The PhD Life Coach
Episodes
2.26 How to manage your energy
11 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!How many times have you seen or been on a time management course? How many books and podc...
2.25 Five things I still struggle with that might surprise (and reassure) you
04 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!This week in the podcast, I get real! Some of my clients have told me that they sometimes...
2.24 How to plan using "boss mode"
26 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!If you struggle to plan your time and organise your tasks, this is the episode for you! I...
2.23 What to do if academia feels unfair (special coaching episode)
19 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!This is the first in a series of episodes where I share a real life coaching session! In ...
2.22 What to do if you want more reassurance
12 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!Wouldn't it be nice if sometimes someone just told us that we were doing a good job,...
2.31 Eight things that PhD students and academics can learn from The Traitors
05 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!This is the first time I have ever had to put a spoiler warning on my podcast. I'm s...
2.20 How to improve your writing (with special guest Katy Peplin from Thrive PhD)
29 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!How to be a better writer is one of the most common questions asked by PhD students and a...
2.19 How to stop procrastinating (part 2)
22 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!Last week we talked about how to manage procrastination in the moment, using my NICE mode...
2.18 How to stop procrastinating (part 1)
15 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!It's the biggie! Procrastination! The bane of everyone's lives and common at ev...
2.17 How the PhD Life Coach university membership supports students
08 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!In this episode, I'm chatting with Tara Wittin, Head of the University of Birmingham...
2.16 How to achieve your goals using the self-coaching model
01 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!It's new year. We've all got goals. We've all got new year's resoluti...
2.15 Seven things we can learn from Santa
25 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!Santa completes the biggest project of the year every single year, delivering all those p...
2.14 How to stop feeling guilty when you rest over the holiday
18 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!I've spent so many holidays where I've kind of intended to do some work but not...
2.13 Why you should act without thinking
11 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!On this podcast and in my coaching sessions, I spend a lot of time talking about thoughts...
2.12 Five things you probably need to hear right now
04 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!If you're listening to this in real time, it's the beginning of December and we...
2.11 How to manage your emotions when everyone is stressed
27 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!If you're trying really hard to kind of look after yourself and stay on top of your ...
2.10 How to do academia with ADHD (with guest Dr Alex Conner!)
20 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!In this episode, we're going to be talking about all things ADHD with special guest ...
2.9 How to network (with guest Dr Jen Polk)
13 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!Do you hear the word networking and just think that this is the most awful thing ever, or...
2.8 How to prepare for your viva
06 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!Have you got your PhD viva coming up soon? Or is it something that you're already st...
2.7 How to plan your week (with special guest, ex client PhD student Marie!)
30 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!In this episode, an ex-client Marie is telling us about the "perfect weekly meeting&...
2.6 How to coach yourself (and why you should)
23 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!If you're a regular listener, you're going to have heard me talk about self coa...
2.5 How to shorten your written work
16 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!Every single one of us will have written to a word count at some point in our academic ca...
2.4 Nine things I learned from organising our wedding that you can apply to your PhD
09 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!When was the last time you learned something outside of your academic work that you then ...
2.3 How to manage your supervisor (or boss)
02 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!Our professional relationships with the people who supervise or manage us can have huge i...
2.2 How to manage negative feedback
25 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!When did you last get some negative feedback? As PhD students and academics, we get negat...
2.1 What to do if you already feel behind
18 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!Welcome to Season 2 of the PhD Life Coach! In this first episode, I talk about feeling be...
41. Seven things I've learned this year that might help you too
24 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!In this final episode of the 2022/23 academic year, I reflect on seven things that I have...
40. On Being Unreasonable in academia with guest Kirsty Sedgman
17 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!In this episode, I welcome Kirsty Sedgman, academic and author of On Being Unreasonable. ...
BONUS - start your day!
13 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!Do you start your day not clear on what the priorities are and just feeling indecisive an...
39. How to prepare for your academic summer - structure and freedom
10 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!This is the second of a two part series about thriving in our academic summer. This time ...
38. How to prepare for your academic summer - acceptance and resistance
03 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!The summer period can be particularly stressful for academics, whether it's because ...
37. What is an academic adjacent career and why might you want one?
26 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!When PhD students (and even academics) think about their career options, it often gets di...
36. Why we should be more proud of ourselves (and how to do it)
19 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!Lots of people struggle to feel proud of themselves, even when on paper they look really ...
35. How I finished my PhD in just over two years (& why I wouldn't recommend it)
12 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!People often ask me how to finish up a PhD quickly but not many people know that I did ex...
