

The PhD Life Coach
Vikki Wright
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 8, 2024 • 46min
2.17 How the PhD Life Coach university membership supports students
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 Graduate School and Danielle, who is one of the participants in my university PhD Life Coach membership programme. We talk about how the membership works, what benefits the students get from it, and how it fits with the other student support available at the university. Whether you're a student or an academic, have a listen and hear why consistent long-term coaching support is so important for all PhD students****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.

Jan 1, 2024 • 37min
2.16 How to achieve your goals using the self-coaching model
Learn how to achieve your goals this year using self-coaching techniques. Topics covered include effective goal-setting, balancing big picture and detailed plans, creating conducive circumstances, and reflection on goals and achievements.

Dec 25, 2023 • 26min
2.15 Seven things we can learn from Santa
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 presents all around the world, and I think we can learn a lot from how he does it. This is slightly tongue in cheek, but I still think there's some important lessons in here for anyone studying or working in academia!****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.

Dec 18, 2023 • 36min
2.14 How to stop feeling guilty when you rest over the holiday
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 really planned when or what, and then didn't really feel like it at the time, so I didn't, but I felt guilty about the fact I wasn't working because really I should, in inverted commas, be working, and then I also wouldn't do any of the really fun stuff that I wanted to do either because I should be working so I shouldn't do that stuff. But then when I did work, I'd feel guilty about the fact that I wasn't resting and really I probably needed to rest and I wasn't spending more time with my friends and family and doing the other things I'd intended to do over the holidays. And it just turns into this big pile of guilt where whatever you do, you just feel bad about it. And you don't get either the work done or the rest, or the quality time with your families. And just finish the holiday feeling a little bit like well, I don't know where that went. And now it's turn time and we're back on again till Easter. It's not a good feeling. I know you felt it too. I don't feel it anymore because of some of the things I've put in place. So let me share those with you today and let's figure out how not to feel guilty over the Christmas break.****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.

Dec 11, 2023 • 25min
2.13 Why you should act without thinking
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. Talking about how the thoughts that we have shape our feelings and actions, and how we can intentionally modify our thoughts, not to just make stuff up, but to focus on thoughts that we already believe, but that we know serve us better, in order to feel better, do the actions we intend to do and achieve our goals. So there's lots of focus on thoughts. In this episode, I'm going to turn that completely around and tell you the opposite. If you want to know why and how that still makes complete sense, I promise, keep listening.To find out more about working with me, go to www.thephdlifecoach.com****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.

Dec 4, 2023 • 23min
2.12 Five things you probably need to hear right now
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 are on the final run in to the winter holidays. One of the things that has really stuck out to me recently is how many of my clients need to hear the same things. So this week I'm going to be talking about five things that I think you need to hear right now! Let's go!****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.

Nov 27, 2023 • 41min
2.11 How to manage your emotions when everyone is stressed
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 own stress levels, but you're finding yourself surrounded by other people who are stressed, other people who are complaining, then this is the perfect episode for you. We are going to be thinking about how can you manage your mind when those around you are losing theirs without needing to push them out of your lives, without needing to solve their problems, how can we study our own emotions and look after ourselves, no matter what is happening around us? ****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.

Nov 20, 2023 • 55min
2.10 How to do academia with ADHD (with guest Dr Alex Conner!)
Dr Alex Conner, an expert in ADHD, joins the podcast to discuss all things ADHD in academia. They explore the challenges faced by individuals with ADHD, the importance of accommodating ADHD in universities, finding support and understanding for ADHD challenges, surprising insights on organization methods, emotional acceptance in European academia, and the importance of having a support system for individuals with ADHD.

Nov 13, 2023 • 53min
2.9 How to network (with guest Dr Jen Polk)
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 that you're really bad at it, or that you shouldn't have to do it, or it's really hard, or it's not the right time? If so, you are going to love this episode because we're going to tell you all the reasons you're wrong. I have a guest with me, Dr Jen Polk, and we are going to be talking all things networking. Find out more at www.thephdlifecoach.com****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.

Nov 6, 2023 • 40min
2.8 How to prepare for your viva
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 starting to dread even though it's a few years away? If so, this is the perfect episode for you. We're going to be thinking about all the stories about PhD vivas, how we can prepare for them, and how we can look after ourselves in that process. You get to decide how we do this and I'm going to help you figure out how.****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.