The PhD Life Raft Podcast

• Making PhD Dreams a Reality with Cynthia Fasola

  Cynthia Fasola is doctoral candidate at the University of Greenwich with a background as a research manager.  Her Phd explores feedback practices and the barriers that people from ethnic minority backgrounds face within academia.   In this episode we talk about building confidence and strong foundations in the PhD process.   Cynthia shares advice on navigating the PhD application process.     She reflects on the significance of the supervisory relationship and the importance of finding the right person for you!   Cynthia also touches on the importance on reflecting on your own motivations and challenges in order that you can put the right support in place. You can connect with Cynthia here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-fasola You can read a transcript of the episode here: thephdliferaft.com    If you would like a useful weekly email to support you on your PhD journey you can sign up for ‘Notes     from the Life Raft’ here:  https://mailchi.mp/f2dce91955c6/notes-from-the-life-raft    

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• Managing big changes in your PhD with confidence with Kay Danes

  Kay Danes is an award-winning author, human rights advocate and humanitarian.    In this episode Kay shares the transformative experience of reshaping her PhD research and provides insights for other PhD candidates facing similar obstacles.   Kay posits the importance of recognising challenges as part of the academic process.     She reflects on her own major shift of both subject and department within her doctoral study.     Kay also offers a useful perspective on how to approach feedback and stay focused on your research goals. You can find out more about Kay here: https://www.kaydanes.com/ You can read the transcript of this episode here: thephdliferaft.com       If you would like a useful weekly email to support you on your PhD journey you can sign up for ‘Notes     from the Life Raft’ here:  https://mailchi.mp/f2dce91955c6/notes-from-the-life-raft    

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• "None of this is your fault": Managing the PhD with a Chronic Health Condition with Louise LePage

  Louise LePage was in her 30s when she did her MA in Drama and Performance (University College Dublin) and fell in love with academia and performance. Immediately afterwards she undertook a PhD at Royal Holloway, University of London, where she was also a Teaching Fellow.  She has since held positions at University of Reading and University of York.                                                                                                                                                           In this episode we explore the challenges of navigating academia whilst managing a chronic illness like ME/CFS. Louise reflects honestly on her own lived experiences and offers tips on  self-advocacy,  managing expectations, and taking an active role in shaping your PhD   She explains how finding a supportive supervisor can be a game changer and talks about the role of community and acceptance.   Louise also offers golden advice for managing deadlines. Louise’s YouTube channel is: https://www.youtube.com/@FiftyShadesofTired1971   Louise recommends Facebook groups relating to the work of Dr Sarah Myhill and the  Long Covid & ME/CFS healing through Creativity group.     You can read the transcript of this episode here: thephdliferaft.com       If you would like a useful weekly email to support you on your PhD journey you can sign up for ‘Notes     from the Life Raft’ here:  https://mailchi.mp/f2dce91955c6/notes-from-the-life-raft    

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• If you are thinking of quitting your PhD, listen to this first! with Gordon Morrison

  In this episode Gordon shares his reflections on his PhD experience - particularly the times when he wanted to give up!   Gordon discusses the challenges of balancing full-time work and the PhD.   He shares the strategies that he used to stay motivated and managing time - in particular the pomodoro method.   We explore how to deal with doubts, overwhelm and exhaustion and the importance of the right kind of support.   Gordon also offers some insights from his own experience of the viva and gives some valuable top tips.   You can find out more about the pomodoro technique here: https://thephdliferaft.com/the-pomodoro-technique-and-phd-research/     You can find out more about Nathan Ryder and Viva Survivor here: http://viva-survivors.com/about/         If you would like a useful weekly email to support you on your PhD journey you can sign up for ‘Notes from the Life Raft’ here:  https://mailchi.mp/f2dce91955c6/notes-from-the-life-raft    

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• What you need to know about the PhD annual review with Charlotte Haines Lyon

  Charlotte Haines Lyon has a background in Youth and Community work.  She worked in a variety of youth and community settings and moved on to Adult Education including working with Age Concern.  She gained a Masters in Philosophy and Religion at Heythrop College (UCL) and a PhD at York St John University.  She worked as a freelance writer for a variety of charities and more recently has been developing Democratic Methodologies in Educational Research.     In this episode we look to demystify the annual review process.   Charlotte shares her own difficult experience and what she learnt from it.   We explore the key difference between annual reviews and upgrade meetings that most PhD researchers don’t know.   Charlotte outlines the simple shift in perspective that can transform these high stakes moments from dread to opportunity.   She also shares the one thing that she always encourages her supervisees to do after intense review meetings. For a transcript of this episode go to: thephdliferaft.com   If you would like a useful weekly email to support you on your PhD journey you can sign up for ‘Notes from the Life Raft’ here:  https://mailchi.mp/f2dce91955c6/notes-from-the-life-raft

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