PostdocTransformation show for scienctists leaping into business
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Episode 0053 Shownotes
In this episode of the PostdocTransformation Show, LinkedIn Higher Education Top Voice and TEDx speaker Dr. Catriona Ryan, founder of ScriptorCube, shares anxiety-free academic writing and creative research strategies with you. Researchers across various universities benefit from her stress reduction techniques to boost creative thinking and self-compassion in academic writing. She indicates the impact of AI tools like ChatGPT on academic integrity and emphasizes the importance of mindfulness and longhand writing. The conversation extends to entrepreneurial strategies for PhD students and the role of self-compassion in overcoming academic challenges.
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About our PostdocTransformation show
Invest in your PostdocTransformation. Welcome to the seasonal show for scientists leaping into business. In every sponsored episode, we are happy to recommend employers of choice for you. Make sure to check your readiness to leap out of science with us for free, as linked in the show notes. For your career transition, we offer customized career transition e-courses and memberships, also at graduate schools all over the world.
Maybe yours too. And if your university isn't yet our customer, enroll in your free email course for career transition made simple as linked in the show notes. I'm your host, Professor Dr. Eleonore Soei Winkels, with my team who is rooting for you. And let's build your PostdocTransformation with this episode.
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[00:00:00] Thank you for listening to my PostdocTransformation Show. Maybe you want to leap out of science and start your own side business as a runway for your better future. Then you will benefit from my free business preparation quiz as linked in the show notes. If you want to organize your marketing and selling efforts, please also subscribe to my new video podcast show, Creating Reorganized.
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[00:00:46] And now, let's get to this episode.
[00:01:51] Tackle your anxieties with Dr. Catriona Ryan, founder of ScriptorCube to be able to reflect your PostdocTransformation
[00:01:51] Eleonore: Welcome, dear Postdoc Transformer. Today, you will have something that will really help you during your research before you leap into business.
[00:02:00] And that's why it's so important that you Attend to this episode really closely.
[00:02:07] Eleonore: be talking to someone who is a LinkedIn Higher Education Top Voice. I didn't even know that this exists. She is also a TEDx speaker she wants you to master anxiety free strategies for your academic writing and research and to think creativity in research through poetic language.
[00:02:29] With all these cues, it can only be Dr. Catriona Ryan from Ireland, and she has founded ScripterQ to provide researchers at 40 plus universities in the UK, two in the US, and two in Europe, with workshops and retreats.
[00:02:47] Dear Catriona, welcome to the PostdocTransformation Show for scientists leaping into business. The stage is yours.
[00:02:54] Dr. Catriona Ryan: Thank you very much, Eleonore. I'm really happy to be here. thank you for the invitation. I've been following you a lot on LinkedIn so I'm really excited to be here. Thank you,
[00:03:03] Eleonore: Thank you you are The only person who announced that she would be recording with me and who shared that also on LinkedIn. So also kudos to you that you do the LinkedIn game so well. You're a top voice, obviously you master the game. So if anyone wants to know how to play the LinkedIn game, Catriona is the person to go to.
[00:03:25] Dr. Catriona Ryan: Thank you
[00:03:26] Eleonore: before we dive into how you can help scientists do their research creatively, and anxiety free, I'm curious about ScripterCube. what was your motivation and how did you come up with the name ScripterCube, Catriona?
[00:03:41] Dr. Catriona Ryan: Well, Eleonore, I left my profession as a fulltime academic, at University of Wales, Trinity St. David, here in Swansea in, 2018. I decided to set up my own consultancy, and a lot of people use their names to set up a consultancy company. but I wasn't sure about that. I kind of was attracted to using a poetic name. and cube seems to be used quite frequently. So I thought, I want to use cube and I want to use sort of something related to writing.
[00:04:09] the word scriptor, which is , Latin based, but also, it's derived from the French, for writing, soScriptorCube, just sounded right. as a poet I like playing with language. And it felt right. So I landed on ScriptorCube. And was happy with that.
[00:04:24] Eleonore: That's great. it also sounds plausible. And speaks to your personality. as an entrepreneur, It has to be you 100%. Finding a name is really important because that really speaks to your heart, but also to the heart of your customers.
[00:04:38] Dr. Catriona Ryan: Yes.
[00:04:39] Dr. Catriona Ryan's Workshops and Methods
[00:04:39] Eleonore: So now talking about your services, Is it only for language scientists or also for other scientists who are trying to be creative in research
[00:04:52] Dr. Catriona Ryan: that's a great question. Eleonore, I have three main workshops. Academic Writing Reduce Anxiety. Creative Thinking in Research, and Stress Reduction Techniques in Research. they are geared towards PhD researchers, but it's actually, and I will be honest with you, I think that, I would say 60, 60 to 65 percent of the people who attend my workshops tend to be science based. since 2018, I have delivered these workshops to thousands, I mean, literally, I don't know, tens of thousands, maybe? I don't know. Of doctoral researchers at this stage. And I've covered every research area. I mean, I really, really have. but yeah, I would say 60, 65 would be science-based. The people often ask about the titles of my three workshops and, are the purely about stress reduction.
