The PhD Life Raft Podcast

Victoria has more than 10 years experience as a consultant medical herbalist and functional medicine practitioner and is also a trained wellness coach.   In this episode Victoria reflects on her journey through her PhD and into her career as a research scientist where she struggled to manage a chronic health condition that left her in pain on a daily basis.  She shares the changes she made that enabled her to improve her long term health and become pain free.   We focus on the Solstice and seasonal practices that can promote well-being and provide rest and revitalization.   Get ready for an episode that will ignite your journey!   You can connect to Victoria here:    Email:victoria@thelivingherb.com Web: www.naturalmenopausesolution.co.uk https://calendly.com/naturalmenopausesolution   www.linkedin.com/victoria-wright-phd www.facebook.com/thelivingherb For a transcript of this episode go to www.thephdliferaft.com If you would like to receive a useful weekly email from the PhD Life Raft you can sign up here for ‘Notes from the Life Raft’: https://mailchi.mp/f2dce91955c6/notes-from-the-life-raft

Allan Johnson is Associate Professor in English Literature & Associate Dean (Doctoral College), Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.  Alongside this work he is also a mindfulness teacher and co-facilitator of The PhD Circle with Emma Brodzinski.   In this episode Allan shares his own “fork in the road” experience that led hime into his research topic.   Allan highlights the different phases within the doctorate and why some moments might feel more difficult than others.   He discusses how Campbell’s model of the Hero(ine)’s journey might help with managing challenges and maintaining motivation on the transformative journey of undertaking a PhD.   He finishes with a top tip that Star Wars fans will love!   You can connect to Allan here:   www.allankilnerjohnson.com https://www.instagram.com/allankilnerjohnson/ https://www.facebook.com/allankilnerjohnson https://twitter.com/thisisallan     For a transcript of this episode go to www.thephdliferaft.com If you would like to receive a useful weekly email from the PhD Life Raft you can sign up here for ‘Notes from the Life Raft’: https://mailchi.mp/f2dce91955c6/notes-from-the-life-raft

Dr Kathleen Vacek is an academic writing coach who researches lived experiences of doctoral writing and scholarly publishing. During the course of her PhD, she became a mother and left her full-time academic staff position. She was supported on this rocky journey by a doctoral writing group she formed with members of her program cohort.   In this episode Kate shares how her group was formed and maintained and reflects on her experience of what worked and what was not so useful.   She also offers some alternative models for doctoral writing groups and advice for those who would like to try this way of working.   Here is the info on the Sarah Haas chapter Kate mentions in the chapter and the article she wrote with her colleagues on their experience   Haas, Sarah. "Pick-N-Mix: A Typology of Writers’ Groups in Use." In Writing Groups for Doctoral Education and Beyond: Innovations in Practice and Theory, edited by Claire Aitchison and Cally Guerin, 30-48. London: Routledge, 2014.   Kathleen Vacek, William J. Donohue, Amanda Gates, Alice Shu-Ju Lee & Shelah Simpson (2021) Seeking balance within personal writing ecologies: a collaborative autoethnography of a doctoral student writing group, Studies in Continuing Education, 43:1, 104-118, DOI: 10.1080/0158037X.2019.1703670     You can contact Kate here: kate@yourphdcompass.com yourphdcompass.com https://www.linkedin.com/company/compass-academic-coaching/ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091276196636 https://www.instagram.com/yourphdcompass/     For a transcript of this episode go to www.thephdliferaft.com

Amy Bonsall has completed her PhD at Leeds University. Her thesis was recognised as demonstrating exemplary research in the field of practice-led research in intercultural Shakespeare theatre performance. She is also the associate artistic director of Bilimankhwe arts and continues to direct professional, commercial theatre productions. Amy founded the Women in Academia Support Network #WIASN a group of 10,000 women academics from around the world.   In this episode Amy shares the challenges that she faced during her PhD journey from caring for small children to physical ill health.   She reflects on her feelings of overwhelm and her struggles with writer’s block.   Amy discusses her decision to take a six-month break from her PhD and how she managed her time.   Support from her ‘team’ was central to Amy’s successful completion and she talks about the organisation Women in Academia Support Network (WIASN) which she co-founded.   You can find out more about WIASN here: https://www.wiasn.org/   You can connect with Amy on Twitter/X - @AmyBonsallPhD   For a transcript of this episode go to www.thephdliferaft.com If you would like to receive a useful weekly email from the PhD Life Raft you can sign up here for ‘Notes from the Life Raft’: https://mailchi.mp/f2dce91955c6/notes-from-the-life-raft  

