LELA House

Tag: Sistahs on the Doctoral Journey

  • Legacy Pillar of SDJ is for the Sistahs who are Considering How Their Work Will Outlast Them

    Legacy Pillar of SDJ is for the Sistahs who are Considering How Their Work Will Outlast Them

    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)

  • Inheritance Pillar of SDJ is for the Sistahs who are Creating or Stepping into Something New

    Inheritance Pillar of SDJ is for the Sistahs who are Creating or Stepping into Something New

    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)

  • Edifice Pillar of SDJ is for the Sistahs in Leadership Mode

    Edifice Pillar of SDJ is for the Sistahs in Leadership Mode

    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)

  • Scaffolding Pillar of SDJ is for the Sistahs in Writing Mode

    Scaffolding Pillar of SDJ is for the Sistahs in Writing Mode

    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)

  • Foundation Pillar of SDJ is for the Sistahs in Dissertation Mode

    Foundation Pillar of SDJ is for the Sistahs in Dissertation Mode

    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)

  • Sistahs on the Doctoral Journey Has Room for You

    Sistahs on the Doctoral Journey Has Room for You

    Yesterday we talked about the journey that is being a Black woman with a doctorate. Let’s break down the stages of the journey. I call the stages pillar, because each of them is foundational to the structure of the life you’re building through your research and work.

    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.

    These pillars are fluid, and you may find yourself in multiple pillars at any given time, but these are the structures we use to build our careers and our legacies. As Black women with doctorates, we need to be in community with other Black women in these stages. Sometimes we need words of encouragement, and sometimes we need to share what we have learned with others who come behind us. Sometimes we just need another sistah to witness what we are experiencing.

    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)

  • Join Sistahs on the Doctoral Journey

    Join Sistahs on the Doctoral Journey

    Earning a doctorate doesn’t begin or end with the degree. It’s a journey that begins when you’re in the trenches of coursework and writing, and it’s a journey that doesn’t end once you have letters behind your name.

    It’s a process of becoming.

    Who you are when you earn your doctorate is not who you were when you began your coursework. And who you are the day your committee first says, “Congratulations Doctor” is not who you will be as you move through your career.

    Sistahs on the Doctoral Journey (SDJ) is a community of Black women from ABD through wherever your doctoral journey takes you. In our community we are about the business of supporting each other. Imagine…

    • Celebrating your wins, big and small, with women who truly understand the magnitude of your achievements.
    • Finding profound encouragement when imposter syndrome rears its head.
    • Connecting with a powerful network of Black women, from ABD students to senior administrators, who are ready to share wisdom, resources, and unwavering support.
    • Discovering the intellectual and spiritual sanctuary you’ve been craving within our dedicated space for growth and connection.
    • Building your legacy while benefiting from the methods and mindsets of the 19th Century Black women who came before you.

    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)

  • Dissertation Deliverance, Strategic Semester, and SDJ are my newest offerings for Black women in higher education.

    Dissertation Deliverance, Strategic Semester, and SDJ are my newest offerings for Black women in higher education.

    Hi y’all,

    How are you? How is summer going? How is your writing going? What’s on your to-do list?

    I’m doing well, and my summer is going well. My writing? Well, it’s going. You know how that is. And my to-do list? I’ve been busy knocking things out, and I’m excited to share with you some new things at LELA House.

    Dissertation Deliverance, Strategic Semester, and SDJ are my newest offerings for Black women in higher education.

    Dissertation Deliverance

    Dissertation Deliverance is 1:1 weekly accountability coaching for ABD students who need support and encouragement to use your time and writing and resources in ways that advance you through your program. ABD is a very isolating time when it is easy to wander aimlessly.

    If you want to put in place systems, boundaries, and accountability to help you maintain forward progress, then Dissertation Deliverance is for you. Click below to learn more, sign up, or share with someone you believe may be looking for this transformation in their lives.

    https://app.paperbell.com/checkout/packages/211676

    Strategic Semester 

    Strategic Semester is a 16-week program that begins with 1:1 work to move you from idea to outline and then transitions into co-writing group sessions with flash coaching each session and accountability partners each session.

    If you are looking for a plan, support, writing time, and accountability to write your first 100 pages, then Strategic Semester is for you. Click below to learn more, sign up, or share with someone you believe may be looking for this transformation in their lives.

    https://app.paperbell.com/checkout/packages/219217

    Sistahs on the Doctoral Journey (SDJ)

    Sistahs on the Doctoral Journey (SDJ) is a community for Black women in higher education (from ABD through your entire career) where we connect with other women who understand our particular pressures, celebrate our joys, and understand our careers as part of a larger legacy that began with our 19th Century ancestral aunties and continues through the work we leave behind. It’s a monthly membership that includes the following: a weekly reading from a 19th Century author with an asynchronous discussion centered on what we can learn from the past and apply to our present; monthly live meet-ups; 1:1 matching between members to build personal relationships; pillar discussions that align with different stages of our careers; writing and career resources.

