What can I truly say about TAWS? I could not have anticipated the profound impact this remarkable community would have on my dissertation journey, or how it would shape my perspective on the academic process and its rigors. I began with trepidation, unsure how to approach such a large and complex project. TAWS not only guided me in adopting an effective project management approach, but also became a steadfast source of support, offering encouragement through both challenges and small victories. I am deeply grateful for the belief that Alison and the coaches had in me, especially at a time when my own self-confidence was wavering. Truly, thank you for your guidance and support—I cannot express my gratitude enough. Blessings to you all. For anyone seeking a supportive community and a clear, step-by-step approach to managing a major project, TAWS is the place to be!

I joined TAWS a few months before I planned to finish my PhD. At that time I was completely overwhelmed and I had no idea how I would finish on time. Joining TAWS was transformative. This community is helping me learn how to plan effectively, how to "settle in" to work with kindness, and how to work hard while also taking care of myself. TAWS helped me meet my goals and produce a dissertation I'm proud of.

Echoing what Mary Pinkoski wrote below, TAWS is indeed a rare academic space, one that I had seeking out in some form through my undergraduate and postgraduate studies. It is possible to complete the PhD without a group like TAWS, but to complete it sane and - dare I say - thriving compared to when I started, that is nothing short of incrementally transformative. I joined in December 2022, when I was in the middle of being completely overwhelmed by my large data set of lesson observation transcriptions and an ambitious goal of writing 2-3 peer-reviewed papers. During my time in TAWS since, all that (and more!) came to pass one work session at at time, and it's the connection and reflection that this space offers which really helped me keep going, trusting that I will one day eventually complete what seemed insurmountable. As one of the few members of the community working in Asian timezones (I live in and completed my PhD in Singapore), I did bend my work hours to accommodate the scheduled sessions, where I built my morning routine. Having said that, it is a testament to the community's conduciveness that many of us end up co-working together after the official hours in our own time, and it's the container and structure of TAWS that allows us to extend it seamlessly together. Thank you to Alison and her team of steady facilitators for creating and sustaining this life-giving space. I can't imagine how I'd have finished my thesis and defence sane without TAWS.

TAWS is a rare academic space where wisdom meets compassion. I joined TAWS in June 2020, and it quickly became one of the most important supports on my path to earning a PhD. The facilitators bring not only deep knowledge but also genuine care, and Alison’s gentle, grounded leadership has been a guiding light throughout. The community of scholars fostered in this space is unlike anything I’ve encountered elsewhere in academia. Even now, having completed my PhD, I plan to remain a part of this community for years to come. TAWS is not just a writing group—it’s a beacon, a lighthouse, and an academic home.

I joined TAWS in late January as I had been following one of their social media accounts and felt Alison was speaking directly to me. I needed to complete my dissertation by the spring semester, and I was able to cross the finish line in May! I will forever be grateful for this excellent co-working space and will continue to build upon the relationships I've built in TAWS. No matter where you are in your research or dissertation journey, TAWS will welcome you with open arms. God bless you and all the fantastic TAWS facilitators forever, Dr. Miller! Very Respectfully, Dr. Roncs

I can't thank Alison and her team enough for this space. This is just a lovely group of people supporting those on one of the biggest journeys of their lives. It is so inspirational to see other people studying, at various stages of the journey, and co-working to support each person's needs. Alison was so kind to check on me periodically and make sure I was doing okay. I appreciate that kindness and personal touch. It is often difficult for others around us to understand this educational journey, it's complexity, and the emotions it evokes. Such a wonderful working space for support!

I discovered the Academic Writer's Space (TAWS) during the COVID-19 lockdown when I returned home from a campus that had previously offered ideal working conditions. At home, however, maintaining focus proved challenging. Additionally, as a non-native English speaker, I initially struggled with academic writing. I had optimistically believed that I could complete my dissertation within six months, but it was only when faced with the actual task that I realized my writing skills needed improvement and that I had been overly self-critical. TAWS provided a structured environment, and coworking with the community made me realize I had been too harsh on myself. Writing alongside others fostered a sense of belonging and helped me understand that I was not alone in this journey. The support from others in the community was invaluable. I took a break from TAWS, thinking that I was moving at a very slow pace. However, I hardly made any progress on my dissertation during this break. TAWS offers a perfect space that helps lower my anxiety when I am overwhelmed and keeps me on track when I am too relaxed.

TAWS was a lifeline for me during my dissertation process. The co-working sessions gave structure to my days and reminded me that I wasn’t alone. It was a safe, nurturing space that gently encouraged progress without pressure. I learned to honor my rhythms, to value rest and self-care, and to approach writing not as a grind but as something I could do with kindness toward myself. I’m deeply grateful for the support, the accountability, and the sense of calm connection TAWS offers.

TAWS completely transformed the way in which I perceive and approach the academic writing process. Alison and her entire team have reimagined the potentiality of technology to pave the way for students and researchers from all over the world. This is an online community where optimism, courage, empathy, and care for oneself and for others is constantly put into practice. I am confident that what I learned in TAWS, I will carry with me for the rest of my academic career.

