You Are Here

Category: Event

Nathan

Final July Webinar!

Event, Update

“Hi Nathan, Thanks for your time and for setting these up – often it helps to hear about [the viva] from someone not in the department/same uni to get a broader perspective. I felt so assured when you said you’re more likely not to submit a final thesis than you are to fail a viva – so in a way that will make me have a much better summer knowing the hard slog is actually 90% over. I liked the structure of the session as well as your willingness to answer questions and interact with us.”

– PhD Candidate, University of Leeds

These very kind words from a recent attendee at a 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva session were a big boost. It felt like they got exactly what I’m offering with these sessions. It was so nice to receive this feedback 🙂

 

My final viva help webinar before I take a summer break is this Wednesday morning. Bizarrely it will also be the 100th time that I’ve delivered the session.

I say bizarre because it had such strange beginnings: 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva was something small I did to try something new during the first COVID lockdowns in April 2020. I was only going to run it once, maybe twice, but it has grown to be one of my most-requested webinar sessions.

I really love sharing this 1-hour confidence-boost for the viva and seeing how it resonates with PhD candidates. The session is designed to be a confidence boost, concise and valuable, with plenty of time for questions too.

Tickets for my final 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva session of the summer are available now. If you’re looking for viva help then I hope you can join me on Zoom this week:

Registration for this live 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva webinar is £20 and includes a follow-up email, a pdf copy of my 101 Steps To A Great Viva guide and access to a catch-up recording of the session.

Thanks for reading! I hope to see you there – and if you think this might help a friend with their viva prep or viva nerves then please share this message with them.

All the best,

Nathan

Nathan

July 2026 Webinars

Event, Update

I have three 1-hour viva help webinars coming up in July! Today seemed like a good opportunity to send out a reminder.

7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva has grown to be one of my most-requested webinar sessions since I first it delivered during COVID lockdowns in 2020. I love sharing this confidence-boost for the viva and seeing how it resonates with PhD candidates.

I’ve offered viva help for more than fifteen years to over 10,000 PGRs and shared 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva almost 100 times. The session is designed to be a confidence boost, concise and valuable, with plenty of time for questions too.

I’m offering 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva at a range of times in July – including my first weekend session this coming Saturday morning! Attendees for all sessions will have access to a catch-up recording to review for four weeks afterwards. They’ll also receive a follow-up email and resources including my pdf guide 101 Steps To A Great Viva.

Tickets for my July 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva sessions are available now. If you’re looking for viva help then I hope you can join me on Zoom on one of these dates:

One more time: registration for these live 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva webinars is £20 and includes a follow-up email, a pdf copy of my 101 Steps To A Great Viva guide and access to a catch-up recording of the session.

Thank you for reading. I hope you can join me for one of these sessions – and if this news might be helpful to a friend with their upcoming viva then please share this message.

All the best,

Nathan

Nathan

Seven Reasons

Event, Update

I posted recently that I have five independent viva help webinars happening soon so this is a little reminder post!

7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva has grown to be one of my most-requested webinar sessions since I first delivered it during COVID lockdowns in 2020. I love sharing this 1-hour viva confidence-boost and seeing how it resonates with PhD candidates.

Why might this session be worth your time? Here are seven reasons to attend 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva!

  1. I’ve offered viva help for more than fifteen years to over 10,000 PGRs so I’m not new to the topic.
  2. I’ve shared 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva almost 100 times – in fact the final session in July will be number 100.
  3. The session is designed to be a confidence boost, concise and valuable, with plenty of time for questions too.
  4. “Thanks, really helpful session that’s helped me feel confident about the viva!” – one of the many pieces of feedback I’ve received about the session.
  5. I’m offering 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva at a range of times in June and July – including evening and weekend sessions.
  6. Attendees will have access to a catch-up recording to review for four weeks afterwards…
  7. …and receive a follow-up email and resources including my pdf guide 101 Steps To A Great Viva.

Tickets for all 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva sessions are available now. If you’re looking for viva help then I hope you can join me on Zoom on one of these dates:

One more time: registration for these live 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva webinars is £20 and includes a follow-up email, a pdf copy of my 101 Steps To A Great Viva guide and access to a catch-up recording of the session.

Thank you for reading. I hope you can join me for one of these sessions – and if this news might help a friend with their upcoming viva then please share this message.

All the best,

Nathan

Nathan

Live Webinars, Summer 2026

Event, Update

In brief: I have five independent viva help webinars happening soon.

