The PhD Life Coach

Vikki Wright
  • 4.7 (14)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Weekly

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 Wright. Join my newsletter at www.thephdlifecoach.com.

  1. 5d ago

    5.06 How to embrace some seasonality in your work

    Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show! As the seasons change, it can be hard to stick to your “usual” work schedule. In this episode, I argue that maybe we should change our expectations and routines in line with the season we’re entering. I talk through the changes I’m considering making in how and when and where I work as we enter winter here in the UK, and discuss the mindset and behavioural shifts needed to make that feel like a positive intentional decision. I give you some questions to consider so you can launch into your next season in a way that feels supportive and positive. If you liked this episode, you should check out this one on Why making halfassed decisions is making your PhD harder. **** I'm Dr Vikki Wright, ex-Professor and certified life coach and I help everyone from PhD students to full Professors to get a bit less overwhelmed and thrive in academia. Please make sure you subscribe, and I would love it if you could find time to rate, review and tell your friends! You can send them this universal link that will work whatever the podcast app they use. http://pod.link/1650551306?i=1000695434464 I also host a free online community for academics at every level. You can sign up on my website, The PhD Life Coach. com - you'll receive regular emails with helpful tips and access to free online group coaching every single month! Come join and get the support you need.

  2. Nov 2

    5.05 How to make a Gantt chart that actually helps

    Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show! Most of us will have made a Gantt chart for an annual review or grant application and then thrown it in a drawer (physical or digital) never to be seen again! In this episode I discuss what we’re getting so wrong in the planning and implementation of our long term goals and what we can do instead. Through the metaphor of a multi day hike, we consider how we can actually make Gantt charts useful and what thoughts will help us to implement them effectively. Perfect for anyone who wishes they “could just stay on track”! If you liked this episode, you should check out this one on how and when to change your plans. **** I'm Dr Vikki Wright, ex-Professor and certified life coach and I help everyone from PhD students to full Professors to get a bit less overwhelmed and thrive in academia. Please make sure you subscribe, and I would love it if you could find time to rate, review and tell your friends! You can send them this universal link that will work whatever the podcast app they use. http://pod.link/1650551306?i=1000695434464 I also host a free online community for academics at every level. You can sign up on my website, The PhD Life Coach. com - you'll receive regular emails with helpful tips and access to free online group coaching every single month! Come join and get the support you need.

  3. Oct 26

    5.04 Why imposter syndrome ruins your work life balance

    Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show! We all know we should have time away from work yet so many of us don’t. It shocks me that people don’t get more curious about WHY intelligent, capable people don’t do things that we KNOW will help us. In this episode, I share why I think imposter syndrome has a massive impact on our ability to choose a better work life balance. A must if you are exhausted, overwhelmed and fed up of cancelling plans in order to work.  If you liked this episode, you should check out this one on what (series 1) of Celebrity Traitors taught me about imposter syndrome.  **** I'm Dr Vikki Wright, ex-Professor and certified life coach and I help everyone from PhD students to full Professors to get a bit less overwhelmed and thrive in academia. Please make sure you subscribe, and I would love it if you could find time to rate, review and tell your friends! You can send them this universal link that will work whatever the podcast app they use. http://pod.link/1650551306?i=1000695434464 I also host a free online community for academics at every level. You can sign up on my website, The PhD Life Coach. com - you'll receive regular emails with helpful tips and access to free online group coaching every single month! Come join and get the support you need.

  4. Oct 19

    5.03 Why you’re probably setting the wrong goals

    Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show! We all talk about goal setting, and the importance of SMART goals, and yet most of us still set goals that don’t work. Maybe we get there in the end, often in unsustainable ways, or maybe we let the goal drift and then set it again with the promise “it’ll be different this time”. In this episode, I’m going to share 10 ways I think we can design better goals, so that we set ourselves up for success. This approach underpins our quarterly goal setting process in The PhD Life Coach membership  If you liked this episode, you should check out this one on Why Word Count Goals Don't Work for PhD Writing – And What to Do Instead. **** I'm Dr Vikki Wright, ex-Professor and certified life coach and I help everyone from PhD students to full Professors to get a bit less overwhelmed and thrive in academia. Please make sure you subscribe, and I would love it if you could find time to rate, review and tell your friends! You can send them this universal link that will work whatever the podcast app they use. http://pod.link/1650551306?i=1000695434464 I also host a free online community for academics at every level. You can sign up on my website, The PhD Life Coach. com - you'll receive regular emails with helpful tips and access to free online group coaching every single month! Come join and get the support you need.

