Success Unlocked – Détails, épisodes et analyse

In this inspiring episode of Success Unlocked, Dr. Adrienne Shnier sits down with Sanjna Sohal, an Apply Yourself Global (AYG) client who went from deep self-doubt and fear of failure to becoming a first-year law student at the University of Ottawa.

Sanjna opens up about her mental health struggles, her initial LSAT challenges, and the belief that “it could never be me.” Together, she and Dr. Shnier revisit the moments that changed everything, from a 22-point increase on the LSAT to discovering her “why” through deeply personal application coaching.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re “enough” to get in, this episode proves that you are.

What You’ll Learn

✔ Why not having legal experience doesn’t disqualify you from law school
 ✔ How coaching helps students uncover their “why” and turn it into powerful applications
 ✔ The truth about retaking the LSAT, and how Sanjna improved by 22 points in six months
 ✔ How the AYG community removes competition and comparison to build confidence
 ✔ Why personal discomfort can lead to the strongest personal statements
 ✔ What to do when you can’t see success for yourself (and how to borrow belief until you can)
 ✔ The mindset shifts that turn fear of failure into action and results

Mastering Academic Applications: From Scratch to Submission is now open for you to complete your applications in 12-weeks! With live coaching, you develop your applications & gain insights into your applications processes like never before. Join us now using this link to enroll!

Connect with Adrienne!

Looking for support with your graduate or professional school applications? Connect with us at Apply Yourself Global™! Email me personally at adrienne@applyyourselfglobal.com. You can also DM me on Instagram @applyyourselfglobal.

Ask the Expert

Have any questions on applications, success, test prep, and more? Send your questions us, or you can submit an audio file via Instagram DM and we can feature you on the podcast!

Work with Adrienne

💫 Calling all applicants! Learn more about our signature course, Mastering Academic Applications: From Scratch to Submission and how you can complete your applications — with clarity, support, structure, and strategy with Dr. Adrienne Shnier, an Admissions Committee Member. Book your Strategy Call HERE to learn more about how AYG can help you Get In.💫

In this special episode of Success Unlocked, Dr. Adrienne Shnier sits down with Katie Gibbs, Deputy Director of Phi Alpha Delta Fraternity (PAD), and LaShatá Grayson, PAD’s Director of Training and Growth, to discuss the shared mission that brought Apply Yourself Global (AYG) and PAD together. The conversation explores community over competition, equity in legal education, and the power of coaching students toward success, academically, professionally, and personally.

Together, they reveal how this partnership is transforming the way pre-law students approach applications, mental health, and leadership through PAD’s upcoming Pre-Law Conference, where AYG will present two key workshops: The Perfect Personal Statement and Mental Health in the Application Process.

What You’ll Learn

✔ The origins of PAD and how it became a “fraternity of firsts” in the legal world
 ✔ Why AYG and PAD’s missions align around service, integrity, and authentic community
 ✔ How AYG’s coaching approach helps students shift from fear and competition to clarity and confidence
 ✔ What students can expect from the 2025 PAD Pre-Law Conference: including networking, mock trials, and workshops with AYG
 ✔ How to craft personal statements that stand out by embracing your lived experience
 ✔ Why mental health, mindset, and sustainability are non-negotiables for success
 ✔ Dr. Adrienne’s personal story of “unlearning competition” and building Apply Yourself on a foundation of care and community

Resources Mentioned

• Phi Alpha Delta Fraternity (PAD.org) : Learn more about membership and the upcoming Pre-Law Conference
• Apply Yourself Global (AYG) : Explore AYG coaching programs and Mastering Academic Applications

Mastering Academic Applications: From Scratch to Submission is now open for you to complete your applications in 12-weeks! With live coaching, you develop your applications & gain insights into your applications processes like never before. Join us now using this link to enroll!

Connect with Adrienne!

Looking for support with your graduate or professional school applications? Connect with us at Apply Yourself Global™! Email me personally at adrienne@applyyourselfglobal.com. You can also DM me on Instagram @applyyourselfglobal.

