The PhD Life Raft Podcast

David Mendes is the host of Papa PhD, a podcast that shares stories of post-PhD career journeys.  He is also the co-founder of a media agency dedicated to serving the research community.   In this episode David reflects on his own journey as, at the end of his PhD, he chose to look to for work beyond academia.     We also talk about why the world needs PhDs - and the valuable skills and experience that doctoral researchers can bring to the workplace and society at large.   David shares a wide range of examples of post-PhD careers - from Google to government - including a surprising route for a doctorate in Chemistry.    We finish with top tips for networking without the schmooze.   You can find out more about David here:   Twitter - @papaphdpodcast   Youtube.com/PapaPhDYT   Email - david@papaphd.com If you would like a useful weekly email to support you on your PhD journey you can sign up for ‘Notes from the Life Raft’ here:  https://mailchi.mp/f2dce91955c6/notes-from-the-life-raft     

Stella Duffy is completing a doctorate training in Existential Psychotherapy and her research is in the embodied experience of postmenopause.  Alongside her therapy work, Stella is an award-winning writer of seventeen novels, over seventy short stories and fifteen plays and worked in theatre for over thirty-five years as an actor, director, facilitator and improvisor. She has been active in equalities and inclusion work in the arts, LGBTQ+ and feminist communities for many decades, and was the co-founder and co-director of the UK-wide Fun Palaces campaign for cultural democracy. She is also a yoga teacher, leading regular workshops in yoga for writing and offers creative mentoring support.    Stella has been postmenopausal since chemotherapy for her first cancer in her mid-30s, and has a special interest in life after menopause – a conversation sadly lacking in the prevalent current discourse.   In this episode we talk about Stella’s journey to the PhD from a working-class background in South East London as the youngest of seven children.   Stella also talks about her experience of cancer and the therapeutic intervention that changed her perspective.   We reflect on the embodied nature of the PhD that Stella is engaged with both as a researcher and through her own lived experience of her body.   We finish with encouragement to check-in with your senses.   You can find out more about Stella’s work here: stelladuffytherapy.co.uk If you would like a useful weekly email to support you on your PhD journey you can sign up for ‘Notes from the Life Raft’ here:  https://mailchi.mp/f2dce91955c6/notes-from-the-life-raft

Welcome to Season Eight of The PhD Life Raft Podcast!! We are kicking off with a fabulous interview that gives a wonderful overview of the PhD journey. Steven Segal is a psychologist and academic who also practices as a philosophical counsellor.  His PhD was in the philosophy of Education and his work as Associate Dean of Higher Degrees Research, as well as his own supervision of doctoral candidates, led him to develop a framework of understanding around the transition from novice to expert through the PhD.   In this episode Steven reflects on how doctoral training often focuses on the technical aspects of the PhD rather than attending to the experiential dimension to research which is a key aspect of the process.   Steven shares his own experience of feeling lost during his PhD and the wise words that his supervisor shared with him that continued to support him.   Steven reflects on the “existential risk” of becoming a researcher and the potential impact of the resulting anxiety.  He offers thoughts on how to manage that experience and remain open to opportunity.   We talk about the development process of the PhD and finish with the importance of tuning in to your intuition.   You can find out more about Steven’s work here: https://www.drstevensegal.com.au If you would like a useful weekly email to support you on your PhD journey you can sign up for ‘Notes from the Life Raft’ here:  https://mailchi.mp/f2dce91955c6/notes-from-the-life-raft  

Welcome to the final episode of Season Eight of The PhD Life Raft Podcast! In this interview I am talking with Lucy Nevitt, a freelance professional proofreader who specialises in working with academic texts and doctoral theses in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences fields. Lucy did her PhD in Drama at Royal Holloway, then spent a decade working as a full-time academic at UWE Bristol. For several years she ran editorial administration and submissions support for Research in Drama Education: the Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance. Having re-trained as a proofreader, she set up her current business, Proofs Detective, in 2022. We start by clarifying what proofreading actually is and how it differs from more general editing. Lucy outlines what a proofreader will be able to help you with and how to ensure that your thesis remains all your own work. As part of the interview Lucy offers valuable advice on how to approach working with a proofreader as well as top tips for proofreading your own work. Lucy references two English Usage Guides: Fowler's ('Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage', ed. Jeremy Butterfield, Oxford University Press, 2015)  Swan (Michael Swan, 'Practical English Usage', fully revised 4th edition, Oxford University Press, 2016).   You can contact Lucy here: Email: lucy@proofsdetective.com Website: https://proofsdetective.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/proofsdetective/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/proofsdetective     If you would like a useful weekly email to support you on your PhD journey you can sign up for ‘Notes from the Life Raft’ here:  https://mailchi.mp/f2dce91955c6/notes-from-the-life-raft      

