EP186 From GED to PhD: Hope, Healing, and a Hunger to Learn with Dr. Jessi Brewer

Send us a text

🎙 Episode 186: From GED to PhD: Hope, Healing, and a Hunger to Learn

with Dr. Jessi Brewer | Part 2 of 2

What if the way back to yourself started with a book?

In Part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Jessi Brewer, we move from big systems to deeply personal transformation. Jessi opens up about growing up below the poverty line, navigating limited access to formal education, and how discovering books and community college helped her chart an entirely new path — from a GED to earning her PhD.

This episode is about more than just reading. It’s about reclaiming the right to learn, rethinking what literacy really means, and giving yourself permission to grow in your own way.

We talk about:

• Redefining what counts as “reading” (spoiler: audiobooks totally count)
• Quitting books without guilt
• Why access to public libraries matters more than ever
• How education can be a lifeline, not a luxury
• The small steps that lead to big change

This one’s full of warmth, wisdom, and honest encouragement — for anyone who’s ever felt behind, overlooked, or just hungry for something more.

📲 Connect with Dr. Jessi Brewer on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jessibrewer

🎧 If you missed Part 1, go listen to “What Literature Teaches Us About Justice” — an eye-opening dive into how 19th-century novels helped shape the modern prison system and why imagination is essential for justice.

Order Traveling Light wherever you get your books!

Sign up at bfreakingawesome.com to get the latest news, insights, and episodes straight to your inbox.

Follow Be Freaking Awesome on Facebook, LinkedIn, Youtube, and Instagram.

Let us know what questions you want to be answered and discussed by emailing us at [e-mail].