Ask the Expert

Have any questions on applications, success, test prep, and more? Send your questions us, or you can submit an audio file via Instagram DM and we can feature you on the podcast!

Work with Adrienne

💫 Calling all applicants! Learn more about our signature course, Mastering Academic Applications: From Scratch to Submission and how you can complete your applications — with clarity, support, structure, and strategy with Dr. Adrienne Shnier, an Admissions Committee Member. Book your Strategy Call HERE to learn more about how AYG can help you Get In.💫

In this solo episode of Success Unlocked, Dr. Adrienne Shnier is pulling back the curtain on one of the biggest application mistakes out there: being too polished and not personal enough. If your application reads like a LinkedIn post from 2016, it’s time for a rewrite.

Adrienne walks you through how to write with authenticity, purpose, and actual strategy because generic won’t get you in. From turning real-life experiences into compelling narratives to using language that makes your story come alive, this episode is your no-BS guide to standing out on paper and owning your path forward.

Whether you’re struggling with your personal statement, second-guessing your story, or just don’t know where to start, consider this your permission slip to get real, get reflective, and get RESULTS.

 What You’ll Learn (and actually use):

• Why authenticity > perfection every single time
• How to write like a human, not a robot
• What admissions committees really want to see in your personal statement
• How to link your experiences to your mission (and future goals)
• Why active, specific language shows leadership
• What makes a letter of recommendation unforgettable
• The mindset shift that changes your entire application game
  
  

Timestamps:

 00:00 – Unlocking Authenticity in Applications
 03:01 – The Importance of Personal Connection
 05:49 – Crafting Your Unique Narrative
 08:59 – Demonstrating Passion and Impact
 11:55 – Mindset and Strategy for Success

Mastering Academic Applications: From Scratch to Submission is now open for you to complete your applications in 12-weeks! With live coaching, you develop your applications & gain insights into your applications processes like never before. Join us now using this link to enroll!

Mastering Academic Applications: From Scratch to Submission is now open for you to complete your applications in 12-weeks! With live coaching, you develop your applications & gain insights into your applications processes like never before. Join us now using this link to enroll!

Connect with Adrienne!

Looking for support with your graduate or professional school applications? Connect with us at Apply Yourself Global™! Email me personally at adrienne@applyyourselfglobal.com. You can also DM me on Instagram @applyyourselfglobal.

Ask the Expert

Have any questions on applications, success, test prep, and more? Send your questions us, or you can submit an audio file via Instagram DM and we can feature you on the podcast!

Work with Adrienne

💫 Calling all applicants! Learn more about our signature course, Mastering Academic Applications: From Scratch to Submission and how you can complete your applications — with clarity, support, structure, and strategy with Dr. Adrienne Shnier, an Admissions Committee Member. Book your Strategy Call HERE to learn more about how AYG can help you Get In.💫

Only One Program...Are You Sure?​

"I’m only applying to one school or one program." So many of our members proclaim this when we start working together. Today, I want to unpack that - why we are often so committed to only one school or one program? 

Why Do So Many Applicants Want to Apply to Only One Program or School?

There tend to be 3 main reasons that students and clients decide to apply to only one school or program, based on my work and experience since founding Apply Yourself in 2015: 

• We may feel a significant connection to one place. Maybe our friends or family went to that school, or we genuinely love a program and what it has to offer, or maybe it’s in the city that we want to be in. 
• It’s what a sibling or friend did. Many clients initially choose to apply to a school or program based on other people’s decision-making based on what was right for them (hint: it may not be right for you!).  
• There may be financial considerations that prevent us from thinking about more than one school or program. We may have to fund our applications ourselves, or we may have support from our parents, spouses, partners, or other loved ones during these processes. 

