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.💫

Today, we discuss something that I’ve covered extensively with my clients in our VIP 1:1 sessions and group coaching sessions. What does it actually mean to answer this question: What is an area of weakness or area of improvement for the applicant?

This question often comes up in applications, reference letters, and job search and academic interviews. After being on admissions committees and providing references for applicants for many years now, I am challenging the misconceptions (what else is new!)  about this question and tell you exactly what admissions committees and employers are looking for. (Hint: Contrary to Google and popular belief, being detail-oriented is not considered a weakness!) 

Here are some key takeaways from this episode:

• Answering this question requires applicants and referees to frame the applicant’s area of weakness or improvement around self-awareness and growth, and being able to take feedback in order to move forward and overcome barriers. It’s about telling a story with a beginning, middle, and end and finishing with a strong note. 
• Referees, in my opinion, have an obligation to the applicant to support them wholeheartedly, and should only say “yes” to being a reference if they will 100% support them and represent the significance of the applicant’s experiences. But there are some circumstances when referees do have to say “no” to applicants, such as when students approach them too late in the application cycle, or when they don’t know the student well enough from time spent together in class. 
• Reference letters actually take a substantial amount of time to write, so potential referees should be given at least 3 months notice to begin drafting. 
• Forming meaningful relationships and networking are so important in academic and professional advancement, and, of course, the application process, so start early! 

Resources and links mentioned in this episode: 

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

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 have one of my amazing VIP clients on the podcast, Stephanie S.! Stephanie is completing her second degree, her Honours Bachelor of Science in Biology, and is currently writing her honours thesis and working as a pharmacy assistant while being a full-time student. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, conducted research at Toronto General Research Institute, and has been a volunteer with Mount Sinai Hospital since 2016. 

Steph has made amazing strides in her application journey. We started our work together in our 1:1 sessions and our signature course, Mastering Academic Applications: From Scratch to Submission. Steph is also a graduate of our Founder’s Cohort and a part of our Success Society Community! Steph shares her experience of working together in this episode, the kind of transformative growth that happens in our work together, and how she was able to show the significance of her experiences in her applications. As we say here at Apply Yourself: It’s not just about the application, it’s about your life. 

Listen to this episode if you want to learn more about: 

• Stephanie’s academic and professional background, and her experience working with us at Apply Yourself in our 1:1 sessions and our signature course for her applications to medical schools, 
• The growth Steph experienced in her application journey, where she was able to deeply reflect on her unique experiences and work, experience growth in positive mindset and relationship building, and complete her applications without overwhelm,
• How you can use visualization exercises to reflect on why you want to do the things that you want to do, to plan for your goals and aspirations, and to achieve a life beyond your wildest dreams, and
• The importance of your CV and Resume in the application process, and how our copyrighted CV and Resume templates are used by our clients for all of their academic and job search applications across all fields. 

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 have Stephanie Muskat on the podcast! Stephanie is a registered social worker and holds a Master's in Social Work from the University of Toronto. She is also a licensed psychotherapist and owns Compassion in Caregiving, an all-encompassing mental health network based in Ontario. Compassion in Caregiving focuses on the mental health needs of caregivers, with a focus on one-to-one psychotherapy sessions and group support programs. 

Stephanie does so much amazing work and more - when I was in situations where I had to care for my loved ones, I wish I had someone like Stephanie around! Stephanie also has her own podcast called Caregiver’s Compass, which Adrienne will make a guest appearance on very soon!

Listen to this episode to learn about:

• Stephanie’s own journey being a primary caregiver during her Master's program, and why she decided to found Compassion in Caregiving to promote equitable access to caregiver support,
• How Compassion in Caregiving supports a wide range of clients who are caregivers at different stages of life and who care for, and sometimes grieve, various loved ones in different personal contexts,
• Adrienne’s own experience and insights on balancing being a caregiver and school, work, and personal responsibilities, 
• Strategies for how to be a caregiver while also taking care of yourself, such as establishing boundaries, finding and maintaining a good support system, scheduling in some time for yourself and for self-care, and good communication, and
• The importance of managing your energy, taking care of your mental health, and self-care as self-preservation and self-restoration, especially during intense, stressful times.

Resources and links mentioned in this episode: 

Episode 8: Mastering Exam Time With 4 Foundational Strategies —> https://applyyourselfglobal.com/ep-8/ 

Episode 10: Unpacking Self-Care —>  https://applyyourselfglobal.com/ep-10/

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 real-talk episode of Success Unlocked, Dr. Adrienne Shnier sits down with the brilliant (and now Osgoode Law School–bound) Veronica D’Ambrosio to talk about everything the highlight reel doesn’t show. Spoiler: getting into Osgoode isn’t just about a perfect LSAT score; it’s about mindset, accountability, and doing the inner work no one tells you about.

Veronica opens up about what it takes to get in - from managing the anxiety of “the unknown,” to resisting the urge to compare yourself to every other overachiever online. She shares how travel became self-care, why she stopped chasing gold stars, and how the Apply Yourself Global program gave her structure, clarity, and a whole new kind of confidence.

This episode is your reminder that you don’t need to be perfect; you just need to be honest, consistent, and strategic. And yes, you can do hard things (like getting into one of the top law schools in the country) without burning out.

If you're in the thick of applications, this one’s your permission slip to stop spiraling and start owning your story.

 What You’ll Learn:

• Why starting early isn’t just smart - it’s your secret weapon
• How to stop making everything feel like punishment and start using rewards as motivation
• Why authenticity > copy-paste personal statements (every single time)
• What to do when comparison kicks in and your confidence tanks
• The underrated power of having actual support instead of relying on Reddit threads
• How to lean into structure and coaching calls so you don’t lose steam
• Why your “why” matters more than your scores
• The truth: You don’t need to do this alone, and you shouldn’t

Timestamps:
 00:00 – Veronica’s Journey: Real, raw, and unfiltered
 02:35 – Why Travel Is More Than Just a Break
 06:43 – Reward vs. Necessity: The Mindset Shift That Changed Everything
 07:45 – The Anxiety of the Unknown (and how to stop spiraling)
 11:15 – Starting Early: Not Optional
 15:37 – Inside the Program: Structure That Actually Works
 20:53 – Building a Community That Gets It
 23:59 – Accountability Calls: Yes, You Need Them
 25:09 – Reflections That Change Your Trajectory
 25:56 – Finding Your Why (and owning it)
32:03 – No One Cares About Perfect—Be Authentic
37:10 – Stop Comparing. Start Owning.
43:29 – The Power of S

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’m so excited to introduce this week’s guest, Shayna Beeksma! Shayna is an award winning lawyer and founder of Beeksma Law PC. She attended Osgoode Hall Law School - which is also my alma mater! - and was called to the bar in 2012. She completed her articling at Gowling WLG, and following her articling she continued to develop her skills and knowledge at a boutique commercial and estate litigation firm in Burlington, then subsequently moved to a prominent, mid-sized Hamilton firm before opening Beeksma Law in 2018.