  5. Oct 12

    5.02 How to be more resilient with special guest Dr Sherry Hamby

    Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show! We often think of resilience as the ability to withstand more and more stress or pressure, which never sounds like a lot of fun or very sustainable. However, as Dr Sherry Hamby explains in this episode, that’s not really what the scientific literature says about resilience. We chat about Dr Hamby’s book, Stronger Than You Think, and go through the four pillars of your resilience portfolio. By the end, you’ll identify ways you can improve your own resilience portfolio, so that you can achieve your goals and enjoy your life.  If you liked this episode, you should check out this one on Nine things PhD students need to tell themselves more often. **** I'm Dr Vikki Wright, ex-Professor and certified life coach and I help everyone from PhD students to full Professors to get a bit less overwhelmed and thrive in academia. Please make sure you subscribe, and I would love it if you could find time to rate, review and tell your friends! You can send them this universal link that will work whatever the podcast app they use. http://pod.link/1650551306?i=1000695434464 I also host a free online community for academics at every level. You can sign up on my website, The PhD Life Coach. com - you'll receive regular emails with helpful tips and access to free online group coaching every single month! Come join and get the support you need.

  6. Oct 5

    5.01 How to be independent when your supervisor is controlling

    Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show! Trying to be “more independent” and “driving your PhD” when your supervisor simultaneously keeps rejecting your ideas can be one of the biggest challenges in academia. In this episode I talk about why I think this situation comes about, what impact it has, and give four tangible ways that you can improve the situation for both you and your supervisor.  If you liked this episode, you should check out this one on How to use your existing expertise when you feel like an imposter. **** I'm Dr Vikki Wright, ex-Professor and certified life coach and I help everyone from PhD students to full Professors to get a bit less overwhelmed and thrive in academia. Please make sure you subscribe, and I would love it if you could find time to rate, review and tell your friends! You can send them this universal link that will work whatever the podcast app they use. http://pod.link/1650551306?i=1000695434464 I also host a free online community for academics at every level. You can sign up on my website, The PhD Life Coach. com - you'll receive regular emails with helpful tips and access to free online group coaching every single month! Come join and get the support you need.

  7. Sep 30

    4.69 GREATEST HITS - How to manage negative feedback

    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 negative feedback quite often, either comments on drafts of papers, rejections from journals, applying for jobs, all sorts of things. We get bits of negative feedback and it can really hurt. So what do we do when we experience negative feedback? What do we do with the fact it hurts and how could we perhaps do something different in the future? That's what we're going to be talking about in today's podcast. If you liked this episode, you might also like this episode on What to do when you get contradictory advice **** I'm Dr Vikki Wright, ex-Professor and certified life coach and I help everyone from PhD students to full Professors to get a bit less overwhelmed and thrive in academia. Please make sure you subscribe, and I would love it if you could find time to rate, review and tell your friends! You can send them this universal link that will work whatever the podcast app they use. http://pod.link/1650551306?i=1000695434464 I also host a free online community for academics at every level. You can sign up on my website, The PhD Life Coach. com - you'll receive regular emails with helpful tips and access to free online group coaching every single month! Come join and get the support you need.

  8. Sep 28

    4.68 GREATEST HITS - Why you should notice the paradox of imposter syndrome

    Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show! Imposter syndrome often affects the most high achieving people yet it can still feel so true that you’re “not good enough” and “conning” other people into believing you’re better than you are. In this episode, I discuss a paradox that I see a lot in academics experiencing imposter syndrome - the tendency to simultaneously believe that you are an imposter AND hold yourself to higher standards than you hold other people. I’ll discuss the five past experiences that may influence why you have these paradoxical beliefs and why recognising this can be the first step to overcoming some of these imposterish thoughts.   If you liked this episode, you might also like this episode on What the Celebrity Traitors taught me about imposter syndrome **** I'm Dr Vikki Wright, ex-Professor and certified life coach and I help everyone from PhD students to full Professors to get a bit less overwhelmed and thrive in academia. Please make sure you subscribe, and I would love it if you could find time to rate, review and tell your friends! You can send them this universal link that will work whatever the podcast app they use. http://pod.link/1650551306?i=1000695434464 I also host a free online community for academics at every level. You can sign up on my website, The PhD Life Coach. com - you'll receive regular emails with helpful tips and access to free online group coaching every single month! Come join and get the support you need.

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4.7
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

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 Wright. Join my newsletter at www.thephdlifecoach.com.

Information

  • Creator
    Vikki Wright
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    214
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The PhD Life Coach
  • Show Website
    The PhD Life Coach

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