Denise Venturi is Ph.D. Candidate in International Law at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium.  Her research focuses on the concept of vulnerability with reference to LGBTIQ+ asylum-seekers and refugees. At present, she is a Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology (Halle-Saale, Germany). She has worked for UNHCR in various protection roles, with a focus on refugee status determination, capacity building, and law and policy analysis. She has been Asylum Liaison Officer with the UNHCR Liaison Office to the EU Asylum Agency and focal point on claims based on sexual orientation and gender identity with UNHCR Italy. With UNHCR, she has also worked on protection monitoring and reporting, as well as on advocacy and strategic litigation.    In this episode we discuss the challenges that Denise has faced in engaging with her PhD while working full-time.   She shares how her professional work led her into her PhD study and how the process of the PhD has served to develop her career.   Denise outlines the difficulty of juggling full-time work with the UN and her PhD studies, leading to challenges in productivity.  She talks about her experience of overwhelm and her decision to take some time out of the PhD in order to focus on her job and then taking a sabbatical from work to focus on her PhD!   Denise’s top tip for others is around finding both practical and emotional support. For a transcript of this episode go to www.thephdliferaft.com If you would like to receive a useful weekly email from the PhD Life Raft you can sign up here for ‘Notes from the Life Raft’: https://mailchi.mp/f2dce91955c6/notes-from-the-life-raft

Nicholas Dirks is President and CEO of the New York Academy of Sciences, one of the oldest scientific organizations in the United States. Previously, Nick served as Chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley and Executive VP and Dean of the Faculty for Arts and Sciences at Columbia University. He is the author of eight books, including the forthcoming book, City of Intellect: The Uses and Abuses of the University.   In this episode shares his own experience of the PhD and starting out on an academic career.     Nicholas offers his perspective on the changing culture of academia and the particular challenges and opportunities that are in play.   He then explores the idea of graduate education and alternative forms of knowledge production and dissemination.   Nicholas emphasizes the importance of connecting graduate programs with pressing global issues, such as AI, climate change, and geopolitical tensions, in order to prepare doctoral candidates for meaningful contributions to the world beyond academia.   We finish the episode with a top tip around writing and inspiration.    You can connect with Nicholas here:  Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickdirksLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-dirks-84a1ab149/Website: https://www.nicholasbdirks.com/   For a transcript of this episode go to www.thephdliferaft.com If you would like to receive a useful weekly email from the PhD Life Raft you can sign up here for ‘Notes from the Life Raft’: https://mailchi.mp/f2dce91955c6/notes-from-the-life-raft

Jen Polk did her PhD in History from the University of Toronto and went on to launch from Ph.D. to Life, a career coaching and speaking business.  She specialises in graduate education and careers for doctoral degree holders. She’s also a guest speaker on university campuses and academic and professional conferences throughout North America and beyond.    In this episode we focus on life after completing a PhD and the transition from academia to the professional world.   Jen emphasizes the importance of self-reflection and offers some key questions to complete before embarking on a job search.   We acknowledge the challenges of the current job market and Jen offers ideas to help navigate them.     Jen highlights the importance of informational interviews and provides practical tips for setting them up.   You can find out more about Jen’s work here: https://fromphdtolife.com/ For a transcript of this episode go to www.thephdliferaft.com If you would like to receive a useful weekly email from the PhD Life Raft you can sign up here for ‘Notes from the Life Raft’: https://mailchi.mp/f2dce91955c6/notes-from-the-life-raft

