The PhD Life Coach

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...

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?...

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!  **** I'm Dr Vikki Wright, ex-Professor and certified life coach and I help everyone from PhD stu...

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 ho...

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 c...

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: 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 go...

Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show! In this episode, I share a fresh approach to planning for PhD students and academics that doesn’t rely on perfection. If you’ve ever felt like planning isn’t for you because you “never stick to it,” this episode is for you. We’ll explore imperfect planning : creating flexible time structures that make it easy to pick back up after thing...

Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show! Whether you’re a regular AI user or prefer to keep your distance, understanding AI’s role in academia is becoming essential. In this episode, I chat with Dr. Jessica Parker, founder of the AI platform MoxieLearn, about the when, why, and how of using AI as a PhD student. We explore where AI can genuinely enhance your research—and where...

Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show! I don’t know about you but my brain has so many ideas and thoughts of things I should do, shouldn’t do, mustn’t forget, want to change, or need to make a decision about. I needed a system to get them out of my head but where I knew I would come back to them. In this episode, I’m sharing a system I’ve been testing to help capture and cru...

Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show! Do you struggle to get back into work after a big deadline? Have issues connecting with your supervisor? Or feel like you don’t even know whether your work is good enough or not? Then this episode is for you! In my second client Q&A episode, I answer three questions from listeners on these topics and give actionable advice if you fi...

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 a...

Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show! It’s a tough world at the moment. I’ve had lots of clients struggling with job insecurity, family or personal health issues, and the direct or indirect effects of all the bad stuff that’s happening in the world right now. In this podcast, I give some ideas about how you can show yourself compassion, decide what (if any) work you are cap...

Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show! Do you remember what fascinated you about your PhD topic? Sometimes when we’re stuck in the middle of endless studying it can be hard to recall why we even chose this programme. This week in the podcast I’m talking to Rosa Smith from the Brilliant Club about how sharing your research with schoolkids can inspire everyone involved! Rosa t...

Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show! If you struggle to get stuff done when you don’t feel like working, this episode is for you! I’m answering three questions from my listeners: Q1 How do I go from rough notes to writing sentences? Q2 How do I edit when I’m scared I’ll realise it’s rubbish?  Q3 How do I get stuff done when I feel unmotivated?  I’ll tell you all the ways t...

Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show! Sometimes in academia being “strategic” and “ambitious” can feel like criticisms – like we’re building our career at the expense of others or being too “corporate” for a university setting. In reality, being strategic and ambitious is just about deciding what contribution you want to make to the world and why. If you often underestimate...

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 gi...

Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show! This week, we’re talking about starting a new academic year! This is NOT about goal setting or new resolutions - instead I'm talking about three ways that you can start the year that are more positive and empowering. These are how to harness your strengths, how to predict the future (and why) and how to modify your environment to s...

Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show! We are back for a brand new season and I want to help all of you struggling with procrastination, overwhelm, imposter syndrome, working too much, not working enough, feeling behind, having too much to do or wondering if you want to be doing this at all. In the episode I'm going to give you five FREE ways that I can help you, one ne...

Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show! Sometimes we can feel like we have to do everything, that everything is urgent, and we don't even know when to start. Sometimes the best approach is to work out how to be efficient, organise ourselves and get stuff done. Other times, it's worth questioning what we're doing and whether it really matters. In this episode we...

Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show! Whether you have been watching the Olympics or not, we have so much we can learn from Olympians. Don't worry - this is not going to be the usual "you've got to work harder, you've got to grind" toxic mindset. I am going to share nine lessons that you probably haven't thought about before, that you can use t...

Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show! Sometimes we have the best intentions for the work we're going to do, but we wake up just not feeling it. We're tired, we lack focus, we don't think we're in the right frame of mind to work. Sometimes we beat ourselves up and force ourselves to sit down and work and other times we just give up entirely. In today&apos...

Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show! You ever feel like you get to the end of the week and you have no idea what you did, you've been busy but you definitely didn't do the things that you wanted to get done and the week just seems to have got away from you, then you are in exactly the right place. Today I'm going to be thinking about how to be more intention...

Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show! PhD students and academics often wonder how to handle contradictory advice and how to decide what to do. In this episode I think about what makes contradictory advice feel so challenging and I give you some questions to ask yourself to help you decide what you're going to do.  **** I'm Dr Vikki Wright, ex-Professor and certifi...

Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show! So many people tell me they struggle to plan because things always take longer than they anticipated. They then end up not following their plan because things run over and they get disheartened. Sometimes they stop planning entirely because it feels pointless. If that sounds like you, I've got you! In this episode we'll talk a...

Send Vikki any questions you'd like answered on the show! Procrastinating is when we scroll social media instead of working, right? No! Procrastination is anything that we do to avoid the emotions associated with doing the task we intend to do. In this episode, I will share eight things that I think are often used as procrastination and help you figure out what to do if you recognise yourself...