viva help – Viva Survivors

February 2, 2026January 14, 2026 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

January 18, 2026January 5, 2026 Nathan

Viva Survivors Select Volume 1

Daily Post, Update

It’s my birthday! Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me and so on and so forth!

I like to do something fun on my birthday and as I’m in charge of this little kingdom on the internet I can do that 🙂

Last year I released eight issues of Viva Survivors Select: my curated collections of writing from the Viva Survivors blog archives on expectations, viva prep, building confidence and more. Each issue also contains several pages of new resources: reflections on the viva, my experiences and original games to help with getting ready for the viva.

Viva Survivors Select was a lot of fun to make and share and I’m looking forward to making more issues in the coming months. Today for my birthday I’m doing two fun things:

First, I’m happy to announce the release of Viva Survivors Select Volume 1, a complete collection of 2025’s eight issues in one helpful bundle. This bundle has a reduced price of £15 instead of the combined £24 for the eight individual issues of viva prep, thoughts on examiners, reflections on the PhD journey and helpful resources.

Second, as it’s my birthday I’m reducing the price even more until the end of January. Viva Survivors Select Volume 1 will be £12 until 31st January 2026. That makes each issue in the bundle half price. If you’re looking for viva help, thoughts about the process or ideas for what you can do to be ready for your viva this is a great bundle of help.

…oh go on, one more thing! If you buy the Viva Survivors Select Volume 1 bundle before 31st January then a little popup will offer you my Kickstarted publication 101 Steps To A Great Viva for free!

Anyway, it’s my birthday and I want to do something fun 🙂 If you think Viva Survivors Select Volume 1 might be helpful then take a look. If you think it might help someone you know then please share this news. And if you have questions then please get in touch.

Thanks for reading – I’m off to celebrate being halfway to 90!

Nathan

January 2, 2026November 27, 2025 Nathan

Do It Yourself

Daily Post

My wife and I painted our daughter’s bedroom in the autumn.

We had to move furniture, in some cases taking it apart to move it; we had to box up and make space for books and toys; my wife sourced the paint and painting supplies; I carried the ladders and between us we gave four wall sections what felt like countless coats of paint.

We did it ourselves. We could have asked someone else to do it. They might have been quicker or more professional or both! As hard as the work was at times we took some satisfaction that we had done it.

(although my right arm still feels the strain from some of the stretching and carrying!)

Some jobs you can do yourself or get someone else to do it in your stead.

Viva prep is not one of those jobs.

You have to do it yourself: you have to do the work to feel the benefit of viva prep, although thankfully there is still a lot of support you can get from other people.

Only you can read your thesis to refresh your memory – but you can ask others for their opinions on where to focus.
Only you can annotate your thesis well – but you can look for plenty of ideas of what might help.
Only can you feel the benefit of a mock viva – but you have to turn to your supervisor to make it happen.

You have to do viva prep yourself. You can’t outsource it but you can get help to make it happen.

November 13, 2025October 14, 2025 Nathan

You Can Take Action

Daily Post

I feel like I’ve written this a lot in recent posts – and over the years of writing Viva Survivors! – but it’s worth repeating: when you encounter a worry or a problem as you get ready for your viva there is no situation where you can’t take action to improve things.

Your action might be:

To stop and think;
To come up with a plan;
To ask a friend for help;
To read the regulations for thesis examination at your institution;
To talk to your supervisor;
To read something and think.

Or more generally to just do something. You could feel worried, stressed or unsure – but you can still do something.

Remember that you always have the option to try something to make your viva prep situation better. If you’re worried or stressed a good first step might be to ask for help, particularly if you’re feeling unsure what to do.

Work past worry.

PS: for more encouragement take a look at the eighth issue of Viva Survivors Select. I released The Survival Issue yesterday which contains twenty posts from the Viva Survivors archive plus new writing to help with making it to the end and through the PhD journey. Take a look!

November 12, 2025October 15, 2025 Nathan

Viva Survivors Select 08

Update

This month’s issue of Viva Survivors Select is the last of Volume 1. I’m taking a break from the zine for a few months and aim to return in April 2026 with the start of a new monthly run. It seemed appropriate that this final issue (for now!) should be The Survival Issue.

We tend to think of survival as life and death. This is why so many PhD candidates who hear the phrase “surviving the viva” think that it must be a terrible ordeal that they’ll barely make it through. To survive means to manage to keep going in difficult circumstances. To survive your PhD means to work and make it through the challenges you face. To survive the viva means to rise to the particular challenges after the journey you have been on.

