Eight weeks. The room where you actually write.
A community writing container with personalized coaching support for women finishing their doctoral dissertations.
June 22 – August 13, 2026
Two paths in. Cohort opens June 22. Cart closes Thursday, June 18 at 11:59 PM EDT.
Let me tell you about the women I built this for.
She's been writing alone for too long. The kitchen table at 5 AM. The coffee shop on Saturdays. The Pomodoro timer on her phone that she sets and then ignores.
She's been in programs before. Maybe more than one. She knows what she's supposed to do. She owns the books, the planners, the courses, the worksheets. She has the information.
What she doesn't have is a room.
A place where other women are writing at the same time she is. A structure that holds her when her motivation slips. A coach who knows her specific situation and shows up for her week after week, not a generic Slack channel telling her to "stay accountable."
That's what the Dissertation Summer Writing Sprint is.
Most women writing their dissertations describe one of two patterns. Or both.
The first pattern: Writing alone has stopped working.
You sit down. You open the document. You stare at it. You read instead of write. You close the document, promise yourself you'll come back tomorrow, and tomorrow you do the same thing.
This is not a discipline problem. It is what happens to nervous systems writing in isolation. Willpower is finite. It runs out by Wednesday.
The second pattern: You've tried programs before and not finished them.
Maybe you've been in a course. Maybe you've taken a workshop. Maybe you joined a Facebook group that worked for two weeks and then dissolved.
The reason these don't work for most women is not that they were bad programs. They delivered information when what you needed was someone walking alongside you who knew your specific situation.
The Sprint is built to dissolve both patterns.
Path 1: The Sprint
For the woman who needs structure and community.
You know what to do. You know your topic, your method, what your committee wants. What you don't have is the room — the place where other women are writing at the same time you are, with the rhythm and presence that turns intention into output.
The Sprint gives you that room. Several of them, actually.
Path 2: The Sprint + Private Coaching
For the woman who knows she needs personalized weekly support.
You've been around this work for a while. You don't need to be taught. You need a coach — a woman who knows your committee dynamics, your impostor patterns, your specific writing avoidance, your timeline. Someone who meets you where you actually are, week after week.
This is the path most scholars I work with choose. Not because the Sprint isn't enough — because they know themselves.
The Sprint Cohort Pom Café: Monday through Thursday, 8:00–10:00 AM EDT
Four mornings a week, you sit down at 8 AM and write alongside your cohort, the 24 other women who are in this Sprint with you. Two full Pomodoros, a break, two more. This is your anchor. By week 3, you'll know who's in the room. By week 5, you'll feel it when someone is missing.
PLUS access to the full Pom Café: 33 sessions every week, across every time zone
The 8 AM cohort time is your anchor. But the full Pom Café runs 24/7, with 33 alumni-facilitated sessions every week. That’s over 50 hours of guided writing time. If you're in Australia, the UK, California, or working a job that owns your mornings, there's a session that fits. You won't be locked out.
The Café is held by alumni of our program. Scholars who are either still working toward their finish line, or have completed this work and came back to hold space for the women still in it. The energy is different when the people in the room have walked the road.
Weekly pre-recorded coaching videos
Sequenced to the exact pattern you'll hit each week. Week 1 addresses getting through the first writing block. Week 3 addresses the resistance that always surfaces. Week 5 addresses the midpoint slump. Week 7 addresses the closing push. Watch on your schedule.
Sequenced to the exact pattern you'll hit each week. Week 1 addresses getting through the first writing block. Week 3 addresses the resistance that always surfaces. Week 5 addresses the midpoint slump. Week 7 addresses the closing push. Watch on your schedule.
Weekly Coffee Talks
For the moments you need to remember why you started, and hear it from someone who has done this work.
Monthly planning sessions
Because the scholars who finish are the ones who keep zooming out. Twice during the Sprint, we step back from the daily writing and recalibrate.
Monthly self-care jam sessions
Weekly group check-in calls with a WTDD coach
Three Thursday times available, plus a Saturday option. Choose what works for your week. Every call, every week, no matter who is hosting: you share a win, a struggle, and a goal. This is the structure that catches you between Mondays.
