I couldn't let Mental Health Awareness Month pass without saying something, even if I'm extremely late to the party, especially something to help motivate others on their Doctoral journey. To say that I've been to hell and back in the past few months is an understatement, but it is so important for me to share my experiences and observations, and to offer any advice I can in order to help others take more control over their mental health.

Many candidates start a doctorate without fully understanding the workload and workflows involved. In this episode, I explore what we should typically expect from the doctoral journey, and offer some understanding as to how we use this to our advantage when planning.

Choosing to proceed with your doctoral journey is a huge decision, and one that shouldn't be taken lightly. The journey can be extremely rewarding, as well as frought with challenges. In this episode, I pose ten 'hard' questions that you should ask yourself before commencing your journey. Being realistic and honest with yourself in answering these questions will help you plan more effectively to enable your journey greater chances of success!

As we knock on 2025's door, taking time to reflect on our progress, achievements, and hurdles is certainly a good idea. Such reflection helps us on not only our research journey, but also with our personal and professional development. This episode explores some simple frameworks that we can use to reflect on our doctoral journey thus far, and to help us plan for the upcoming year.

Ethics approvals can appear daunting, but they really are not. Ethics is always a 'negotiation on a continuum' and your application for ethics approval is part of that negotiation. Yes, you are likely to get feedback and need to make amendments, so ensure you plan your documentation and timelines accordingly. This episode briefly explores the steps in the process, so that you can start getting yourself ready! Don't leave it to the last minute, because you need this before your data collection!

Undergraduate and many masters level programmes are structured. The student is told what to read, and how to progress. The PhD is very self driven though; you are in the drivers seat, and that responsibility can be quite daunting at first. In this episode we look at some key challenges and strategies to ensure a smooth transition, and to ensure that you are mentally prepared for your PhD journey, and ready to take ownership of the project!

A well-planned PhD journey saves time, reduces stress, and leads to more impactful outcomes. That's all good and true, but there are many traps that doctoral candidates can stumble into. In this episode, we explore several common pitfalls and how a candidate can mitigate and resolve them. We can't cover everything, but we can discuss key, commonly-agreed upon pitfalls to help you out!

Burnout is very real, and it is experienced differently by each of us. This episode touches on how PhD candidates may experience, cope with, and bounce back from episodes of burnout, both mental and physical health related. The PhD journey can be a particularly lonely one, and burnout doesn't always creep up. Somedays we feel fine, and the next day dread sets in and our energy levels have hit the floor. Whilst I can't offer foolproof solutions, I can get us started on sharing what works for us!