Shayna shares with us her journey and how she got to where she is today. She gets really honest with us this episode and describes her experiences and feelings of burnout after completing her articling and working at Bay Street firms. Shayna also tells us how she came to her decision to pursue law school and how her view of the field of law broadened, where she initially pursued International Human Rights law and now primarily does estate law, business law, and real estate law.

Listen to learn:

• Shayna’s personal and professional backgrounds, and her undergraduate and law school experiences.
• Shayna’s journey through her law profession and entrepreneurship,
• The importance of knowing what kind of work-life balance you want, specifically in the field of law where there are long working hours, in order to avoid burnout. A positive outcome that often comes from burnout is the self-reflection, and subsequent re-evaluation, that happens as a result,
• How it’s okay if your plans change depending on your own interests, financial considerations, priorities, and prospective work opportunities. You can be any kind of professional, any kind of lawyer, you want,
• How we don’t have to suffer through “the grind” and experience burnout. We don’t have to feel shame about putting our feelings, our health, and our personal responsibilities at the forefront, and
• The importance of visualizing your future and the way this skill can catapult you forward.

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 have an exciting announcement to make this episode! Apply Yourself is growing and I am so pleased to introduce Jonathan Mackenzie to the podcast AND the Apply Yourself Team as our Chief Operating Officer! Jonathan has a professional background as a litigator and was called to the bar in 2011. Jonathan has been here since the very beginning of Apply Yourself’s humble beginnings back in 2015 and has a rich understanding and embodiment of our core vision, mission, values, and goals. Full disclosure: Jonathan and Adrienne are actually married and are working together both at Apply Yourself: The Advancement Spot Inc. and at their law firm, Shnier Mackenzie Law & Policy Consulting! 

Listen to this episode to learn more about: 

• Jonathan’s educational and professional background and his winding journey. Jonathan’s journey actually became winding at a later point in his life during his professional career, and he dives right into his personal insights and reflections, 
• Why Jonathan decided to leave his litigation career and enter the field of real estate law, and how his litigation experience helped him in his transition to a corporate legal counsel for the largest real estate franchise in Canada, 
• The importance of taking care of yourself in your personal and professional development to avoid health problems caused by long-term, high stress environments later in life,
• Why Apply Yourself practices our non-competition, abundance based approach when working with our clients and community members, and why we have a zero-tolerance policy for competitive behaviours, and  
• How Apply Yourself is growing and expanding - we are so excited to share more with you! 

Resources and links mentioned in this episode: 

Episode 2: Adrienne’s Professional Path —> https://applyyourselfglobal.com/ep-2/ 

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’m so happy to be back this week and I’m so grateful that you’re taking time out of your busy day to spend some here with me! Today, I want to talk about something that I’ve received so many questions about - How do we balance application writing with school work, jobs, family commitments, and our other responsibilities? Many of our Apply Yourself clients and community members have application deadlines coming up, so I want to provide some insights and strategies that were discussed with the Mastering Academic Applications: From Scratch to Submission graduates. Before that, here’s some exciting news: many of our MAA graduates are now community members in The Success Society, Apply Yourself’s higher-level coaching group!

These 8 strategies, which arose from our productive and fruitful weekly group coaching calls in MAA and TSS, have been really helpful for our community members as they transition back into the Fall semester, and I hope these help you as well! 

Join us this episode as we discuss the following strategies: 

• First, we need to perceive our school work as productive and constructive to our success and to the life we want to build for ourselves. It’s about the choices we’re making and the skills, habits, and discipline we’re developing that allow us to excel.
• Second, if you are working on applications for graduate or professional schools, or for jobs and careers, we need to reframe the way that we think about and develop them. Applications don’t have to be a drag and we don’t have to suffer through them! At Apply Yourself, we actually work together so we enjoy the process of application development and we get so much more out of it than just the application.   
• Third, don’t be afraid to contact your professors at the start of the semester. As a professor, I always give my students the opportunity to introduce themselves and let me learn more about them, whether it be through email or in person.
• Fourth, aim to stay on top of your coursework and readings, but do it in a way that works best for you, not others. There is absolutely nothing wrong with doing different things for different classes and don’t be afraid to change strategies. (Tip: The way the professor or instructor taught was a huge determinant for if I chose to do my readings either before or after class!) We are a non-competition based community here at Apply Yourself, and we believe that we shouldn’t com

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 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.

Key takeaways:

• First, the idea of outgrowing something often signifies that you are ready to grow, to build on your experience, and to try something new.
  • I want you to listen to this feeling of being so comfortable that you are uncomfortable, because that is life telling you that you are ready to grow and move forward in your journey.
• 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.
  • This idea of outgrowing and doing what makes you happy not only applies to when you feel like you have outgrown a job position, but also to the people you allow into your life, who have the privilege of being in your life.
• 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.
  • But ask yourself this: Are you going to make the easy decision of pleasing someone else, or are you going to make the harder decision of doing what it is that you want to do for your own happiness and growth?

Links mentioned in this episode:

Ep 4: 5 Struggles That Applicants Face And Strategies To Overcome Them (Pt 2)

Ep 6: Advancement And Your Growth Vs. Scarcity Mindset

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 today’s episode, I am so excited to be joined by Olessia Lapina, HR and Recruitment specialist. Olessia has worked for some of the world’s top companies including Tiffany & Co, Accor, and LVMH. Since then she has decided to hang her own shingle by founding her own consulting agency, Lapina Consulting, assisting small and medium sized businesses with their HR and Recruitment needs, and providing consultation to individuals seeking career growth and employment. 

Olessia discusses her own winding journey and how she pursued Human Resources where she honed her passion of helping businesses and individual clients with their professional growth and development. We also get really honest and personal about the job and school application processes. Our conversation centres around the HR aspect and we draw out the parallels between “what companies are looking for” and “what schools are looking for” in potential job candidates and program applicants. I have been on both sides, one side being in HR in the private sector, and the other side being on admissions committees, and I believe there can be so much to learn from both processes. 

Join us this episode to learn about:

• Olessia’s academic and professional backgrounds, and how her journey is informed by her love of promoting professional growth in others, 
• Some tips on how to determine your referees in both a job application and school application context. Note: A referee should be someone you have worked closely with and who can speak to your skills as a potential employee or applicant, 
• The importance of a candidate or applicant’s “soft skills” and how they can genuinely communicate with the hiring or admissions committee, 
• The value in reflecting on the kind of work or school environment that makes you happy and facilitates your success,
• Strategies on resume writing, such as keeping the formatting simple and easy to read, to generally upload a resume or CV as a PDF, what the job description actually  means, and how to personalise your resume or CV to highlight your own unique experiences, and 
• How to handle rejection and practice a positive mindset in your own advancement journey. 

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.💫

Taking a break from doing something challenging - whether it be school, work, and even applications - is so needed, but is often difficult to do. Believe me, I’ve been there - whenever I have taken a vacation in the past, I almost always brought work with me. (I have brought my laptop with me to the pool on more than one occasion!) 