3 Reasons to Apply to More than One Program or School​

• To give yourself the choice and options in order to succeed in a given application cycle. Sometimes that involves some business strategy and doing a cost-benefit analysis.
• More than one program or school speaks to you, and is in alignment with your goals and values while leaving space for curiosity. It's so important to identify what your goals and values are to proceed with your next best steps in the application.
• Because it’s not just about the application, it’s about your life. The application is often the first step to the kind of life you want, the kind of job you want, the kind of professional you want to be, and how you want to provide for yourself and the people around you.

Mastering Academic Applications: From Scratch to Submission is now open for you to complete your applications in 12-weeks! With live coaching, you develop your applications & gain insights into your applications processes like never before. Join us now using this link to enroll!

Connect with Adrienne!

Looking for support with your graduate or professional school applications? Connect with us at Apply Yourself Global™! Email me personally at adrienne@applyyourselfglobal.com. You can also DM me on Instagram @applyyourselfglobal.

Ask the Expert

Have any questions on applications, success, test prep, and more? Send your questions us, or you can submit an audio file via Instagram DM and we can feature you on the podcast!

Work with Adrienne

💫 Calling all applicants! Learn more about our signature course, Mastering Academic Applications: From Scratch to Submission and how you can complete your applications — with clarity, support, structure, and strategy with Dr. Adrienne Shnier, an Admissions Committee Member. Book your Strategy Call HERE to learn more about how AYG can help you Get In.💫

We are joined by Jessica (Lane) Bassmahon on this episode! Jessica is an internationally-renowned, award-winning operatic soprano with 15 years of instructional experience, and is currently pursuing her second Master's degree in Counselling Psychology. Full disclosure: I have also been a voice student of Jessica’s for over 10 years! 

Shifting Identities and Goals

In this episode, we explore how our winding journeys led us to where we are today. We draw parallels between the voice and identity, that our identities shift over time, our goals shift over time, and the importance of taking care of ourselves throughout our journeys (similar to a singer or performer taking care of their voice). Jessica describes her professional interest in person-centred therapy, which focuses on becoming self-actualized through exploring what you want in life, how to navigate through the world and space you’re in, what is meaningful behind these realizations, and much more.  

Jessica and I also explore how we support clients and students in the operatic industry and Apply Yourself, respectively, by helping people strategize their next best choices and/or steps that are fully in alignment with them. So much of Jessica's work and our work at Apply Yourself are in alignment, so join us in this episode to learn more! This episode is for you if you’re thinking about your goals, changes in your professional and personal identities, going through academic and professional transitions, and getting to know yourself in your advancement and self-actualization journeys.
 
Listen to learn: 

• Jessica's personal, academic, and professional journeys, and how voice shapes identity and shifts it over time, 
• That our voice encompasses who we are - in order for the voice to be in optimal shape, we need to take care of ourselves, our bodies, and our mental and physical well-being, 
• The identity shift Jessica experienced going from performer to psychotherapist,
• That it’s perfectly okay to love more than one thing and to do more than one thing - your experiences inform one another, 

Links:

Ep 13: Professional Applications with Peter Bass

Mastering Academic Applications: From Scratch to Submission is now open for you to complete your applications in 12-weeks! With live coaching, you develop your applications & gain insights into your applications processes like never before. Join us now using this link to enroll!

Connect with Adrienne!

Looking for support with your graduate or professional school applications? Connect with us at Apply Yourself Global™! Email me personally at adrienne@applyyourselfglobal.com. You can also DM me on Instagram @applyyourselfglobal.

Ask the Expert

Have any questions on applications, success, test prep, and more? Send your questions us, or you can submit an audio file via Instagram DM and we can feature you on the podcast!

Work with Adrienne

💫 Calling all applicants! Learn more about our signature course, Mastering Academic Applications: From Scratch to Submission and how you can complete your applications — with clarity, support, structure, and strategy with Dr. Adrienne Shnier, an Admissions Committee Member. Book your Strategy Call HERE to learn more about how AYG can help you Get In.💫

It’s that time of year to focus on final exams, final assignments, applications, and finishing the semester.  I hear from students and colleagues, and have felt personally, periods of intense and unwavering stress. It's important to explore strategies to decompress and create some space for calm, unwinding, and the ability to centre ourselves during these intense times of stress. And remember:

• You are exactly where you need to be.
• Productivity takes focus, discipline, and assessing our changing circumstances and schedules. 
• Zoning out or detaching from reality can actually be detrimental to our mental health and productivity, so we have to be intentional about how we handle stress in the moment and over time. 