[00:05:40] So, the most popular workshop is academic writing, reduce anxiety. And, this one basically is, it's based on, I developed a new approach And I'm the only one who teaches this method. so basically this method is, I developed it when I was a second year post, when I was a PhD researcher at Swansea University. I graduated in 2010 in Irish Literature and Critical Theory.
And, so basically, when I was in my second year, around 2008, or, yeah, or 2009. Yeah, 2008, I think. I developed this new approach and it was an accident the way it all happened. You know, the standard approach to academic writing is, you've got all of your, you're about to write a paper or you're about to write a PhD chapter and you've done all your reading for it and you've done some planning.
So you start writing, and the typical sort of approach would be, you're not sure quite what the argument is, but you start writing your paragraph. But you're not sure what the argument is, because it could go in a variety of different directions. You're also conscious of your style, so you're trying to write formally. And there's also what I call the blank screen or the blank page scenario, where sometimes it's hard to even get started. And then roughly around that sort of time, you're also referencing as you're going along. So I call that a multitasking event. And that roughly, very roughly characterizes that standard approach to academic writing.
But what my method does, it completely turns that on its head by applying mindfulness to the academic writing process, which I mean, what I mean by that is by breaking everything down to bite sized manageable chunks. So what happens is, it's a seven step method, and what happens is that instead of, getting people to write straight away, actually writing is the last thing they do.
The first thing they do first, the first three steps, is all about developing the discursive framework for the whole chapter before you write anything, really. And this is something that's very important. New, because people aren't taught, generally how to construct an argument. And this is a game changer.
You can go onto my website and you'll see it has It totally transformed my approach to academic writing, my confidence levels, and I know it's helped enough lot of people. and so basically, as I said, what I mean by mindfulness, instead of multitasking This approach, does everything just step by step. So the first step is that development of the argument, and then you're expanding outwards.
[00:07:55] everything is done one step at a time. So what happens is doctoral researchers of every research area would come to my workshops, whether it's on campus or online. they write their PhD chapters, or papers with me, using my method.
[00:08:10] I'm an academic, And act as a supervisor I help them discover their discursive direction. with a lot of scientists, I've helped them, they may have a lot of data, but they're not sure about the discursive direction. And it's really helped, an awful lot of people. and I'm very proud of it, it's very unique and popular.
[00:10:42] The Importance of Self-Compassion in Academia
[00:10:42] Dr. Catriona Ryan: Let's not be modest here, so that you're brilliant, Eleonore, you know you are. The point here is, is that the reason why, but there is a, it's a double edged sword, having a brilliant mind. even though we look like we're looking after ourselves.
[00:10:53] We're clean, our spaces are generally tidy. But, there's a subtle thing I call academic dissociation. people who think on a multivalent level who undertake PhDs, sometimes it's hard to, they can ultra focus on the research area and they can in a very subtle way, forget about the fact that they're in the present moment, forget about their environment, forget about their bodies, not in obvious way, as I said, that they end up neglecting themselves now in a far more subtle way. And I think that's why, PhD researchers are more vulnerable in that context. 'cause it's harder maybe to regulate, anxiety because of that.
Basically, in the first part of that workshop, I introduced them to methods that really transformed my PhD journey. how to get back into the present moment, and how that internal helps with enhancing critical thinking and all of those things. But the one thing that's very important though in the space of all of that, when I talk about getting back into the present moment, there's a particular term that I always use, and I use it throughout all of my workshops, is developing self compassion. The importance of self compassion in all of that.
[00:11:55] Because the more that we're able to develop self compassion, the more we're able to deal with fear, the more we're able to deal with anxiety, the more we're able to be in the present moment. And then in the second part then, I talk about, different techniques in how to read papers, how to, a little bit on academic writing, but lots of other areas, not just time management, but how to do it in a More self-compassionate way. And now that I've flagged up self-compassion, I will say go. Going back to the first workshop, I actually do give a talk, a little talk at the beginning, and I talk about self-compassion in academic writing, reduce anxiety as well. And as the researchers are writing, they could be in the middle of writing their chapters. And that I'm engaging people, either one-to-one or as a group. I talk about self-compassion and the importance of how we speak to ourselves. that is bound up in the first workshop as well. So that's an overview of the three workshops. Yes,
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[00:14:53] Eleonore: Wonderful. And from what I hear, have to say this is something young PhD students need to hear from the get go, before they start their PhD, before they have this honeymoon, take on multiple projects.
[00:15:10] Think of brilliant ideas are not feasible within, three, five, even a seven year time span, and then to be disappointed of themselves.
[00:15:23] And less compassionate for themselves.
[00:15:26] Dr. Catriona Ryan: Yes.