Private cohort community
For the 2 AM moments when impostor syndrome hits and you need a voice that's been there. Not a 30,000-person Facebook group. Your specific cohort of 25, in a private space.
When you're stuck on chapter 3 and you've been telling yourself I just need to read one more article, your coach sees what's actually happening, that you're avoiding the writing because the writing requires a decision you don't want to make. She names it. You move.
When your advisor sends back feedback that lands wrong and you spend three days in the spiral, your coach helps you separate what's real from what's the inner critic running wild. You come back to the work in hours, not weeks.
When the timeline you set last month suddenly feels impossible because your kid got sick or your job exploded or you just can't, your coach doesn't shame you and doesn't let you off the hook. She helps you rebuild the plan from where you actually are.
When you hit week 5 (the midpoint slump that we warn you about) your coach already knows it's coming and is ready with the exact intervention you need.
This is the work that turns an 8-week sprint into a finished dissertation.
Who are the coaches? Doctorally-trained women who have built careers around this work. Names you may recognize from our community: Dr. Amy (our Founder), Dr. Laura, Dr. Vicki, Dr. Stephanie, Dr. Minnie, Dr. Zina, Dr. Amber, Dr. Angela. You'll be matched with a coach who fits your situation.
Worth saying clearly, so you can decide if it's right for you.
It is not the Dissertation Breakthrough Program. Breakthrough runs at $1,497 with live group coaching with Dr. Amy and a specific curriculum that are the core pillars of the work we do. The Sprint is a different design, pre-recorded coaching videos plus daily community writing. Sprint + Private Coaching includes 1:1 coaching with a WTDD coach.
It is not a course you watch. No modules to complete. No homework deadlines. The Sprint is built around the practice of writing, not the consumption of content.
It is not a writing accountability group. Accountability groups depend on members holding each other accountable. The Sprint is structured around the Café, the coaching, the check-ins, and your coach (if you're in Path 2), so the container holds you, not the other women.
It is not for women early in their doctoral coursework. It's designed for scholars actively writing the proposal, conducting data analysis, working through the literature review, drafting, revising. It’s also a great fit for post-doctorates working on publications. If you're earlier in your program, the Dissertation Breakthrough Program is a better fit.
For women who enroll within 24 hours of cart open — by Sunday, June 14 at 11:59 PM EDT, both tiers include:
A 1:1 pre-sprint planning call with Dr. Amy
Most scholars lose week 1 of any program to "getting organized." With this call, we set your summer trajectory together, your real outcome, your weekly cadence, the obstacles I can see coming.
You'll arrive at the first Café morning on June 22 already in motion.
This bonus closes Sunday, June 14 at 11:59 PM EDT. After that, you can still enroll in either tier through Thursday, June 18, you just won't get the planning call with me.
Scholars who came into the Write the Damn Dissertation ecosystem stuck, and went on to defend their dissertations in the last sixteen months.
The game-changer for me was the coaching. Dr. Vicki was instrumental in me getting out of my own way. My inner mean girl was sly! She found every way to beat me up and keep me from finishing. Every excuse, every poor me moment, every hit of FOMO and impostor syndrome imaginable! A magical moment happened when I decided to utilize the skills I learned from Dr. Amy, Dr. Vicki, and the wonderful WTDD Team. It worked! And then I worked.
I started the program with nine pages written and a firm December 2025 deadline for defense. Within weeks, I developed a consistent writing habit that worked for my busy schedule as a single, full-time working mama. I defended my dissertation on December 3, 2025.
Phinishers group gave me the support, camaraderie, and motivation to complete this dissertation journey successfully. I will be forever grateful to my sisters — now my forever friends — in the Pom Café.
I was in the drift, received the dreaded letter, was granted two appeals for extension and persevered to the finish line with the help of WTDD. I am not sure I would have finished if I did not find and join this program. It made all the difference!
When I finally joined Write the Damn Dissertation in 2019, I was exhausted but determined. The community I found there was like oxygen. Those women understood what it felt like to have your path derailed and to rebuild from scratch. We sat together — sometimes on video at 2 AM — and worked through our chapters in short, focused Pomodoro bursts when our brains could barely focus.
