The journey it takes to earn a doctorate degree is complex and transformational. For some the journey takes place over the course of a single year. Others can spend ten or more years on the journey. No matter how long it takes to go from start to finish on the journey, those who complete it are changed. Doctoral students are told that the must complete a dissertation – a large research project that requires them to “create new knowledge.” It is a heavy burden to create new knowledge. When that burden is coupled with the requirement that almost every thought in the dissertation must be supported by existing literature, the task is indeed quite daunting.
I completed the complex and transformational journey that is the earning of a doctoral degree in May 2025. It was my second doctoral degree having earned a juris doctor degree 26 years earlier. I started my Ed.D. journey with a desire to become an educational leader. I wanted to teach people around the United States how to create successful after school programs for students in grades K through 12 as I had done in my community. I believed then as I do now, the following quote often attributed to Oprah Winfrey, “Education is the key to unlocking the world, a passport to freedom.” I want parents, students, and fellow educators to have full and equitable access to all the world of education has to offer.
Purpose of This Article
This article was created with doctoral students in mind. I want to encourage doctoral students, their mentors, and other educational consultants to feel obligated to help others complete the journey from doctoral student to doctor. When I was a doctoral student, trying to put together a dissertation committee, a professor who did not know me, offered to be one of my committee members. He said that those who crossed the line and became doctors had an obligation to reach back and help other successfully cross the line and become doctors. His words reminded me of ideas from the civil rights movement: “each one teach one” and “lift as you climb.” Now that I am Dr. J Squared (J.D. and Ed. D) I want to help others complete their doctoral journeys and achieve whatever educational goals they have set for themselves.
The Doctoral Journey as a System
It is important to state at the outset that the doctoral process is a layered system of transformation. The process is complex, strategic, multidimensional, and at the same time deeply personal. It is composed of several layers: academic, emotional, and operation. The academic layers involves coursework, research design, and the dissertation writing, and dissertation defense. The emotional layers has to do with feelings of imposter syndrome, self-doubt, isolation, motivation, and identity shifts. The operational layer has to do with time management, workflow systems and milestone tracking. While each of these layers is separate and unique, they are all interdependent.
The doctoral journey should be viewed via an equity lens. This means recognizing that not all students entered their doctoral program with the same tools or support. Each student will need something different in order to see the journey through to completion. In doctoral programs, it is important for universities to have accessible, modular tools for diverse learners. The educational landscape will be better when diverse learners are able to enter and complete doctoral programs. A diverse group of doctors will help provide all students with a better educational experience.
At Janeane Davis and Associates: Educational Consultants, we created several tools to help doctoral students with strategic planning resources. These tools include:
- Monthly vision anchors that helps student break down course work into monthly themes
- Weekly and daily action sheets that scaffold progress
- Quarterly checkpoint that help students to reflect, recalibrate, recalibrate
We also have tools designed to help doctoral students with research and writing systems. These tools reduce overwhelm and help students increase agency. Included in these tools are the following:
- Template to translate quantitative coding methods
- Modular system for literature review – a tracker for organizing sources, themes, and citations
- Writing sprint frameworks – guided focused writing blocks with measurable outcomes
Mentorship and Consulting Services
Janeane Davis and Associates: Educational Consultants has a mentorship and consulting series of offerings for doctoral students. This branch of services bridges personalized support with scalable group learning. We offer these services to help doctoral students move from confusion to clarity in their academic journey.
Our one-on-one systems audits are designed to help students assess their current workflows including research, writing, time management, and emotional balance. We do this by conducting a diagnostic review of a student’s academic, emotional, and operational systems. This allows us to identify bottlenecks, redundancies or equity gaps. Once this review and identification is complete, we are able to offer tailored recommendations with modular tools like planner, dashboards, and annotated templates. This work results in students receiving a personalized action plan to make the doctoral journey more efficient and sustainable.
Thought the use of doctoral cohort workshops which will premier in 2026 we offer a new and exciting way to help students in their academic journey. The format for these interactive sessions on workflow optimization, equity-driven resource design, and resilience strategies. Peer-to-peer learning and collective problem-solving will be part of these workshops. Because equity is a part of all that we do, these workshops have been designed with an equity lens in mind. The workshops will include printable resources, modular frameworks, and digital anchors. All of this has been put into place to that diverse learners can adapt them to fit their needs. These workshops are a way to scale mentorship while building community while still offering individualized insights.
Click here to download our one page guide “Amazing Tools for Guiding Doctoral Students on the Journey.”
Conclusion
Strategic, equity-driven tool for doctoral success are valuable for doctoral students. We are happy to help doctoral students on the road to success. We recognize that legacy is built through scholarship and systems. Feel free to schedule an appointment with us so that we can help you navigate your doctoral journey.
Further Reading
The Best Educators Strive to Create Equity-Centered Classrooms
Unlock Your Doctoral Success: Coaching & Resources That Work
Unleash the Fire Within: Maya Angelou’s Lifegiving Wisdom for Educators
About the Author
Dr. Janeane Davis is Founder and Principal Consultant at Janeane Davis and Associates: Educational Consultants. She designs equity-centered strategies that speak to both heart and structure—supporting educators who refuse to leave justice at the classroom door. Her writing invites reflection, courage, and the kind of clarity that shifts culture.
Desk light on. Equity in focus. Always listening.
Click here to schedule an appointment with us.