PhD Unplugged

Writing is a crucial part of everyone’s PhD journey. Yet, for most of us it does not come easy and can be a source of frustration. The good news is: Writing is something that develops with practice, and that we can train and develop over time. But how to get started? In this episode, PhD student Willemijn Helmich talks to academic writing coach Jeanine de Bruin about the challenge of writing a dissertation next to a full-time job, how to integrate writing into a busy working schedule and how to make it a more meaningful and fun activity.

Obtaining your PhD is one thing, knowing what to do after is another. And even if we know what it is we want, there might be barriers keeping us from pursuing our goals. In our latest episode, PhD student Tajda Laure speaks to coach and coaching researcher Dr. Tim Theeboom about the difficulty of knowing what career path is right for you and how to take the steps that get you closer to your goals.

For PhD students, it is important to gain an in-depth understanding of the topic that we are studying. Immersing ourselves in our work is therefore a crucial part of our jobs. Yet, high engagement can also slow us down when we get lost in details. To avoid falling down the ‘rabbit hole’, and losing sight of what is important at the moment, we need to set boundaries for ourselves. In this episode, we speak to PhD student Charlotte Vaassen and psychologist and professional coach Christianne Vink about how to nourish moments of flow while at the same time limiting our tendency to ‘overshoot’.

Doing work that is personally meaningful is an important source of motivation for many PhD students. At the same time, having great passion and being intrinsically motivated for the job can also lead PhD students to overinvest in their careers. In this episode, we speak to PhD student Anastassia Vivanco Carlevari and former editor of Harvard Business Review, Karen Dillon about ‘how to measure your life’.

What does it mean to not fit the stereotype of a scientist? In this episode PhD student Noor Abdulhussain shares with us how coming from a non-western background has made her demand a lot from herself and work extra hard during her PhD studies and beyond. Together with coaching practitioner and researcher Dr. Raija Salomaa, we discuss how finding recognition can help us when we are doubting ourselves or our place in academia.

In this episode, we speak to self-compassion pioneer Dr. Steven Hickman and PhD candidate Yoni Schirris about the power of self-compassion. We discuss:

• the concept of self-compassion and how it helps to deal with an inner critical voice
• the three components of self-compassion: mindfulness, common humanity and self-kindness
• the science behind self-compassion: how it makes us more successful and navigate through (PhD) life with ease
• building a self-compassion routine: start small and be patient
• the importance of mindful moments: where are your feet?
• the self-compassion paradox: how to make self-compassion work by letting go of it working
• a common misconception: how self-compassion is different from self-pity
• self-compassion in academia: be the change you want to see
• self-compassion break: a pocket practice for every day
• the fierce side of self-compassion: why self-compassion is more than warmth and tenderness

For more information, visit also: 

www.self-compassion.org

www.drstevenhickman.com

Everyone is insecure now and then, but sometimes, insecurities can really stand ourselves in the way. How do deal with insecurities in your PhD, we will talk about it together with our two guests, Daphne van der Kruijssen and executive coach Jenny Rogers.