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.

#6 in the Top 100 phd All time chart

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Top 10 The PhD Life Coach Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best The PhD Life Coach episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to The PhD Life Coach for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite The PhD Life Coach episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

BONUS: Ten lessons I learned about doing PhDs by playing Stardew Valley

The PhD Life Coach

12/26/22 • 21 min

Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!

Even if you've never played Stardew Valley before, you will still love this episode! I will take you through ten important lessons to succeed in your PhD, using tenuous Stardew metaphors to explain them! Enjoy!
(Please note you may prefer to watch this on YouTube here https://youtu.be/WZU6dXoxhLg so you can see gameplay too)

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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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14. How to tell your story and get the recognition you deserve (part 1)

The PhD Life Coach

01/16/23 • 24 min

Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!

This is the first of a three part series on how to tell your story. It's really common, at any career stage, to feel like you've lost track of where you're at and how to get where you want to be. If you're applying for jobs, trying to secure awards or recognitions, or going for promotion or tenure, then these episodes are for you! Even if you're not doing these things at the moment, figuring out "your story" can help reduce overwhelm, ease decision making and lower your cognitive, and actual, work. In this first episode I talk about what I mean by "telling your story" and the many ways it can make your life better.

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15. How to tell your story and get the recognition you deserve (part 2)

The PhD Life Coach

01/23/23 • 31 min

Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!

This is the second of a three part series (check out the first part here - https://www.thephdlifecoach.com/14-how-to-tell-your-story-and-get-the-recognition-you-deserve-part-1) about how to tell your academic story.
This time, I give you a step-by-step process to move from a busy, haphazard-feeling career to having a structured overview that you can use. From here, you can strategise and prioritise about what to focus on and use the document to apply for jobs, plan for promotion and apply for awards and recognitions.

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12. How to set New Year's resolutions that stick with Dr Karin Nordin

The PhD Life Coach

01/02/23 • 40 min

Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!

n this episode, our guest Dr Karin Nordin shares with us evidence-based recommendations for how to set New Year's resolutions that stick. Instead of just talking about it though, she coaches me through my New Year's resolutions so you can see it in action. This is a great opportunity to hear some real life coaching and get tips for your own compassion-first behaviour change.
*please note this episode includes discussion of weight loss*

You can also find out more about my guest, Dr Karin Nordin in all these places:

https://www.youtube.com/@UCTn-HaKV8vju5G2j6wRTzwQ

https://bodybrainalliance.com/

https://www.instagram.com/karinnordinphd/

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16. How to tell your story and get the recognition you deserve (part 3)

The PhD Life Coach

01/30/23 • 21 min

Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!

In the final part of this theory, we think about the story you tell about yourself. What story do you really believe about yourself? Perhaps you believe you're slow at writing. Perhaps you believe that you always get distracted. We'll work through why these stories can lead to some really negative consequences and how you can challenge them and build different stories about yourself. This isn't about "positive thinking", it's about focusing on the stories that make you feel good and help you build the life you want.
You can find out more about working with me at www.thephdlifecoach.com/work-with-me

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3.28 How to overcome your fear of presenting (with special guest, author Linda Ugelow)

The PhD Life Coach

03/17/25 • 38 min

Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!

If you dread presentations, or would just like to be a bit more confident when speaking, then this episode is for you! Linda Ugelow, author of Delight in the Limelight, is talking about why so many of us struggle with public speaking and what we can all do to improve. If you listen carefully, you’ll also find out what happened when I was live on stage in a wetsuit too 😊

You can find out all about Linda here or follow her on TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, or YouTube.
You can also buy her book, Delight in the Limelight or find it on Audible.

You can get her Speaker Preparation Checklist to feel grounded, focused, and energized when you speak.

If you want a giggle, you can also watch my FameLab disaster video and my response

3.22 Are you in an emotional overdraft? With special guest author Andy Brown

The PhD Life Coach

02/03/25 • 53 min

Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!

Do you ever feel like you’re only succeeding because you’re working more than is healthy? That you are subsidizing your work at the expense of your wellbeing? Then today’s episode is a must listen! I welcome Andy Brown, author of The Emotional Overdraft and we chat about what we mean by an Emotional Overdraft, how to know if you have one, and what to do about it.

Links I refer to in this episode

You can find out more about Andy Brown and The Emotional Overdraft here

Find out the extent of your emotional overdraft by completing this assessment

3.03 How to get started on a task

The PhD Life Coach

09/23/24 • 23 min

Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!

A lot of PhD students and academics struggle to get started on a task or believe that they can’t start until they’ve got lots of time. In this episode, I show you how to get started on a task, so that you can complete work even when you’re busy, with less drama and stress. I show you how some of your thoughts are holding you back and give you three ways to get started on your key tasks.

Links I refer to in this episode

How to use the Do Know Don't Know List

How to break your work down into chunks

How to use Role Based Time Blocking

21. Why I want to coach your supervisor (and what that means for you)

The PhD Life Coach

03/06/23 • 26 min

Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!

In this episode, I consider the downside of always assuming that our seniors "have it together" (whatever level of academia you're at). Often we create a story where, if they haven't replied to our email or changed their mind about our study, it means that we're not important or our study is wrong. I'll be discussing why it's almost certainly not about you and what we should do differently as a sector.
If you'd like to find out more about working with me, check out www.thephdlifecoach.com/work-with-me. The transcript to this episode can be found at www.thephdlifecoach.com/podcast

3.08 How to be more patient and realistic (part of the Be Your Own Best Boss series)

The PhD Life Coach

10/28/24 • 27 min

Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show!

If you make unrealistic plans and get impatient that you’re not progressing more quickly, then this is the episode for you! I’m going to give you specific tips about how to be more realistic and more patient so that you can be a better boss to yourself! I’ll talk about when you need to be realistic and patient, what thoughts will help and what feelings, actions and results we can then generate. If you like it, check out the rest of the five part series where I talk about 8 other qualities – compassionate, curious, strategic, ambitious, intentional, resourceful, encouraging and accepting. These all come from my online course, how to be your own best boss, which you can find on my website if you want more support! www.thephdlifecoach.com

Links I refer to in this episode

Why we all need to be more intentional and resourceful

Why we all need to be more encouraging and accepting

Why we all need to be more compassionate and curious

How to be more strategic and ambitious

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FAQ

How many episodes does The PhD Life Coach have?

The PhD Life Coach currently has 125 episodes available.

What topics does The PhD Life Coach cover?

The podcast is about Health & Fitness, Stress, Mental Health, Help, Study, Podcasts, Self-Improvement, Education, Phd and Academic.

What is the most popular episode on The PhD Life Coach?

The episode title '15. How to tell your story and get the recognition you deserve (part 2)' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on The PhD Life Coach?

The average episode length on The PhD Life Coach is 34 minutes.

How often are episodes of The PhD Life Coach released?

Episodes of The PhD Life Coach are typically released every 7 days.

When was the first episode of The PhD Life Coach?

The first episode of The PhD Life Coach was released on Oct 18, 2022.

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The PhD Life Coach

Vikki Wright

Top 10 The PhD Life Coach Episodes

FAQ

How many episodes does The PhD Life Coach have?

What topics does The PhD Life Coach cover?

What is the most popular episode on The PhD Life Coach?

What is the average episode length on The PhD Life Coach?

How often are episodes of The PhD Life Coach released?

When was the first episode of The PhD Life Coach?

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