CPA Exam Success

🎙 Take Your Life Back Now — Self-Care for CPA Exam Success Episode Summary CPA Exam candidates often end up doing one of two things: putting the exam on hold while it continues to weigh heavily on them, or putting their life on hold completely while they study. But you do not have to choose between having a life and passing the CPA Exam. Your needs do not disappear when you decide to become a CPA,...

🎙Stop Focusing on Passing — Focus Instead on What Creates the Passing Score Episode Summary You want to pass the CPA Exam. You want to be done. You want to feel confident. But wanting to pass is not the same as studying to pass. The result matters, but focusing on the result is not what creates it. Your CPA Exam Success is built by what you do today: study, practice, review, assess, adjust, and ke...

🎙Slow Down to Speed Up Your CPA Exam Success Episode Summary If you feel like you need to hurry up and pass the CPA Exam already, this episode is for you. Maybe you feel like you're behind. Maybe you feel like you have already lost too much time. Maybe you are looking at the calendar and thinking, I need this to happen faster. But the rushing may actually be making your study process less effectiv...

🎙How to Recover from a Failing CPA Exam Score Episode Summary A failing CPA Exam score can bring deep sadness, disappointment, and discouragement. You studied, you hoped, and you wanted this score to be 75 or higher. Now you are left with the question of what to do next and all of the feelings that come along with not getting a passing score. The score is disappointing, but what it begins to mean...

🎙Resetting for CPA Exam Success: Your Mid-Year Review Episode Summary You now have actual CPA Exam prep experience from the first half of 2026 to learn from, and you still have time to make meaningful progress before year end. This episode is your invitation to pause, look honestly at what has happened so far in 2026, and decide how you want to re-engage with your CPA Exam Success for the rest of...

🎙The Five Practices That Keep Your Study Time Protected Over Time: Boundaries Part 4 Episode Summary The best study plan still needs protected space in your life, and that is where boundaries come in. You planned to study, you missed the session, and now the thoughts begin. Maybe this is not working. Maybe I cannot keep this boundary. But one imperfect day does not erase the practice. This episode...

🎙What to Expect When Boundaries Feel Uncomfortable: Boundaries Part 3 Episode Summary Boundaries can still feel hard, even if they're the best thing you can do to protect your study time. You protect your study time, you say no, you say not right now, and you choose the study session instead of the other person or the interruption. But then the guilt shows up. A boundary can be right for you, good...

🎙Setting Boundaries in the Life You Actually Have: Boundaries Part 2 Episode Summary CPA Exam prep does not happen in a vacuum. It happens right alongside everything else that's going on. It's time to study, but the kitchen is messy, your phone is lighting up with messages and calls, you feel tired, and there are emails to answer. Everything feels negotiable, everything feels urgent, and everythin...

🎙How to Protect Your CPA Exam Study Time: Boundaries Part 1 Episode Summary CPA Exam prep does not happen in perfect conditions. It happens inside real life — with work, family, interruptions, responsibilities, noise, distractions, and all the things that can quietly take over your study time. In this episode, Dawn introduces a practical way to think about boundaries for CPA Exam prep. Boundaries...

🎙 Becoming the Person Who Passes the CPA Exam (Part 3 of 3) Every Action Shapes the CPA You Are Becoming Episode Summary In this episode, Dawn brings her 3-part series on becoming the person who passes the CPA Exam to a powerful close — and this final piece is where everything comes together. In Part 1, we looked at how a non-passing score can quietly create a failure identity — and how to return...

🎙 Becoming the Person Who Passes the CPA Exam (Part 2 of 3) From Putting Others First to Prioritizing Yourself Also Why Your Study Plan Isn't the Problem — and What Actually Is Episode Summary In this episode, Dawn continues her 3-part series on becoming the person who passes the CPA Exam with a shift that many candidates never see coming — the pattern of putting others first and leaving yourself...

🎙 Becoming the Person Who Passes the CPA Exam (Part 1 of 3) From Feeling Like a Failure to Recognizing Your Success You Haven't Failed — You Just Haven't Passed Yet Episode Summary In this episode, Dawn kicks off a 3-part series on becoming the person who passes the CPA Exam — because passing isn't just about what you study. It's about how you show up to the process. Many CPA Exam candidates arriv...

🎙 The 5 Phases of CPA Exam Success How to Keep Going Until You Pass Episode Summary In this episode, Dawn breaks down the five phases of CPA Exam Success and explains why passing the CPA Exam is far simpler than most candidates make it — even though it often doesn’t feel simple while you’re in it. Many CPA Exam candidates stay stuck in the cycle of thinking about studying, starting and stopping, o...