However, I have recently come to realize the benefits and importance of taking a vacation, and I’m talking about a real vacation - one with no external distractions and certainly no work! At the time of recording this episode, I was actually booking a vacation myself and got to reflect on what that term and experience means to me. This episode, I want to take you on a chronology and share my own personal takes and experiences with taking a vacation. Importantly, I want to talk about the value in taking time for yourself.

Here are some important takeaways from this episode:

• A vacation can be defined as an extended break from your day-to-day in order to give yourself some respite and recovery from daily stressors, 
• You don’t have to break the bank to have a restful and rejuvenating vacation. You can have a “staycation,” you don’t even need to leave your borders! 
• You are the one to decide how you want to take an extended break or vacation - one that is based on what you truly want to do, how you want to spend your time, and who you want to spend your time with,
• When taking a break, try to do something that will rejuvenate you that aligns with your interests, like going on a road trip, renting an AirBnB by yourself or with some friends or family, and other intentional activities (hold the scrolling!), and
• Giving yourself a break and deliberate rest will allow you to be more productive and creative in your work in the short- and long-term, and avoid feeling burnt out. 

Resources and links mentioned in this episode: 

Episode 10: Unpacking Self-Care 

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 grateful to be joined by Lavinia, a wonderful client of mine who was part of the Apply Yourself 1:1 VIP 90-Day Coaching Program. Lavinia graduated from York University’s Health Studies program. She is currently working in the community health field, specifically for the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) and Trillium Health Partners Institute for Better Health. Also, I am so excited to announce that Lavinia has been granted admission to McMaster’s University and is starting her Master’s in Public Health program in just a few weeks!     

In this episode, Lavinia explained that her personalized application to her Master’s program was truly informed by her current work and interests in systems navigation, knowledge translation, and integrated care, and her ultimate goal to work in consulting. She shares her experience working with Adrienne during the 1:1 sessions and how the skills she learned in the 1:1 program transfer seamlessly into her current work. Lavinia also shares with us her mindset growth during her application journey - she is now more confident and is able to focus on herself, her experiences, her skills, and what she brings to the table.

Join us this episode to learn more about:

• Lavinia’s academic and professional backgrounds, and how her professional work is informed by her personal interests and aspirations to support clients, 
• What it’s like to work with Adrienne in the 1:1 Program, where we teach you tangible, transferable skills that can be applied to both your applications and your academic and professional work, including how to write professionally in a way that speaks to the admissions committee and fits the program requirements,
• The work involved in the Half-Day Strategy Sessions where we lay down all your foundations and get to know who you are as a person, your goals, and your aspirations, and
• The kinds of skills you learn when working with us at Apply Yourself, including time management, discipline, motivation, positive reinforcement, and practicing a positive growth mindset. 

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 one’s an oldie, and a goodie! One of our most listened to episodes is back in case you missed it, or want to have another listen.

In this episode, I unpack the concept of imposter syndrome, why it holds people back, and provide strategies to overcome this popular, self-imposed label.

“Imposter syndrome” is a term, often used in academic and professional settings, that describes feelings of doubt and inadequacy in oneself or one’s abilities. However, this term does not define you or your capabilities for success! 

I hate the term “imposter syndrome,” so let’s unpack it and learn how to reframe your perspective of yourself and others to overcome it.

Ultimately, I believe that “imposter syndrome” really describes a feeling of discomfort that has not been properly addressed or identified - in other words, discomfort in periods of growth. But more often than not, we need this discomfort to strategize, to challenge us, and to propel us forward to new opportunities for growth and advancement. 

So, how can we overcome “imposter syndrome?” Here are some tips: 

1. Identify your own perceptions → Of yourself, your peers, and your colleagues 
2. Understand that advancement is never done → Major milestones in life give way to evolving goals - advancement is never done
3. Work through the discomfort → Ask yourself what the next best step is and use visualization techniques to map out strategies to your success
4. Work on developing a growth mindset and attitude → Remember that your peers are potentially your future colleagues and approach challenging and uncomfortable situations from a place of compassion. 

Resources and links mentioned in this episode: 

Episode 6: Advancement and Your Growth vs. Scarcity Mindset

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 want to connect the themes and lessons we have talked about in some of the last few podcast episodes, from Episode 16: Reframing Fear to Episode 22: How to Achieve a Life Beyond Your Wildest Dreams. There is one question that often comes up when working with my clients during our coaching and visualization sessions: “What if it doesn’t happen?” 

I’m here to ask you, “But what if it does?” And to take it one big step further, I want to support you as you reframe that thought into something positive and productive - that it will happen! 

These tough feelings and thoughts we identify during visualization are totally normal, and here at Apply Yourself we are huge advocates of processing feelings and thoughts in a healthy, productive way. We want you to be able to visualize your success, to identify what it is that you want in life, and to feel that important sense of hope and accomplishment in the things that you do and achieve. 

Join me in this episode as I take you through a process of visualization and a quick exercise, all while replacing our thoughts of “What if it doesn’t happen?” to “What if it does happen?” I also help you reframe your own thoughts and feelings about yourself and the challenges you may face because as we know advancement is never easy. Remember, you are the only one who can write and rewrite the story of your own journey.

Resources and links mentioned in this episode: 

Episode 2: Adrienne’s Professional Path 

Episode 17: Reframing Failure (I’m Calling BS) 

Episode 18: Reframing Change 

Episode 19: The Sponge Curve With Evan Babins

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

Episode 21: From Lawyer To Storyteller With Shaun Bernstein

Episode 22: How to Achieve A Life Beyond Your Wildest Dreams

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, I want to talk about visualization - that it is one of the most important and powerful tools at our fingertips, something we can all do at our own time, and it’s totally free! Elite athletes do it all the time, and I started doing it even before I knew visualization was a thing! We just need the skill and the tools to be able to do it. 

This technique is so powerful because it actually rewires our brains and helps us to understand the power behind our thoughts and our perception of the world around us. Visualizing and mindfully reflecting on our actions helps us to mirror the brain functions associated with doing the actual, physical actions - actions that help us move one step closer to our dreams, goals, and future plans for our lives. 

Visualization is so important in the work that I do with my clients, whether it be in our one-on-one coaching sessions, group coaching, or in the Mastering Academic Applications:  From Scratch to Submission program. I’ve seen firsthand how much visualization can help my clients and myself. When we visualize what we want for ourselves in a way that is healthy, positive, and in a way that helps us to grow, our lives have boundless potential to change for the better! 

Join me this week to learn more about:

• The tools and strategies involved in healthy and positive visualisation, 
• How visualization and a growth mindset can actually help us to see and be conscious of opportunities for ourselves,
• How we can harness the power of the Reticular Activating System (RAS) to better inform our visualization strategies
• How working on visualization techniques with my clients helps them to ask the big, specific questions about their life, to identify their feelings, to allow them to feel and be driven by hope, and to plan out their goals and aspirations for the future. 

