Why Women with PhDs Need a Year-End Review Before Visioning or Goal Setting

Every December, we’re encouraged to jump straight into visioning and goal setting for the year ahead.

But if you’re a woman with a PhD or other doctorate, you may feel a subtle resistance to doing that—especially if you’re mid-career, midlife, or navigating a transition while feeling burned out, overwhelmed, or quietly undervalued.

Not because you lack ambition.

Not because you don’t know how to plan.

But because something in you knows that clarity doesn’t come from leaping ahead—it comes from listening back first.

WHAT LOOKING BACK REVEALED FOR ME

I’ve been doing a year-end review every December since 2020.

The first framework that shaped this practice for me came from Jonathan Fields, host of the Good Life Project podcast. His work helped me understand that reflection isn’t about getting stuck in the past—it’s about noticing what truly matters so you can move forward with integrity.

At the time, my process was simple. I reflected on vitality, connection, and contribution—journaling about what energized me, what depleted me, and what I was quietly yearning for.

When I reread those reflections, I could see how my deepest yearnings slowly took shape over time.

WHY VISIONING WITHOUT REFLECTION MISSES THE MARK

Traditional goal-setting often skips reflection. For women with PhDs, this reinforces misalignment.

Without reflection, we:

• Set goals based on who we should be

• Carry exhaustion into the new year

• Repeat unexamined patterns

• Override intuition with productivity

WHY A YEAR-END REVIEW CREATES TRUER GOALS

Reflection allows you to:

• Recognize what energized and depleted you

• Acknowledge strengths used to adapt

• Identify what no longer fits

• Reconnect with inner wisdom

WHY I CREATED THE A.L.I.G.N.™ YEAR-END REVIEW

I created the A.L.I.G.N.™ Year-End Review as a woman-centered, research-informed reflection for women with PhDs.

It invites reflection across:

• Aliveness & Emotional Harmony

• Love, Leadership & Connection

• Inner Wisdom & Intuition

• Growth & Accomplishment

• Nourishment & Vitality

A GENTLE INVITATION

Before you set goals.

Before you create a new vision.

Pause. Look back. Listen deeply.

When you honor where you’ve been, the path forward reveals itself.

If you’d like support in reflecting with depth and compassion, I invite you to download the free A.L.I.G.N.™ Year-End Review and give yourself the space to honor what you’ve lived—and what you’re ready to create next.