You may register for only one workshop, and spots are limited. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. To register, visit our course portal, where you can also see how many spots are still available.
| 14:15-16:00 | Workshop 1 - Boxing Coaching - Berend Oosterhuis | Minnaert Building 0.09 |
| 14:15-16:00 | Workshop 2 - Dealing with Perfectionism - Rutger-Jan Scholtens | Minnaert Building 0.11 |
| 14:15-16:00 | Workshop 3 - The PhD Priority Compass: Choosing Where to Say YES - Jip Lauwers | Minnaert Building 0.13 |
| 14:15-16:00 | Workshop 4 - Improv(e) your Science - Aniek Ivens | Minnaert Building 0.14 |
| 14:15-16:00 | Workshop 5 - Multitasking is a Myth - Wouter Hesseling | Minnaert Building 0.16 |
| 14:15-16:00 | Workshop 6 - Fueling your Mental Resilience: Navigate your PhD with Purpose - Simone Schut | Minnaert Building 0.18 |
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Workshop 1 - Boxing Coaching
Berend Oosterhuis | CEO, founder, trainer, coach | Bokscoaching BV
During the workshop, we will take you through an inspiring and interactive session. Both with and without boxing gloves, you will discover where your potential lies and how to further develop yourself. We focus on themes such as balance, healthy tension, setting boundaries, powerful communication, and assertiveness. Our methods allow you to experience firsthand what happens to you in the moment. This creates awareness of your primary behavior, which is where your greatest strength and your biggest pitfall lie. While boxing, you will practice new behaviors and approaches to ensure they become more effective in your daily practice. We look forward to working with you!
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Workshop 2 - Dealing with Perfectionism
Rutger-Jan Scholtens | Trainer, coach | Career Services Utrecht University
Do you set incredibly high standards for yourself? And do you rarely feel truly satisfied with what you’ve achieved? Perfectionism can be a powerful driving force, but it can also be exhausting and counterproductive. If your perfectionism is leading to recurring stress, anxiety or self-doubt, it’s time to take a closer look at its impact. In this workshop, we explore both the advantages and downsides of perfectionism, and how it influences your behaviour. By the end of this workshop, you'll be equipped with practical tools to develop a healthier mindset and work ethic.
After this workshop:
- You will know the pros and cons of perfectionism and how it affects your behaviour
- You will have explored your own perfectionist tendencies
- You will have learned how to recognise and challenge your rigid thinking patterns
- You will know how to increase your psychological flexibility.
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Workshop 3 - The PhD Priority Compass: Choosing Where to Say YES
Jip Lauwers | Academic trainer & coach | Downsideup
Feeling pulled in a hundred directions during your PhD? This interactive workshop helps you take a step back, reflect where your time and energy are really going, and regain control over your priorities. You’ll learn to move beyond external pressures, shift focus from urgent tasks to what truly matters, and create your personal priority compass. By the end, you’ll have clarity on what you’re truly saying YES to - and, just as importantly, what that means you’re saying NO to - so every choice supports your progress, focus, and well-being.
Learning goals:
- Map your current time and energy allocation across work and life
- Understand where you may be overcommitting and where to set boundaries
- Gain clarity on what you are saying YES and NO to, ensuring each choice supports progress, focus, and well-being
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Workshop 4 - Improv(e) your Science
Aniek Ivens | Trainer | Academic Improv
Every PhD project comes with the unexpected: from failed experiments to tricky conference questions or a non-expert asking you out-of-the-blue: ”So….what do you do?”. In this Academic Improv workshop, experienced scientist and improviser Aniek Ivens helps you handle these moments with confidence by adding a little improvisation to your academic life. Improvisation trains you to think on your feet, listen actively, solve problems creatively and communicate clearly. In this fun, interactive workshop you’ll use techniques from improv theatre and storytelling to boost your confidence and sharpen your science communication skills by tapping into your creativity and flexibility. You’ll be on your feet the whole time, discovering what improv can do for you and your PhD project in group exercises and in pairs. We’ll wrap up by applying the insights to your own project. You will leave with the ability to…
- Handle unexpected situations and questions confidently
- Solve problems creatively
- Connect to any audience, experts or not, and communicate complex ideas clearly
Expect laughter, practical tips, and skills you can use every day, both inside and outside the lab.
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Workshop 5 - Multitasking is a Myth
Wouter Hesseling | Owner | Multitasken.nl
In the workshop ‘Multitasking Is a Myth’, participants discover the downsides of multitasking and learn how to work up to 40% more efficiently. Wouter’s approach is both educational and highly entertaining combining dynamic storytelling, audience interaction, and juggling ten fragile plates at once. Finally, participants get hands-on and try spinning plates and balancing glasses themselves.
Objective of the workshop:
- More structured working
- Better decision-making
- Greater mental clarity
- Improved teamwork
Results
- Higher efficiency and productivity
- Fewer mistakes
- Stronger customer focus
- Reduced workload and burnout risk
- More room for creativity and innovation
- Sustainable employability
100% entertaining and 100% educational, a unique workshop you’ll never forget!
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Workshop 6 - Fueling your Mental Resilience: Navigate your PhD with Purpose
Simone Schut | Councelor, trainer | UMC Utrecht
Are you feeling the pressure of the PhD grind? Join us for an interactive workshop designed specifically for PhD’ers to build genuine mental resilience. Rather than just "toughening up," we define resilience as gaining trust in your ability to handle whatever your research (and life) throws at you. In this session, we move beyond "fight or flight" to help you stop the cycle of automatic reactions that can create even bigger hurdles. You will clarify your values and identify what truly makes your PhD journey valuable and meaningful to you. You will learn to acknowledge the internal struggles and insecurities that distract you from your goals. And you will learn how you can help yourself to move away from unhelpful avoidance and consciously steer back toward long-term satisfaction. You will leave with a concrete plan!