Resources and links mentioned in this episode: 

Episode 2: Adrienne’s Professional Path 

Episode 4: 5 Struggles That Applicants Face And Strategies To Overcome Them (Part 2)

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.💫

Whether you live in a house, apartment, or dorm, a cluttered space can impact your focus. How do you create an environment that supports your studying goals and lets you get your very best results?

Decluttering Your Home and Life With Intention   

In this thoughtful episode of Success Unlocked, I’m honoured to sit down with Brittnei Gaudio, a professional organizer, decluttering coach, and owner of Wellnested Living, to talk about her no-stress approach to organizing, simplifying, and streamlining. 

During our conversation, Brittnei shares her expert tips for keeping your study space neat and well-organized — and the trick to transforming a post-exam disaster zone into an ideal study area in just 15 minutes a day! Press play to discover how outer order can create inner calm and learn how to get intentional about tidying your space.

In this episode, we explore:

• How to reclaim control of your space after a busy exam period without overwhelm, so you’re ready for what comes next 
• Why utility trumps tradition when figuring out where your things should go
• How to set expectations when sharing a space with another person
• The mindset shift that will help you stop feeling guilty about mess and start preventing clutter from building up in your home

Follow and subscribe to never miss an episode!

Guest bio: As the owner and head nester of Wellnested Living, Brittnei Gaudio helps busy families and professionals create spaces that feel right for their lives. 

Timestamps:‌ ‌

01:46  Meet Brittnei Gaudio

03:14  Importance of decluttering

04:45  Reorganizing after exams

07:09  1-minute rule & ‘increase’

11:43  Tradition v. utility

15:10  Shared space

17:27  Brittnei’s journey

20:07  Case study

27:00  Indoor spaces

30:15  Outdoor spaces & odd items

33:15  Impact & maintenance

36:00  Final tips & workshop

Links mentioned:‌ ‌

Brittnei Gaudio

wellnestedliving.ca

Facebook: Wellnested Living  

Instagram: @well.nested.living 

Pinterest: wellnestedliving 

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 pleased to welcome this week’s guest, Shaun Bernstein! Shaun is a good friend and colleague who is a journalist turned-lawyer, turned-storyteller, and owner of The Write Stuff Agency, which he founded in 2019 as an open-ended, content writing business. Since then, The Write Stuff Agency has blossomed to help various businesses across many industries tell their stories through web copies, blogs, newsletter articles, e-books, reports, and other storytelling media. 

Shaun gets really honest with us in this episode and provides insight into his own winding journey to law school, his experiences as a lawyer, and his eventual change in career paths. He discusses his academic background, his immense passion for storytelling, his personal health journey, his experience as a mature law student, and his perseverance in striving for the life he wants for himself. 

Listen to this episode to learn more about: 

• Shaun’s personal, academic, and professional journeys, which took many twists and turns to get him to where he is today, 
• Shaun’s experience writing and studying for the LSAT and how it’s totally okay to write a standardized test multiple times - this shouldn’t be a point of shame for applicants because this absolutely does not define who you are or will be as a professional or as a student, 
• Shaun’s law school journey, and how his previous experiences and his graduate degree in journalism shaped his personal growth and outlook on law school, and 
• Shaun’s mental health journey and his choice to pursue a different career path that is informed by his passions and his own goals in life - and why it is so important to be in personal and professional alignment with ourselves.   

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, I am so excited to welcome Casey B. to the podcast! Casey graduated from York University’s Global Health Specialized Honours program in 2021 and is currently working part-time, volunteering, and studying for the LSAT. She is making amazing strides in her work and her law school application as part of the Founder’s Cohort in our signature course, Mastering Academic Applications: From Scratch to Submission. 

Casey shares with us her experience in the course and how our systems, structures, and strategies have helped to propel her forward in the application process. She describes the challenges she faced with her application prior to enrolling in the course - such as the often conflicting information she received due to a lack of resources about the application process - and how she is so grateful for the guidance and support in her application and advancement journey while working with Adrienne and Apply Yourself. 

Having now enrolled in the Founder’s Cohort, Casey tells us how far she has come in the application process in terms of her own perceptions of herself and her goals, organization and planning of her application components, and the time saved while working on her own unique, professional, and personalised application package - all with the support of Adrienne and her fellow Founder’s Cohort members! 

Give this episode a listen to learn more about:

• Casey’s experience with the application process and working with us at Apply Yourself through our signature course,
• Insights into the structure and program of Mastering Academic Applications, and 
• Our “5 Year Vision” exercise and how it helps our clients to visualize the life that they want for themselves, beyond their wildest dreams! 

Resources and links mentioned in this episode: 

Episode 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.💫

I am so happy to welcome this week’s guest, Evan Babins! Evan is a husband, father, and Canadian Events Professional. Evan has been in the Canadian Events industry for over 11 years and has been recognized on different event industry “best of” lists. 

Evan shares with us his own winding journey. He started off his career in Grade 10 doing something he absolutely enjoyed - both as a hobby and professionally - and DJ-ed for various venues and events. Eventually, Evan transitioned to corporate trade show production, then to the hospitality industry, and then to the event industry where he works with clients and produces events. During Evan’s professional journey, he was able to work with various clients both nationally and internationally, and has been exposed to multiple perspectives of the event industry which now informs his work as an events professional. 

We may often think that our journeys are “supposed” to be linear, but at some point or another, our journeys wind and twist - and that’s not a bad thing at all! A winding journey helps us to really reflect and think about what we want, what our priorities are, what our goals are, and how they may change over time.

Listen to this episode to learn more about: 

• Evan’s professional and academic journey, which took many twists and turns, and how it was informed by his passion for DJ-ing
• Evan’s personal health recovery journey and how it informs his positive outlook on life and his drive for continuous advancement in his personal, professional, and academic endeavours 
• How advancement in our professional careers never end - we are always advancing
• How it’s absolutely okay to navigate through life and your advancement journey based on your own values and expectations of yourself, not others’ expectations, and  
• Evan’s “sponge curve method,” which you can implement in times of transitions, whether it be for a new academic program, a new job, or a new chapter of your personal life

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 episode, I talk about something that I hear from my clients all the time during our first few sessions together - that they are afraid of change, or experience a fear of change or fear of the unknown. I work with applicants and clients who often struggle with identifying this fear of change - who want to hold onto things, jobs, or social circles that they are familiar with, but may not be productive for them or good for their mental or physical health. Some of my clients struggle with identifying their feelings of complacency in a phase, job, or position that is not conducive to their own goals. 

Change is something that we experience everyday, often to varying degrees. Change can be big or small, minor or major. The world around us changes everyday - nothing in this world ever stays the same, let alone ourselves. It’s what we do in the face of change that’s important.

I am here to tell you that change can actually be a good, productive thing. Change can lead to your growth and helps you avoid staying stagnant. Remember that change offers boundless opportunities for you, and the first step is to become comfortable with change. Join me in this episode to engage in a brief visualisation exercise in which we shift our mindset on change from “Will I?” to “How will I?” 

