve this seat at the table.”
Strengths: From perseverance to self-advocacy.
Obstacles: Financial strain, learning gaps, imposter syndrome.
Accountability: Hosts model owning their academic journey.
Responsibility: “I will show up for myself”—a leadership mindset.
Why Academic Survival® Belongs in the ETA Ecosystem
High-Level Credibility
It’s led by Dr. McDonald, whose conversion from struggling student to doctoral graduate reflects the ETA mission in motion.
Holistic Content
Conversations range from academics to mental health, self-advocacy, student-athlete balance, and even parenting—but always anchored in resilience.
Student Voices
Episodes feature real students (like first-year nursing student Aryss) sharing genuine struggles and solutions—building belonging through representation .
Practical Tools
From sleep routines to office hours, advice is concrete—not abstract. Students walk away with applicable steps, not just inspiration.
Student Call to Action
Tune in to “Our Academic Story”
Journal: “Where am I feeling doubt? Where can I speak up?”
Apply: Set one small academic goal this week (visit tutoring, adjust a routine).
Listen Now
Academic Survival® – “Our Academic Story: Dr. Shandra and Dr. Dar”