Workshops for Young Researchers
Below are examples of some of the workshops I offer. I am happy to tailor additional workshops for students, PhD students, postdocs, and other staff groups.
Overcoming imposter phenomenon as an early-career researcher
You’re not a fraud, you’re not alone, and importantly, it doesn’t have to be this way. In this workshop you will gain tools that can help you manage your imposter feelings and become a stronger version of yourself.
Keywords: Taming imposter phenomenon, perfectionism, self-doubt, self-sabotage
Target group: PhD students, postdocs, research assistants, higher education students
Language: English or Danish
Duration: 3 hours
Course leader: Bodil Øster, MSc, PhD, Facilitator and Coach
Course type: Interactive workshop
Number of participants: 5-100
Course dates: On demand
Topics
We will explore
- what imposter phenomenon is
- the different degrees of imposter phenomenon and competence types
- how to change your unhelpful beliefs about yourself
- what you can work on to adjust your standards and boost your self-confidence
The purpose of this workshop is to help you realize that
- self-doubt is common
- most likely you are surrounded by people who are feeling exactly like you do
- it doesn’t have to be this way
- it’s time to escape the mind trap and start believing in yourself
Learning objectives
After completing this workshop, you will:
- have a clear understanding of what the imposter phenomenon is
- be familiar with the five different imposter phenomenon competence types and identify which ones you relate to
- be aware of when your imposter feelings are triggered and recognise your typical response patterns
- be able to identify what is holding you back and understand how imposter feelings may negatively impact your future career
- gain new insights and practical tools that can help you start managing your imposter feelings and become a more confident and balanced version of yourself
Format
The workshop is interactive, combining presentations of theory with exercises and group discussions.
In a safe and supportive environment, you will have the opportunity to share the challenges you face related to self-doubt. You will receive feedback and inspiration from your fellow PhD candidates and realise that you are not alone – imposter phenomenon is very common in academia.
Send an email to bodil@boostu.dk or call at 61709051
Avoiding stress and finding balance in academic life
This workshop offers insights and practical tools to help you manage stress, prioritise effectively, and stay energised.
Keywords: Mental well-being, work-life balance, motivation, prioritization, stress management, self-awareness
Target group: PhD students, postdocs, research assistants, higher education students
Language: English or Danish
Duration: 2-3 hours
Course leader: Bodil Øster, MSc, PhD, Facilitator and Coach
Course type: Interactive workshop
Number of participants: 5-100
Course dates: On demand
Topics
This workshop offers insights and practical tools to help you manage stress, prioritize effectively, and stay energized.
Being a researcher often feels like more than just a job—it’s a lifestyle. The excitement of discovery, the sometimes-overwhelming workload, and the pressure to publish to secure funding or your next academic position can lead to long hours and overlooked recovery. Over time, this can impact well-being and lead to stress.
In this session, you’ll gain strategies for building a healthier work-life balance, recognizing early signs of stress, and positively influencing your work environment. With practical tools and techniques, you’ll learn to take control of your work life, maintain balance, and thrive in the demanding academic landscape.
Keywords (challenges) that are addressed in this talk
Work-life balance, Motivation, Prioritization of tasks, Temporary employments in academia, Pressure to publish, Impostor phenomenon, Loneliness – working alone on a project.
Learning objectives
After completing this workshop, you will:
- Gain insight into your personal stressors and self-perception
- Be able to identify common signs of stress in yourself and others
- Have tools to help you reduce and prevent stress
- Understand research-backed insights on human thriving
- Learn proactive strategies to enhance well-being and align expectations
Format
The workshop has an interactive format shifting between presentation of theory, exercises and group discussions.
In a safe room you will be able to share the challenges you are facing and get sparring and inspiration from the other workshop participants.
Mastering feedback and criticism for PhD success
– the art of transforming feedback and criticism into a gift
Feedback can feel vulnerable, but with the right tools, it becomes one of the most valuable resources for shaping your development as a young researcher and enhancing the quality of your thesis.
Keywords: Criticism, feedback, proactive behaviour, alignment of expectations, imposter phenomenon, relationship to supervisor, quality of thesis
Target group: PhD students, postdocs, research assistants
Language: English or Danish
Duration: Two to three hours
Course leader: Bodil Øster, MSc, PhD, Facilitator and Coach
Course type: Interactive workshop
Number of participants: 5-50
Course dates: On demand
Topics
We will talk about
- how you can proactively manage the quality and quantity of feedback you receive as a PhD student
- the importance of realizing and accepting that you are on a learning journey and that asking for help and feedback significantly can improve your performance as well as you PhD thesis
- the challenges that often are associated with receiving criticism and feedback, and on how to deal with them
- how the fear of negative feedback and imposter phenomenon often go hand in hand, and we will briefly discuss the imposter phenomenon and what you can do to start taming it
Learning objectives
After completing this workshop, you will:
- Understand what makes feedback effective and why focusing on it is essential for growth
- Know how to proactively seek and obtain the feedback you need
- Be able to apply strategies to make the most of the feedback you receive
- Have practical tools to improve your ability to accept feedback constructively
- Understand why receiving feedback can be challenging and how to manage it
- Recognize the value of openness and asking for help to maximize feedback benefits
- Feel confident in setting expectations for your supervisor or feedback providers
Format
The workshop has an interactive format shifting between presentation of theory, exercises and group discussions that will help you recognize the importance of actively seeking and receiving feedback throughout your PhD journey. In a safe room you will be able to share the challenges you are facing when it comes to receiving feedback. You will get sparring and inspiration from your fellow PhD candidates and realize that you are not alone when it comes to finding reception of criticism and feedback challenging.
