Millions of Americans Have Unfinished PhDs. Can We Help Them Graduate?

Zoe Weil Says “Education Is the Root System Underlying All Other Societal Systems”

In a world facing many crises, where should we focus our efforts? For today’s guest, Zoe Weil, the answer is clear: education. “If we can transform educational systems,” she says, “then we may be able to transform our economic system, our political system, our food system, our production system, our legal system, all these different systems, so that they’re more just and more sustainable and more humane for everyone.” Zoe is the the cofounder and president of the Institute for Humane Education, and in this conversation she shares what makes Humane Education a powerful approach, what reforms our education systems need, and why we all could use more of a “solutionary” mindset. – – – Visit Antioch’s website to learn more about the humane education programs that Antioch offers in partnership with the Institute for Humane Education: the MA in Humane Education [https://www.antioch.edu/academics/education/humane-education-ma/], the MEd in Humane Education [https://www.antioch.edu/academics/education/humane-education-med/], the MEd for Experience Educators with a Humane Education Concentration [https://www.antioch.edu/academics/education/med-exed/], the Certificate in Humane Education [https://www.antioch.edu/academics/education/certificates/humane-education-cert-aune/], and the EdD in Educational & Professional Practice, Humane Education [https://www.antioch.edu/academics/education/edd-in-educational-professional-practice/edd-humane-education/].  Find more information about Zoe’s books The World Becomes What We Teach [https://humaneeducation.org/the-world-becomes-what-we-teach-new-edition/] and The Solutionary Way [https://humaneeducation.org/become-a-solutionary/the-solutionary-way-zoe-weil/] on the Institute for Humane Education’s website. And follow Zoe’s new interview show, Solutionary Voices [https://humaneeducation.org/solutionary-voices-podcast/], wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was recorded March 22, 2026 via Riverside.fm and released April 1, 2026.  The Seed Field Podcast is produced by Antioch University Host: Jasper Nighthawk Editor: Nastasia Green Producer: Karen Hamilton Work-Study Assistants: Dani LaPointe, Odin Rasco, Rylie DeGarmo, and Shayla Kerr Additional Production Help: Amelia Bryan, Jonathan Hawkins, and Laurien Alexandre. – – – To access a full transcript and find more information about this and other episodes, visit theseedfield.org [http://theseedfield.org]. To get updates and be notified about future episodes, follow Antioch University on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/AntiochUniversity].

Can Studying Songbirds Help Us Form Bonds Across Borders?

Many Americans know the seasonal rhythms of our songbird neighbors: they arrive in the spring and leave in the fall. But where do the birds go in winter? For biologist Mike Akresh, studying Kirtland’s warbler, wood thrush, and whistling warbler has led him all over the Caribbean and Central America. But the most remarkable connection are the local people he has met during this work, who have become his collaborators, students, and often powerful conservationists in their own rights. In this conversation, Mike shares about a recent trip to Rum Cay in the Bahamas, how the end of Indigenous burning practices has imperiled songbird habitat, the drama of capturing bald eagle nestlings, and much more. – – – Visit the landing pages for Antioch’s MS in Environmental Studies [https://www.antioch.edu/academics/environment-sustainability/environmental-studies-ms/] and PhD in Environmental Studies [https://www.antioch.edu/academics/environment-sustainability/environmental-studies-phd/] to learn more about the programs Mike teaches in. You can learn more about his research and project on his personal website [https://mikeakresh.weebly.com/]. And visit YouTube if you want to watch VC3TV’s interview with Mike, “Professors from the Antioch University are working with the forestry department in St. Vincent.” [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbG6-LifvDw] This episode was recorded February 23, 2026 via Riverside.fm and released March 6, 2026.  The Seed Field Podcast is produced by Antioch University Host: Jasper Nighthawk Editor: Nastasia Green Producer: Karen Hamilton Work-Study Assistants: Dani LaPointe, Odin Rasco, Rylie DeGarmo, and Shayla Kerr Additional Production Help: Amelia Bryan, Jonathan Hawkins, and Laurien Alexandre – – – To access a full transcript and find more information about this and other episodes, visit theseedfield.org [http://theseedfield.org]. To get updates and be notified about future episodes, follow Antioch University on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/AntiochUniversity].