Strategies for Success During High-Stress Times 

Here are some strategies about how we can maintain our productivity and thrive in high-stress times healthily and intentionally - listen to the episode to learn more!

1. Intentionally engage in an activity that uses a different part of your brain. By intentionally using a different part of your brain, you are allowing your brain to rest, subconsciously process your learnings, and recharge for productivity. 
2. Become aware of the effects of e-notifications in our daily lives. Notifications from our technology disrupt and distract us from our work and priorities, and prevent us from focusing on ourselves. Be intentional about when and how you're using social media - taking a break and scrolling is not taking a break, but a form of distraction.  
3. Be conscious about the people you’re spending your time with. Be aware of who you allow, and who has the privilege, to be in your life, and whether they are good for you, support you, encourage you to grow, and vice versa.  

Links:

Ep 2: Adrienne’s Professional Path

Ep 8: Mastering Exam TIme with 4 Foundational Strategies

Ep 10: Unpacking Self-Care

Ep 26: Reflecting on “Vacation”

Mastering Academic Applications: From Scratch to Submission is now open for you to complete your applications in 12-weeks! With live coaching, you develop your applications & gain insights into your applications processes like never before. Join us now using this link to enroll!

Connect with Adrienne!

Looking for support with your graduate or professional school applications? Connect with us at Apply Yourself Global™! Email me personally at adrienne@applyyourselfglobal.com. You can also DM me on Instagram @applyyourselfglobal.

Ask the Expert

Have any questions on applications, success, test prep, and more? Send your questions us, or you can submit an audio file via Instagram DM and we can feature you on the podcast!

Work with Adrienne

💫 Calling all applicants! Learn more about our signature course, Mastering Academic Applications: From Scratch to Submission and how you can complete your applications — with clarity, support, structure, and strategy with Dr. Adrienne Shnier, an Admissions Committee Member. Book your Strategy Call HERE to learn more about how AYG can help you Get In.💫

With Winter application deadlines fast approaching, my clients often ask me: “How do I showcase myself in my applications? 

In this week’s episode, I talk about what I’ve learned so far from holding our foundational Masterclass: “Showcasing Yourself  in Your Graduate & Professional School Applications.” Over the past few months, we had the privilege to connect with students from pre-med, pre-law, pre-vet, health, and so many more university student groups and organizations stretching from British Columbia to New Brunswick! (And if you're a student who attended one of our Masterclasses, shout out to you! It was such a joy to connect with you.)
 
Why Do We Hold Our Signature Masterclasses? 

In our Masterclasses, we provide foundational strategy to students showing them how to write compelling applications that showcase you. Students learn our Core Concepts, as well as a little more about my story and how it has informed the Apply Yourself non-competitive methodology. Students also have the opportunity to book a free 30-minute Strategy Call with me so they can get strategy, clarity, and confidence on their applications or other next best steps.

Want Support with Your Applications and Beyond? 

Listen to this episode if you want to learn more about our programs, including:

• The Student Advancement Spo
• Mastering Academic Applications: From Scratch to Submission
• The Success Society

Want to Host a Masterclass with Dr. Adrienne Shnier?

Book a complimentary Masterclass for your student organization and connect with us at hello@applyyourselfglobal.com.

Links:

Episode 9: Applying to Graduate Schools with Anshikha

Episode 20: Mastering Academic Applications With Casey B. In Our Founder’s Cohort!

Episode 25: Applying to Grad School with Lavinia L.

