The Messy Coach: The Joyful PhD

"This workshop aims to support participants to reconnect with the joyful, pleasurable, motivating elements of their doctoral journey; and to then engage these qualities as they make onward decisions for their research. The workshop will explore three aspects of joy:

The joy of research – remembering what is transformational, valuable and of great service to society in their research or subject area; what is pleasurable and of interest in the issues they are studying.

The joyful research experience – recalling what has been joyful and energising in the wider research journey. This will encourage participants to think about their overall personal and professional development over the last few years, and thinking about how those skills and interests can translate into different kinds of careers or paths.

The joyful life – recalling core desired values and desires in participants’ life. This is a more holistic exploration of what is a true priority for the way they wish to live their lives – both within the PhD and beyond.

Finally, we bring the three elements together, examining which values overlap across all three areas and how participants can bring these qualities to the forefront of their everyday decision making and action planning."