Instead of asking “Will I get into the program that I want?” ask yourself “How will I get into the program that I want?” The “How will I” question is so important because it critically asks about a process that you plan to engage in, and even if that process is unknown, you at least know that there is a critically important process that needs to happen, that you need to engage with, to achieve your goal and to achieve the life you want beyond your wildest dreams.

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, we’re going to talk about something that comes up with every client I have the honour of working with – failure. For many of us, the idea of failure, the fear of failure, is not an easy topic or feeling to talk about. Believe me, I’ve been there, too. But what if I told you that failure is actually a productive part of your advancement journey that you can use to your advantage? What if failure is something that you can use to grow and learn from? 

 In this episode, I have an honest conversation of my own journey and the feeling of failure that I felt in my first year of university – you may remember a little bit of my journey from Episode 2, but in this episode, I really unpack the failure I felt – and how this failure was actually one of the most important lessons in my life. This feeling of failure, and the support of my grandparents to follow the path I defined for myself, helped me to grow, to strive for what I wanted for myself, and to build the life I have today. 

 I believe that failure can actually be a tool that we can use to gain knowledge about ourselves and our circumstances. We can use failure to drive ourselves forward in the face of adversity rather than feel ashamed of it. As people we are resilient, and we often need failure to grow and succeed from lessons learnt. Successful people often fail more than they succeed – but rather than give up and quit, they use failure as knowledge to drive them forward and guide them into the future.

Remember, at Apply Yourself: The Advancement Spot, we inform all of our work with an abundance and growth mindset, so share this episode with one person who may need to hear this!

Resources and links mentioned in this episode: 

Episode 2: Adrienne’s Professional Path
Episode 16: Reframing Fear

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.💫

For this week’s episode, I want to explore something that everyone experiences but something that no one seems to talk about - fear. This is one feeling that everyone identifies with in one way or another, and I haven’t been immune to fear either. I’ve been there, too. 

I’ve seen how fear holds people back, the different ways that it manifests in applicants, in my students, my clients, and in so many people that I work with. I am here to tell you that fear can actually play an important role in your advancement journey. It certainly played a big role in mine. 

I want to totally reframe the idea of fear so that it no longer holds you back. Here is an acronym I came up with - using the word “fear” - and I hope that anytime you identify a feeling that is holding you back, you remember this acronym and implement it into your advancement journey. Listen to this episode to learn more about reframing fear and turning it into something that propels you forward: 

• F - Stands for Free. Always remember that you are free to become the person that you want to be and free to make the choices and decisions that align with you and your goals. 
• E - Stands for Elevate. How you perceive yourself must be elevated above and beyond what you can imagine. You need to believe in yourself, your skills, your abilities, your growth, your decisions, and believe that you deserve to achieve your dreams and what you want in life. 
• A - Stands for Activate. It is important to carry out and activate ourselves, our actions, behaviours, energies, and thoughts based on positive and productive perceptions about ourselves, our communities, and the world we want to create and be a part of. 
• R - Stands for Resilience. The work that is involved with advancement is not easy, and everyone’s journey takes twists and turns with challenges at each step of the way. But that is okay because you’re resilient - you recover and persevere and nothing can stop you!  

Resources and links mentioned in this episode: 

Episode 15: Rick’s Journey Through Law: From Applications To Criminal Defence Practice

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, I want to give a warm welcome to our guest, Rick Frank, one of my dear colleagues and law school peers. He completed his undergraduate program in criminal justice studies at the University of Guelph-Humber, and then his Juris Doctor at Osgoode Hall Law School. Rick is currently a criminal defence lawyer at a firm in Toronto called Foda Law, where he serves his clients in serious criminal cases, including homicide, gun and gang, and drug charges. Rick is a board member at Fair Change Community Services, which works with underhoused and homeless clients facing provincial charges. He has two cats, Matilda and Max.

Rick shares with us his journey to and through law school, his experience during the application process, and beyond. His previous experiences and traumas with racism, discrimination, and police harassment have shaped his goals to becoming a lawyer and to promote justice in the world. Through his work and his knowledge about the law, he empowers others and helps them to navigate the criminal justice system.

Listen to learn more about: 

• Rick’s personal journey in academics and his professional career in criminal law, and how his experiences form the foundation of his ideas of justice and helping others 
• The efficacy of reflective and mindful work during the application process to create your own personal statement that authentically tells your story, aspirations, and goals
• Insights into completing law school and the skill set learned over time - We delve into various discussions on growth vs. scarcity mindset in the context of law school, our experiences in first to third year of law school, and the skills we developed over time such as earning to write summaries and contracts. 
• The importance of making mindful and purposeful choices in law school - It’s important to really reflect on your own goals, aspirations, and the kind of work that you want to do in order to define your own trajectory and avoid burnout. 

Resources and links mentioned in this episode: 

Episode 6: Advancement and Your Growth vs. Scarcity Mindset

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 grateful to be joined by my dear client, Josh! Josh and I have worked together over the years on various application processes, advancing each time toward a life beyond his wildest dreams. Josh completed his undergraduate Bachelor of Arts degree in political science at the University of Toronto. He began working with us at Apply Yourself in his third and fourth year to prepare for his graduate program application. Currently, Josh is working in Canadian politics for a Minister in the provincial government, in his desired field!     

Josh describes his personal experience working with Apply Yourself. While working with Adrienne, Josh realized that his skills in French and knowledge about Quebec politics informed his unique application, based on which he was successfully admitted into his graduate program of choice.  

Give this episode a listen or few to learn about: 

• Josh’s academic interests and professional journey, where Josh’s French-speaking background and certifications in the language have helped to propel him forward into new opportunities that align with his interests and educational background. 
• The importance of the reflective and mindful work involved with the application process, which many applicants often miss and the work we engage in during our 1:1 Sessions, and 
• How you can produce tangible and intangible deliverables through working with us at Apply Yourself, including your own personalized application package that is unique to you and your experiences. Working together also results in skills development in mindfully reflecting on your own experiences and presenting them in a way that you feel aligned with and that would impress any admissions committee.

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 week’s episode, we welcome Peter Bass to the podcast! Peter is an amazing client of mine who is completing a Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of Toronto and has been working on his applications for university professor positions. Peter has 14 years of experience working in the classical music field and has performed all over Canada, the US, Germany, and Italy. Peter also runs a voice studio, “PB&J Music Studio,” with their wife, Jess, where they teach singing in all genres for all ages. (Fun fact: I’m also a student there studying classical opera technique!)

Peter Bass has a long-standing relationship with the voice. The voice is the most direct way to communicate and knowing how to use it lets people know who you are. More importantly, however, it lets us understand who we are, what our true sound is, and what we truly want to say. Along with his busy private voice studio, PB & J Music Studio, Peter is currently attending the University of Toronto in pursuit of a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree.

