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 [email protected]. 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 [email protected]. 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 [email protected]. 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 [email protected]. 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 [email protected]. 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 [email protected]. 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 [email protected]. 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 [email protected]. 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 [email protected]. 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 [email protected]. 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.💫