Episode 248 -- Jenn Zorotovich -- Embracing Hard Topics Turned A Professor Into A Better Caregiver And Leader

What if the hardest topics in life became the ones that made you feel most alive? We sit with researcher, professor, and mom Jenn Sorotovich as she traces an uncommon arc—from teaching adult development and death and bereavement to coordinating an ALS clinic—and explains how grief, grit, and real-world practice reshaped her idea of success. The stories are intimate and vivid: a hospice patient savoring the warmth of a hand on her arm, another insisting on lipstick before the day begins. These moments don’t just tug at the heart; they rewire how we value time.

Jenn pulls back the curtain on academia’s pressure cooker—tenure clocks, lack of maternity leave, and the myth of “work-life balance.” She advanced fast, then chose purpose over prestige, moving into clinical leadership where each three-month check-in with ALS patients underscores the urgency of now. Along the way, she unlearned perfectionism and people-pleasing, embraced average days as victories, and modeled repair and honesty for her students and kids. We get practical insight into building psychologically safe classrooms, navigating hot-button topics with care, and turning applied learning into meaningful growth.

If you’re wrestling with outdated systems, craving a more humane pace, or wondering how to spend the one resource you can’t refill, Jenn’s outlook offers both clarity and courage. Expect candid talk about motherhood, policy gaps, end-of-life care, and the mindset shifts that make room for joy. Listen for the challenge she issues to women everywhere: reject narrow scripts, claim your choices, and stop waiting for permission.

If this conversation moved you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review—then tell us: what will you stop waiting for today?

Music "STOMP" used by permission of artist Donica Knight Holdman and Jim Huff