Peter discusses his experience working with us at Apply Yourself, during which they prepared strong applications for his professorial positions at university institutions. Peter shares how their experiences inform both personal and professional identities as a student, a doctoral candidate, and as a musical performer. Peter provides insights into their teaching philosophy and the years of experience as a music teacher that helped  to hone their skill-set and produce an application package that is unique. 

Give this episode a listen or few to learn more about: 

• Peter’s academic and professional journey, which are in alignment with his passions for musical theatre, performing, singing, and the classical arts. 
• The importance of identity and emotional regulation, how these factors contribute to “Imposter Syndrome,” and how to overcome this discomfort in periods of growth. 
• What it’s like to work with Adrienne in our Half-Day Strategy Session, in the context of professorial applications strategy.

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 pleased to introduce my dear colleague and long-time friend, Francine! Fran is an in-house insurance defence lawyer and has been practising since 2017. She and I go way back - we first met at a boutique law firm where Fran was one of the lawyers I worked with, and we became fast friends. 

In this episode, Fran and I chat about her path to becoming a lawyer, and eventually transitioning careers across legal fields. She describes her winding, twisting road, beginning with her early interest in the legal system, her aspiration of working in a law firm, then preparing for the LSAT and her law school application, and ultimately, completing her law school education at the University of Ottawa. 

We started working with Fran - before she knew it! - as she transitioned through legal fields. It was an absolute pleasure to work with Fran during her application process and interview process. I am so proud of all of Fran’s hard work and that we, at Apply Yourself, could be a part of her journey. Fran has since been working as an in-house lawyer and she continues to thoughtfully and mindfully pave her professional path - and we are so here for it all. Fran’s journey, her years of work experience and her transition into a new legal career, reflects the hard work and dedication involved in professional advancement.  

Listen to this episode to learn about:

• Fran’s academic and professional journey to becoming a lawyer and the steps involved in her legal career transition,
• What it’s like to work with Adrienne at Apply Yourself during application processes for  professional advancement, 
• Some insights into writing the LSAT and applying to law school - and it is okay if you had to apply twice! A lot of people do it, and you are not alone. It’s all part of the journey that you want for yourself, and 

Resources and links mentioned in this episode: 

Episode 2: Adrienne’s Professional Path

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.💫

The world around you doesn’t pause while you’re preparing for grad school! As new responsibilities, transitions, and life events come up, how do you ensure that your application or exam prep schedule remains consistent?

Finding Your Rhythm: Creating Consistency in Chaos

While consistency is key, your study schedule should never be set in stone. Calendars are iterative and need to adapt based on what is happening in your life. In this highly practical episode of Success Unlocked, I reveal everything you need to know about planning (and revising) your calendar during a hectic or transitional period, whether preparing for the LSAT or working on your grad school application. Discover how to build an effective, burnout-free schedule that truly works for you and keeps you on track — no matter what else may be going on in your life!

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why you should avoid relying too heavily on AI-assisted schedules (no matter how convenient they may seem!) 
• How to identify your priorities, flexibilities, and non-negotiables, so that your calendar fits your needs  
• What you need to consider when creating your calendar — and how to customize your study schedule and strategy
• How one of our amazing Apply Yourself clients enjoyed a glorious ten-day vacation in Italy without derailing her application process (and the #1 thing she did right!) 

Follow and subscribe to never miss an episode!

Timestamps:‌ ‌

01:46  Intro

03:12  Calendars in transitional periods

05:49  Prioritizing & building consistency

07:26  Taking time off

13:39  Developing long-term schedules

15:52  Customizing your calendar

19:02  Why we change things

20:40  Recap & outro

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 week’s episode, we discuss actionable, strategic steps you can implement prior to, and during, your application process. A crucial first step to develop an application - one that is unique, professional, personal, refined, polished, and true to your values - is to mindfully think about what you actually want in life, both personally and professionally.

Maybe you dream of enrolling in law school, dental school, or a Master’s or Ph.D. program. Maybe you feel external pressures to apply to a certain school or pursue a certain career path. It is perfectly normal to be unsure of which programs or schools you’d like to apply to. You just have to be strategic and informed about your approach, and you’ve got to be true to yourself. 

Here are a few ways that you can be better informed, with the knowledge and tools needed, to determine which schools and programs you want to apply to. Listen to this episode to learn more about how you can implement the following strategies:

1. Contact the schools and programs that you’re interested in and ask if you can sit in on a class or a few classes to get a sense of the student experience (in person or virtually!),
2. Speak to graduates of the specific programs that you are interested in,
3. Asking if you can shadow graduates for a day or two in their new professions, and
4. Always visualize the life you want, the choices and opportunities you want to be available to you, and the freedom you want when applying to potential schools and your goals after graduation.

Resources and links mentioned in this episode: 

Episode 1: Making Big Moves with Adrienne Shnier

Episode 2: Adrienne’s Professional Path

Episode 4: 5 Struggles that Applicants Face and Strategies to Overcome Them (Part 2)

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 episode, we explore the concept of self-care and redefine how we view and practice taking care of ourselves while pursuing our long-term advancement and goals. 

The self-care industry, which makes approximately $10 billion dollars per year, strategically markets “self-care” as indulgences, weekends away, and cucumbers on your eyes. Now, while those things may be nice in the moment, alone they are not the things that will help us decompress, destress, and find alignment with ourselves in the long run. 

Rather, self-care is intentionally taking time to engage in sustainable, restorative activities that help you realign or maintain your alignment with yourself – in other words, sustainable restoration to successfully deal with stress. Our own self-care practices have to be conducive to activities that actively oppose feelings of stress and burnout. It is important to invest time in ourselves to recharge, and to engage in intentional rest that is our own choice and unique to each of us. 

So, how can we sustainably practice self-care? Listen to this episode to join our discussion of the following strategies, which are free to implement right now, and to engage in a mindful awareness exercise. 

1. Plan for moments of rest and stillness each day. 
2. Engage in awareness of yourself, your feelings, your wants, and your thoughts. 
3. Set healthy boundaries for yourself and others. 
4. Take a step away from your computer or work space, even for just a moment, to help with productivity. 

If you want to continue this conversation on reframing self-care and connect with us at Apply Yourself: The Advancement Spot, you can personally email me at hello@applyyourselfglobal.com. You can also DM me on Instagram @applyyourselfglobal –  Let me know how you are redefining and developing your self-care habits. I’m here for you, supporting you along the way! 

Resources and links mentioned in this episode: 

Episode 7: 3 Strategies to Boost Your Advancement Today

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 week’s episode, I have the pleasure of introducing our very first guest on the podcast!

Meet Anshikha, a dear client of mine, who is graduating this semester from her undergraduate program and who was granted admission to Columbia University for her Master’s degree this fall! (Huge congratulations to Anshikha for this amazing accomplishment!!)

Anshikha shares her advancement journey and her personal experience working with Adrienne at Apply Yourself. She describes how her interests in academia informed her application submission, in alignment with her goals and passions in the global governance of infectious diseases, political science, and international relations. She reflects on the challenges she overcame while developing her graduate school applications, her process for becoming confident in the applications she submitted, and how she became comfortable with herself and her abilities through the application process. 

