The Milestone Lab: Women of Color in Academia Achieving Research Milestones Without Losing Themselve

This is a short episode, introducing you to the connection between your feelings and your grant writing journey. I highlighted the importance of managing your emotions to support the actual quality of your grants as well as the journey or experience of grant writing.

In this episode, I share my experience feeling overwhelmed by my grant today and what I did to help manage it. If you’ve been carrying the deadline and all the unfinished task and the pressure of the grant all at the same time this episode is for you. I talk about one of the biggest mindset shifts I’ve made in my own work, realizing I don’t need to carry it in entire grant today. I only need to carry today’s piece. I hope this episode of a different way to think about this work and a path back to feeling grounded and taking intentional action on your grant.

I recorded this in March 2026 while running errands because I felt inspired to tell my client that grants do seem hard at times, that’s OK, and it often can signal that they’re trying to do on their own and in their own strength. So one step forward is to ground yourself in your faith for the help you need.

In this episode, I talk about how pressure and insecurity around grantwriting can show up in two very different ways: overworking or avoiding the work altogether. I reflect on what I’ve been noticing in my own work, and I’ve learned to recognize these patterns in course correct before they pull me too far away from myself or my work. If you ever found yourself swinging between pushing too hard and wanting to avoid your grant entirely, this episode is for you.

In this episode, I reflect on a week where I was juggling multiple projects, facing pressure from a grant deadline, and noticing how insecurity was making me want to avoid the work.I talk about what it looked like to recognize the pattern in real time, use my coaching tools to course correct, and remind myself that these moments will likely come up again and again during the research process.If you’ve ever felt pressure, self-doubt, or avoidance while working on a grant, this episode is for you.

Why does writing a grant start taking over your life- and why does that make your work worse?In this episode, I break down how grant writing can disrupt your routines, rest, and well-being, and why losing yourself in the process impacts your ability to think clearly and make progress. If you're feeling overwhelmed, overworked, or disconnected form your research, this episode is for you.