Pathfinder Career Narratives is an ongoing series tracking the career choices and experiences of doctoral graduates. You can see all of the posts in the series here. You can find all the Pathfinder resources and opportunities here. Today’s blog is written by Dr Amelia Hruby, Founder of Softer Sounds Podcast Studio. You can find out more about Dr Hruby here.
Name: Amelia Hruby
Doctorate subject area and year of completion: Philosophy, DePaul University, 2020
Role and employer: Founder, Softer Sounds Podcast Studio
Approximate salary bracket for this type of role: $75,000 – $150,000 USD
I went to graduate school right after finishing my undergraduate degree. So at 22, I moved to Chicago with a class list, a fellowship, and no clue what I really wanted to do with my life or work.
I spent the next seven years completing coursework and writing my dissertation — considering whether the academic path was a good fit for me. I loved teaching and studying, but I saw how challenging it was to get a position at a university (tenure-track or otherwise).
So while writing my dissertation, I explored other interests, including music and creative entrepreneurship, and I joined a number of organizations across the city, including a community radio station and various activists groups. I also started doing freelance audio editing (a skill I learned at the radio station) on the side, and I even launched my own show called Fifty Feminist States.
Eventually, I earned my doctorate in philosophy from DePaul University in 2020, where my dissertation focused on feminist aesthetics. By weaving together German idealist aesthetics with contemporary feminist thinkers like Sara Ahmed, María Lugones, and Audre Lorde, I cultivated a aesthetic-ethical philosophical framework that continues to inform my work today.
When I finished my degree, I worked a part-time job remotely for about a year as I built up my podcast freelance practice. This period of transition allowed me to refine my skills, expand my network, and lay the foundation for my next endeavors. Then in summer 2021, I took the leap and started my business, Softer Sounds, a feminist podcast studio dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs and creatives who want to make meaningful work outside of the mainstream.
At Softer Sounds, I provide services such as podcast production, consulting, and mentorship, creating a nurturing environment for women and nonbinary creators to share their voices without relying on traditional social media marketing. I teach courses on business, marketing and podcasting. I also host a few of my own podcasts including Off the Grid: Leaving Social Media, my tiny tarot practice, and Pleasure Reading.
For me, a typical workweek spans 4-6 hours of work Monday through Friday. Each day I’m connecting with clients, editing audio, reviewing my team’s work, and recording my own shows. I have a small team of contractors who work with me on editing, transcription, and production work. At this point, a good bit of my work is admin, but I try to prioritize my own creative time where I can be podcasting or writing regularly.
While I no longer work in academia or at an academic institution, I think that the critical thinking, writing, and editing skills I learned in my PhD program have been invaluable to the work I do today. My ability to identify frameworks, skim for key points, shape and reshape arguments is something I learned to do through reading philosophical texts and that I do regularly in my work now. Teaching at DePaul also taught me how to work with a wide range of groups, make arcane ideas interesting, and excite an audience — all of which are important skills I use as a podcaster and content creator.
I think that (former) academics can make great business owners, because we thrive with flexible schedules, self-management, and ambitious plans. We’re also great researchers, multitaskers, and big picture thinkers — all of which are critical for entrepreneurship.
For researchers contemplating a similar career path, my advice is to embrace curiosity, trust in your evolving interests, and give yourself permission to explore beyond traditional academic structures. Your career does not have to follow a linear trajectory — mine certainly didn’t — and often, the most fulfilling paths emerge when you allow yourself to follow what excites you, even if it doesn’t seem to fit a conventional mold. So take detours and experiment with creative projects. The skills you’ve developed in academia—critical thinking, writing, teaching, and research—are powerful tools that can be applied in unexpected and meaningful ways.
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