The Kardinas: Navigating Community, Consciousness and Balance

Episode 5: Balancing Motherhood

In this final personal episode, Dina and Karine open up about one of the most defining aspects of their lives: motherhood. As PhD candidates at uOttawa, they’ve shared stories of navigating academia, racialized consciousness and advocacy, but at every turn motherhood has been there shaping their experiences, challenges, and priorities. This conversation explores what it means to mother while immersed in higher education. Dina and Karine reflect on the joys and tensions of parenting while conducting research, attending classes, and engaging in activism. They share candid stories about finding time for themselves, how they hold important conversations with their kids, and the emotional labor that often goes unseen in academic spaces. They also raise important questions about institutional support for student-parents, calling for tangible changes like accessible childcare on campus and more inclusive academic policies. Motherhood isn’t separate from their scholarship, it’s central to it. Tune in for a conversation that’s both intimate and urgent, as the Kardinas continue weaving their lived experiences into a vision for a more compassionate academic world. Learn more about Karine Coen-Sanchez’s consulting practice [https://www.karine-consults.com/], where she offers strategic guidance in equity, inclusive education, and organizational transformation. From tailored policy analysis to mindfulness training and mentorship, Karine helps institutions and individuals drive meaningful, lasting change. Book your initial consultation today.

Episode 4: Reproductive Justice

Today, Dina and Karine are diving into the topic of reproductive justice. Moving beyond the polarizing headlines, Dina brings her extensive research to the conversation, offering a nuanced, justice-centred framework rooted in the teachings of activist and scholar Loretta Ross. Together, Dina and Karine explore what reproductive justice truly means, especially for racialized mothers and marginalized communities. This isn’t just a conversation about rights, it’s about access, dignity, community, and systemic change. Tune in for an enlightening discussion that connects the personal with the political, the academic with the everyday. Learn more about Karine Coen-Sanchez’s consulting practice [https://www.karine-consults.com/], where she offers strategic guidance in equity, inclusive education, and organizational transformation. From tailored policy analysis to mindfulness training and mentorship, Karine helps institutions and individuals drive meaningful, lasting change. Book your initial consultation today.

Episode 3: Racialized Consciousness and Seeing Through Different Lenses

Today, Karine and Dina are exploring the concept of racialized consciousness, a major topic in their lives and research! It's how our lived experiences, identities, and cultural backgrounds shape the way we see ourselves and move through the world. From the uneasy presence of police to the subtle shifts in language and behaviour needed to navigate Eurocentric spaces, they unpack what it means to be constantly aware of your race in everyday life. Tune in for a candid and thoughtful conversation at the intersection of identity, survival, and self-awareness. Learn more about Karine Coen-Sanchez’s consulting practice [https://www.karine-consults.com/], where she offers strategic guidance in equity, inclusive education, and organizational transformation. From tailored policy analysis to mindfulness training and mentorship, Karine helps institutions and individuals drive meaningful, lasting change. Book your initial consultation today.

Episode 2: Is a PhD Worth it? The Ins and Outs of Academia

In this episode, hosts Karine and Dina pull back the curtain on their journey through higher education.  What does it really take to pursue a PhD in today’s world? Is it still worth it? As academics, partners, mothers, women, and racialized individuals, Karine and Dina share the layered realities of navigating academia while holding space for all the parts of who they are. Raw, real, and rooted in lived experience, this episode is for anyone considering the academic path or simply curious about what goes on behind university walls. Learn more about Karine Coen-Sanchez’s consulting practice [https://www.karine-consults.com/], where she offers strategic guidance in equity, inclusive education, and organizational transformation. From tailored policy analysis to mindfulness training and mentorship, Karine helps institutions and individuals drive meaningful, lasting change. Book your initial consultation today.

Episode 1: Community-Based Research

In this episode, Karine and Dina dive deep into the transformative potential of community-based research. Moving beyond detached data collection and academic gatekeeping, they explore what it means to conduct research with communities, not on them. Through candid reflection and critical insight, The Kardinas challenge the colonial frameworks that continue to dictate which research gets funded, whose voices are prioritized, and how knowledge is produced. They unpack the ethical imperative to give back to the communities involved and question what accountability really looks like in academic spaces. Learn more about Karine Coen-Sanchez’s consulting practice [https://www.karine-consults.com/], where she offers strategic guidance in equity, inclusive education, and organizational transformation. From tailored policy analysis to mindfulness training and mentorship, Karine helps institutions and individuals drive meaningful, lasting change. Book your initial consultation today.