🎙 Protecting Your Focus During CPA Exam Prep Why Staying on Track — Not Studying Longer — Is What Creates Real Progress Episode Summary In this episode, Dawn walks you through the critical shift from getting into action to staying on track — because starting your CPA Exam prep is only the beginning. Many CPA Exam candidates begin studying with strong intentions, but struggle to stay focused, consi...

🎙 The Study Shift That Turns Study Time Into a Passing Score Why Studying More Isn’t the Answer — and What Actually Moves You Forward Episode Summary In this episode, Dawn introduces a simple but powerful way to evaluate your study time so you can focus only on what actually produces progress. Many CPA Exam candidates believe they need to study longer to see results. So when progress feels slow, t...

🎙 The Shift from Stress to Action Why Focusing on the Problem Keeps You Stuck — and What to Do Instead Episode Summary In this episode, Dawn introduces a powerful shift that helps CPA Exam candidates move out of stress and into real, visible progress. Many candidates believe their biggest challenge is time, difficult material, or the volume of content. But in this conversation, Dawn reveals that t...

🎙️ CPA Exam Study Audit: Why Studying Feels So Hard (And What to Do Instead) If studying for the CPA Exam has been feeling harder than it should… you’re not alone. But here’s the truth: You’re not stuck. You’re just in study mode. And there’s a difference between  studying … and becoming  exam ready. In this episode, we walk through a simple study audit to help you see where you are...

🎙 8 Mistakes I Didn’t Make to Pass the CPA Exam A Simpler Approach That Builds Consistency, Clarity, and Progress Episode Summary In this episode, I walk you through eight mistakes I didn’t make while preparing for the CPA Exam—and that I see many candidates making. I truly believe that most candidates are not struggling because they lack intelligence, discipline, or time. More often, they are uni...

🎙 The Three Essential Ingredients for CPA Exam Success A Simple Approach to Studying That Builds Consistency, Progress, and Ease Episode Summary In this episode, Dawn breaks down the three essential ingredients for CPA Exam Success: time, materials, and willingness. While many candidates believe passing the CPA Exam requires complicated strategies or endless study hours, Dawn explains that the pro...

🎙 Linsey's Inspiring Journey to CPA Exam Success What It Really Looks Like to Keep Going Until You Pass Episode Summary In this episode, Dawn sits down with  Linsey Nicholas, CPA , to talk about her journey to CPA Exam Success. Linsey shares what it was really like to navigate the CPA Exam process while managing work, life responsibilities, and the internal challenges that can come up along t...

🎙 The Plan vs. The Problem How to Follow Through on Your CPA Exam Plan (Even When Resistance Shows Up) Episode Summary In this episode, Dawn teaches a simple concept that will change how you follow through on your CPA Exam plan: The Plan vs. The Problem. There is your plan. And then there are the problems that show up internally when it’s time to take action on your plan. The plan is practical. It...

🎙 The 7 Conditions for CPA Exam Success: C.L.A.R.I.T.Y. Why Most Candidates Don’t Need More Effort — They Need Better Conditions Episode Summary In this episode, Dawn walks you through the seven conditions that make CPA Exam preparation stable, measurable, and sustainable. Most CPA Exam candidates are not struggling because they lack effort. They care. They are working. They are trying. What is us...

🎙  Cultivating an Environment for CPA Exam Success Why “Just Start Studying” Fails — and What to Do First Instead Episode Summary In this episode, Dawn shares a powerful shift that changes how CPA Exam candidates approach studying — especially when studying “doesn’t fit” into their life right now. After a conversation with a client who wasn’t studying, it became clear that the issue wasn’t di...

🎙  The Simple Study System – Part 4: Reward to Sustain The 5 Essential Steps to Rewarding Yourself So You Stay Motivated, Confident, and Consistent with the CPA Exam Episode Summary In this episode, Dawn completes her Simple Study System with Part 4: Rewarding your CPA Exam study sessions. This step is what keeps the entire system sustainable and helps you stay in the process long enough for...

🎙  The 15-Minute Study Session How to Reduce Resistance, Build Consistency, and Create Real CPA Exam Progress Episode Summary In this episode, Dawn introduces  The 15-Minute Study Session  — a simple, powerful approach to starting (and sustaining) your CPA Exam studying without overwhelm. This lesson breaks down why long, “perfect” study sessions often stop candidates from starting...