(Note: This review is on the longer side, so I tried to make it a bit more digestible with capitalized headings like “OVERVIEW” and “WHY ALISON IS AMAZING” to help break up the text, since it was not possible to create separate paragraphs.) TL;DR: TAWS is awesome. Try out the free trial! OVERVIEW: It is an honor to write this effusive endorsement of Alison and TAWS. The impact TAWS has had on me is difficult to capture in words, but I will make my best effort to convey what TAWS has meant to me. It has officially been one week since I successfully defended! This milestone was greeted with effusive and genuine excitement from Alison and the TAWS community, an extension of the unwavering support and kindness they offered me throughout the final stages of my dissertation sojourn. WHY ALISON IS AMAZING: Alison was especially instrumental in helping me during some particularly challenging times, purely by reinforcing the message that *I* was an important part of the equation, not just the dissertation, which is so often foregrounded. In fact, her gestures of support inspired me to allow my mom and brother to attend my defense. Previously, I had leaned toward not having any guests, for fear of “messing up” in front of people I love. But when the defense date arrived, I realized I wanted them to be present for the experience because it would be a shared memory, regardless of the outcome. And I am *so* glad that I gave myself that gift. Alison has created and fostered such a beautiful community. From my vantage point, it is clear that every aspect of the program has been structured with intention, care, and responsiveness to community feedback. I might be *slightly* biased, given that my field is psychology, but I believe that most, if not all, TAWSers across disciplines would agree that Alison’s background as a clinical psychologist is an invaluable asset to TAWS. My view is that her focus is on meta-work and supporting the unique human who has been tasked with completing the work. She addresses the uncertainty, fear, self-recrimination, isolation, and avoidance that so many doctoral students and academics experience with a potent tool kit: (a) an invitation into an inclusive community, (b) a flexible session structure with poised and wise doctoral-level facilitators at the helm, and (c) a call for each TAWS member to develop their own recipe for meaningful and sustainable productivity. TAWS ANECDOTES & REFLECTIONS: I have learned so much from two separate TAWS experiences: TAWS – PART I: My first TAWS experience was last summer, when I was reconnecting with my dissertation after a hiatus. I had completed all of my doctoral requirements, barring the defense, placing me squarely in ABD limbo. As I reacquainted myself with my dissertation, I realized that the statistical method I had chosen—latent profile analysis (LPA)—was *far* more complex than I had originally understood. I had lived my life up until that point with the perception that I was not a “stats-y” person, which was actually why I chose to pursue a PsyD (a practice-focused degree) as opposed to a PhD. So, in the face of these complexities, I felt intimidated and discouraged. My friend and I learned of the free trial offered by TAWS (via Instagram, I think), and decided to give it a shot, hoping it might be the defibrillator we needed to restart a consistent work rhythm. The fact that no financial information was required to sign up also reassured us that it was truly risk-free. We were immediately drawn in by the incredible wisdom we encountered in the facilitated TAWS sessions, finding that the invitation to be gentler with ourselves actually brought us closer to the work and help us to embrace discomfort as part of the learning process. This was further supported by the weekly themes (e.g., flow, commitment, self-compassion), which prompted us to consider the work through different lenses. Unsurprisingly, we both gladly signed up for the monthly membership after the trial. I continued to benefit from the sessions for several weeks until personal and academic stressors (unrelated to TAWS) led to another bout of dissertation disengagement. You might say that my first round of TAWS burned fast and bright, and was abruptly snuffed out by outside forces. TAWS – PART II: Months later, as I approached major dissertation deadlines, I happened to open an email about a free TAWS event. It felt kismet that, amidst the visual overwhelm of a bajillion spam emails overrunning my inbox, my eyes landed on the TAWS email in a time of despair. The minute I joined the event, I felt a sense of ease settle over me. Seeing Alison’s kind face and experiencing her ability to spread warmth—even through a virtual platform—was incredibly grounding. I also felt comforted seeing the many capable scholars present, each embracing the vulnerability of seeking safety and support. This time around, I had done a lot of inner work in the intervening months. I was more receptive to slowly divesting myself of rigid thinking patterns that had previously fueled burnout and avoidance. And I was finally ready to internalize the most important lesson I’ve taken from TAWS: “Making contact with the work,” a phrase often uttered in TAWS, can take many forms—and, ideally, each form is shaped by awareness of your bespoke needs in that moment. A sampling of what this looked like for me at various stages: (a) Listening passively to a session facilitator whilst making breakfast, (b) asking for support when feeling frustrated or distractible, (c) supporting someone else and realizing that I could offer similar to myself, (d) showing up to a session and experiencing energizing flow, (e) intentionally *not* attending a session when I needed quiet, independent focus, and (f) feeling inspired to keep persevering when hearing of others’ achieved milestones and feeling seen when others could relate to struggles I shared. OUTRO: In sum, I am grateful to have discovered TAWS. If you are on the fence, this is your sign to give the free week trial a try. I genuinely believe it will be a worthwhile and potentially transformative experiment.