This program was an invaluable addition in my PhD journey, and helped me go from 15 pages of writing to a completed and defended 235 page dissertation in 11 months.
When I first joined the WTDD community and watched people progress to their defense, I thought that it'd never be me. But now I can finally say I did it!
When does the Sprint run?
June 22 through August 13, 2026. Eight weeks.
What if I can't make the 8 AM Eastern Café time?
You will not be locked out of community writing. The Sprint Cohort Café is the anchor. Monday through Thursday, 8–10 AM EDT, where your cohort writes together. But the full Pom Café runs 24/7, with 33 facilitated sessions every week, over 50 hours of guided writing time across virtually every time zone. Most scholars use the 8 AM cohort time when they can, and use the broader Pom Café for the days they can't.
Who facilitates the broader Pom Café sessions?
Alumni of the Write the Damn Dissertation programs. Scholars who completed this work and came back to hold space for the women still in it.
Is the Sprint live or pre-recorded?
The Pomodoro Writing Cafés are live. The Coffee Talks, planning sessions, self-care jams, and group check-in calls are live. The coaching videos are pre-recorded and watchable on your schedule. The private 1:1 coaching (if you choose Path 2) is live and weekly with your matched coach.
What if I miss some Sprint Cohort Café sessions?
You're not penalized for missing the 8 AM cohort sessions. We understand that life happens. And you have access to 33 other facilitated Pom Café sessions per week. The cohort time is the anchor, but if your week needs to flex, the broader Café holds you.
Will the Café sessions be recorded?
No. The Café is a live writing container. Recordings would change what the Café is. It's about presence, not content. Coaching videos are recorded and yours to keep.
How are the weekly group check-in calls scheduled?
Three Thursday times and a Saturday option. Choose what works for your week. You don't have to attend the same time every week. Every call: a win, a struggle, a goal.
I'm international. Will the Sprint work for me?
Yes. Scholars have completed this work from Europe, Australia, Ireland, the UK, and Asia. The Sprint Cohort Café at 8 AM Eastern may or may not work for your time zone, but the broader Pom Café (with 33 sessions per week running 24/7) has time slots that work for virtually every international scholar.
What if I need to drop out partway through?
Refunds are not available, but I'll work with you on what's possible.
Can I upgrade from Sprint to Sprint + Private Coaching after I enroll?
Yes. Email [email protected] within the first week and we'll add the private coaching upgrade.
What is the fast-action bonus exactly?
A 1:1 pre-sprint planning call with Dr. Amy. Available to anyone who enrolls in either tier by Sunday, June 14 at 11:59 PM EDT.
Is the Sprint right for someone earlier in their program?
It's designed for scholars actively writing the proposal, conducting data analysis, working through the literature review, drafting, revising. It’s also a great fit for post-doctorates working on publications. If you're earlier in your program, the Dissertation Breakthrough Program is a better fit.
What if I have a question that's not answered here?
Email [email protected] and someone from my team will get back to you within 24 hours (however we do not expect our team to work over the weekend).
The Sprint is for the scholar who knows.
Not the scholar who is sure. The one who knows that summer always slips. That writing alone hasn't worked. That whatever she's been doing isn't going to change without a different container.
If that's you, one of these paths is yours.
Enrollment closes Thursday, June 18 at 11:59 PM EDT.
Eight years of doing this work has taught me one thing about the scholars who finish.
They didn't do it alone.
Not the ones who finished in three years. Not the ones who finished after a decade in the drift. Not the ones with supportive committees, and not the ones who had to rebuild everything from scratch.
Every one of them, when I ask, says some version of this:
"I didn't think I could do it alone. It turns out I was right. But with you and the women in this work, I did."
You don't have to white-knuckle this summer.
If one of these paths is yours, I'd love to see you in the Café on June 22.
BIG LOVE,
The Dissertation Summer Writing Sprint is part of the Write the Damn Dissertation ecosystem.
© 2026 Dr. Amy Boyd, LLC
1525 Blue Mountain Parkway, Harrisburg PA 17112