Your complete roadmap for launching ambitious teens into college and beyond
Welcome to the Guided Ambition Lab—a comprehensive college planning system and community that gives families a shared language, a weekly rhythm, and a clear path from 9th grade to dorm move-in day.
What you’ll find
The college planning toolkit of a $15,000/year admissions consultant.
A growing community of families going on the same journey as you are.
A refreshed relationship with your teen.
A healed relationship with your interests, prepared for the day your child moves away from home.
A lifelong educator and parent who has seen it all, eager to answer your questions.
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 guides and 20+ videos on youth development, 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.
Program Overview
The program works 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
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
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
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
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
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
Decision & Transition System
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
Get access to the complete Guided Ambition Lab
The complete system I wish I had when I applied to college—yours free.