Jen Harrison earned her PhD from the University of Wales, and has since worked in academia as a lecturer and researcher at a number of institutions worldwide.  As well as publishing books and articles in her own field (children’s literature), she has served as an editor and reviewer for a number of peer-reviewed publications, as well as freelancing as an academic editor.   In this episode we talk about the feeling that you don’t belong in academia.   Jen highlights the fact that learning at undergraduate and even Masters level does not prepare you for the level of work and type of work required for the PhD.   We talk about the gaps in provision that may leave PhD researchers feeling unsupported and the importance of asking for help in order to gain the tools you need.   Jen also talks about what she calls ‘affirmative behaviours’ and we discuss why these might be so powerful. Here are Jen’s contact details: Home page: www.readwriteperfect.com.  Email address: [email protected].  Twitter handle: @perfect_write. If you would like a useful weekly email to support you on your PhD journey you can sign up for ‘Notes from the Life Raft’ here:  https://mailchi.mp/f2dce91955c6/notes-from-the-life-raft