Dr. Kate Massey-Chase is an academic, facilitator, activist, performer and writer. She’s a Lecturer at Plymouth Marjon University, where she’s leading a new MA in Arts, Health and Wellbeing. As a creative arts practitioner, she has worked across a range of educational and community settings, including delivering theatre-based and creative writing projects with young migrants, recovering addicts, prisoners and mental health service users. In this episode Kate shares her remarkable journey through the challenges of navigating a PhD while trying to start a family.   CONTENT WARNING - This episode touches on issues including miscarriage and failed IVF cycles. Kate discusses how ‘firsts’ on the PhD and fertility journey happened simultaneously.      She reflects on the struggles of managing the "messy middle" of the PhD journey while dealing with personal loss and fertility treatments but also shares how the PhD served as a creative outlet.   Kate emphasizes the importance of trusting your instincts and being adaptable in the face of unexpected challenges and the significance of rest and self-care.   The episode finishes with a top tip to help people keep moving forward.   You can contact Kate here: email : kmassey-chase@marjon.ac.uk  Socials: @KateMasseyChase  This is the MA that Kate mentions in the episode:   https://www.marjon.ac.uk/courses/arts-health-wellbeing-masters/  For more information about IVF: https://www.hfea.gov.uk/treatments/explore-all-treatments/in-vitro-fertilisation-ivf/   For support for the fertility journey:  https://fertilitynetworkuk.org/ https://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/   Instagram also has a fabulous fertility community #fertilityjourney #IVF #TTC For a transcript of this episode go to www.thephdliferaft.com If you would like to receive a useful weekly email from the PhD Life Raft you can sign up here for ‘Notes from the Life Raft’: https://mailchi.mp/f2dce91955c6/notes-from-the-life-raft

Samir Morsli is a postdoctoral research associate in the Munoz-Espin lab at The University of Cambridge. His research focuses on the early stages of lung cancer initiation and progression, primarily involving zombie-like senescent cells. During his PhD Samir carried out an Internship and worked as part of the Public Engagement team at The Babraham Institute.   In this episode Samir shares his experience of how he arranged and completed a mandatory internship during their PhD.   He reflects on the valuable skills he gained from the internship and highlights the way in which the experience enabled him to gain a broader perspective on his research journey.   Samir highlights the importance of timing for an internship and offers some advice on how to maximise the potential of the experience.   You can contact Samir via email here: sjm312@cam.ac.uk Websites: https://www.munoz-espinlab.com/samir-morsli Social media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samir-morsli-6184ba119/ / https://twitter.com/Smorsli   For a transcript of this episode go to www.thephdliferaft.com If you would like to receive a useful weekly email from the PhD Life Raft you can sign up here for ‘Notes from the Life Raft’: https://mailchi.mp/f2dce91955c6/notes-from-the-life-raft

Laura Revilla is a PhD candidate in Heritage Studies at Brandenburg University of Technology (BTU) in Cottbus, Germany. Her research focuses on understanding diverse forms of heritage and security in Mexican communities through bottom-up practices and decolonial thinking. Through her journey, she aims to discover the uses and relevance of heritage in our everyday lives.    In this episode Laura shares her PhD journey and how it has been shaped by her cat Chobi. Laura explains how Chobi has been both an emotional support and a source of motivation.  She describes how Toby's presence and routines influenced her lifestyle, including taking breaks and napping when necessary.  Laura gives a top tip for the PhD from a cat lover and encourages other researchers to maintain a curious and learning mindset throughout their journey.  Here is the link to Chobi’s instagram account where you can find a dose of humor and academic insights from a feline perspective. https://www.instagram.com/the_phdcat/ Here is the link to the episode with Devon Price that we mention in the episode: https://thephdliferaft.libsyn.com/2021/09 For a transcript of this episode go to www.thephdliferaft.com If you would like to receive a useful weekly email from the PhD Life Raft you can sign up here for ‘Notes from the Life Raft’: https://mailchi.mp/f2dce91955c6/notes-from-the-life-raft