In this episode, we:  

• Learn about Anshikha’s personal experiences, interests, and her ongoing advancement journey
• Learn about the intensive work that is involved with the application process, including mindset shifts, skills development, time management, and focusing on yourself and not the competition 
• Learn about the work that we do at Apply Yourself and just some of the positive outcomes that come out of our 1:1 sessions with Adrienne, including improved writing skills and professional development
• Know what it’s like to work with Adrienne at Apply Yourself - whether it be through one-on-one live coaching and strategy sessions or our 12 week course! 

Resources and links mentioned in this episode: 

Episode 6: Advancement and Your Growth vs. Scarcity Mindset 

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.💫

At this time of year, I often think of my clients and students who are completing higher education and about to enter their exam period. In contrast, If you don’t have exams, your time is usually being tested by those end-of-semester essays or assignments, or even both. 

I know how stressful and busy this time gets - I’ve been there myself as an undergraduate, Masters, PhD, and law student - and as a Professor. 

In this episode, I provide 4 foundational strategies to help you master exam time, and other intense time periods, while also taking care of yourself. Here is a quick overview: 

1. Manage your distractions → We discuss strategies to reduce distractions during exam time. You can apply these strategies at any time. 
2. Don’t compare yourself to others → Everyone has different study methods, learning styles, and productivity speeds. Focus on yourself, not on others, and trust your process. 
3. If you are facing any extenuating circumstances, get in touch with your Professor and/or TA right away → The sooner you email and inform them, the more effectively your course team will be able to support you and provide you with the resources that you need. 
4. Your notes don’t have to be pretty to be effective → Your notes should be an effective study tool. Your notes should be accurate, organized, and make sense to you. They don’t need to be pretty to be effective - but organized and effective notes sure do look good!

I have curated these actionable strategies from my years of experience, and now you can implement them to help develop your mindset, focus, and skills to be more effective while studying and working towards your advancement. 

Subscribe to never miss an episode!

Resources and links mentioned in this episode: 

• Episode 7: 3 Strategies to Boost Your Advancement Today 

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 episode, I give you 3 actionable strategies and tools to help increase your productivity and further your advancement, while also maintaining your health and well-being - even during high volume, busy times! 

Let's dive right in! Here are 3 health-conscious, cost-free, and sustainable strategies to help increase your cognitive freedom, decrease exhaustion, avoid burnout, and provide predictability and intention in your actions and daily life:  

1. Clearly plan out your days, weeks, and months → Use a pen and paper - identify your non-negotiables, things you enjoy doing, positive social time, and time for yourself - and diarize these categories. Use a calendar to promote predictability and autonomy over your schedule.
2. Rid your time and mind of social toxicity → Identify whether you are using your precious minutes and energy on people or behaviours that make you feel bad (i.e., gossip, aimlessly scrolling through social media, or spending time with people who don’t have your best interests at heart); instead, surround yourself with positive perspectives and people who support you.
3. Be intentional about the activities you engage in → The breaks in your days and weeks, your time away from work, and your outlets should energize and reinvigorate you. Develop a regular schedule for things you enjoy.

I hope that these actionable strategies can help you to navigate stressful times and develop the skills you need for your lifelong advancement. 

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 today’s episode, I discuss the importance of a growth mindset in your advancement journey. In my experience, I believe that developing a constructive, productive, health-conscious mindset is about 90% of the work towards achieving and surpassing your goals and aspirations.

When I talk about “mindset,” I’m referring to the way we think - what informs our decisions, how we perceive ourselves and others, and how we approach the world around us - identifying our assumptions, attitudes, biases, philosophies, worldview, and what informs them. 

Mindset directly affects how we perceive our own opportunities for growth, advancement, and success.

A “growth mindset” refers to the perspective that anything important to us flows to us in abundance - academic and work opportunities, energy, support from others, financial stability, and other tangibles and intangibles that we strive for. A growth mindset believes there are increasing opportunities for everyone, and everyone can have abundance and success.  

Conversely, a “scarcity mindset” is the assumption that anything important to us is scarce and at risk of running out. A scarcity mindset is toxic and detrimental - it leads to doubt in your abilities, feelings of insecurity, and fear of the competition and the unknown. It holds you back from your full potential.

Adopting a growth mindset is a fundamental step towards your long-term advancement. This takes continued work, but with a growth mindset comes boundless opportunity, skills development, and continued 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!

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 episode, I unpack the concept of imposter syndrome, why it holds people back, and provide strategies to overcome this popular, self-imposed label.

“Imposter syndrome” is a term, often used in academic and professional settings, that describes feelings of doubt and inadequacy in oneself or one’s abilities. However, this term does not define you or your capabilities for success! 

I hate the term “imposter syndrome,” so let’s unpack it and learn how to reframe your perspective of yourself and others to overcome it.

Ultimately, I believe that “imposter syndrome” really describes a feeling of discomfort that has not been properly addressed or identified - in other words, discomfort in periods of growth. But more often than not, we need this discomfort to strategize, to challenge us, and to propel us forward to new opportunities for growth and advancement. 

So, how can we overcome “imposter syndrome?” Here are some tips: 

1. Identify your own perceptions → Of yourself, your peers, and your colleagues 
2. Understand that advancement is never done → Major milestones in life give way to evolving goals - advancement is never done
3. Work through the discomfort → Ask yourself what the next best step is and use visualization techniques to map out strategies to your success
4. Work on developing a growth mindset and attitude → Remember that your peers are potentially your future colleagues and approach challenging and uncomfortable situations from a place of compassion. 

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.💫

Preparing an application doesn’t have to be a scary, complicated process! In last week’s episode, we discussed 2 common struggles in the application process and asked the following question: How can I develop the skills necessary to create the best application that fits and aligns with me?

In this Part Two episode, I talk about 3 out of 5 common struggles in the application process and give you key strategies to overcome them. Here are the main takeaways: 

1. Not visualizing your success? → Listen to this episode to learn how to engage in visualization, including a short visualization exercise! Visualize where you want to be on a daily basis!
2. Letting other people’s expectations dictate you and your path? → Use visualization techniques to visualize yourself and your own goals, expectations, and values - fill in your own puzzle!
3. Not strategizing your time management? → Develop your calendar, diarize all priorities, block off time for self-care, do a social media clean up, write down where and how you spend your time, and much, much more! 

Preparing an application is a long term commitment that requires hard work and meaningful self-reflection, and we’re here to help you! I hope you learn some strategies that you can use to further your success and advancement in many areas of your life. 

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.💫

Everyone who is currently doing an application or has done an application knows how daunting the process can be. You might be wondering: How can I develop the skills necessary to create the best application that fits and aligns with me? 

In this Part One episode, I describe 2 out of 5 common struggles in the application process and go in depth about how to overcome them. Here’s a sneak peak: 

1. Fear of the process and competition? → Be confident in your own abilities and humanize your competition! 
2. Insecure? → Know the difference between internal and external validation and understand how this has affected you. Realize your worth and strengths, set the appropriate boundaries, determine what your values are, engage in continued self-reflection, and more!

