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.