The Survival Issue contains twenty posts from the Viva Survivors archive exploring many aspects of survival. The issue is reflective, proactive and looking ahead for a candidate’s future. Surviving the viva is a topic I’ve been exploring for fifteen years in seminars, books, blog posts, discussions and pretty much every working day. It really did feel like this had to be the final issue of this volume!

I also share memories of how I survived my viva and what still stands out to me seventeen years later. Finally, I offer a simple reflective series of questions to help unpick the difficult circumstances of a PhD journey – a helpful activity for viva prep.

Viva Survivors Select 08 is out now for £3 and joins the previous seven issues in this volume. If you like the blog, want more help and want to support what I do then please take a look at and consider buying The Survival Issue.

Please do pass on details of this issue and Viva Survivors Select to anyone you know who is looking for viva help – and look out for the first issue of Volume 2, coming in April 2026!

Thanks for reading!

Nathan

November 10, 2025November 7, 2025 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?

A live 3-hour webinar about expectations, viva prep, getting ready and building confidence.
Access to a four-week catch-up recording and follow-up materials including 101 Steps To A Great Viva and some of my other publications.
A welcoming space to ask questions, get what you need and leave knowing that you can get ready with confidence.

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

October 15, 2025September 23, 2025 Nathan

Viva Survivors Select 07

Update

It was a few years after my PhD before I started to feel confident. It took me time to find a way to build it up for myself. I didn’t find it during my PhD or ahead of my viva: I thought my thesis was pretty good but didn’t think I was a good candidate. I knew something was missing on my viva day but didn’t know what it was.

After my PhD I started to listen to podcasts, read blog posts and found books that helped me assemble a jigsaw of confidence from myself, borrowing ideas from many different places and finding what worked for me.

I’ve had the good fortune to spend my post-PhD life exploring confidence for myself and how to help other people find it for themselves. I’m glad to have the chance to share some help, encouragement and ideas in this month’s issue of Viva Survivors Select.

The Confidence Issue contains twenty posts from the Viva Survivors archive exploring confidence in the PhD, helpful practices to try during viva prep and how to respond to questions in the viva. This is a topic I’ve explored a lot over the last fifteen years and it’s great to share a curated resource like this zine.

Every issue of Viva Survivors Select also contains new help too. This month I share my thoughts on making a playlist to help promote confidence. I love using music to prompt a shift of feelings and know I’m not alone in thinking it’s a useful nudge – and nudging confidence is the theme of my other new piece, a short game to help people getting ready for their viva.

Viva Survivors Select 07 is out now for £3 and joins six other issues in this ongoing series. If you like the blog, want more help and want to support what I do then please take a look at and consider buying The Confidence Issue.

The final issue of this volume, The Survival Issue, will be released on Wednesday 12th November. I’m also considering releasing a bundle of all eight issues of Volume 1 for a special price. Let me know if you think that’s a good idea!

Please do pass on details of this issue and Viva Survivors Select to anyone you know who is looking for viva help.

Thanks for reading!

Nathan

October 1, 2025September 26, 2025 Nathan

Viva Survivor Webinar, December 3rd 2025

Update

Let’s keep this announcement short and simple:

I’m running my Viva Survivor webinar on Wednesday 3rd December 2025.
Registration is open now for this three-hour live webinar and participants will have access to a four-week catch-up recording and other follow-up materials.
Viva Survivor has been delivered for the last 15 years to more than 8000 PhD candidates at universities and programmes all over the UK.
In that time and in over 400 sessions I’ve been continuously developing Viva Survivor to be as helpful as possible to PGRs.
You can register now and use code VIVASURVIVORS until midnight on Sunday 5th October 2025 to save £10 on registration.

Please take a look if you’re interested and don’t forget that the code VIVASURVIVORS will save £10 on your ticket if you register before midnight on Sunday 5th October 2025.

Thanks for reading!

Nathan

September 4, 2025July 10, 2025 Nathan

The Questions I Can’t Answer

Daily Post

I love to respond to questions from PhD candidates. When it comes to general advice there’s a lot I can help with and I’m willing to listen to situations to offer a few thoughts about particular things that might help.

There’s also a lot that I don’t know or can’t help with.

There are so many questions where the most responsible answer is “it depends” – and it will depend largely on the person asking the question.

There are many, many questions where the best person to offer a really valuable response might be the candidate’s supervisor. There are often questions where the best place to look for help is the university regulations.

I’ll always help if I can. If I can’t, remember that you have a lot of help around you.

When you’ve finished your PhD you can be a lot of help too.

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