The PhD Life Coach
Whether you're a PhD student or an experienced academic, life in a university can be tough. If you're feeling overwhelmed, undervalued, or out of your depth, the PhD Life Coach can help. We talk about issues that affect all academics and how we can feel better now, without having to be perfect productivity machines. We usually do this career because we love it, so let's remember what that feels like! I'm your host, Dr Vikki Burns. Find out more about working with me at thephdlifecoach.com
Episodes
98 episodes
3. 07 How (and if) to work when things feel uncertain
It’s a tough world at the moment. I’ve had lots of clients struggling with job insecurity, family or personal health issues, and the direct or indirect effects of all the bad stuff that’s happening in the world right now. In this podcast, I giv...
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Season 3
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Episode 7
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33:20
3.06 How to inspire the next generation (with Rosa Smith from the Brilliant Club)
Do you remember what fascinated you about your PhD topic? Sometimes when we’re stuck in the middle of endless studying it can be hard to recall why we even chose this programme. This week in the podcast I’m talking to Rosa Smith from the Brilli...
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Season 3
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Episode 6
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40:28
3.05 Client Q&A – getting it done when you don’t feel like it
If you struggle to get stuff done when you don’t feel like working, this episode is for you! I’m answering three questions from my listeners:Q1 How do I go from rough notes to writing sentences?Q2 How do I edit when I’m sca...
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Season 3
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Episode 5
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27:52
3.04 How to be more strategic and ambitious
Sometimes in academia being “strategic” and “ambitious” can feel like criticisms – like we’re building our career at the expense of others or being too “corporate” for a university setting. In reality, being strategic and ambitious is just abou...
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Season 3
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Episode 4
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25:31
3.03 How to get started on a task
A lot of PhD students and academics struggle to get started on a task or believe that they can’t start until they’ve got lots of time. In this episode, I show you how to get started on a task, so that you can complete work even when you’re busy...
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Season 3
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Episode 3
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23:57
3.02 How to start the academic year
This week, we’re talking about starting a new academic year! This is NOT about goal setting or new resolutions - instead I'm talking about three ways that you can start the year that are more positive and empowering. These are how to harness yo...
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Season 3
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Episode 2
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21:13
3.01 How the PhD Life Coach can help you this year
We are back for a brand new season and I want to help all of you struggling with procrastination, overwhelm, imposter syndrome, working too much, not working enough, feeling behind, having too much to do or wondering if you want to be doing thi...
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Season 3
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Episode 1
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19:21
2.48 Why we should ask if this will make the summary
Sometimes we can feel like we have to do everything, that everything is urgent, and we don't even know when to start. Sometimes the best approach is to work out how to be efficient, organise ourselves and get stuff done. Other times, it's worth...
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Season 2
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Episode 48
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17:33
2.47 Nine lessons the Olympics taught me that help in academia
Whether you have been watching the Olympics or not, we have so much we can learn from Olympians. Don't worry - this is not going to be the usual "you've got to work harder, you've got to grind" toxic mindset. I am going to share nine lessons th...
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Season 2
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Episode 47
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28:40
2.46 How to work with the version of you who shows up (with special guest Dr Alison Miller)
Sometimes we have the best intentions for the work we're going to do, but we wake up just not feeling it. We're tired, we lack focus, we don't think we're in the right frame of mind to work. Sometimes we beat ourselves up and force ourselves to...
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Season 2
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Episode 46
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48:12
2.45 Why we should all be more intentional and resourceful (and how!)
You ever feel like you get to the end of the week and you have no idea what you did, you've been busy but you definitely didn't do the things that you wanted to get done and the week just seems to have got away from you, then you are in exactly...
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Season 2
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Episode 45
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22:46
2.44 What to do when you get contradictory advice
PhD students and academics often wonder how to handle contradictory advice and how to decide what to do. In this episode I think about what makes contradictory advice feel so challenging and I give you some questions to ask yourself to help you...
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Season 2
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Episode 44
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40:18
2.43 What to do when you can't judge how long things take
So many people tell me they struggle to plan because things always take longer than they anticipated. They then end up not following their plan because things run over and they get disheartened. Sometimes they stop planning entirely because it ...
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Season 2
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Episode 43
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23:48
2.42 Eight ways you might be secretly procrastinating
Procrastinating is when we scroll social media instead of working, right? No! Procrastination is anything that we do to avoid the emotions associated with doing the task we intend to do. In this episode, I will share eight things that I think a...
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Season 2
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Episode 42
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32:07
2.41 Why we all need to be more encouraging and accepting of ourselves
This is for anyone in academia who struggles with self-criticism and judgement (ie most people!) My series "how to be a better boss to yourself" introduces 10 qualities that we need to nurture in ourselves to support ourselves to achieve our go...
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Season 2
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Episode 41
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28:18
2.40 How to use a Do Know Don't Know list
One of the things I hear clients say most often is that they don't know what to do. They either don't know what decision to make in their life, they don't know how to do something, they don't know how to present their argument, how to structure...
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27:00
2.39 How to be your own best personal assistant
If you ever feel disorganised, chaotic or behind, then maybe you need to spend time in "personal assistant" mode! In the episode, I discuss how to help prepare for your future self, to make tasks feel easier, more organised and even more pleasa...
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Season 2
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Episode 39
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36:55
2.38 Why we should all be more compassionate and curious (One of the "Be Your Own Best Boss" Series)
If you beat yourself up or tell yourself that you don't know what you should do, then I am going to help you be a better boss to yourself! This is the first in a series of episodes identifying qualities that we all need to try and nurture so th...
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Season 2
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Episode 38
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28:22
2.37 Why you should never read when you're writing
So many of my clients this week have been struggling with writing. Now that's not unusual. But what has been unusual is how they've all identified the same issue with writing. They talked about settling down to have a block of writing where the...
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Season 2
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Episode 73
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23:03
2.36 What to do when you get distracted
Do you have things on your list that you should be doing, but you're not? Are you finding yourself getting distracted by anything and everything? Whether it's distracted by doing other admin y easy tasks, whether it's getting distracted by tele...
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Season 2
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Episode 36
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31:30
2.35 What to do if you feel stuck
Often as PhD students or academics, we get that feeling of being stuck and unable to do the next steps. In this episode, I coach Danielle, who struggles with feeling "stuck", making decisions about next steps and procrastination. We discuss whe...
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Season 2
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Episode 35
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47:06
2.33. Why we should think of our careers in phases
So many of my PhD student and academic clients are feeling overwhelmed, overcommitted and like they have to do everything. In today's episode I talk about why we should think about our careers in phases, as a way of addressing this. We're going...
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Season 2
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Episode 33
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35:33
2.32 How to plan your academic writing (with special guest Jo VanEvery)
Whether you're a PhD student or an academic, it can be really hard to plan how to fit your writing into your busy schedule. In this episode we're joined by Jo VanEvery, founder of the Academic Writing Studio, to think about how to plan what wri...
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Season 2
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Episode 32
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1:02:33
2.31 How to get back into work after a break
It's that time of year when academics and PhD students are coming back after Easter/Spring break and trying to get back into the swing of uni life. Whether you spent the holiday having a "real" break, catching up on work you wanted to do, organ...
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Season 2
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Episode 31
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34:06