Episode 33: The Relation

Mastering Academic Applications: From Scratch to Submission is now open for you to complete your applications in 12-weeks! With live coaching, you develop your applications & gain insights into your applications processes like never before. Join us now using this link to enroll!

Connect with Adrienne!

Looking for support with your graduate or professional school applications? Connect with us at Apply Yourself Global™! Email me personally at adrienne@applyyourselfglobal.com. You can also DM me on Instagram @applyyourselfglobal.

Ask the Expert

Have any questions on applications, success, test prep, and more? Send your questions us, or you can submit an audio file via Instagram DM and we can feature you on the podcast!

Work with Adrienne

💫 Calling all applicants! Learn more about our signature course, Mastering Academic Applications: From Scratch to Submission and how you can complete your applications — with clarity, support, structure, and strategy with Dr. Adrienne Shnier, an Admissions Committee Member. Book your Strategy Call HERE to learn more about how AYG can help you Get In.💫

This week’s episode is a replay! Here we cover some really important realizations as we go through our advancement journeys. I want to talk about 3 things: outgrowing, doing what makes you happy, and making the hard choices. In my life, in my experience, and in the work that I do with my clients and the people around me, these three factors often lead to the most growth and advancement when we exercise our abilities to identify and act on them. In our own advancement journeys, it is important to keep these three things in mind as we navigate through applications, programs, employment, professional development, and transition periods. 

Here are some key takeaways from this episode:

• First, the idea of outgrowing something often signifies that you are ready to grow, to build on your experience, and to try something new.
• Second, doing what makes you happy helps you to feel growth, like you are thriving, like you have hope and faith in what it is that you are doing, that you believe there is a reason that you are doing what you’re doing, and that your growth is not taken for granted by the people around you and even yourself. 
• Third, making the hard choices is often hard because we might be going against the grain, or going against somebody else’s expectations. We might be afraid of what someone else around us will think, someone who we care about and whose opinion we care about, and who may have placed certain expectations on us. 

Links:

Episode 4: 5 Struggles That Applicants Face And Strategies To Overcome Them (Part 2) —> https://applyyourselfglobal.com/ep-4/
Episode 6: Advancement And Your Growth Vs. Scarcity Mindset —> https://applyyourselfglobal.com/ep-6/

Mastering Academic Applications: From Scratch to Submission is now open for you to complete your applications in 12-weeks! With live coaching, you develop your applications & gain insights into your applications processes like never before. Join us now using this link to enroll!

Connect with Adrienne!

Looking for support with your graduate or professional school applications? Connect with us at Apply Yourself Global™! Email me personally at adrienne@applyyourselfglobal.com. You can also DM me on Instagram @applyyourselfglobal.

Ask the Expert

Have any questions on applications, success, test prep, and more? Send your questions us, or you can submit an audio file via Instagram DM and we can feature you on the podcast!

Work with Adrienne

💫 Calling all applicants! Learn more about our signature course, Mastering Academic Applications: From Scratch to Submission and how you can complete your applications — with clarity, support, structure, and strategy with Dr. Adrienne Shnier, an Admissions Committee Member. Book your Strategy Call HERE to learn more about how AYG can help you Get In.💫

Today we are joined by Jonathan Mackenzie, Apply Yourself COO, who you’ve heard about before in his introduction in Episode 30! Jonathan is back on the podcast with us to talk about interviews - the good, the bad, and the ugly. From contentious interviewers to workplace drama, we share our own stories about our interview experiences, lessons learned, and skills gained while navigating through various interview processes.

Here are some key takeaways this episode: 

• As interviewees, we are interviewing the potential employer just as much as they are interviewing us. We have to consider specific factors during the interview preparation and process itself, such as the tone of the interview, the workplace culture, the rate of turnover, and so much more. 
• It’s so crucial to set boundaries for yourself in the workplace, no matter your position, because your time and efforts are important and they matter. 
• As employers, we need to show up to interviews as representing the company, organization, or firm just as well as you want the interviewee to represent themselves during the interview. 
• Throughout the interview process and beyond, you have to build the skills to be able to showcase and stay true to yourself, the value that you bring, and the significance of your experiences. 
• Everything happens for a reason. The bad interview experiences offer lessons learned and make way for more opportunities later down the line, so keep calm and persevere. You will find the right workplace for you, with colleagues who will support you and who you can support, too. 

