The PhD Life Raft Podcast

Dr Nicole Holt is a Lecturer in Public Health and Wellbeing for the School of Allied and Public Health Professions within the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Social Care at Canterbury Christ Church University.  She is currently involved in several research projects around spirituality and wellbeing.   In this episode we discuss Nicole’s experience of her PhD which explored the reported relationship between Spirituality and Public Health in those who identify as Spiritual but not Religious.   Nicole talks about her experience as a first generation HE student and the challenges of finding her place within the academy.   She reflects on the general challenges of working while studying and the particular challenges of having 5 different supervisors.   She details the support she received from her dyslexia tutor and the importance of that continuity.   We also touch on the difficult experience of her viva and what happens when things don’t go as planned.   You can contact Nicole here: https://www.canterbury.ac.uk/medicine-health-and-social-care/allied-health-professions-public-health/staff/Profile.aspx?staff=974f76455d9e505c 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

Professor Brian Lobel is a performer, teacher and curator.  He has shown work internationally in a range of contexts, from Harvard Medical School to the Sydney Opera House.  Brian has received commissions and grants from Jerwood, UMS (Ann Arbor), the British Council and Arts Council England, among others. He is a Wellcome Trust Public Engagement Fellow and the co-founder of The Sick of the Fringe. I met Brian as his PhD examiner and, in this episode, we talk about Brian’s experience as an accidental PhD student and his reflections on the process.   Brian shares the challenges and benefits of undertaking a self-funded PhD.   We explore how to make teaching part of your research process.   We finish with Brian’s top tips for presenting your work at a conference.   You can find out more about Brian’s work here:  https://www.blobelwarming.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

Dr. Jenny Mak is a writer and educator. Her work has been published in Entropy magazine, Read Me Anthology, and shortlisted in the 2012 InkTears Short Story Competition. Her PhD, from the University of Warwick, focused on embodied experiences of globalisation in contemporary world literature. She has taught English Literature and Creative Writing at LASALLE College of the Arts, Nanyang Technological University, and University of Warwick.    In this episode we touch on a range of issues - from how PhD research can fuel creative work to learning to write within the PhD process - but we focus on how to manage perfectionist tendencies.   We reflect on the urge to craft the perfect sentence/paragraph/chapter.   We talk about why it is better to think in terms of milestones rather than deadlines.   Jenny offers us her thoughts on how to break out of the perfectionism loop.   We finish with a top tip that centres on community.   You can contact Jenny here: Website: www.jennywhmak.com Twitter & Instagram: @jennywhmak      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

After her experience in graduate school Tonya Vetter set up The Dissertation Doctors to help others through.   In this episode Tonya outlines what she calls “pursuing your PhD from the inside” - thinking about what you care about and who you want to serve with the work.   We also talk about overcoming fear and shame within the doctorate and re-writing the story.   We finish with a top tip for motivating yourself to keep moving forward.   You can find out more about Tonya’s work here:  https://www.dissertationdr.us/ 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  

Jenn McClearen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Radio, Television and Film at the University of Texas at Austin.  In this episode she talks about how she has drawn on her martial arts practice to enrich her work as a researcher.   Jenn reflects on her own feelings of failure in graduate school and how she worked to become less fearful about writing.   She talks about how she applied her experience of training in martial arts to her PhD process and opened up to a different way of learning.    Jenn explains the power of “beginner’s mind” and we finish with a reminder about the importance of self kindness.   You can access Jenn’s ‘Publish Not Perish’ newsletter here: https://publishnotperish.substack.com/ Jenn’s website is here: jennifermcclearen.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

Brittney Johnson is an Educational Leadership, Administration & Policy Doctoral Student. She also works full-time as a teacher.  In this episode we talk about managing energy and identifying priorities on the PhD journey. Brittney talks about the necessity of working in order to fund her doctoral studies and the challenges but also benefits of that situation. She reflects on the moment she realized that she was letting her work consume her too much and how she looked to redress the balance. Brittney speaks about the importance of her support system - particularly her mum! - and the power of believing in yourself and doing what’s best for you.   You can find Brittney on instagram here:  https://www.instagram.com/brittneyxedu/ 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 Seven!!!   We will be back into the usual swing next week but we are starting out with a bit of a special edition on the theme of ‘new beginnings’ in conversation with my friend and colleague Allan Kilner-Johnson.   In this episode we talk about how to maximise the possibilities of a fresh start at the beginning of the academic year.   For those going into a new phase of their PhD study Allan offers some advice on how to rekindle the flame of your research.   For those at the beginning of their doctoral journey Allan highlights the importance of being a reflective thinker.   Finally Allan offers a model for a daily ritual to support your research process.   The books that Allan mentions are: ‘Mating in Captivity’ by Esther Perel and ‘The Artist’s Way’ by Julia Cameron.   If you would like to join us for the Plan-a-thon you can find out more here: https://emmab.kartra.com/page/plan-a-thon    

It’s the last episode of the season!  And it’s about to get messy!! Jamie Pei obtained her PhD in Women’s Studies from the University of York in 2021 and is now a PhD & life coach. She has a particular interest in helping PhD students to work with the ‘messiness’ of research, addressing both the unpredictability and uncertainties of research itself, and also the surrounding factors, challenges and wellbeing issues within the doctoral experience. For this reason, she calls herself The Messy Coach, and believes that there is always magic to be found in the mess! In this episode Jamie talks about her background as a journalist and her journey into and through the PhD - including a very tricky viva. We discuss separating your identity from the PhD as a means of keeping perspective. Jamie explores the benefits of letting go of ‘perfect’ and the need to control.  She also offers a top tip on how to make messiness work for you.    The book I mention in the episode is ‘The Wounded Researcher’ by Robert Romanyshyn.  You can listen to my podcast episode with Robert here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-wounded-researcher-with-robert-romanyshyn/id1537420258?i=1000554749343   You can contact Jamie here: Website: jamiepei.com Twitter: @verymessyjamie Instagram: @verymessyjamie PhD mailing list: jamiepei.com/mail Mailing list: jamiepei.com/phdmail If you would like a useful weekly email to support you on your PhD journey and information on The PhD Book Club you can sign up for ‘Notes from the Life Raft’ here:  https://mailchi.mp/f2dce91955c6/notes-from-the-life-raft

Dr. Katy Peplin turned her difficulties in graduate school into a coaching business built around the idea that you can be a scholar and a human at the same time.  In this episode Katy talks about the processes that she put in place to support herself and manage her anxiety on her PhD journey. We discuss uncovering the unwritten codes of academia - particularly as a first generation postgrad.   We identify the challenges of negotiating being both a professional and a student in the department.   Katy posits the power in claiming the position of the ‘learner’ and shares some tips on developing your intellectual curiosity.   You can connect with Katy via her website: thrive-phd.com  On socials at @ThrivePhD  and email: hello@thrive-phd.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

In this episode, Katie Barclay, Deputy Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence in the History of Emotions, discusses her book 'Academic Emotions: Feeling the Institution'. She explores the heightened emotional register of academia, the transformational process of the PhD, and how emotions may have changed post-pandemic. The hosts also touch upon the establishment of the Center for the History of Emotion, the challenges of aligning personal values with academia, and the importance of managing emotions for personal growth.