[00:15:26] Eleonore: will probably burn out doing the PhD. that's what I see a lot because a lot of the PhD students who come because of their PostdocTransformation, are disillusioned about
[00:15:38] What they set out to do, but they're not finishing it or they're not thinking of being up to their own standards.
[00:15:45] Dr. Catriona Ryan: Yes.
[00:15:46] Eleonore: if they had been to your workshop before, they probably would've been kinder to themselves.
[00:15:53] Dr. Catriona Ryan: Eleonore, that is amazing. Thank you so much for sharing that because, unfortunately, that is the typical example of so many academics, exactly what you just described there, that there is this issues with perfectionism, you know, people setting standards up too high for themselves because of fear and anxiety. But I always say, to early stage researchers because in the first few weeks of my PhD. I made a promise to myself that I would take on two projects.
[00:16:19] The first project was the excitement of the PhD and I love that and all the enjoyment that goes with that But the second project is even more important practicing self compassion, building my relationship with myself. that will transform the experience of the PhD, your relationships with people around you, your supervisor, the more you're able to practice self awareness and, deal with internalized negative voices, the more confident you will be.
[00:16:47] My confidence grew quickly through practicing self compassion. there's a practice called the Five Senses Exercise, name five things you can hear, five things you can see, it's about getting back into the present moment, if I was going to define self compassion, it's this, anything that you can do to help yourself, to make the process easier, because from moment to moment, we're always giving ourselves messages about how we feel about ourselves, But that conscious effort of doing that is how we build more self trust, and it will make a huge difference. So I absolutely agree with you, that this is what early stage researchers need, tools to practice self compassion so they can deal with when the hard times comes. And also with decision making, not only within the PhD, but beyond the PhD as well.
[00:17:33] Eleonore: Wonderful. that really is a perfect segue to think of this stage within the PhD, to have a playground or a sandbox where you. Practice self compassion, not just for yourself, but also if you ever want to become a thought leader, a people leader, then being compassionate means
[00:17:56] Dr. Catriona Ryan: That's a wonderful way of putting it. Yes. Yes. Yes.
[00:18:00] Eleonore: For the long run. And that means that the people you are leading will also emulate you for that being compassionate and not being a toxic leader who doesn't look after herself or himself or itself. And that's basically what we just talked about in the pre discussion.
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[00:18:19] Challenges in Academia and Toxic Leadership
[00:18:19] Eleonore: Academia is full of toxic leaders. I want everyone in the Postdoc Transformation community to know that you can also have bad leaders in business,
[00:18:29] Dr. Catriona Ryan: Yes.
[00:18:30] Eleonore: chances are quite big that you will find better leaders than in academia.
[00:18:36] Because academia is not nurturing you in a way that you can become self compassionate, also compassionate for the team members.
[00:18:45] Dr. Catriona Ryan: Agree. And I think that that is a massive issue. I think there is this real sense that really reinforces what you just said there. Eleonore toxicity that is endemic throughout the higher education sector. That sense of competitiveness, but not in a good way. You can have positive competitive competition and negative competition, I remember years ago when I was a PhD researcher.
You see some people who are very, very talented. But you could see them suddenly comparing themselves to , another PhD researcher that one person published from a different department, just published a paper, and they're only in their second year, early stage. And then suddenly you can see their confidence decreasing.
And I knew one person in particular who wasn't in my department, he was in a different department. But she was really, and she was one of the most talented people I'd ever met. But she was constantly comparing herself. And you could see that as each year went by, that stopped her from applying for things, from applying for funding, to try and get published, from attending conferences. She shut herself down.
And I think the worst thing you can do is compare yourself. The more that you're self compassionate, the less you worry about what's going on around you and other people around you. And it's the only way to deal with that toxicity, because as you say, it is absolutely throughout the whole higher education sector.
But the only way that we can arm ourselves against something like that is, is to build up that muscle, that self compassionate muscle. And it truly, truly will get you through and help you to fly, to be honest.
[00:20:20] Eleonore: Absolutely. You already answered the question of mine, which was like, what is the specific problem of your ideal client? That's a researcher. And actually we in academia are often faced with evaluated, being criticized, it's, it really is a game to criticize someone so that everyone feels really low.
[00:20:44] And that is not normal. That is not good and it shouldn't be the way we are teaching and leading our junior scientists,
[00:20:53] Dr. Catriona Ryan: I agree. I agree.
[00:20:55] Eleonore: so that is why. You need to arm yourself as soon as possible. And that's why I'm so great to have you here in the PostdocTransformation Show.
[00:21:04] Dr. Catriona Ryan: Oh, thank you!
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The Role of AI in Academic Writing
[00:23:11] After this quick appreciation of our sponsors, we are now back in our insightful episode.
