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Dr Gina Holmes

Where is your doctorate actually stuck? (5-minute answer)

Published 2 days ago • 1 min read

Hey Reader.

I'm going to be blunt today. Hope you're ready!

Here’s something I’ve noticed after 20-plus years of supervising doctorates: most stuck students aren’t actually stuck where they think they are.

They think it’s a writing problem, so they force themselves to write. They think it’s a structure problem, so the writing goes nowhere. They think they need to read more, so they read - but it’s a contribution problem, so the reading just adds to the pile.

Different problem, different move. Solving the wrong problem beautifully is still solving the wrong problem.

So I’ve built something to help: the Doctoral Clarity Assessment. Twelve questions, less than five minutes, and it tells you which of the 7 steps of the doctoral journey you’re actually stuck on, plus one specific thing to do about it today.

No wrong answers. Only clarity.

​Take the assessment here​

Do it with a cup of tea. Answer honestly. And if the result makes you exhale and mutter “oh, THAT’S what it is”, well, that’s rather the point.

Always in your corner,

WAYS TO WORK WITH ME RIGHT NOW:

As part of my '2026: calm it all down' approach, for this year, I intend that most of my focus is now on the Doctoral Success Circle.​

Within the Circle, there are ways to get support, training, and personalised mentoring - so nothing has been removed from my business, but it's wrapped up in a much tidier container. Come and join us! Membership starts at $15/mo, with your first week FREE. Here's the details.

If you are WRITING UP and want intensive support to get you over the line, contact me for details of the Get Progress Mentoring. Limited spots are available.

​

Dr Gina Holmes Ltd​
​gina@drginaholmes.com​

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Dr Gina Holmes

Doctorate Mentor and Academic Coach

I support researchers and doctoral students who are exhausted, overwhelmed, and done with pretending.I don’t offer magic bullets or mindset platitudes. I offer clear-sighted structure - sanity-saving tools - honest encouragement - fierce clarity - and, always, kindness - Because in the world of academia, those things are radical. Get regular updates, offers and help from my DocDates emails.

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