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.


The PhD Life Coach

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1992545/open_sms">Send Vikki any questions you&#39;d like answered on the show!</a>THIS EPISODE CONTAINS MASSIVE SPOILERS!! Imposter syndrome is top of my mind at the moment because it’s the focus of my membership this quarter. I’m also utterly obsessed with The Traitors and have been loving the UK Celebrity Traitors which just finished. If you want to hear how the final five (and the winner in particular) made me reflect on imposter syndrome, and hear my tenuous links to an academic context, then check out this episode! If you haven’t seen it, and have no intention of watching it, no worries - you’ll still get some useful insight into overcoming imposter syndrome! If you liked this episode, you should check out “<a href='http://thephdlifecoach.buzzsprout.com/1992545/episodes/14435182-eight-things-that-phd-students-and-academics-can-learn-from-the-traitors'>eight things PhD students and academics can learn from The Traitors</a>”. I am apparently obsessed…. **** 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. <a href='http://pod.link/1650551306?i=1000695434464'>http://pod.link/1650551306?i=1000695434464</a> I also host a free online community for academics at every level. You can sign up on my website, <a href='https://www.thephdlifecoach.com'>The PhD Life Coach. com</a> - 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.

4.12 What the Celebrity Traitors taught me about imposter syndrome

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1992545/open_sms">Send Vikki any questions you&#39;d like answered on the show!</a>This week I’m confessing my dirty secrets. Have a listen and compare your screen time to mine! I talk through why I’m unhappy with my current phone usage, why I’m not beating myself and what I’m doing instead. If you’ve ever felt like you can only change by “being more disciplined” or “criticising yourself into wanting it enough” then this is an important episode for you. I might not have a success to report back yet in terms of reducing my phone usage, but I’m feeling very proud of how I’m going about this challenge!If you liked this episode, you should check out “<a href='https://thephdlifecoach.buzzsprout.com/1992545/episodes/11640476-5-how-accepting-where-you-are-is-the-first-step-to-getting-where-you-want-to-be'>how accepting where you are is the first step to getting where you want to be</a>”. **** 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. <a href='http://pod.link/1650551306?i=1000695434464'>http://pod.link/1650551306?i=1000695434464</a> I also host a free online community for academics at every level. You can sign up on my website, <a href='https://www.thephdlifecoach.com'>The PhD Life Coach. com</a> - 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.

4.11 Why my phone addiction confession might help you too

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1992545/open_sms">Send Vikki any questions you&#39;d like answered on the show!</a>If you’re bored of reading people’s “I’m happy to announce…” posts on LinkedIn, where they only seem to celebrate big wins like “I got a new job” or “my paper’s published”, then this episode is for you. I’ll tell you why big wins aren’t as motivating as they could be, why we should look out for tiny wins, and why sometimes the sillier the win, the better! Join my tiny win revolution and share your silliest wins today! Post on LinkedIn or Instagram, tag me, and use the hashtag #tinywins, and I’ll pick my favourite post in November 2025 and give you a free 30 min coaching session! If you liked this episode, you should check out “<a href='https://thephdlifecoach.buzzsprout.com/1992545/episodes/13061169-36-why-we-should-be-more-proud-of-ourselves-and-how-to-do-it'>why we should be more proud of ourselves and how to do it</a>”. **** 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. <a href='http://pod.link/1650551306?i=1000695434464'>http://pod.link/1650551306?i=1000695434464</a> I also host a free online community for academics at every level. You can sign up on my website, <a href='https://www.thephdlifecoach.com'>The PhD Life Coach. com</a> - 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.

4.10 Why we should celebrate tiny silly wins

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1992545/open_sms">Send Vikki any questions you&#39;d like answered on the show!</a>Sometimes it can feel like the only thing that matters is whether you are “on track” or not. We measure our self-worth in progress, we report to our supervisors about where we are against our plans, and the only answer we can think of to “how’s it going?” is “busy”. In this episode I talk about why you are so much more than a Gantt chart and how believing that can change the way we interact with our supervisors, our friends and families and, most importantly, how we treat ourselves. This is perfect for anyone who is fed up of feeling behind all the time.If you liked this episode, you should check out “<a href='https://thephdlifecoach.buzzsprout.com/1992545/episodes/11787739-9-how-to-manage-annoying-comments-at-christmas'>how to cope with annoying comments at Christmas</a>” (even if it’s not Christmas!)**** 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. <a href='http://pod.link/1650551306?i=1000695434464'>http://pod.link/1650551306?i=1000695434464</a> I also host a free online community for academics at every level. You can sign up on my website, <a href='https://www.thephdlifecoach.com'>The PhD Life Coach. com</a> - 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.