[00:23:19] Eleonore: Catriona, you also said something else, earlier in the first couple of minutes when you said the blank screen or blank page phenomenon. And I absolutely Remember that. Now, I'm a professor who also teaches bachelor and master's students. And I actually do teach my students to use chatGPT and the likes so that they can do their research projects or their student assignments or whatever it is.
[00:23:48] And I think that really helps them with not having a blank page.
[00:23:53] Eleonore: But I want your point of view in times of AI. And I see many writing coaches also include AI for their writing. What is your point of view?
[00:24:02] Dr. Catriona Ryan: I'm glad you asked me that question, Eleonore. AI does have its place but I'm going to talk about it in a negative context. Say you're an early stage researcher and you're trying to find your gap. We're researching, we're taking notes and we're practicing academic writing as a way to work through all of those different ways. Potential critical ideas that we're working through and it's a creative process, academic writing is so important in the context of working through those different ideas and trying to find that gap.
Academic writing is important in terms of being able to write about conceptual ideas and theoretical ideas. It's important practice in that context as well. But also for progressing one's critical thinking about one's research area. So I think in that context I don't think ChatGPT is going to be helpful. And I think the importance of that skill is important. And I always encourage PhD researchers.
[00:24:55] And I'm going to go further now and this might be controversial, I'm going to say. But I actually believe, and I know from my own experience, that long hand and writing is very important in that context. There's a great paper published by, I'm sure you know this paper, by Professor Pamela Muller from Princeton University called, I think it's The Pen is Mightier Than the Keyboard, and she conducted some experiments on this.
[00:25:15] She said, she sent some students into a lecture. She got half of them to take notes via the laptop, another half take notes via longhand. The difference was remarkable. She found that those who took notes via laptop tended to plagiarize what the lecturer said, but those who took notes via longhand Discussive and a lot more considered in terms of what they were listening to. And that is, and that's not even chat, GBT, that's just a laptop. What she's implying that there was a kind of a dissociation takes place.
Think this is very, very important. This is why I think undergraduates need to go back to hand long handwriting. I am 52 now, when I was an undergraduate, was written by longhand at that time in Ireland. My point here is, it's not just a critical thinking, but apparently it's been shown because I think it's to do with the cerebellum, but it reduces stress. And because it's connected to hand eye coordination in the cerebellum and information processing in the cerebellum, it really enhances critical thinking.
[00:26:13] And that was my experience. And actually I took it further. I even, the first draft of each chapter I hand wrote, because I knew my critical thinking would be a lot better. And then, after that, I could just type it up. It was easy then. But I think what's important here though in terms of agency. And in terms of confidence, as you're writing those chapters, as you're teasing out those nuanced, multivalent ideas that incorporate conceptual, theoretical dimensions, and the complexity around that, that can only be done, ideally, either long handled, by laptop if you want, but that can't be done with ChatGPT. And that's the big concern.
Soon because I, with current PhD researchers that I've been working with this year, some of them are teaching undergraduates and they are telling me already that they're seeing undergraduates who are just getting, having their assignments written by ChatGPT, and it's a big concern. I am very concerned about this new intake of undergraduates this year because I think they're going to be the first undergraduates who really are going to be the ChatGPT generation.
The worry for me is how are we going to. coach those undergraduates to build up that key skill where their intellectual critical agency is in control of working at that level of detail. Because if they don't develop that skill, they're going to be in serious trouble. And I predict this now, Eleonore, I predict in the future, because of ChatGPT, you're going to have PhD researchers in five, six years whose anxiety levels are going to be extremely high, much higher than now because of ChatGPT.
[00:27:51] Somebody said, ChatGPT is useful for looking at style. And that is true. Actually, it was one colleague at the University of Groningen.
[00:27:59] I was on a podcast there. They were talking about academic writing and I like what he said. He said, you can use ChatGPT in this context. You type in a paragraph. And you ask ChatGPT maybe to make it a little bit more formal or less formal. And that's a good way of getting to know the different kind of formalities of it.
[00:28:15] But even then, though, I would be careful. But still, I do get what he's saying.
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Give yourself time to think instead of being convinced or deceived by AI
[00:29:52] After this quick appreciation of our sponsors, we are now back in our insightful episode.
[00:30:01] Dr. Catriona Ryan: But the danger is relying on it.
[00:30:03] What's important here. And this is actually really cool, too, because there's so much talk about well being. According to Professor Pamela Muller, longhand writing reduces stress, and there are a number of reasons. of whatever processes that occur in the brain. But it's a stress reduction technique as well. So you're actually ticking that box as well. So I think universities need to find a way to encourage undergraduates just to write by longhand.
I worry about the mental health and the well being of researchers because of this current group of undergraduates. If you get something else to create something for you, you're not in control. Your agency's not there. It's going to absolutely play havoc with your confidence levels. That's my belief. It's probably controversial what I said. There are elements of ChatGPT that are useful, especially for marketing. I have my own website. I have a colleague, Lily Fox, who I'm, she's listening to this Lily's lovely.