Resources and links mentioned in this episode: 

Episode 27: HR Recruitment With Olessia Lapina —> https://applyyourselfglobal.com/ep-27/ 

Episode 30: Apply Yourself Is Growing! Meet Jonathan, Our New COO! —> https://applyyourselfglobal.com/ep-30/ 

Mastering Academic Applications: From Scratch to Submission is now open for you to complete your applications in 12-weeks! With live coaching, you develop your applications & gain insights into your applications processes like never before. Join us now using this link to enroll!

Connect with Adrienne!

Looking for support with your graduate or professional school applications? Connect with us at Apply Yourself Global™! Email me personally at adrienne@applyyourselfglobal.com. You can also DM me on Instagram @applyyourselfglobal.

Ask the Expert

Have any questions on applications, success, test prep, and more? Send your questions us, or you can submit an audio file via Instagram DM and we can feature you on the podcast!

Work with Adrienne

💫 Calling all applicants! Learn more about our signature course, Mastering Academic Applications: From Scratch to Submission and how you can complete your applications — with clarity, support, structure, and strategy with Dr. Adrienne Shnier, an Admissions Committee Member. Book your Strategy Call HERE to learn more about how AYG can help you Get In.💫

I am so excited to introduce our guest Peace Akadinma to the podcast. Peace is currently completing her Masters in the Health Policy and Equity Program at York University, which is also my alma mater! She holds two degrees in Nursing and Global Health, and she is interested in how health and politics merge and the outcomes produced as a result of the conflicts between the two areas. 

Peace shares her experience conducting research at the graduate school level and her journey to frame her research question for her Major Research Paper. We discuss in depth about strategies for success in grad school and beyond, such as effective time management and prioritization, how to navigate shifts in life stages while balancing your busy schedule and responsibilities, how to shift your learning style to best serve you in different learning contexts, and how to continuously develop a positive growth mindset and support system. 

Listen to this episode to learn more about:

• Peace’s personal, academic, and professional journeys. She gets really honest with us this episode and shares her winding journey, and why she decided to transition from the nursing field to global health and policy while working as a registered nurse,
• How you can come up with an effective and manageable research question or topic for graduate school programs, and
• Strategies for success. It’s important to remember that one strategy is not going to work forever or work for everything - it’s totally okay to try different kinds of strategies based on the kind of work you are doing.

Links:

Episode 4: 5 Struggles That Applicants Face And Strategies To Overcome Them (Part 2) —> https://applyyourselfglobal.com/ep-4/
Episode 7: 3 Strategies To Boost Your Advancement Today —> https://applyyourselfglobal.com/ep-7/
Episode 30: Apply Yourself Is Growing! Meet Jonathan, Our New COO! —> https://applyyourselfglobal.com/ep-30/

Mastering Academic Applications: From Scratch to Submission is now open for you to complete your applications in 12-weeks! With live coaching, you develop your applications & gain insights into your applications processes like never before. Join us now using this link to enroll!

Connect with Adrienne!

Looking for support with your graduate or professional school applications? Connect with us at Apply Yourself Global™! Email me personally at adrienne@applyyourselfglobal.com. You can also DM me on Instagram @applyyourselfglobal.

Ask the Expert

Have any questions on applications, success, test prep, and more? Send your questions us, or you can submit an audio file via Instagram DM and we can feature you on the podcast!

Work with Adrienne

💫 Calling all applicants! Learn more about our signature course, Mastering Academic Applications: From Scratch to Submission and how you can complete your applications — with clarity, support, structure, and strategy with Dr. Adrienne Shnier, an Admissions Committee Member. Book your Strategy Call HERE to learn more about how AYG can help you Get In.💫