4.09 Why you are more than a Gantt chart

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1992545/open_sms">Send Vikki any questions you&#39;d like answered on the show!</a>In this episode, I talk with Gabriela, a student in my PhD Life Coach membership. She is taking a few weeks off to get married and is struggling with getting distracted, worried that she’ll feel guilty while she’s away, and that she’ll dread coming back. Listen as we work through ways to address these challenges. Whether you are taking a big break like Gabriela, or you struggle to switch off even for the weekend, this episode will help you! You can also hear more about what it’s like being a student in my membership. If you like listening to coaching episodes, you might like <a href='https://thephdlifecoach.buzzsprout.com/1992545/episodes/16273544-3-17-overcoming-overwork-and-overwhelm-in-the-final-months-of-your-phd-a-special-coaching-episode'>this conversation with final year student Swagata</a>, about overcoming overwhelm and overwork in the last few months of her PhD. **** 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. <a href='http://pod.link/1650551306?i=1000695434464'>http://pod.link/1650551306?i=1000695434464</a> I also host a free online community for academics at every level. You can sign up on my website, <a href='https://www.thephdlifecoach.com'>The PhD Life Coach. com</a> - 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.

4.08 How to stay focused when a lot’s going on - a special coaching episode

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1992545/open_sms">Send Vikki any questions you&#39;d like answered on the show!</a>When you buy something like a car or a piece of technology, you get a manual - it explains what you need to do routinely to keep the product running well and helps you troubleshoot common issues. Today we consider what would go in YOUR instruction manual - what does it take to keep you as a human being running smoothly during your academic experience and how should we deal with common challenges that come up. I help you identify what should go into your “manual” and how this can help us thrive in our studies and careers. If you found this episode useful, you might like this episode on <a href='https://thephdlifecoach.buzzsprout.com/1992545/episodes/11997498-13-what-to-do-when-you-know-you-re-behaving-like-a-toddler'>what to do if you’re behaving like a toddler</a>! **** 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. <a href='http://pod.link/1650551306?i=1000695434464'>http://pod.link/1650551306?i=1000695434464</a> I also host a free online community for academics at every level. You can sign up on my website, <a href='https://www.thephdlifecoach.com'>The PhD Life Coach. com</a> - 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.

4.07 Why you need an instruction manual

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1992545/open_sms">Send Vikki any questions you&#39;d like answered on the show!</a>Today I’m answering listener questions in the same way that I answer questions for students in my memberships. People have submitted questions about all aspects of PhD Life and I’ve selected 7 to talk about today - for each question, I help you unpick what is really the problem, what is making it feel difficult and try to give some tangible ways forward. In the membership I do this all the time and post the answers into our private podcast. Listening to other people’s questions being answered helps you apply the learning to your own life so have a listen and see which of these resonate for you! If you found this episode useful, you might like this <a href='https://thephdlifecoach.buzzsprout.com/1992545/episodes/15868442-3-05-client-q-a-getting-it-done-when-you-don-t-feel-like-it'>client Q&A episode</a>, where I discuss getting stuff done when you don’t really feel like it.**** 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. <a href='http://pod.link/1650551306?i=1000695434464'>http://pod.link/1650551306?i=1000695434464</a> I also host a free online community for academics at every level. You can sign up on my website, <a href='https://www.thephdlifecoach.com'>The PhD Life Coach. com</a> - 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.

4.06 I answer listener questions

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1992545/open_sms">Send Vikki any questions you&#39;d like answered on the show!</a>Today I’m sharing a real life coaching experience we had in the membership this week. One of the members came to an online coaching session because she had a “scary” email to send and she realised she’d been procrastinating for what felt to her like ages. You have likely experienced this too! The trouble is, when it feels scary, we often end up overthinking it, making it more complicated than it needs to be, and/or putting off actually sending the email for a long time. In this episode, I take you through the process I took my member through to go from “I’m too scared” to “let’s get this done”.If you found this episode useful, you might like this <a href='https://thephdlifecoach.buzzsprout.com/1992545/episodes/16003736-3-09-client-q-a-post-deadline-slumps-uncommunicative-supervisors-and-judging-your-own-work'>client Q&A episode</a>, where I discuss post-deadline slumps, uncommunicate supervisors, and judging your own work.**** 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. <a href='http://pod.link/1650551306?i=1000695434464'>http://pod.link/1650551306?i=1000695434464</a> I also host a free online community for academics at every level. You can sign up on my website, <a href='https://www.thephdlifecoach.com'>The PhD Life Coach. com</a> - 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.