[00:30:52] Genius. She's been helping me with my website and with my brochure and ChatGPT is great in those contexts. But I think when it comes to actual writing papers, and that level of detail that is nuanced on conceptual theoretical level, that it's important that your confidence is there that you're in control of that. Because if you hand that over to an AI system, that's going to have a negative impact on the future Innovation and Research as well.
Because it's this kind of control agency over that part of academic writing, that level of detail, that people come up with new ideas, that people innovate new ideas. Anyway, there you go. Sorry, I went on too much about that, sorry. But
[00:31:33] that's,
[00:31:34] Eleonore: no, that's absolutely our audience are scientists,
[00:31:37] Dr. Catriona Ryan: yeah, yeah.
[00:31:38] Eleonore: they, will probably be able to follow they have to follow. Last week, I went to a conference on decision making and the neural correlates, and the experiments were from avian, from fish to humans as well, virtual reality, over the course of two days.
[00:32:19] The Role of AI in Scientific Innovation
[00:32:19] Eleonore: And while we were listening during the breaks, we were also talking about that. And I think that for scientists thinking is so important, it does not take place at the speed of ChatGPT and the likes.
So when you're not aware of what you want to develop as an idea and you don't know in which direction, then you can easily be overwhelmed by the output of ChatGPT being misled and because you're not knowing where it should be going.
[00:32:56] But the ideas presented by AI are so convincing that you stop right there. The danger is AI is just accumulation of whatever has already been published. So that's. Per definition, the death of innovation,
[00:33:15] Dr. Catriona Ryan: Exactly.
[00:33:16] Teaching AI Skills to Students
[00:33:16] Eleonore: And I think that for a scientist, it's a new shiny object I also teach my students, like I already said.
[00:33:24] I have been teaching this from March. And it just came out two or three months before that. So I really do think that it is important and it is an important skill for every bachelor and master's student, a graduate who enters the workforce because they are working there already with AI.
[00:33:42] Dr. Catriona Ryan: yes.
[00:33:42] Eleonore: Okay, so they have to know that. When we're just talking about the curriculum they're using ChatGPT to create a podcast script that teaches other undergraduates the content of my curriculum. Okay, so we're doing a teaching on the meta level. They are learning how to prompt wisely.
[00:34:03] And they're also reflecting on the content that I'm teaching, which is biopsychology. So it really is interesting for everyone who is involved, creating, but also consuming.
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[00:34:13] How to get Dr. Catriona Ryan's help at your university and graduate school
[00:36:15] Eleonore: Catriona, that was really a nice journey into reflecting on AI and how it can help us researchers in our creative processes of writing.
[00:36:26] But in your workshops, you are actually an advocate for agency writing your own content, it longhand, but actually without any AI assistance. So how can my community get to know your services? Are you doing something on LinkedIn or what is it?
[00:36:50] Dr. Catriona Ryan: Thank you, Eleonore. I love the way you said that. Yeah, LinkedIn is the main place that I conduct all my marketing. And I'm. Lucky I've 19 and a half thousand connections and 20,000 plus followers. And it's growing. It's brilliant. So LinkedIn has been wonderful for me and most of my connections are in the higher education sector. A good thing for people to do is to engage with me, either via email or my wonderful colleague, Lily Fox. My website there'll be an online form they can contact me and then we can arrange a Zoom meeting and then I can talk to any prospective clients about the workshops and what we can do. I provide workshops, but I also provide two day and three day retreats as well, in academic writing, which can be done on campus or online. And they're very successful.
The most recent one I did was at the, was Imperial College London, I've built up great relationship with that particular group and they book me every year. So their director has been very kind in offering all kinds of help in terms of providing testimonials or anything that I need, which is lovely of him. So he's, they've allowed me to advertise some pictures from that particular retreat which we held in Windsor actually, which is lovely, in a hotel there for two days.
People can contact me and I can arrange, we can arrange a Zoom meeting. So there is a possibility I may set I set up my own workshop or two, one or two workshops, and people are welcome to join. And there will be terms of conditions, contractual, of course, in relation to my method and everything. But people are welcome to join, and that is something we're considering once every couple of months, I'm not sure, but it's something new that I will be trying. Oh yes, and I'm also opening up to companies who publish as well.
00:38:31] Eleonore: actually, then, um, so at the moment, it's not individuals who can book your services, but instead, it's graduate schools or universities who book your services for their graduate students, for their
[00:38:44] Dr. Catriona Ryan: yes, that's
[00:38:45] Eleonore: postgraduate researchers or
[00:38:47] Dr. Catriona Ryan: right. People often ask me that question, can I join this group or can I join this session? I do advertise what I'm doing, but that's purely to show what's happening, from day to day with scripted cube. But yes, I haven't booked people individually. It's just group sessions. So it could be a dean of a graduate school, it could be a director of a center for doctoral training, and there's hundreds of thousands of them. It could be a PhD program, it's a closed workshop for that particular university. But keep an eye on my LinkedIn page I may be opening up to setting up my own workshop or retreat.