Send an email to bodil@boostu.dk or call at 61709051
How to get the supervision you need
- proactive strategies for PhD students
The heart of a successful PhD process is the quality of the supervision, and it is within your power to proactively navigate the supervisory process and get the supervision you need. In this workshop, you will learn how to get the support you need to confidently navigate your PhD journey and foster productive meetings and valuable feedback from your supervisor.
Keywords: Alignment of expectations, relationship to supervisor, meeting structure, roles and responsibilities, co-supervisors
Target group: PhD students
Language: English or Danish
Duration: Two to three hours
Course leader: Bodil Øster, MSc, PhD, Facilitator and Coach
Course type: Interactive workshop
Number of participants: 5-50
Course dates: On demand
Topics
- What characterizes a good PhD supervisor
- The asymmetrical relationship
- Why proactive behavior beats reactive behavior – also when it comes to PhD supervision
- How you can schedule frequent meetings with an agenda that improves the meeting quality
- The importance of aligning expectations on a regular basis
- How to deal with problems in a constructive way
Learning objectives
After completing this workshop, you will:
- Have greater insight into what characterizes a good supervisor
- Have practical tools for proactively managing your PhD supervisors
- Be aware of the importance of regularly aligning expectations
- Be able to improve the quality of your meetings with your PhD supervisor
- Know how to get the feedback you need
- Feel empowered to take control over your PhD process
Format
The workshop has an interactive format shifting between presentation of theory, exercises and group discussions.
Send an email to bodil@boostu.dk or call at 61709051
Knowing your character strengths matter
- and can improve your well-being, work performance and collaboration with others
Character strengths are a set of positive traits that influence how you feel, think, and behave. Unlike your other personal strengths, such as specific skills, talents, interests, and resources, character strengths reflect your core identity and who you truly are.
According to research, we all possess 24 distinct character strengths, all of which we have the potential to express. Some of these strengths are more prominent than others, forming a unique character strengths profile for every individual. The four to seven most dominant strengths are known as signature strengths, and when you apply them, you tend to feel more authentic and engaged.
By identifying and applying your signature strengths, you can enhance your daily life and well-being, leading to increased confidence, improved work performance, reduced stress, and greater success in achieving your goals.
Keywords: Character strengths, performance, confidence, mental well-being, job satisfaction, authenticity, thriving
Target group: PhD students, researchers/lecturers at all academic levels and all other employees
Language: English or Danish
Duration: Two to three hours
Course leader: Bodil Øster, MSc, PhD, Facilitator and Coach
Course type: Interactive workshop
Number of participants: 5-50
Course dates: On demand
Topics
In this workshop we will look at:
- Your personal character strengths profile
- What the literature says about using your strengths and thriving at work
- How well-being and performance is closely linked to a balanced use of your personal character strengths
- Why knowing and developing your strengths has a positive influence on your self-esteem and confidence
- Why knowing your colleagues’ strengths profile positively impacts your relationship and collaboration
Learning objectives
In this workshop you learn to:
- recognise the strengths you use in your daily work
- apply your strengths intentionally to increase your confidence and well-being
- develop the strengths you need to support a balanced use of your top strengths
- build a strengths-development habit to consciously focus on a middle or lesser strength
- identify strengths in your supervisor and peers to foster more effective collaboration
Format
The workshop has an interactive format shifting between presentation of theory, exercises and group discussions.
Send an email to bodil@boostu.dk or call at 61709051
Personal leadership in academia
- Take your PhD/postdoc journey to new heights
The purpose of this course is to help you navigate your PhD or postdoc journey with greater confidence and less stress. You will gain insight into your own thinking and behavioral patterns, and rooted in an understanding of the mechanisms behind stress, impostor phenomenon and your personal character strengths, you with leave the course with practical, effective tools that can help transform unproductive habits, quiet negative thinking, and manage feelings of insecurity.
Key words: Focus, direction, personal power, character strengths, taming impostor phenomenon.
Target group: PhD students and postdocs
Language: English or Danish
Course leader: Bodil Øster, MSc, PhD, Facilitator and Coach
Course type: Residential course / workshops
Location
The residential part of the course will take place in the sustainable forest house, The Nature House in Helberskov (18 km from Hadsund). Participants will be accommodated in hammocks strung between trees surrounding the house, offering a close-to-nature experience as part of the course. The follow-up sessions will be held online or face-to-face at a location TBD in collaboration with the participants.
