Encouraging doctoral students to publish during their candidature is becoming more widely accepted and practised, both in Australia and internationally, although it is still less common in some fields. Almost all universities in Australia now offer candidates an option to include publications in their doctoral thesis. This paradigm shift has occurred over several decades as the role of doctoral education has been debated, but guidelines for students, supervisors and examiners have yet to catch up. While various benefits, challenges and criticisms have been discussed by established academics, the voices of the candidates themselves are limited. Using a narrative inquiry approach, this study helps to fill that void by reporting the personal experiences of the author, who recently completed a thesis with publications (TWP) in education. As such, this paper not only illuminates the potential challenges for doctoral candidates but it also offers possible ways in which universities, supervisors, examiners and candidates themselves can make the path to completing a doctoral TWP easier to navigate.