Contact Us
Want to share ideas, feedback, or topic/guest ideas with us? Email us at cynthia.heddlesten@mcckc.edu.
Don’t Know
A knowledge dump for the college student
Listen on:
Episodes
Tuesday Apr 08, 2025
Tuesday Apr 08, 2025
Trauma is a word we hear often, but what exactly is it and what are its consequences? In the final episode of the season, we will speak with Biology Instructor Amanda Merryman, Psychology Instructor Lara Ashbaugh, and former MCC Student Kaylee Brazeal to help you understand what trauma is—and isn’t—as well as the physical, mental, emotional, and social impacts of trauma.
Wednesday Mar 05, 2025
Wednesday Mar 05, 2025
Independence is something we both strive for and wrestle with. Join historian Lyle Gibson and MCC student Mickey Miller as they explore what independence means for college-age students, along with the benefits and challenges that come with the journey.
Saturday Jan 18, 2025
Saturday Jan 18, 2025
MCC Division Chair Dachia Busch and MCC-Online student Jeremy Robinson join us for a discussion on the glorification of being busy—why being busy feels so important to us and how students can stay productive without becoming overwhelmed. Please note that this episode has some minor audio issues, so bear with us as we continue to learn and improve.
Friday Dec 06, 2024
Friday Dec 06, 2024
Winter blues aren’t just about the cold weather but also about social isolation. MCC counselors, Jeff Wilt and Burke Maxted, and student Reham Askar, join us for a discussion around what causes winter isolation and how we can cope with it.
Friday Nov 01, 2024
Friday Nov 01, 2024
In this episode, we explore fear through a psychological, historical, and sociological lens. The discussion centers around how fear manifests in us as humans and how it is and has been used as a form of social control.
Guests:
Patrick Kirkwood, PhD, History
Kimberly Glackin, Psychology
Kevin Wentworth, former MCC student
Friday Oct 04, 2024
Friday Oct 04, 2024
Cynthia and Jennifer welcome English Professor, Robyn McGee, to discuss life advice for college students
LISTEN NOW...TRAUMA
Trauma is a word we hear often, but what exactly is it and what are its consequences? In the final episode of the season, we will speak with Biology Instructor Amanda Merryman, Psychology Instructor Lara Ashbaugh, and former MCC Student Kaylee Brazeal to help you understand what trauma is—and isn’t—as well as the physical, mental, emotional, and social impacts of trauma.
March's Episode
Cutting the cord: the complexities of independence.
Independence is something we both strive for and wrestle with. Join MCC-Online historian Lyle Gibson and MCC student Mickey Miller as they explore what independence means for college-age students, along with the benefits and challenges that come with the journey.
January's Episode:
Glorification of Busy
MCC Division Chair Dachia Busch and MCC-Online student Jeremy Robinson join us for a discussion on the glorification of being busy—why being busy feels so important to us and how students can stay productive without becoming overwhelmed. Please note that this episode has some minor audio issues, so bear with us as we continue to learn and improve.
December's episode...Isolation
Winter blues aren’t just about the cold weather but also about social isolation. MCC counselors, Jeff Wilt and Burke Maxted, and student Reham Askar, join us for a discussion around what causes winter isolation and how we can cope with it.
November's episode: Fear
Patrick Kirkwood (History), Kimberly Glackin (Psychology), and student Keven Wentworth discuss why fear is functional and how it us manipulated.
Quotes from the episode
"If you never feel fear, this is going to be problematic and you probably won't live very long" - Kimberly Glackin
"The scariest thing for me in some ways, about this social media interaction, people are not necessarily maximizing fear because they are bad people...it is simply because it is what the algorithm knows...it understands us"
- Patrick Kirkwood
"You don't need to understand another person's point of view if you have dominance over another person"
- Kevin Wentworth
Purpose
The Don't Know podcast came to life after a conversation between Cynthia and Jennifer regarding college students needing more life advice and real-life application of knowledge over 'how to study for the test' tips. As community college instructors, they decided to have messy, real, organic conversations about real issues that impact students.
Q&A around MCC
The first segment of every episode is "Q&A around MCC" where students can questions about college, life, or MCC. Have a question you want us to answer? Email cynthia.heddlesten@mcckc.edu and put Q&A around MCC in the subject line
Cynthia and Jennifer
We met in the copy room at MCC-Blue River when Cynthia was in her first year as a Sociology instructor and Jennifer was in her 6th year as a Spanish Instructor. Fifteen years later, we are work besties, travel buddies, and love to find Kansas City establishments that allow us to talk and grade together.