    If you are looking for ongoing community and support, understanding yourself as part of an ongoing legacy that extends beyond yourself, networking and mentorship with other Black women on the doctoral journey, and resources and mindsets to apply to their daily encounters, then SDJ is for you. Click below to learn more, sign up, or share with someone you believe may be looking for this transformation in their lives.

    https://app.heartbeat.chat/sistahsonthedoctoraljourneysdj/invitation?code=F3GC8F

    I pray all is well with you. And I’m going to ad a little something to your to-do list

    • Click the links to learn more.
    • Sign up for one or more programs.
    • Drop a comment to let me know which offering you’re most excited about.

    I look forward to working with you soon. Take care!

  • Celebrate Executive Coach Day with SDJ

    Celebrate Executive Coach Day with SDJ

    Hello and Happy Executive Coach Day!

    I’ve created something new to celebrate Executive Coach Day, and I want to share it with you. I hope you’ll love it and spread the word.

    I’m launching a community for Black women academics, from ABD to senior leaders. I call this new community Sistahs on the Doctoral Journey (SDJ), and it’s a space where we support, celebrate, encourage, connect, and build together.

    Imagine:

    • Celebrating your wins, big and small, with women who truly understand the magnitude of your achievements.
    • Finding profound encouragement when imposter syndrome rears its head.
    • Connecting with a powerful network of Black women, from ABD students to senior administrators, who are ready to share wisdom, resources, and unwavering support.
    • Discovering the intellectual and spiritual sanctuary you’ve been craving within our dedicated space for growth and connection.
    • Building your legacy while benefiting from the methods and mindsets of the 19th Century Black women who came before you.

    We will do this through…

    • Pillar channels. Through these channels, you’ll connect with other women in the same stage of the journey as you and tackle the real issues you face day to day.
    • Recorded readings from 19th Century women. I post a weekly video of a reading from a 19th Century text. After watching the video for the week, you can join an asynchronous community discussion on how the lessons from the lineage apply to your work and legacy.
    • Monthly open houses. We have a live virtual meet up once per month to connect with one another, decompress, and build toward our next.
    • Match-ups. You will be matched with another sistah in the community either weekly, biweekly, or monthly (based on your preferences). These match-ups lead to mentorship, collaboration, friendship, and connection. You’ll get to know other community members beyond surface level and form bonds that help sustain you on your doctoral journey.

    The community will launch on July 1, 2026 for $97/month, but if you join the wait list between May 1, 2026 and June 30, 2026, you can unlock the $77/month Founders Rate for as long as you stay in the community. You just need to use the following Coupon Code: FOUNDING77MON.

    You can find out more and sign up at this link.

    There is no pressure for you to join SDJ (although I hope you do, because I think you’ll find it valuable).  Please check it out at the link below and be sure to use the following coupon code, which is good through 6/30/26. 

    FOUNDING77MON

    Sistahs on the Doctoral Journey

    Thank you! I can’t wait to see you inside SDJ! And please share with whoever you think would love this, too!

  • I Made the Mistakes on My Doctoral Journey So You Don’t Have To

    I Made the Mistakes on My Doctoral Journey So You Don’t Have To

    Videography by John Lore of John Lore Photo & Video

    I earned my Ph.D. nine years after I started my coursework. I had many pitfalls and drama. Some of the drama was of my own creation, and most of it was avoidable. My journey took much longer than I anticipated and way longer than I wanted.

    I learned a lot from my experience, though. One of the most important lessons was that, by and large, academia and doctoral programs are not built for Black women. I didn’t see much representation of other women who looked like me, and I felt very alone, despite having a professor in a different department who eventually became a member of my committee. She really helped see me through, but because of the systemic differential in our power dynamic, I didn’t feel comfortable sharing my full self with her.

    I needed someone who operated outside of the academic system who also had firsthand knowledge of the system. I needed someone outside of my institution who could see things differently than I did. I needed someone who had been in my position and understood the journey. I needed someone who could help me get and stay on track and hold me accountable to my goals. I needed a partner who I could trust with myself and my work. In short, I needed a coach.

    So I became what I needed, and now I do this work for Black women in doctoral programs.

    If this resonates, post “I hear you!” in the comments.

    And for a sneak peak into the transformational work I do with clients, check out 10 Strategies for Navigating Your Doctoral Journey + Coaching Workbook.