Steve Tippins Ph.D.Helping doctoral students get their dissertation accepted, succeed in their careers, & change the world | Academic Career Advisor | Dissertation Chair & Founder, Beyond PhD Coaching | 35 + years of experience.

The emotional piece was my biggest struggle

29 May 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

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In this candid YouTube segment, Steve Tippins Ph.D. discusses the often‑overlooked emotional challenges of pursuing a Ph.D. He explains that while the academic workload is demanding, the emotional toll—particularly imposter syndrome—can be even more debilitating. Tippins emphasizes the need for a supportive “cheerleader,” encourages taking intentional breaks, and advises stepping back to view the larger picture. The speaker frames these insights as essential for anyone navigating graduate research, highlighting that emotional support is as critical as intellectual capability.

Chapters

Honestly, with the program that I was in, it's not that I couldn't do the work. There's two pieces of this, and I think a lot of people miss the other side of it, the emotional aspect of it. Because even now, you know, when I talk to other friends that's doing their Ph.D., they're losing their mind. And, you know, they're talking to people that's trying to help, but they're missing the emotional aspect of it. And it's one of those things where it's like you feel stupid. One of my biggest issues was imposter syndrome and just talking to someone who can say, ah, so I think you're having some imposter syndrome there, Nicola. I don't think it has anything to do with that, so I want you to take a break away from that, and I want you to look at the bigger picture. So those things for me was huge, like really was huge. It wasn't even the not knowing the work, really. It was— he was my cheerleader, and I needed that. And again, as I said, the emotional piece was my biggest struggle.