[00:39:19] Eleonore: Okay, so if you really want to have an individual ticket to one of the workshops that Catriona is thinking of, you need to comment that you want this because demand really Needs to be there before she can deliver. I'm doing the same, right? So I do also my transition workshops for universities, for their graduates, and the price point is different.
[00:39:46] So it really has to be a reasonable reason for Catriona to do this also on an individual level. And if you want that, you need to let her know and not wait for that, because that's an opportunity that you don't want to miss.
[00:40:00] Dr. Catriona Ryan: Thank you, Eleonore.
[00:40:01] Building Confidence and Self-Compassion in Academia
[00:40:01] Eleonore: Let's say I'm a young scientist, I'm an early career scientist, and I don't deal with my problem. I have a low confidence. What will happen at worst, you had already a lot of people in your cohorts. Do you also follow them up in their trajectories, career wise?
[00:40:20] Dr. Catriona Ryan: Some people I have kept in contact with, and I know that from, oh, the many thousands of people that I've delivered this workshop to, the Academic Writing Reduce Anxiety Workshop, but also the Stress Reduction Techniques Research Workshop as well, that it has helped to enhance people's confidence, not only engaging in academic writing, but in looking after themselves, self care, around the way we speak to ourselves.
You can see it in some of the testimonials. If you want me to read out one or two, I can do that for you. Yeah, so there's one PhD student who said one word for this course. Wow. I have always struggled with self-confidence when writing, I would overthink, procrastinate, and wary. Dr. Catriona Ryan has taught me a seven step process to overcome this fear and manage my writing. For that, I am thankful. Now, I am thoroughly looking forward to writing more during my academic career. Somebody else said it was a refreshing, rejuvenating, a wonderful day with you in academic writing. Reduce anxiety. I wish I could have more lectures and full day sessions with you again. It opened my eyes to a new world and enhanced my writing skills in order to work out my scholarly article.
Actually this is one of the, a lovely one, I vouch for these sessions by ScriptorCube as being one of the most invaluable experiences on my three year PhD journey. Seven steps to academic writing, highly recommended.
And yeah, and people have referred to as well the other workshops as well. People have found that they have been game changers. It's when you get people to look at themselves internally, which can be, feels quite alien, it's unexpected, people don't expect you to say that.
When I say to them, take on two projects, one is obviously the excitement of your PhD research, which hopefully you have a passion for, because otherwise you'll struggle, you have to have a passion for it, for that level of, for that amount of time that you're going to spend on it.
But the second most important project is my relationship with myself, how you engage yourself, and practice in self compassion. The definition of which, anything you do to make this process easier for yourself is an act of self compassion.
[00:42:11] And as I said, from moment to moment, we're always unconsciously or half subconsciously making points. We're saying how we feel about ourselves in some, in a particular moment about a particular thing or, and it's important I think, as well when anxiety and fear comes up, that we have that skill to deal with that and almost embrace ourselves and not suppress it, but just try and, as I said, deal with it in a more self-compassionate way.
[00:42:36] Yes, and I have the tools for that, which have totally, which totally transformed and I'll be honest with you. My experience was it changed my PhD, not only in terms of during the PhD, but beyond it as well. It really enhanced my confidence. Definitely and I worried less about other people. I worried less about what they thought.
Role model self-compassion to be a good leader
[00:44:31] Eleonore: Yeah, that's wonderful. And I can only echo that. I'm a psychologist.
[00:44:35] Dr. Catriona Ryan: Oh, wonderful. Of course. That
[00:44:38] Eleonore: yourself, if you are suppressing your anxieties, it will fall flat, it will come back and it will be so destructive, because you won't be able to play out your own virtues if you are anxious.
[00:44:55] Dr. Catriona Ryan: is so true.
[00:44:56] Eleonore: You have to be bold and you have to be betting on yourself because otherwise you won't be able to convince anyone. If you're not convinced of
[00:45:06] Dr. Catriona Ryan: Yes.
[00:45:07] Eleonore: nobody wants to bet on you. And when you are adult in your life, in academia, but also in business, people will follow you or not.
[00:45:18] And they won't follow you if you are not sending out a confidence level that they think it's worth their time.
[00:45:25] Dr. Catriona Ryan: Absolutely.
[00:45:26] Eleonore: not worth their salary into you. They're not hiring you. They don't want to work with you. They don't want to work for you. They don't want to, you out when the
[00:45:37] Dr. Catriona Ryan: true. It's true.
[00:45:38] Eleonore: have to believe in you.
[00:45:39] And if you don't believe in yourself, then you will be in trouble. And I think that the foundation of that can be built within higher education
[00:45:50] Dr. Catriona Ryan: Yes.
[00:45:51] I agree. Totally.
