Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska SFHEA, EMCC
PhD in Psychoanalysis and Ethics in Film, Award-Winning Filmmaker, Academic, and Certified Life Coach3
Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska SFHEA, EMCC Key Topics
Why PhD Students Are Dropping Out-and What No One’s Talking About
Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska can discuss the quiet crisis happening in higher education, where as many as 75% of PhD students never finish their degrees-despite being some of the most motivated individuals in the system. Drawing on her experience supervising PhDs across the UK, Poland, and Africa, Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska offers a behind-the-scenes view of what really pushes students to the brink. She explores the emotional weight of academic isolation, the hidden traumas that resurface during research, and why mindset work is often dismissed in institutions that pride themselves on intellect. Her work with international students through The Scholars’ Mentor shows how a well-timed intervention-grounded in both scholarship and compassion-can change the trajectory of a researcher’s entire life.
Why Messy Feelings Are Fuel for High Performers
High achievers are taught to control emotion, but that pressure to “optimize” often fuels quiet anxiety and burnout. Dr. Agnieszka Piotrowska argues that real resilience comes from embracing, not erasing, messy feelings. Through tools like journaling, micro-storying, and creative exploration, she helps leaders, academics, and creators turn uncertainty into insight. With a background spanning BBC filmmaking, psychoanalysis, and global mentoring, she bridges art and intellect to show that emotion isn’t a flaw in high performance-it’s the energy that sustains it.
Beyond the Abundance Myth: The Problem with Selling Mindset Through Fear
Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska can speak to a growing discomfort with the “manifestation mindset” trend-where abundance is marketed through scarcity tactics, and success is promised with little more than a vision board and a smile. Agnieszka brings a rare mix of academic rigour and spiritual curiosity to this space. As a certified life coach with a PhD in psychoanalysis, she offers a more grounded approach-one that values intuition _and_ intellect, and refuses to pretend that mindset alone can dismantle systemic inequalities. Her critique is not cynical; it’s deeply hopeful, proposing a version of growth that’s rooted in truth rather than performance.
The Algorithm Knows You’re Anxious: AI, Selfhood, and Surveillance
Dr. Agnieszka Piotrowska explores how AI is shaping not just behaviour, but identity-especially for those living with anxiety, trauma, or emotional overwhelm. With a background in psychoanalysis, ethics, and documentary storytelling, she unpacks how algorithmic systems don’t just track our choices, but influence our sense of self. In a world where machine learning mimics our thoughts and vulnerabilities, Agnieszka asks: how do we retain agency, privacy, and authenticity?
The Ethics of the Edit: Who Owns the Story in Documentary Film?
Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska can discuss the tension between truth and storytelling in the documentary world-a space she knows intimately from decades of directing award-winning, globally distributed films. With works like _Married to the Eiffel Tower_, Agnieszka has gained access to the most intimate human experiences, and she brings a thoughtful critique to how those stories are shaped, edited, and sometimes exploited. She explores the unspoken power imbalance between filmmaker and subject, and how her academic work in ethics and psychoanalysis helped her navigate this. In a moment when audiences are questioning representation and trust in media, this conversation couldn’t be more urgent.
Latest episodes
Episode 342 - What Success Doesn’t Heal with Dr. Agnieszka Piotrowska
The Jōrni Podcast
Beyond Achievement and Algorithms: Finding Authenticity in a Digital Age
Empower Global "Be an Encourager podcast"
Mental Health, Motivation, and Meaning in the PhD Journey – With Dr. Agnieszka Piotrowska
Beyond the Thesis With Papa PhD
Key topics
Beyond the Abundance Myth: The Problem with Selling Mindset Through Fear
Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska can speak to a growing discomfort with the “manifestation mindset” trend-where abundance is marketed through scarcity tactics, and success is promised with little more than a vision board and a smile. Agnieszka brings a rare mix of academic rigour and spiritual curiosity to this space. As a certified life coach with a PhD in psychoanalysis, she offers a more grounded approach-one that values intuition _and_ intellect, and refuses to pretend that mindset alone can dismantle systemic inequalities. Her critique is not cynical; it’s deeply hopeful, proposing a version of growth that’s rooted in truth rather than performance.
Why PhD Students Are Dropping Out-and What No One’s Talking About
Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska can discuss the quiet crisis happening in higher education, where as many as 75% of PhD students never finish their degrees-despite being some of the most motivated individuals in the system. Drawing on her experience supervising PhDs across the UK, Poland, and Africa, Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska offers a behind-the-scenes view of what really pushes students to the brink. She explores the emotional weight of academic isolation, the hidden traumas that resurface during research, and why mindset work is often dismissed in institutions that pride themselves on intellect. Her work with international students through The Scholars’ Mentor shows how a well-timed intervention-grounded in both scholarship and compassion-can change the trajectory of a researcher’s entire life.
The Algorithm Knows You’re Anxious: AI, Selfhood, and Surveillance
Dr. Agnieszka Piotrowska explores how AI is shaping not just behaviour, but identity-especially for those living with anxiety, trauma, or emotional overwhelm. With a background in psychoanalysis, ethics, and documentary storytelling, she unpacks how algorithmic systems don’t just track our choices, but influence our sense of self. In a world where machine learning mimics our thoughts and vulnerabilities, Agnieszka asks: how do we retain agency, privacy, and authenticity?
View all topics →
Latest episodes
Episode 342 - What Success Doesn’t Heal with Dr. Agnieszka Piotrowska
The Jōrni Podcast
Beyond Achievement and Algorithms: Finding Authenticity in a Digital Age
Empower Global "Be an Encourager podcast"
Mental Health, Motivation, and Meaning in the PhD Journey – With Dr. Agnieszka Piotrowska
Beyond the Thesis With Papa PhD
Key topics
Beyond the Abundance Myth: The Problem with Selling Mindset Through Fear
Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska can speak to a growing discomfort with the “manifestation mindset” trend-where abundance is marketed through scarcity tactics, and success is promised with little more than a vision board and a smile. Agnieszka brings a rare mix of academic rigour and spiritual curiosity to this space. As a certified life coach with a PhD in psychoanalysis, she offers a more grounded approach-one that values intuition _and_ intellect, and refuses to pretend that mindset alone can dismantle systemic inequalities. Her critique is not cynical; it’s deeply hopeful, proposing a version of growth that’s rooted in truth rather than performance.
Why PhD Students Are Dropping Out-and What No One’s Talking About
Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska can discuss the quiet crisis happening in higher education, where as many as 75% of PhD students never finish their degrees-despite being some of the most motivated individuals in the system. Drawing on her experience supervising PhDs across the UK, Poland, and Africa, Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska offers a behind-the-scenes view of what really pushes students to the brink. She explores the emotional weight of academic isolation, the hidden traumas that resurface during research, and why mindset work is often dismissed in institutions that pride themselves on intellect. Her work with international students through The Scholars’ Mentor shows how a well-timed intervention-grounded in both scholarship and compassion-can change the trajectory of a researcher’s entire life.
The Algorithm Knows You’re Anxious: AI, Selfhood, and Surveillance
Dr. Agnieszka Piotrowska explores how AI is shaping not just behaviour, but identity-especially for those living with anxiety, trauma, or emotional overwhelm. With a background in psychoanalysis, ethics, and documentary storytelling, she unpacks how algorithmic systems don’t just track our choices, but influence our sense of self. In a world where machine learning mimics our thoughts and vulnerabilities, Agnieszka asks: how do we retain agency, privacy, and authenticity?
View all topics →