4.05 How to send that scary email

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1992545/open_sms">Send Vikki any questions you&#39;d like answered on the show!</a>In this coaching episode, I’m chatting with a part-time, international student who is juggling full time work, a family, a disability, and a PhD that started many years ago. Predrag contacted me for help with prioritisation and time management. Regardless of your own situation, this discussion will help you think through how to balance your different commitments and how to structure your time when everything feels important.If you found this episode useful, you might like this one on <a href='https://thephdlifecoach.buzzsprout.com/1992545/episodes/17292145-3-40-how-to-read-academic-papers-more-quickly'>how to read academic papers more quickly</a> and this recent one on <a href='https://thephdlifecoach.buzzsprout.com/1992545/episodes/17787701-4-02-how-to-take-better-notes'>how to make better notes</a>.**** 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. <a href='http://pod.link/1650551306?i=1000695434464'>http://pod.link/1650551306?i=1000695434464</a> I also host a free online community for academics at every level. You can sign up on my website, <a href='https://www.thephdlifecoach.com'>The PhD Life Coach. com</a> - 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.

4.04 How to prioritise when you have competing challenges - a coaching session with Predrag

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1992545/open_sms">Send Vikki any questions you&#39;d like answered on the show!</a>Whether you’re a PhD student or an academic, we need to be thinking about how to make mentoring more effective and enjoyable for everyone involved. This week I’m talking with author and university leader Dr Maria Lamonaca Wisdom about her new book, How To Mentor Anyone In Academia. We chat about why mentoring can be so challenging, how we can set ourselves up for success whether we’re the mentor or the mentee, and what we’d change if we were in charge of university systems. You can find Maria's book on the <a href='https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691248707/how-to-mentor-anyone-in-academia?srsltid=AfmBOoo8_BOVVIjaOMnhfX_dsDcys35da20-qAIXIXcCeX22tm_vYFe2'>Princeton University Press site here</a>.If you found this episode useful, you might like this one on <a href='https://thephdlifecoach.buzzsprout.com/1992545/episodes/12225337-18-how-to-have-a-great-relationship-with-your-supervisor'>how to have a great relationship with your supervisor</a>. **** 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. <a href='http://pod.link/1650551306?i=1000695434464'>http://pod.link/1650551306?i=1000695434464</a> I also host a free online community for academics at every level. You can sign up on my website, <a href='https://www.thephdlifecoach.com'>The PhD Life Coach. com</a> - 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.

4.03 How to mentor anyone in academia with Dr Maria Lamonaca Wisdom

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1992545/open_sms">Send Vikki any questions you&#39;d like answered on the show!</a>Pretty much all PhD students have a vague (or very strong) sense that they’re not taking “good enough” notes. Yet for most of us, we’re not really clear what good enough notes would actually be like, and often have really unrealistic expectations about what function our notes should serve in the future. In this episode, I don’t give you new systems or softwares to improve your notetaking - instead, I talk about how notetaking is your first opportunity to practice being an academic who is IN the field, not just reporting ON the field. I’ll give you some specific notetaking activities to try and a pep talk on how important it is for the world to hear YOUR academic voice.  If you found this episode useful, you might like this one on <a href='https://thephdlifecoach.buzzsprout.com/1992545/episodes/15139170-2-37-why-you-should-never-read-when-you-re-writing'>how to read more quickly</a> and this one on <a href='https://thephdlifecoach.buzzsprout.com/1992545/episodes/16773943-3-29-how-to-stop-wasting-time-by-trying-to-be-too-efficient'>why we should stop focusing on being more efficient</a>. **** 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. <a href='http://pod.link/1650551306?i=1000695434464'>http://pod.link/1650551306?i=1000695434464</a> I also host a free online community for academics at every level. You can sign up on my website, <a href='https://www.thephdlifecoach.com'>The PhD Life Coach. com</a> - 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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The PhD Life Coach

…

Vikki Wright

#151

4.12 What the Celebrity Traitors taught me about imposter syndrome

#150

4.11 Why my phone addiction confession might help you too

#149

4.10 Why we should celebrate tiny silly wins

#148

4.09 Why you are more than a Gantt chart

#147

4.08 How to stay focused when a lot’s going on - a special coaching episode

#146

4.07 Why you need an instruction manual

#145

4.06 I answer listener questions

#144

4.05 How to send that scary email

#143

4.04 How to prioritise when you have competing challenges - a coaching session with Predrag

#142

4.03 How to mentor anyone in academia with Dr Maria Lamonaca Wisdom

#141

4.02 How to take better notes