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Focus on the right things in a self-compassionate way
[00:45:53] Eleonore: also as a master and bachelor. So the sooner you are able to be self compassionate, the easier it will be for you to be a good leader.
[00:46:03] Dr. Catriona Ryan: Absolutely. Absolutely. This is the thing. It's the heart of great leadership. I so agree with that, Eleonore. And I love the way you demonstrate your virtues or show your virtues, because if we're too self critical, if we beat ourselves up, we're going to shut ourselves down.
[00:46:18] And as you say, that's what creates tension and conflict and It reduces confidence that will impact on those around us. And that goes in any context. I came across something actually recently. Somebody giving advice to men about how to play the game in business. And it was quite selfish. It was quite hard. And I thought, that's not strength, that person's given the wrong impression. It's bullying. What real strength is, practicing self-compassion, as you know, Eleonore more than more than I do being a psychologist, it gives you a stronger connection to yourself. To be in the present moment. And because of that, you worry less about other people. You stress less about the past and the future. And because you are like this tree that has deep roots in the ground, you will be able to deal with any situation as a result of that. And that's true strength in a compassionate and loving way. You're showing your virtues to other people around you. That's what inspires innovation thinking. Not only internally, but in other people as well. Because when people are shut down, you can't think creatively. So you're shooting yourself in the foot.
[00:47:20] Eleonore: that was really illuminating. A good reminder for me as a professor to also talk about this At the beginning of every new cohort to encourage them to be nice to themselves have always been a great student.
[00:47:38] But I also encourage my own students to not to think just for the grades. Grades are one part. The other part is it's important to also enjoy life, because if you cannot enjoy life, you won't be able to enjoy your success.
[00:47:53] Dr. Catriona Ryan: I agree.
[00:47:54] Eleonore: When you are successful, when you earn a lot of money, but you don't have time to spend that money and to build the life that you enjoy, then everything that you have accomplished is worthless.
[00:48:09] Dr. Catriona Ryan: I agree with that.
[00:48:10] Oh, absolutely.
[00:48:12] Eleonore: what you need and what your vision of life is, means that You focus on the right projects, on the right research projects, on the right skills, on the whatever it is. But the definition of being right the focus is based on or tied towards the vision of life.
[00:48:34] Dr. Catriona Ryan: Yes.
[00:48:35] Eleonore: So,
[00:48:35] Dr. Catriona Ryan: And you can discern. Your discernment will be a lot sharper because it's inspired by love.
[00:48:41] Self compassion.
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[00:49:59] Eleonore: knowing your vision of life and also, Working towards that vision of
[00:50:04] Dr. Catriona Ryan: Yes. Totally. A hundred percent. That's, yeah, it's true. Um,
[00:50:10] Eleonore: that you are worth it. And I think that actually also boils down to what I often see is early career scientists often tie their self worth to their publications, results are often a coincidence because the editor liked it because it falls into the editor's research, whatever it is.
[00:50:34] It's just needed. It's en vogue. It's whatever. And sometimes it's even just the supervisor. It's not your own result. don't tie yourself and your results to your self worth. But instead, if you are enjoying your writing, if you have done was needed, then it's en vogue.
[00:50:57] then you can be also content because you have done your best. And I think doing your best is really best when it's anxiety free. So in closing, Catriona, is there anything that you want to share with us?
[00:51:11] Dr. Catriona Ryan: I love the way you put all of that. Thank you. Yes!
[00:51:13] Setting Up a Business as a PhD
[00:51:13] Dr. Catriona Ryan: No, just a very quick thing about setting up a business or how PhDs consider alternative careers to academia. I don't work with it that way. I have been asked this question before and I will actually talk about my own quick experience very quickly.
[00:51:28] And actually self-compassion is here too. After I finished my PhD, like a lot of PhD researchers. I got tutoring jobs at different universities, but the way I did it was I set my, I set up my own business, I called it Ryan Consultancy. It only lasted about two years, but it's a great way set when you set up your own business. And then I was building up my profile on LinkedIn. And it's a great way to present yourself, as a potential candidate for full-time job.
[00:51:55] Or maybe you don't want that. Maybe you are opening as up to maybe, pursuing this business and expanding it. What's happening there is you are innovating, you are in control and it's a great way of networking. If you want to get an academic job, you will through practicing self-compassion and things will happen. But it's about self-belief, and I do believe that by setting up your own business, you are opening yourself up to the academic world and the industry world and play the game and see what happens.
[00:52:23] Because I did that, that I was offered a full-time academic post, I think that's a very good way of doing it. It's very creative way of doing it. And by setting up your own business like that between your full-time post and or if that's what you want, it gives you the space then to think creatively about what you can do with your knowledge. And that's what happened to me.
[00:54:53] Empowering Students to Be Entrepreneurs
[00:54:53] Eleonore: Absolutely echoing that. That really is, So important. And I also talked about it in a couple of episodes that you should be already betting on yourself while you are studying for my master and my bachelor students. I don't think that they should do a PhD. They should be doing something else.
