Your complete roadmap for launching ambitious teens into college and beyond
Welcome to the Guided Ambition Lab—a comprehensive college planning system that gives families a shared language, a weekly rhythm, and a clear path from 9th grade to decision day.
What my students say
The Pillars of the Guided Ambition Lab
Sunday Sync
A structured 25-minute weekly meeting that gives families a shared system for staying connected to what matters — without the fights, the nagging, or the last-minute scrambles. Same agenda every week, real accountability, no guesswork.
The Partnership Agreement
A simple written agreement between parent and student that defines what support looks like, what involvement is too much, and what both parties are actually committing to. A structured, gradual release of responsibility from parent to student that fosters real independence before college.
The Depths & Domains of Practice
A framework that maps every area of a student's development — from academics to athletics to creative work to civic life — so growth has a vocabulary and progress has a direction. Parents follow their own DDP to model the kind of growth they expect from their student and to prepare for a fulfilling life after their student leaves for college.
Grade Level Road Maps
A proactive, four-year, semester-by-semester guide walking families through the exact steps necessary to build a competitive college admission profile. Fully integrated into the resource library so you know when to engage with each resource and how.
One Hard Thing
Your student’s independent intellectual, creative, technical, political, or entrepreneurial adventure. This is the work that sets your student apart from thousands of competing applicants and clarifies the impact they want to have in the world.
Resource Library
200+ pages of advanced college admissions strategy and parent-teen relationship support. Fully integrated into the Sunday Sync and Grade Level Road Maps so you know when to study each resource and implement it in your household.
System Overview
The Guided Ambition Lab walks your family through six integrated systems, a weekly rhythm of structured conversation, and a comprehensive library of guides and tools to walk you from here to the day your student starts college. Each system addresses a different dimension of the college preparation journey.
Family Operating System ($47 value)
Establishes the relationship framework between student and parent for the duration of the program.
Guided Ambition Partnership Agreement — the principles and commitments that govern the program relationship
Parent Depths and Domains of Practice (DDP) — the parent's personal development workbook
Conversation Guides — facilitation tools for Sunday Sync conversations at key program moments
Sunday Sync Quick Reference Card — use this during your regular Sunday Sync conversations to keep the agenda tight and structured.
Student Development Engine ($47 value)
Builds the student's identity, extracurricular depth, and grade-by-grade action plan.
Student Depths and Domains of Practice (DDP) — the student's development and identity workbook
Grade Level Road Maps — semester-by-semester action guide from 9th through 12th grade
Extracurricular Strategy Guide — framework for building a meaningful, coherent activities profile
Summer Strategy Guide – how to plan meaningful summer activities that nourish student interests, impress admissions officers, and spend money wisely
One Hard Thing — how to develop a meaningful project and a robust portfolio that reflects your authentic interests
Academic Strategy ($47 value)
Governs how students approach coursework, testing, and academic performance.
Academic Success Strategy Guide — study methods, classroom habits, help-seeking, and grade recovery
Course Selection Strategy Guide — four-year course planning, subject guidance, counselor conversation
Letter of Recommendation Strategy Guide — laying the early groundwork for letters of recommendation that make the difference in your application
Testing Strategy Guide — SAT/ACT decision framework and preparation approach
Testing Decision Matrix — school-by-school testing requirement reference
Study Session Starter — companion desk card for the Pre-Task Ritual
AP Test Preparation Guide — how to approach AP test selection, test prep, and score reporting.
IB Strategy Guide — making the most of a curriculum that already aligns itself closely with the values of the Guided Ambition Lab.
College Search System ($47 value)
Guides the research, list-building, and financial analysis process.
College Preference Questionnaire – develop a preliminary, balanced college list based on an exhaustive survey of your preferences and goals
College List Architecture Guide — how to narrow down your preliminary college list strategically
College List Organizer (with Deep College Research tab) — your college list’s living research and tracking spreadsheet
Financial Aid Strategy Guide — how financial aid works and how to evaluate offers
Demonstrated Interest Playbook — how to show schools you’re serious, even when they don’t “track” demonstrated interest.
High-Value Questions for College Tours and Admissions Officers — ask questions that deliver real insights for your college list and supplemental essays
College Comparison (Simplified) — easy college list tracking
Application System ($57 value)
Guides the creation of every written component of the college application.
Common Application Section by Section – how to approach the Common App from start to finish.
Letter of Recommendation Strategy Guide — revisit this guide to approach teacher and counselor letter requests
Teacher and Counselor Brag Sheets — structured input documents for recommenders
Narrative Thread Map — workbook for identifying the core tension and identity statement at the center of the application
Personal Statement Brainstorming Curriculum — full guide for drafting the personal statement
Supplemental Essay Strategy Guide — frameworks for every supplemental essay type
The Complete Guide to the University of California Application — The most comprehensive guide to the UC application on the market, from campus selection to PIQs to special degree programs
Application Resource Library — Dozens of successful example essays from past clients, expert essay resources, complete sample applications, activity list worksheets, and more
Decision & Transition System ($37 value)
Supports students and parents as they prepare for the biggest decision and transition of their lives so far
Comparing Offers Guide — how to read award letters, run financial comparisons, and make the final decision
First Year Success Prep — transition guide for students and parents navigating the first semester of college
Navigating the Empty Nest — parent guide for the post-launch adjustment
$282
Yours for $169
Your family’s complete college planning system, delivered to your inbox.
A full, grade-by-grade system for the entire high school journey — built for the student and the parent, not just one or the other.
Most college prep resources hand your family a checklist and call it a plan. That’s not what this is: a complete system of guides, worksheets, and frameworks covering academics, activities, the college search, applications, and the decision itself. I’ve built this so you always know what actually matters this year, this semester, even this week.
What makes this different
This system treats the parent's role as equally structured, even though how you show up changes every year, and nobody tells you that. You'll get frameworks for your own role at each stage, alongside your student's roadmap, so the whole family is working from the same plan instead of two different ones.
What's inside
The Family Operating System: How to structure conversations about college without conflict, establish a weekly rhythm that replaces nagging with consistency, and define your role as a parent at each stage of high school.
The Student Development Engine: Grade-by-grade roadmaps for 9th–12th, a system for identifying and pursuing one meaningful commitment instead of résumé-padding activities, and tools for building genuine academic ownership.
Academic Strategy: Course selection, testing strategy (SAT/ACT/AP/IB), and study systems built around your student's actual profile, not one-size-fits-all advice.
College Search System: A real framework for building a college list around fit, tools for comparing schools and demonstrating genuine interest, and a financial aid guide that demystifies the process before it becomes overwhelming.
Application System: Essay brainstorming and narrative strategy, a full Common App walkthrough, letter of recommendation guidance, dozens of example essays and outlines, my Complete Guide to the UC Application, and tools for helping teachers and counselors write you a stronger letter.
Decision & Transition System: How to compare offers that actually fit your family's finances and goals, a complete first-year success prep guide (including the conversations most families skip), and guidance for parents navigating the transition themselves.
Who this is for
Families with a student anywhere from 9th to 12th grade who want a real system instead of scattered advice — whether you're starting early or feel like you're playing catch-up. No assumption that you've done this before, and no assumption that you can afford (or want) a traditional consultant's price tag.