Author: Roshaunda D. Cade, Ph.D.

Look, I know you’re probably tired of hearing about these SDJ Pillars, but if I don’t tell you about them, who will? And maybe SDJ isn’t for you, but if I don’t tell you about it you won’t know. So I press on.

I pray one day Sistahs on the Doctoral Journey will be a worldwide phenomenon where Black women with doctorates (or who are ABD) feel loved, valued, and supported. I pray it becomes a movement where Black doctoral women tend to their peace and their presence in ways that don’t involve performing for others. I pray it becomes a community of support where we encourage one another, share wisdom with one another, provide resources to one another, and help others stand on our shoulders. I pray it is a space where we can look toward our 19th Century ancestral aunties and their blueprint for how to thrive and create and build in a world that wasn’t designed for them, yet they did it anyway–unapologetically and with legacy in mind. I pray Sistahs on the Doctoral Journey becomes the safe haven where every black woman anywhere on the doctoral journey will turn for sustenance and succor. I believe this and more is what God has in mind for SDJ, so I’ll keep telling you about it until He tells me to stop.

Last time, we talked about the Inheritance pillar of being a Black woman with a doctorate. Today I’ll remind you of all the pillars and talk about our next pillar: Legacy.

Foundation: You’re in the thick of it — ABD, dissertation mode, survival mode. This is your pillar. Connect with sistahs who are right where you are.

Scaffolding: You’ve defended — now you’re building. Book projects, academic writing, and carving out your scholarly identity are the work of this pillar.

Edifice: You’re navigating leadership and figuring out who you are in that role. This is where you build your leadership identity — on your own terms.

Inheritance: You’ve stepped into something new — a department chair role, a directorship, an unexpected transition. This pillar is about leading what you’ve inherited. Or leading what you’re creating with inheritance in mind.

Legacy: You’ve had a full career and life — and now you’re thinking about what endures. The work of this pillar is for senior leaders, administrators, and trailblazers who are building something that outlasts them.

Legacy.

What is your legacy? What do you want to leave behind? What are you building that outlasts you? How can your life and work become the primary source that builds another sistah’s edifice?

The legacy pillar is about asking and answering these questions. You don’t leave a legacy on accident. You leave a legacy through a lifetime of living on purpose.

You’ve moved intentionally throughout your career. Don’t move into your next with any less attention to detail.

Moving into your next requires creativity, stamina and support. This journey isn’t for you to do alone. It’s for you to do in community.

You need Sistahs on the Doctoral Journey (SDJ).

Sistahs on the Doctoral Journey (SDJ) is a community of Black women from ABD through wherever your doctoral journey takes you where you can be yourself and give and get what you need. In our community, you can drop the mask you wear every day, relax, and breathe. Fully. Deeply. Finally.

The doors of the SDJ community open on July 1, 2026. Join by June 30, 2026 for a discounted membership for as long as you stay in our community.

Join today at the link below and share this with a sistah you know who is also on the journey.

Sistahs on the Doctoral Journey (SDJ)

Last time, we talked about the Edifice pillar of being a Black woman with a doctorate. Today I’ll remind you of all the pillars and talk about our next pillar: Inheritance.

Foundation: You’re in the thick of it — ABD, dissertation mode, survival mode. This is your pillar. Connect with sistahs who are right where you are.

Scaffolding: You’ve defended — now you’re building. Book projects, academic writing, and carving out your scholarly identity are the work of this pillar.

Edifice: You’re navigating leadership and figuring out who you are in that role. This is where you build your leadership identity — on your own terms.

Inheritance: You’ve stepped into something new — a department chair role, a directorship, an unexpected transition. This pillar is about leading what you’ve inherited. Or leading what you’re creating with inheritance in mind.

Legacy: You’ve had a full career and life — and now you’re thinking about what endures. The work of this pillar is for senior leaders, administrators, and trailblazers who are building something that outlasts them.

Inheritance.

Merriam Webster defines inheritance as “the acquisition of a possession, condition, or trait from past generations.”

So what does that have to do with your doctoral journey? Quite a lot.

As we move through our careers, we inherit many things: positions, traditions, guidebooks, teams, and on and on. We most noticeably inherit things when we step into something new or create something new. Yes, even when we create something new, we are walking in the traits from past generations. our mothers, grandmothers, and aunties are all talking to us as we move along our doctoral journey. The inheritance pillar is about listening to their wisdom and joining it with your own.