Thinking About Outdoor Classrooms With the Director of Antioch Forests

Peter Palmiotto believes that outdoor classrooms can be much more intentional than the cliché of students enjoying a sunny day out on a manicured quad. Instead, he says, outdoor classrooms can be designed to work in any weather—and the natural world can be a key part of the learning they facilitate. Peter should know: he has spent the past dozen years building Antioch’s 80-acre teaching forest, Glover’s Ledge, into a highly functional and much-used outdoor classroom. In this conversation, he talks about the decisions made there, the vision for the future, and how other schools might cultivate their own outdoor classrooms. As Peter says, “The dialogue and the dynamic of a group moving through a outdoor classroom is totally different than students sitting in a classroom.” – – – Visit the Glover’s Ledge website [https://gloversledge.weebly.com/] to learn more about Antioch’s premier outdoor classroom. Visit Antioch’s website to learn more about the MS in Environmental Studies [https://www.antioch.edu/academics/environment-sustainability/environmental-studies-ms/] and the PhD in Environmental Studies [https://www.antioch.edu/academics/environment-sustainability/environmental-studies-phd/]. You can also find the expanded press release about the recent $1.5 million dollar gift supporting Antioch’s Environmental Studies department and Glover’s Ledge [https://commonthread.antioch.edu/antioch-university-receives-1-5-million-gift-for-mission-driven-environmental-studies-and-sustainability-education/] on Common Thread. Further listening: a previous Seed Field Podcast interview with two education faculty that asked, “To Reopen Schools, Teachers Took Their Students Outside. Should They Stay There?” [https://commonthread.antioch.edu/podcast/s2e1-to-reopen-schools-teachers-took-their-students-outside-should-they-stay-there/] – – – This episode was recorded January 27, 2026 via Squadcast and released February 11, 2026.  The Seed Field Podcast is produced by Antioch University Host: Jasper Nighthawk Editor: Nastasia Green Producer: Karen Hamilton Work-Study Assistants: Dani LaPointe, Odin Rasco, Rylie DeGarmo, and Shayla Kerr Additional Production Help: Amelia Bryan, Jonathan Hawkins, and Laurien Alexandre – – – To access a full transcript and find more information about this and other episodes, visit theseedfield.org [http://theseedfield.org]. To get updates and be notified about future episodes, follow Antioch University on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/AntiochUniversity].

A Conversation With the Inventor of “Environmental Grief”

Over 20 years ago, Kriss Kevorkian coined the term “environmental grief” to describe the emotional impacts experienced by scientists and activists working around the clearcutting of redwood forests. In the intervening decades, more and more people have taken up this term to explain and explore their own emotions during a time of changing climate and environmental degradation. In today’s episode, Kriss talks about thanatology, her own work on behalf of the Southern Resident Orcas in the Salish Sea, and how we can harness environmental grief to act on behalf of the non-human world. – – – Visit Antioch’s website to learn more about the Undergraduate Studies programs [https://www.antioch.edu/academics/undergraduate-studies/] in which Kriss teaches.   Kriss’s activist organization is called Legal Rights for the Salish Sea [https://narn.org/rights-for-southern-resident-orcas/]. If you want to follow Kriss’s advice and fill out your advanced directive, you can find more information at caringinfo.org [https://www.caringinfo.org/planning/advance-directives/]. – – – This episode was recorded November 14, 2025 via Riverside.fm and released January 28, 2026.  The Seed Field Podcast is produced by Antioch University Host: Jasper Nighthawk Editor: Nastasia Green Producer: Karen Hamilton Work-Study Assistants: Dani LaPointe, Odin Rasco, Rylie DeGarmo, and Shayla Kerr Additional Production Help: Amelia Bryan, Jonathan Hawkins, and Laurien Alexandre. – – – To access a full transcript and find more information about this and other episodes, visit theseedfield.org [http://theseedfield.org]. To get updates and be notified about future episodes, follow Antioch University on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/AntiochUniversity].

Millions of Americans Have Unfinished PhDs. Can We Help Them Graduate?

Over 30% of people who start a PhD don’t graduate within ten years. This can be a grand disappointment and a real setback—and it can hold learners back from contributing to their full ability. But today, degree completion programs are helping some of these students to return to the academy, finish their studies, complete their research, and claim their diplomas. So what goes into designing a degree completion program? In this conversation with Diane Richard-Allerdyce, the founding director of the Completion Pathway in Antioch’s PhD in Leadership and Change, we ask her about all of these questions—and learn how taking into account educational trauma and structural barriers is key to helping students finally complete their dreams.  – – – Visit Antioch’s website to learn more about the PhD in Leadership and Change [https://www.antioch.edu/academics/leadership-management/phd-leadership-change/], and the Completion Pathway [https://www.antioch.edu/academics/leadership-management/phd-leadership-and-change-completion-pathway/] that Diane directs. You can also read the announcement [https://commonthread.antioch.edu/antioch-university-launches-phd-in-leadership-and-change-degree-completion-pathway/] of the creation of the Completion Pathway. This episode was recorded November 21, 2025 and released December 17, 2025.  The Seed Field Podcast is produced by Antioch University Host: Jasper Nighthawk Editor: Nastasia Green Producer: Karen Hamilton Social Media Manager: Selina Starling Work-Study Assistants: Dani LaPoint.   Additional Production Help: Jen Mont, Amelia Bryan, and Laurien Alexandre. – – – To access a full transcript and find more information about this and other episodes, visit theseedfield.org [http://theseedfield.org]. To get updates and be notified about future episodes, follow Antioch University on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/AntiochUniversity].