The PhD Life Coach

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

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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.

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

Doing a PhD and even working in academia can be a lonely business. Sometimes we just don't feel like we've got the support we need around us. In this episode, I am going to identify six different types of social support that I think all academics need and give you some ideas to start assessing where you think you are at the moment. From there we’ll identify some steps forward that you can take, so that you can get the social support that you need.

Links I refer to in this episode 

You can find links to Dr Lilia Mantai’s research here

How to build your own academic community

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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.

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

Do you find yourself putting stuff off because it’s not due yet or never reaching some goals because they don’t have a specific deadline at all? Is the only thing that actually gets you moving that slight panic associated with a looming deadline? If so, this is totally normal but it can mean that work feels very pressured and that we don’t always do the things that we want to be doing in the long term. In this episode, I will talk about how we can reduce our dependence on deadlines and how we can use start dates to organise our tasks instead.

Links I refer to in this episode 

Steven Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

How to do role-based time blocking

Total Workday Control by Michael Lindenberger

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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.

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

In this episode, I chat with Dr Gertrude Nonterah, founder of The Bold PhD. She shares her own experience of transitioning from an academic career to an industry position and starting her own business that supports people with PhDs to build their personal brand and find jobs outside academia. She also shares some of the hints and tips that she has gathered through speaking with hundreds of academics, that she wishes all PhD students knew! 

Links I refer to in this episode 

Dr Gertrude Nonterah on LinkedIn

The Bold PhD 

55 academics reveal PhD student secrets you won’t learn in school! 

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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.

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

Changing plans can feel daunting, especially when you’re committed to a specific path and you’re not sure what is the “right” decision. In this episode, we dive into why it’s so hard to shift gears, why adaptability is essential for success, and how to navigate change without losing momentum. You'll also hear about a major update I’m making to my membership programme—offering insights that could inspire your own big decisions. Whether you’re rethinking your PhD research goals or looking to build resilience in your everyday life, this episode is packed with practical tips and real-world examples to help you embrace change with confidence.

Links I refer to in this episode 

How to make decisions that you love

How to go from idea overload to clarity

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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.

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

In this episode, I coach Swagata, a PhD student navigating the intense overwhelm and exhaustion of her final months of writing up. If you’ve ever felt the pressure of looming deadlines, struggled to balance rest with productivity, or found yourself trapped in guilt for taking a break, this episode is for you.

What’s inside this episode?
✨ The challenges of finishing a PhD – Swagata shares her honest experience of overwork, guilt around resting, and feeling like her energy isn’t enough to meet the demands of writing up.
✨ Practical time-management strategies – Together, we explore actionable ways to organise her time effectively, so she can focus on what truly matters without burning out.
✨ Reframing unhelpful thoughts – I help Swagata identify and challenge thought patterns that are making her PhD journey more painful than it needs to be, offering insights that can help you, too.
This episode is packed with relatable struggles and realistic solutions for any PhD student feeling overwhelmed. You’ll gain practical tips to ease your workload and mindset shifts to approach your final months with more clarity and confidence.

👉 Listen now to discover how to tackle overwork, embrace rest guilt-free, and finish your PhD without sacrificing your well-being.

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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.

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

In this episode, I make a feisty case for why we should ban highlighters! I’ll give you four reasons they’re not helping you and tell you what you should be doing instead. Forward this to all your favourite stationery-obsessed friends! 

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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.

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

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr Andrew Dewar from Oxygen Conservation to explore how we can build more positive, motivational environments in academia using insights from sports psychology.

We dive into strategies for fostering recovery, supporting each other, and creating climates that inspire students and supervisors alike. Learn how to:

• Create a supervisory relationship that cares for both the people involved AND academic performance
• Boost autonomy, competence, and connection in your academic life.
• Apply proven techniques from sports psychology to reduce stress and enhance performance.

Whether you’re a PhD student striving for balance or a supervisor aiming to better support your team, this conversation is packed with actionable insights to help you thrive in academia.

🎧 Tune in to discover how you can contribute to something bigger while achieving your personal and professional goals.

Links I refer to in this episode 

Dr Andrew Dewar (LinkedIn) 

Oxygen Conservation

Andrew’s podcast episode – From Hire to High Performance

Radical Candor by Cal Newport

So good they can’t ignore you by Cal Newport

Stephen Covey’s Circle of Influence

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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.

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

In this episode, we’re diving into a common trap many PhD students and academics fall into: setting word count goals like “500 words a day” or “6,000 words by next month.” While these goals sound productive, they often oversimplify the complex process of academic writing.

I’ll explain why relying on word count as a measure of progress can hinder your motivation and overlook crucial aspects of writing, such as revising, outlining, and refining ideas. Most importantly, I’ll share smarter, more effective ways to track your progress and keep your writing on track without feeling overwhelmed.

If you’re struggling to stay motivated with your thesis, dissertation, or academic papers, this episode is here to help you rethink how you approach writing. Tune in to make meaningful progress without getting stuck in the word count trap!

Perfect for PhD students, early career researchers, and anyone navigating academic writing challenges.

Links I refer to in this episode 

Why you shouldn’t read when you’re writing

How to plan your academic writing (with special guest Dr Jo Van Every)

How to break your work down into chunks

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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.

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

In this episode, I answer three thought-provoking questions from PhD students and graduates:

1. Handling Final-Year Disappointment
   A PhD student asks how to cope with the sense of disappointment that can arise in the final year when you realise your initial goals and ambitions have had to be scaled back. I explain why this is actually a good sign and how to use this understanding to motivate yourself to move forwards.
2. Staying Motivated Post-PhD
   Charlotte, a member of my coaching programme, seeks advice on self-coaching as she works on writing papers post-PhD, with no pressing deadlines or external accountability. I explore ways to find intrinsic motivation and structure this next phase of her academic journey.
3. Making the Most of Podcasts
   Sophie enjoys listening to podcasts while multitasking but struggles with taking notes or fully engaging with the content. I offer tips for integrating podcasts into her routine more effectively to maximise their value.

This episode is packed with practical advice for navigating common challenges in your academic journey and beyond.

Links I refer to in this episode 

How to go from idea overload to clarity  

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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.