 

“Thank you so much this was very helpful – I have my viva on Monday and am feeling a bit more confident now :)” – Liverpool John Moores University PhD candidate

I regularly deliver Viva Survivor and 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva sessions for universities and doctoral programmes around the UK. However, not every university engages me to deliver sessions – and sometimes even when they do there’s limited availability.

So, to create more opportunities for PhD candidates to access viva help sessions, I’m offering a range of dates and times for my 1-hour 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva live webinar in June and July:

Morning, afternoon and evening slots – and for the first time ever I’m offering a Saturday morning session for anyone who might struggle to attend during the week.

 

“Thank you for such an engaging and helpful session!” – University of Liverpool PhD candidate

7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva was developed in the early days of the first COVID lockdown in 2020 and has grown to be one of my most-requested sessions. I love sharing this 1-hour confidence-boost for the viva and seeing how it resonates with and helps PhD candidates.

Registration for these live 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva webinars is £20 and includes a follow-up email, a pdf copy of my 101 Steps To A Great Viva guide and access to a catch-up recording of the session.

 

“Thanks, really helpful session that’s helped me feel confident about the viva!” – University of Edinburgh PhD candidate

Tickets for all 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva sessions are available now. If you’re looking for viva help then I hope you can join me on one of these dates:

Thanks for reading. If this might help a friend then please share this message.

All the best,

Nathan

Nathan

Coming Soon!

Event, Update

Today I’m sharing a few upcoming events and resources – a few save the dates if you like! 🙂

 

Viva Survivors Select

First, the next few issues of my curated zine series, Viva Survivors Select, will be released on the following dates:

  • Wednesday 13th May 2026, The Submission Issue – next week!
  • Wednesday 10th June 2026, The Examiners Issue
  • Wednesday 15th July 2026, The Contribution Issue

If you’ve not seen it, The 2025 Issue is already out and there will be more issues from August through to November. I’ll share more about The Submission Issue when it releases next week. For now, here’s the cover:

Cover image for Viva Survivors Select 10, The Submission Issue, May 2026. Image shows a red game-piece looking down a dark hallway to light at the end of the tunnel

I’m really pleased with how the cover worked out. I’m still finding my way as an artist and love having this opportunity to make so much art regularly.

 

7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva

I have five independent viva help webinars happening in the not-too-distant future!

I regularly deliver Viva Survivor and 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva sessions for universities and programmes around the UK. However, not every university engages me to deliver sessions – and sometimes even when they do there’s limited availability.

To create opportunities for PhD candidates to access viva help sessions I’m offering a range of dates and times for my 1-hour 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva live webinar in June and July:

I’ve run an evening session before but for the first time ever I’m also offering a Saturday morning session for people who might struggle to attend during weekdays. Registration for a 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva live webinar is £20 and includes follow-up resources and access to a catch-up recording of the session.

Booking for all of these sessions will open on Tuesday 26th May 2026. I’ll share reminders when registration opens for 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva but if you follow my profile on Eventbrite then that should alert you when registration opens for all. You can also use a “remind me” button on a registration page if there’s a particular date you want a reminder for.

Thank you for reading this post and I hope that these announcements are of some help. More details and help to follow! 🙂

Nathan

Viva Survivor, March 25th 2026

Event, Update

Let’s keep this reminder short and simple:

  • I’m running my Viva Survivor webinar on Wednesday 25th March 2026.
  • Registration is open for this three-hour live webinar. If you sign-up you will also have access to a catch-up recording for four weeks after the session and receive follow-up materials including several of my publications.
  • Viva Survivor is my original session and I’ve delivered it to more than 8300 PhD candidates in the last 15 years at universities and programmes all over the UK.
  • In that time and in over 425 sessions I’ve been continuously developing Viva Survivor to be as helpful as possible to PGRs.

There’s a lot more information at the link about what to expect from the webinar on Wednesday 25th March 2026. If you have any questions please get in touch. Viva Survivor is one of my favourite things to do and I’m really looking forward to this session.

Thanks for reading!

Nathan

Nathan

Viva Survivor Webinar, March 25th 2026

Event, Update

Let’s keep this webinar announcement short and simple:

  • I’m running my Viva Survivor webinar on Wednesday 25th March 2026.
  • Registration is open now for this three-hour live webinar. Participants will have access to a catch-up recording for four weeks after the session and receive follow-up materials including several of my publications.
  • Viva Survivor has been delivered for the last 15 years to more than 8300 PhD candidates at universities and programmes all over the UK.
  • In that time and in over 425 sessions I’ve been continuously developing Viva Survivor to be as helpful as possible to PGRs.
  • You can register now and use code VSMARCH2026 until midnight on Sunday 8th February 2026 to save £10 on registration.