34. What I learned about task transitions from doing triathlons (badly)
05 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!So many clients tell me that they struggle to transition between different types of tasks...
33. How to do role-based time-blocking
29 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!You may have heard of, or even tried, time blocking before. It can be a great way to take...
32. How to seek the help you need
22 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!It can be so hard to ask for help, especially if you believe that you don't deserve ...
31. How to spot, and stop, all-or-nothing thinking
15 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!If you find yourself thinking that everyone else has it together, or that you'll nev...
30. How to overcome imposter syndrome
08 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!Have you ever felt like an imposter? Worried that someone will find out that you're ...
29. How to get more confident about teaching
01 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!By most people's definitions, we're experts. Whether you're a PhD student ...
28. How to stop beating yourself up and learn from past mistakes instead
24 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!We all make mistakes but some of us getting stuck in them, beating ourselves up and often...
27. How to get into Science Communication (with The Struggling Scientists!)
17 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!This is a bumper episode because it is a crossover with The Struggling Scientist podcas...
26. How to be kind to yourself
10 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!In this episode I talk about how I'm being kind to myself this week and how you can ...
25. How to curate your PhD Life with Jamie Pei
03 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!In this episode we have another special guest! This time we're talking to Jamie Pei,...
24. How Winnie the Pooh can help you manage your mind
27 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!In this episode we think about our own inner dialogue. How do you speak to yourself? Are ...
23. How to make decisions you love
20 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!There are so many big decisions to make in academia, from what to research, what conferen...
22. What to do when you're feeling a bit bleurgh
13 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!What do you do when you feel disappointed, stressed or overwhelmed? These are such common...
21. Why I want to coach your supervisor (and what that means for you)
06 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!In this episode, I consider the downside of always assuming that our seniors "have i...
20. What to do when you have too much to do
27 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!In this episode, we accept a universal truth. We have too much to do. We'll explore ...
19. What to do (and think) if you have a toxic relationship with your supervisor
20 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!In this episode, we’ll think about how to look after yourself if you think you have a t...
18. How to have a great relationship with your supervisor
13 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!In this episode I discuss five ways that you can improve your relationship with your PhD ...
17. Why you should never cross things off your to do list and what you should do instead
06 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!In this episode I talk about the way PhD students and academics spend so much time lookin...
16. How to tell your story and get the recognition you deserve (part 3)
30 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!In the final part of this theory, we think about the story you tell about yourself. What ...
15. How to tell your story and get the recognition you deserve (part 2)
23 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!This is the second of a three part series (check out the first part here - https://www.th...
14. How to tell your story and get the recognition you deserve (part 1)
16 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!This is the first of a three part series on how to tell your story. It's really comm...
13. What to do when you know you're behaving like a toddler
09 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!Do you find yourself just not doing the thing you intended to do? No good reason but you ...
12. How to set New Year's resolutions that stick with Dr Karin Nordin
02 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!n this episode, our guest Dr Karin Nordin shares with us evidence-based recommendations f...
BONUS: Ten lessons I learned about doing PhDs by playing Stardew Valley
26 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!Even if you've never played Stardew Valley before, you will still love this episode!...
11. How to rest over the holiday period
19 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!How many times have you intended to rest and ended up working over the festive period? Or...
10. How to review your year the strengths-based way with Professor Jenn Cumming
12 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!So often, when we look back at our year, we think about the things we didn't achieve...
9. How to manage annoying comments at Christmas
05 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!So many of my Twitter followers told me that they hate the annoying questions they get at...
8. How to build your own academic community
28 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!So many people feel isolated in academic and like they "should" have more of a ...
7. How to avoid the end of year panic
21 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!Has the pre-Christmas panic hit you yet? That feeling of having four thousand things that...
6. Why you deserve (and can have) a life outside of academia
14 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!It's so easy to believe that you don't have time for a life outside of academia...
5. How accepting where you are is the first step to getting where you want to be
07 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!So many PhD students and academics struggle with perfectionism and imposter syndrome. By ...
4. How to write the thing when you're not writing the thing
31 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!We all have times where we need to get on with writing our thesis/paper/promotion materia...
3. How to swim when you're drowning in emails
18 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!If you feel like your inbox is an endless swamp of thankless tasks, this is the episode f...
2. Why you don't need a new planner
18 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!Do you find yourself searching for the perfect planner that will just help you get it tog...
1. How to be your own best supervisor
18 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!There is no voice you hear more often than the voice inside your head, yet we often spend...