Inheritance means you don’t have to do this on your own. You can tap into the wisdom of past generations through SDJ readings and discussions. You can lean on your sistahs who are in the same pillar as you. And you can look to sistahs who have been where you are.

Just because you are moving into or creating something new doesn’t mean who have to reinvent the wheel. You can look to the blueprints of the women who came before you and adjust them to fit your context. Those who came before you built and led with you in mind. Honor their work and sacrifice by tapping into the inheritance they have left for you. And then pay it forward by leaving an inheritance for those who come after you. This journey isn’t for you to do alone. It’s for you to do in community.

You need Sistahs on the Doctoral Journey (SDJ).

Sistahs on the Doctoral Journey (SDJ) is a community of Black women from ABD through wherever your doctoral journey takes you where you can be yourself and give and get what you need. In our community, you can drop the mask you wear every day, relax, and breathe. Fully. Deeply. Finally.

The doors of the SDJ community open on July 1, 2026. Join by June 30, 2026 for a discounted membership for as long as you stay in our community.

Join today at the link below and share this with a sistah you know who is also on the journey.

Sistahs on the Doctoral Journey (SDJ)

Yesterday we talked about the Scaffolding pillar of being a Black woman with a doctorate. Today I’ll remind you of all the pillars and talk about our next pillar: Edifice.

Foundation: You’re in the thick of it — ABD, dissertation mode, survival mode. This is your pillar. Connect with sistahs who are right where you are.

Scaffolding: You’ve defended — now you’re building. Book projects, academic writing, and carving out your scholarly identity are the work of this pillar.

Edifice: You’re navigating leadership and figuring out who you are in that role. This is where you build your leadership identity — on your own terms.

Inheritance: You’ve stepped into something new — a department chair role, a directorship, an unexpected transition. This pillar is about leading what you’ve inherited. Or leading what you’re creating with inheritance in mind.

Legacy: You’ve had a full career and life — and now you’re thinking about what endures. The work of this pillar is for senior leaders, administrators, and trailblazers who are building something that outlasts them.

Edifice.

Edifice is about building your leadership identity. That means that all of us on this doctoral journey are in the Edifice pillar. There is no point when you aren’t building your leadership identity. While this pillar is for everyone, it speaks most specifically to the sistahs who want to lead with intentionality, on their terms, and not lose themselves in the process. For sistahs who want to define their leadership instead of having someone else define it for them.

Sometimes playing the game, giving the response they want, shrinking yourself so you don’t seem like to much, is easier than showing up in the fullness that is gloriously you. Doing so may make people comfortable, but it takes a toll on you, your leadership, and your legacy.

When you don’t show up as yourself, people miss out.

Let me say that again. When you don’t show up as yourself, people miss out.

They miss out on good ideas, on friendship, on learning from different perspectives, on creative genius, on laughter, on love, on light. The world is a little dimmer for everyone else when you don’t let your light shine.

Throughout your life and career(s), you will get the chance to lead, and what you build through your leadership becomes the edifice that people know you by. It’s imperative for you to build an edifice that represents you and not one that restricts you. You must manage teams, negotiate institutional politics and personal proclivities, and combat aggressions (micro- and other) while staying true to yourself. It’s hard to do this, especially on your own.

You need someone who understands your journey. Someone who can witness your situation. Someone to give you unbiased feedback. Someone to nurture your ideas. You need some sistahs. You need women who look like you, who know where you are, and who have made it to the other side.

You need Sistahs on the Doctoral Journey (SDJ).

Sistahs on the Doctoral Journey (SDJ) is a community of Black women from ABD through wherever your doctoral journey takes you where you can be yourself and give and get what you need. In our community, you can drop the mask you wear every day, relax, and breathe. Fully. Deeply. Finally.

The doors of the SDJ community open on July 1, 2026. Join by June 30, 2026 for a discounted membership for as long as you stay in our community.

Join today at the link below and share this with a sistah you know who is also on the journey.

Sistahs on the Doctoral Journey (SDJ)

Yesterday we talked about the Foundation pillar of being a Black woman with a doctorate. Today I’ll remind you of all the pillars and talk about our next pillar: Scaffolding.

Foundation: You’re in the thick of it — ABD, dissertation mode, survival mode. This is your pillar. Connect with sistahs who are right where you are.

Scaffolding: You’ve defended — now you’re building. Book projects, academic writing, and carving out your scholarly identity are the work of this pillar.