Lisa Woodruff is the founder & CEO of Organize 365®.  She shares strategies for reducing the overwhelm, clearing the mental clutter, and living a productive and organized life.    Lisa is the author of four books including, How ADHD Affects Home Organization  and The Paper Solution and has recently started a PhD in psychology.   In this episode Lisa shares how she has employed her organizing tactics to her PhD journey.  She talks about scheduling; strategies for reading and managing life around the doctorate.   Lisa also attends to the challenges and possibilities of being a researcher with ADHD.     We finish with a top tip of encouragement!  Here are the links to connect with Lisa further:   Organize 365 - https://organize365.com/ Organize 365 Podcast - https://organize365.com/category/365-podcast/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisawoodruff/ Facebook - https://facebook.com/Organize365/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/organize365/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/organize365 Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/organize365/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/organize365 If you would like a useful weekly email to support you on your PhD journey you can sign up for ‘Notes from the Life Raft’ here:  https://mailchi.mp/f2dce91955c6/notes-from-the-life-raft  

Anna Clemens is an academic writing coach with a background in Chemistry and a experience as a science journalist.   In this episode we talk about undertaking training to support your PhD journey.   We talk about the unexpected learning that is part of the doctorate and how to identify your priorities.    Anna advises on how to find courses that can support your professional development - from checking with your university to professional associations - as well as how to potentially find funding to support accessing external courses.   We think about the potential benefits of courses and why the PhD is a great time to undertake professional development.   If you would like to sign-up for the free webinar Anna and I are co-hosting on 28th March 2023 you can sign up here: https://www.annaclemens.com/emma   If you would like to read Anna’s blog post on funding you can find it here: https://www.annaclemens.com/blog/get-ask-academic-professional-development-funding   If you would like to listen to Anna’s previous PhD Life Raft Podcast interview you can access it here:  https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/writing-for-publication-with-anna-clemens/id1537420258?i=1000567136781  

Jen Harrison, a PhD holder in children's literature, discusses feeling out of place in academia and the gaps in support for PhD researchers. She highlights the importance of asking for help and practicing 'affirmative behaviors'. Seeking support in both academia and everyday life is emphasized, especially for women and people of color.

Rebecca Suart has been a Social Researcher in the Civil Service since graduating from her PhD in Education at the University of Nottingham in 2022. She started her academic journey and onto a PhD in her 40s after taking a career break from Further Education. Alongside her PhD, Rebecca worked in a number of universities as a lecturer and researcher in the field of Vocational Education and Training. In this episode, Rebecca shares how the menopause crept up on her during her academic studies, and how she hadn’t realised that some of her early symptoms were in fact the perimenopause!  She acknowledges the difficulty of the mid-life PhD, not least of which that it often co-occurs with other stressful life events such as dealing with adolescent children and ageing parents, as well as the menopause.  Rebecca explores the practical steps she took to get help and how she invested in her well-being so that she could get to the end of her PhD.  Through her experience, Rebecca offers hope that, with support, friendship and a holistic approach, you can navigate this difficult period and achieve your PhD. The doctor we mention in the episode is Louise Newson aka the menopause doctor.  You can find her here:  https://www.instagram.com/menopause_doctor/?hl=en   If you would like a useful weekly email to support you on your PhD journey you can sign up for ‘Notes from the Life Raft’ here:  https://mailchi.mp/f2dce91955c6/notes-from-the-life-raft  

Catherine Pope was awarded her PhD in the field of Victorian Literature  by the University of Sussex in 2014. She then went on to publish that material as a monograph.     In this episode Catherine draws on her experience as an author, publisher and coach to share advice on  the options for publishing your work- either as a book, a chapter in an edited collection or journal articles.   Catherine emphasizes the importance of gaining clarity on why you want to publish as well as being realistic about whether you have the time to undertake such a project.   She shares insights into what publishers are looking for and the elements of a successful book proposal.    We also talk about the technical aspects of book publication - from editing to indexing.   You can find out more about Catherine’s book How to Publish Your PhD - which shares very practical and detailed advice to guide you through the publishing process - here: https://phdprogress.com/   If you would like to know more about Catherine’s story and benefit from her wisdom on how to look after yourself on a bad PhD day you can listen to her previous PhD Life Raft Podcast interview here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/managing-self-care-on-the-phd-journey-with-catherine-pope/id1537420258?i=1000548140262 If you would like a useful weekly email to support you on your PhD journey you can sign up for ‘Notes from the Life Raft’ here:  https://mailchi.mp/f2dce91955c6/notes-from-the-life-raft  

Elizabeth Pritchard is the Co-founder and Director of WALT Institute typically working with institutes, health services and universities. Elizabeth is also a research fellow in Public Health at Monash University.    This episode recognises stress as a common experience on the PhD journey.   Elizabeth differentiates between the different types of stress - eustress and distress - and posits that stress can be a useful motivator and performance enhancer.   We talk about how to stop stress from overwhelming you and ways to keep moving forward.   We end with a top tip about attending to your own rhythms.   You can contact Elizabeth here: Email: elizabeth@waltinstitute.com Website: Waltinstitute.com WALT Institute LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethchristinewaltinstitute Elizabeth Pritchard LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/in/dr-elizabeth-pritchard Elizabeth Pritchard Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrElizabethP Elizabeth Pritchard Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrEKPritchard     If you would like a useful weekly email to support you on your PhD journey you can sign up for ‘Notes from the Life Raft’ here:  https://mailchi.mp/f2dce91955c6/notes-from-the-life-raft