PhD Unplugged: coaching podcast for PhD students
Juggling all the different tasks in your PhD can be tough. How to start when work is piling up? How to perform well when there is so much pressure? How to relax when work is always on your mind? How to make plans when the future is uncertain?
With their podcast PhD Unplugged, PhD students Luisa and Lara Solms aim to address common challenges that PhD students face but that are rarely talked about: insecurities, publication pressure, conflicts with the supervisor and much more.
The podcast is unique in that it consists of a 'live coaching' session, in which a PhD student talks to a professional coach about a subject of their choice.
Episode 1: insecurities
Episode 2: self-compassion
Episode 3: stereotypes in academia
Episode 4: meaning
Episode 2: self-compassion
It’s easy to be hard on ourselves when we fail or fall short. How, if we would treat ourselves the way we would treat a good friend? In this episode, Luisa and Lara speak to self-compassion pioneer Dr. Steven Hickman and PhD candidate Yoni Schirris about the power of self-compassion.
Episode 3: stereotypes in academia
What does it mean to not fit the stereotype of a scientist? In this episode PhD student Noor Abdulhussain shares 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.
Episode 4: Meaning
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’.
Background Luisa and Lara
Luisa is a second-year PhD student at the department of Work and Organizational Psychology at the University of Amsterdam. The well-being and personal development of PhD students are central themes in her research.
Lara is fourth-year PhD student at the department of Work and Organizational Psychology at the University of Amsterdam and the Erasmus Medical Center. After studying psychology in Germany and the Netherlands, Lara has been working on the topic of professional coaching for the past four years.