Duration
Four sessions. Two full days’ residential course followed by two 2.5-hour follow-up sessions. The workload will be around 25 hours in total (including 2 x 8 hour + 2 x 2.5-hour sessions).
Course days
First follow-up (1 month after the residential course): 13:00-15:30 (online or face-to-face)
Second follow-up (3 month after the residential course): 13:00-15:30 (online or face-to-face)
Price: DKK 5500 excl. VAT per participant and includes food and accommodation.
Note: Participants are responsible for arranging and covering their own transportation. Pick-up at Skørping or Hobro train station can be arranged.
For whom?
This course is open to all PhD students and postdocs and is recommended for anyone who would like to:
- improve personal leadership and confidence as a researcher
- find a better balance in life as a PhD student/postdoc
- work in a more focused and proactive way
The course is particularly relevant if you can say yes to several of the following questions:
- Do you find it difficult to balance working hours with personal time?
- Are you struggling with expectations – from yourself and perceived external expectations from supervisor(s), colleagues etc.?
- Are you at times overwhelmed by all the tasks that must be tackled throughout the PhD/postdoc time?
- Do you feel you’re not “on track” in the way you would like to be?
- Do you find yourself procrastinating although important deadlines are approaching?
- Are you hard on yourself if you make a mistake?
- Do you doubt whether you’re good enough to be a PhD student/postdoc?
If you recognize yourself in several of these questions, and if you are ready to work on becoming a more powerful and confident version of yourself, this course is for you.
Topics
In this course we will look at:
- Your personal character strengths profile
- How well-being and performance is closely linked to a balanced use of your personal character strengths
- Why knowing and developing your strengths has a positive influence on your self-esteem and confidence
- How you can create new and productive habits
- Impostor phenomenon and how impostor feelings hold you back
- How you can enhance your mental well-being by reducing self-doubt and becoming more aware of how you perceive both yourself and others
Learning objectives
After completing this course, you will be able to:
- identify the top strengths you use in your daily work
- establish and implement strengths-development habits to help you work with greater intention and impact
- see what’s holding you back and understand why impostor feelings also have a negative impact on your future career
- use different strategies and tools to tame impostor feelings
- proactively seek and obtain the feedback you need
- align expectations to reduce insecurity and enhance well-being
Format
This course is a mix of theory, self-reflection and group exercises and consists of two full days’ residential course followed by two 2.5-hour follow-up sessions. The course is designed so that nature becomes a co-facilitator of your learning.
Between the sessions, you will have small assignments that allow you to start replacing unproductive habits with more productive ones and explore tools and insights that contribute to developing your personal leadership.
Preparations before the course
When signing up for the course, you will receive an introductory email with practical information, including what to prepare before the course and a packing list.
How to register
- Send an email to bodil@boostu.dk with the subject line “Residential course: Personal leadership in academia” to request dates for the residential course
- In your e-mail, include a brief description of why this course will be useful for you
- Places will be offered in the order applications are received, with thoughtful attention to how well the applicants´ motivation aligns with the course objectives
Testimonials
“Before I joined the course I had been very overwhelmed by my PhD. I had been struggling between independence and collaboration, expert in class and layman in the field, my inner self and my outer image. And when I heard other PhD students shared similar struggles, I was frustrated. Does doing a PhD mean you have to struggle? I took this question with me to Bodil.
The answer I found is ”NO”. You can be a happy and fruitful PhD. Together we went through a lot of topics and tools. Bodil has the magic to plant them as little seeds in us and encourage us to water them. It’s amazing how much can change in a few months with the right guidance and loving hearts.”
Livie Yumeng Li, PhD Student, Steno Diabetes Centre Aarhus, Public Health, Aarhus University
Rate: 5 (Excellent)
“It was an incredible course for me as it helped me spotting what problem/challenges I really face in both my career and personal life. And receiving feedback/suggestions from Bodil and other groupmates helped me, first being understood, and second seeing that actually there are ways that I can improve the situation.
And then I started reflecting on myself and what I need and care the most for and started looking for solutions. At the end when I got back to my issues, I could see I’ve solved almost all of what I was going through. I was much more satisfied, and I could see, now I have control of my life. And all of these could not have happened if I had never started reflecting on them step by step with the help of an amazing coach like Bodil. Thanks a lot, Bodil and I’m very grateful of this opportunity.”
Sahar Assar, PhD Student, Department of Dentistry and Oral Health
Rate: 5 (Excellent)
“Bodil is incredibly warm, open, welcoming, motivating and understanding. She creates a safe space to share, reflect and learn about yourself. I took a lot of wisdom with me from each input/session and the follow-up structure really helped to actually implement what I learned and wanted to try, but then also reflect on what works for me and what does not.”
Nina, PhD Student, Aarhus University
Rate: 5 (Excellent)
Didn’t find the workshop topics you are looking for?
Let’s talk and see if I can tailor an event that matches what you need. Everyone can need a boost, and I also work with other target audiences than young researchers.
I am also open for requests that involve my Nature House as I would like others to be able to feel the peace and inspiration that working surrounded by nature can bring.
Send an email to bodil@boostu.dk or call at 61709051