There’s a lot more information at the link about what to expect from the webinar on Wednesday 25th March 2026. If you have any questions please get in touch. Viva Survivor is one of my favourite things to do and I’m really looking forward to this session.

Please take a look if you’re interested and don’t forget that the code VSMARCH2026 will save £10 on your ticket if you register before midnight on Sunday 8th February 2026.

Thanks for reading!

Nathan

Nathan

Viva Survivor, 3rd December 2025

Event, Update

Do you need to know more about the viva? Do you want to know what to do to get ready? Do you want space to ask whatever questions you have and find help for whatever worries you’re feeling?

There are many ways to find all of the above – talking with your supervisor, asking friends, consulting with your Graduate School and even looking around on this website.

One other place to get help would be at one of my webinars. You can find out about the next opportunity by checking out the details of my Viva Survivor session on Wednesday 3rd December 2025.

What can you expect from Viva Survivor?

I’ve delivered Viva Survivor for the last 15 years. I’ve shared it with more than 8000 PhD candidates at universities and for programmes all over the UK. In that time and in over 400 sessions I’ve been continuously developing the session to be as helpful as possible to PGRs.

There’s a lot more information at the link about the webinar on Wednesday 3rd December 2025 and if you have any questions please get in touch. Viva Survivor is one of my favourite things to do and I’m really looking forward to this session, my only remaining independent Viva Survivor of 2025.

Thanks for reading!

Nathan

Nathan

Viva Help Webinars

Event, Update

In brief: A second post for this morning because I have two upcoming dates for my 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva session. As a reader of this blog I thought you might want to know. Use the code DAILYBLOGFAN before Sunday to get a discount on your ticket.

 

If you’re looking for viva help then look no further than the 3000+ posts on this blog.

Look to see what resources and help your university or PhD programme offer.

And then look at what past attendees say about 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva:

  • “Thanks, really helpful session that’s helped me feel confident about the viva!” – University of Edinburgh PhD candidate
  • “Thank you so much this was very helpful – I have my viva on Monday and feeling a bit more confident now :)” – Liverpool John Moores University PhD candidate
  • “Thank you for such an engaging and helpful session!” – University of Liverpool PhD candidate

 

I describe 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva as a 1-hour confidence boost. I explore why candidates can know what to expect, how that helps them and what they can do to help themselves. When you register you also get access to a four-week catch-up recording of the session and after the session you’ll receive a pdf copy of 101 Steps To A Great Viva guide.

I’m running the session live on Wednesday 24th September 2025 (and Thursday 30th October 2025 October date is cancelled) and registration is open now. Registration is £20 and between now and Sunday 7th September 2025 you can get a discount if you use code DAILYBLOGFAN when prompted.

 

If 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva seems helpful to you or someone you know then check it out. Feel free to share details and the code DAILYBLOGFAN. Please get in touch if you have questions or if you need any help with your viva prep.

And if you’re looking for my Viva Survivor session then keep the morning of Wednesday 3rd December 2025 free in your diary and look out for more details and registration in October.

Thank you for reading!

Nathan

Nathan

Viva Survivor this Wednesday

Event, Update

In brief: Registration closes tomorrow at 5pm for my Viva Survivor session this Wednesday morning, 25th June 2025. Take a look now if you’re looking for help getting ready for your viva!

 

Slightly more details: If you want to know what to expect, what to do, how to get ready and how to build confidence for your viva then take a look at my upcoming Viva Survivor session this Wednesday 25th June 2025.

For three hours on Zoom you’ll get direct help from me in a live session I have shared with over 8000 PhD candidates. We have a packed schedule, plenty of time to take questions and I’ll be sending you great follow-up resources including some of my publications afterwards. All this and access to a catch-up recording for four weeks!

I love sharing Viva Survivor. I’ve spent more time sharing this session than anything else in my work since my PhD. I’ve now delivered it more than 400 times for universities and doctoral training groups all over the UK.

There are lots of free resources on this site that can help you get a sense of what to expect and what to do for your viva. Start there, but if you’re looking for more then please take a look at the registration page for Viva Survivor this Wednesday. If you have any questions about the session please get in touch and do pass this on to anyone who might be looking for viva help.

One last time: Viva Survivor session this Wednesday 25th June 2025! Registration closes tomorrow, Tuesday 24th June, at 5pm.

Thank you for reading 🙂

1 2