[00:55:10] They should be going out of university and have practical experience. If they don't have it, then during the university years, that's the best time to have a side gig and to start the entrepreneurial journey. And
[00:55:24] Dr. Catriona Ryan: it's, true.
[00:55:25] Eleonore: if it stops after a couple of years or if it doesn't yield any result, but the thing is that don't learn marketing, you don't learn sales, you don't learn operations, everything like that.
[00:55:38] that you have to understand for running your own business, you don't learn it by the book. You can be taught by lecturers who have never done their own business. And even if they had their own business, it could have been years. And every business, every industry is different. So you need to have hands on experience.
[00:55:58] And
[00:56:00] Dr. Catriona Ryan: I,
[00:56:01] Eleonore: said was creating your own opportunities.
[00:56:04] Dr. Catriona Ryan: yes,
[00:56:05] Eleonore: You don't have to wait passively until you land a job in academia.
[00:56:10] Dr. Catriona Ryan: That's right.
[00:56:12] Eleonore: And then eventually find out that you don't like your academic posts anyway.
[00:56:17] Dr. Catriona Ryan: no, exactly. And then You yeah, and then you put all your eggs in one basket. Exactly.
[00:56:23] Eleonore: So that's from a finance perspective, from an investment perspective, very stupid. instead, you should already have, if you can, and I would argue that as a student, you should be able to have a side project.
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Create future-proof learning opportunities for yourself and others
[00:56:41] Dr. Catriona Ryan: I love, Eleonore, I love, I, can I just echo what you're saying? I love, love, love what you're saying. I so agree with you because whether you're an undergraduate or postgraduate, students need to realize you've got a lot of power. You've got free rooms there at the university. You can book people to come in and speak. I did my MPhil in African American literature at Cork University. I graduated in 1997. The year before I graduated. I set up a conference called SoundEye, myself and another colleague.
[00:57:11] And it's become a major international conference. It's been running ever since on experimental poetry in Ireland. And our names have been mentioned continually since then. To use the university to your advantage, to develop that entrepreneurial spirit, you got free rooms, there is so much space the Students Union will support you, you got the name, you got the branding of the university, you don't have to pay for anything.
And it's a great way to take advantage, and to build your confidence at networking, and being in outside groups for whatever context, students don't realise the power they have when they're at the university. You can really make use of it and then you can always cite all of that stuff that you instigated for, maybe you're starting a business already before you even finish and then you continue on with that.
I totally agree, Eleonore, with what you're saying there. That's such an important point. Students need to understand the power they have at a university and how much you can creatively use that space To build your confidence, confidence as an entrepreneur. Absolutely. Totally. You can do anything you want. It's just about self belief.
Thank you for listening!
Do you want a transcript of our episode? And our episode sponsors answers to all six bold questions so that you can choose to apply. Do you want to nominate your potential employer of choice so that we can ask them our bold questions? For all of that, click on our links in our show notes and on our website, www.postdoctransformation.com. Remember to check your readiness to leap out of science and to enroll in our free email course Career Transition Made Simple. Thanks for your attention. I'm Prof. Dr. Eleonore Soei Winkels, the host of your seasonal Postdoc Transformation Show.
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Leveraging podcasting for attracting the best students from all over the world
If you are a university chancellor, grad school dean, speaker, professor, have you ever wondered how to make your grad school stand out in the crowded landscape of academia?
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Now, let's talk about a powerful branding tool, podcasts. They're a game changer for higher education institutions. As a professor, active on TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, and a podcast host and producer of this Postdoc Transformation Show, I'm here to encourage all the graduate school representatives to think beyond the conventional marketing mechanism.
Instead of being one of many vendors, at a time limited grad school fair, why not create a podcast that showcases your grad school as the ultimate destination for the world's best masters students. Share inspiring and encouraging stories of your top PhD students, high profile alumni, your Your faculty and the incredible opportunities your grad school offers.
A podcast can be a window into your school's vibrant community. It's cutting edge research and unique experiences, and in times of AI generated marketing material, a podcast with your academic leaders. This would prepare your best candidates for the application.
Even better, you can support and make your current Ph. D. students and postdocs visible for their next career steps in academia or business. Remember, successful graduates elevate your grad school's reputation. So, if you are a university chancellor, grad school dean, speaker, professor, Consider this. By launching a podcast for your grad school, you can elevate your grad school's brand and tell aspiring scientists and employers what makes your grad school the best choice, with scalable, evergreen content.
If you're interested, forward this to your marketing representative and get our list of 30 sample episode titles customizable for your grad school podcast. And just enter an email address on my website, www. postdoctransformation. com as linked in the show notes. As a seasoned professor and podcaster, I'm also happy to strategize about how you can launch your grad school podcast on Podbean, the podcast hosting platform we use for the Postdoc Transformation Show, supporting scientists leaping into business.
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