00:03

Hi. College student! Welcome to Thrive IN™ Life Coaching for College Students. This is Episode 1 Our debut episode. Hooray! Greetings from Houston Texas. My name is Dr. IJ also known as Dr. Ijeoma Nwaogu. I am your College Life Coach. Thank you for your curiosity about this show and for listening in right now.

00:29

If you’re a young adult in college this podcast is just for you. So my vision… what’s my vision for this platform, for this podcast? Overall my vision is a world where every college student develops greater confidence clarity connections and the capacity to flourish in college and beyond. And because of this I’m on a mission to really help as many college students as I can to become their greatest and truest in college. I created Thrive IN™ because I don’t see many resources like this in podcast format. I searched and searched and I’m like what’s out there for students for college students to aid in their personal development their leadership development, helping them to become, like I mentioned, the highest and truest versions of themselves while they are in college and I found very very few resources on items as I search that platform and I said well wouldn’t it be great to develop a resource for college students through Thrive IN™ to do those things that I am very passionate about and I really care about. So when you look at the podcast title it’s called Thrive IN™ and it’s a play-off the phrase dive in. I want you to thrive inwardly. I want you to thrive in college and thrive in life. Also the I am in thrive in represents my first and last name initials, Ijeoma Nwaogu. The N is silent.

02:03

So that’s another little special feature to the title Thrive IN™. I’m passionate about young adults and the college experience because I had a great and challenging experience myself while I was in college and it really shaped who I am today and I want to become that person that I needed when I was in college because I dealt with a lot of challenging experiences dealing with things like anxiety and depression and heartbreak and stress and trying to find my independence and you know the typical self-esteem concerns and identity issues and feelings of isolation and loneliness all that and I know that once you enter a new space like college you surely will encounter some of these things or if not all of them. So this is why for me I desire to be that bridge that connects you to resources and just different knowledge that will build you up in times of this inevitable pain and the challenges that I mentioned.

02:59

So for me I love what college can teach young people apart from the academic part we know that you go to your classes you have a major, you study, right? But apart from that you know the life knowledge and skills the emotional intelligence the other factors related to personal growth and development the relationships all of that I care about your well-being your emotional health your mental health your physical health and your success and I want to have a hand in your greatness. So you might be wondering what sorts of students have I been able to support and help in the past and through different roles that I’ve played in higher education settings I’ve coached students from all across the world even through my coaching service that I offer outside of my work at a university.

03:45

So I’ve supported student leaders so students coming in for conduct hearings to students who want advice on maybe how to deal with relationship issues, stress, managing their emotions and career choices and the list goes on and on. So know that you are in good hands. Just to share with you a bit about my values…I value wisdom, I value purpose, I value compassion and passion. I value love and leadership and learning and growth. I also value diversity and inclusion. So these are some of the values that I hold that kind of guide my actions and guide the things that I want to do to help you become a better person. I didn’t even talk about my academic degrees. I studied psychology and sociology for my Bachelors degree at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia. I am so proud to be from that university to be a product of that wonderful institution. I spent five years in college because by the fourth year I was actually I had all the qualifications to graduate or whatnot met all the criteria but I didn’t feel fulfilled.

04:52

I didn’t feel that I had achieved anything great and I also felt like I was not quite ready to leave college and so I decided to take on an additional major in sociology turn it from a minor to a major and I also pursue this major leadership position on campus and so I was able to do both and, trust me, by the end of the school year, I was like Yeah it’s time to go I’m ready to graduate, I’m prepared, I’m ready to take that next step and so I was able to do that and I’m glad about that decision. I spent more money but I’m happy that I had as I call it to senior years and it was my choice. So after that right after leaving undergrad I entered my graduate program and I studied something you probably know about, you probably don’t know about there is a master’s program in college student affairs administration because I wanted to work with college students I wanted to be in a space where I get to support them in their extracurricular or core curricular activities and you know work with student leaders. So I decided to go in and get my master’s degree at the University of Georgia in Athens, another great institution. And after that I entered the professional world for a couple of years and then I had the itch to learn again. I wanted to learn more and I identified my interest in counseling right? So I found PHD programs again. It happened to be at the University of Georgia pursued my PHD for five years graduated so I now have a terminal degree. And so that’s a bit about my academic background so I love counseling, I love psychology and I love students.

06:32

And so again, you are in great hands you know with the knowledge base that I come with. Coupled with my passion for you and your growth in your development, you are in good hands right? So like just the different types of work roles that I’ve held within a college or university setting… I’ve served as an administrator, a conduct officer, a student advisor, a coach, a counselor, a trainer and also an adjunct professor. I’ve worn a variety of hats within this higher education context. So after each session with me for this podcast, I believe that you will feel more empowered to pursue something that you once felt hesitant to do or you currently feel hesitant to do. And I believe that you will become more knowledgeable about something that you are confused about, you know? And lastly, I believe that you can come closer to becoming the highest and truest version of yourself and you’ll hear me repeat that over and over because I really want you to get that into your minds and to know that that’s something great to strive for. You want to become the highest and truest version of yourself. So are you ready to thrive in? If your answer is yes, I invite you to continue on this journey with me.

07:54

I want you to connect with me. You can start off by visiting collegelifecoach.info (not dot com.) On this Web site you’ll find loads of exciting resources for you. I also encourage you to think about that one friend that you want to offer this resource to or connect them to this podcast if they are also a college student. If you like what you’re hearing so far and you’re excited about this podcast, feel free to rate and review.

08:25

This is very helpful to let people know what this podcast is about and that people are listening in and feel free to send me a message on topics that you’d like me to speak about. Make sure you visit my website and drop me a message to contact me about what I should talk about & what’s on your mind. And also you could follow me on social media on the different platforms.

08:49

My handle is @drijclc. So that stands for Doctor I J College Life Coach. So follow me, like me, see what’s going on in my world and I will also connect you to resources that I offer.

09:09

So lastly I am wishing you the best week and I hope you join me for the next episode.

09:15

Love you.