The application process and your advancement beyond this process is hard work - No one else will do this work for you! I hope you learn some useful strategies and feel more empowered to make those big moves to achieve your goals. Come back next week for Part Two! 

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 today’s episode, I describe my personal journey, which took many twists and turns to get me to where I am today. I open up to you about my university and graduate school experiences, from switching programs in undergrad, to completing my Masters and PhD, to earning my JD at Osgoode Hall Law School, and beyond. 

The opportunities that I pursued ultimately aligned with my values, goals, intellectual curiosity, and research interests. The path to success is not a straight line! 

The twists and turns that life threw at me during my journey gave me the critical on-the-ground experience to launch Apply Yourself: The Advancement Spot, and to help other academic and professional applicants achieve their dreams. I have served on many admissions committees and have seen first-hand that students need personalized, hands-on support and coaching for grad school applications, career transitions and promotions, and other advancement opportunities. 

At Apply Yourself, we provide students and applicants with a holistic approach to creating their personal application and help them develop the skills they need to pave the way for success. The choice is yours - you can work with me in a half-day strategy session, where we develop a personalized, actionable plan to move forward in your journey, or in our 90-day program, where we work through the entire application process to ensure a strategic, polished, and personalized application that fills all the requirements. (No ghostwriting! I help you develop all of the skills you need throughout the process so that you can implement them now and in the future.)

As lifelong-learners, advancement is never done, and now I use my experience for 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.💫

At Apply Yourself Global, we pride ourselves on delivering real results while revolutionizing admission preparation and success-based programs. How do we ensure our clients get the support and resources they need to achieve their highest goals?

Discovering the Habits & Mindset That Work For You

My guest for this episode of Success Unlocked is Emily Caruso, one of our accomplished clients and fellows. Emily received acceptance letters from 100% of her chosen schools — including extremely early acceptance to her dream school! Press play to discover the individualized support that helped her thrive throughout her application journey, how the process has caused her to show up differently in her life and relationships, and why you must remember to trust your brain!

In this episode, we explore:

• The personalized process that helped Emily increase her LSAT score by 11 points (and why her study schedule was so easy to stick to)
• The moment that flipped the switch in terms of Emily’s mindset — and how this shift transformed her approach to practice tests  
• Whether you should include pre-undergrad experiences in your law school application (and Emily’s unique and effective strategy!) 
• Emily’s experience in juggling LSAT coaching with our Mastering Academic Applications program 

 Follow and subscribe to never miss an episode!

Guest bio: Emily Caruso is in her fourth year of the Justice, Political Law, and Philosophy program at McMaster and will be starting as an L1 student at Osgoode Hall Law School in September.

Timestamps:‌ ‌

01:47  Meet Emily Caruso

04:25  Emily’s path to Apply Yourself

06:23  Two layers of support

09:56  Mixing programs & coaching 

13:04  Pre-undergrad experiences

15:01  Early acceptance & support 

19:40  Fellowship

21:40  Mindset shifts

26:11  Showing up differently

27:44  Experience-based support

34:03  Growth & care

36:37  Final thoughts & outro

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 first episode, I tell you about myself and my experiences as an Advancement Coach & Strategist, lawyer, and professor. I delve deeper into what Apply Yourself: The Advancement Spot does and how we can help you take the next steps to achieving your goals. 

Here are some of the things we do at Apply Yourself: 

1. Applications - We coach and strategize with applicants from all demographic and socioeconomic backgrounds to prepare their graduate and professional school applications, from law school, to medical school, to Masters and PhD programs, other post-graduate programs, as well as professional applications and promotions processes. 
2. Coach and Strategize - We coach one-on-one with applicants to help them develop personalized applications that reflect their values and experiences, develop relevant skills, and make big moves to change and advance your academic and professional life. 
3. Support You! - We’re here to support you through the application process, career transitions, and promotions. We focus on you, not the competition. 

At Apply Yourself, we keep our approach holistic - we coach the person, we know that our personal lives affect our professional lives and vice versa! 

Since 2015, I have been coaching applicants and professionals across disciplines and sectors, helping them make big moves using strategies that work for them. We are so proud of our community, which has grown over the past 7 years. We are now at a new office space on Avenue Road in Toronto, just south of the 401. We are also launching our very own course soon called “Mastering Academic Applications,” which takes you from scratch to submission in 12 weeks. 

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.💫

Welcome to The Advancement Spot Podcast! I’m your host, Adrienne Shnier, Advancement Coach & Strategist, Lawyer, and Professor. We are so excited to be launching this podcast series. I’m so glad you're here, and thank you for taking time out of your day to listen. In this introduction: 

• You’ll learn more about me, and my academic and professional journey.
• You’ll learn about what we do at Apply Yourself: The Advancement Spot.
• You’ll learn about what you can expect from working with us, such as getting support with the application process and one-to-one coaching for skills development. 
• You’ll get a sneak peak of the first three episodes - coming soon! 

We believe that continued academic and professional advancement is the key to your freedom, success, and a life that grows and flourishes with you!

If you want to connect with us at Apply Yourself: The Advancement Spot and learn more about our upcoming course, email me at hello@applyyourselfglobal.com - you’ll get me directly, not a machine or a random person. Feel free to DM me on Instagram @applyyourselfglobal - I would love to connect with you! 

See you in Episode 1! 

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.💫

When an application process feels like a labyrinth, taking your first step can feel impossible — but an experienced Coach can help you map out a personalized route to success.

Step by Step: Getting Clear on Your Unique Journey

In this episode of Success Unlocked, I’m honoured to sit down with Meera, an amazing Apply Yourself client and fellow who began working with us during her second year at McMaster University. Our thoughtful conversation explores the big feelings students experience when opening an application package for the first time — and how overwhelm can derail the process before they even begin.

Listen now to learn how our Coaches help students cut a path through the confusion, get clear on each step they need to take, optimize their study habits, and refine their materials while feeling safe and supported!

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• How Meera’s experience with Apply Yourself compares to her time working with a tutor before coming to AYG (and the #1 thing that made a difference)
• Common fears that come up early in the application process, and how our non-competitive community builds students’ confidence and sets them up for success 
• Why processing your experiences is important for knowing what to share (and how to share it) in your personal statement
• Why Meera still attends our weekly Coaching calls — even though she’s submitted her application! 

Follow and subscribe to never miss an episode!

Guest bio: Meera is a fourth-year student at McMaster University who will graduate in April with an Honours in Political Science.

Timestamps:‌ ‌

01:46  Meet Meera

02:39  Finding Apply Yourself

04:35  Cutting through the fog

07:14  Tutor v. Apply Yourself

09:59  Working 1:1 with a Coach

11:59  Weekly calls & group vibe

16:30  Writing & processing

20:32  Identifying goals & worth

23:59  Fellowship & relationships

30:51  Meera’s advice

33:05  Outro

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.💫