Dr Inès Amami holds a PhD from Sorbonne Nouvelle University in French literature and civilization.  Her research is about the representation of the West and the Muslim world in the Encyclopédie de Diderot (18th century).   Ines is also a political activist in the field of women’s rights and fights against all kinds of violence.  She is a single mother of an 11 year old daughter.     In this episode we talk about the challenges that Ines has faced over the course of her PhD journey which started in 2004 - including periods of illness and a toxic boss.     We focus on Ines’ experience of being a single parent on the PhD journey and the discoveries she has made along the way.   Ines shares the tools that helped her stay on track during her doctorate.   We discuss mum guilt and how lowering your standards can be the key to success!   Ines stresses the importance of self care as a foundation for single parenthood.   We finish with a top tip around asking for help.   You can contact Ines on twitter here: @inesParisFr 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