Edifice: You’re navigating leadership and figuring out who you are in that role. This is where you build your leadership identity — on your own terms.

Inheritance: You’ve stepped into something new — a department chair role, a directorship, an unexpected transition. This pillar is about leading what you’ve inherited. Or leading what you’re creating with inheritance in mind.

Legacy: You’ve had a full career and life — and now you’re thinking about what endures. The work of this pillar is for senior leaders, administrators, and trailblazers who are building something that outlasts them.

Scaffolding.

Scaffolding provides support during building construction. I’m fascinated by scaffoldings. I love to watch them morph over the duration of a construction project. I’m not in construction or architecture, but what I’ve noticed is that as a building goes up, the scaffolding changes to meet the needs of the particular construction phase of the building. The scaffolding is ever-changing yet always present providing support.

In the world of holding a doctorate, you writing projects serve similar purpose. They are every changing. Sometimes you’re writing an article for academic publication. Sometimes you’re writing a think piece for popular consumption. Sometimes you’re writing an academic nonfiction book. Sometimes you’re writing popular nonfiction. Sometimes you’re writing fiction. Sometimes you’re writing poetry.

Throughout your career, the genres you write will change, and so will the research you do. This writing, constantly in flux, shores up your career, just as scaffolding supports a building under construction. It may look different based on multiple factors, but it’s there to provide whatever support is necessary for the project.

You need someone who understands this writing journey. I’m a whole entire book and writing coach, so I think everyone needs support with their writing, and I think you need me to support you as your coach. And I also know that writers need support from one another. Someone who can be with you in the trenches. Someone to give you unbiased feedback. Someone to nurture your ideas. someone who will hold you accountable to your writing goals. Someone who will celebrate with you when you reach milestones. You need some sistahs. You need women who look like you, who know where you are, and who have made it to the other side.

You need Sistahs on the Doctoral Journey (SDJ).

Sistahs on the Doctoral Journey (SDJ) is a community of Black women from ABD through wherever your doctoral journey takes you where you can be yourself and give and get what you need. In our community, you can drop the mask you wear every day, relax, and breathe. Fully. Deeply. Finally.

The doors of the SDJ community open on July 1, 2026. Join by June 30, 2026 for a discounted membership for as long as you stay in our community.

Join today at the link below and share this with a sistah you know who is also on the journey.

Sistahs on the Doctoral Journey (SDJ)

Yesterday we talked about the pillars of being a Black woman with a doctorate. Let’s remind ourselves of the pillars then look at each one over the next few days.

Foundation: You’re in the thick of it — ABD, dissertation mode, survival mode. This is your pillar. Connect with sistahs who are right where you are.

Scaffolding: You’ve defended — now you’re building. Book projects, academic writing, and carving out your scholarly identity are the work of this pillar.

Edifice: You’re navigating leadership and figuring out who you are in that role. This is where you build your leadership identity — on your own terms.

Inheritance: You’ve stepped into something new — a department chair role, a directorship, an unexpected transition. This pillar is about leading what you’ve inherited. Or leading what you’re creating with inheritance in mind.

Legacy: You’ve had a full career and life — and now you’re thinking about what endures. The work of this pillar is for senior leaders, administrators, and trailblazers who are building something that outlasts them.

Foundation.

You are in the midst of research and writing. You’re navigating space and autonomy with your committee. You’re losing sleep. Literally no one understands what you are doing or why you are doing it. You want to sleep. you want to rest. You want to quit.

It’s ok to admit that you want to quit. We all have wanted to quit. And there is no shame in quitting. But if you choose to keep pursuing your doctorate, you need someone to support you while you do so.

You need someone who understands this journey. Someone who knows what to do when your committee is being unreasonable. Someone who can help you navigate the ever-moving finish line. Someone Who can hold your hand and adjust your crown. You need someone who you can bounce ideas off of and not worry they are going to steal your original research. You need women who look like you, who know where you are, and who have made it to the other side.

You need Sistahs on the Doctoral Journey (SDJ).

Sistahs on the Doctoral Journey (SDJ) is a community of Black women from ABD through wherever your doctoral journey takes you where you can be yourself and give and get what you need. In our community, you can drop the mask you wear every day, relax, and breathe. Fully. Deeply. Finally.

The doors of the SDJ community open on July 1, 2026. Join by June 30, 2026 for a discounted membership for as long as you stay in our community.

Join today at the link below and share this with a sistah you know who is also on the journey.

Sistahs on the Doctoral Journey (SDJ)