CPA Exam Success

🎙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...

🎙  The Simple Study System – Part 3: Assess to Improve The 5 Essential Steps to Assess Your CPA Exam Study Sessions and Make Progress Every Time You Study Episode Summary In this episode, Dawn continues her Simple Study System with Part 3: Assessing your CPA Exam study sessions. This step is where effort turns into real progress. Instead of just showing up and hoping things improve, you’ll le...

🎙 From Self-Doubt to “Yes You Can!”: USOA Miss Texas 2026, Katherine Colig’s CPA Exam Success Journey The Mindset and Consistency Shifts That Helped Her Succeed on the CPA Exam and Beyond Episode Summary In this episode, Dawn is joined by Katherine Colig, United States of America’s Miss Texas 2026 and a licensed CPA in Texas. Katherine shares her CPA Exam Success journey, starting with the moment...

🎙 The Simple Study System – Part 2: Track to Stay on Track\ The 5 Essential Steps to Track Your CPA Exam Study Time and Build Real Consistency Episode Summary In this episode, Dawn continues Part 2 of her Simple Study System with a focused look at tracking — and why tracking your actual study time is one of the most powerful tools for building consistency, confidence, and momentum on the CPA Exam....

Episode 19: Plan Your 2026 CPA Exam Success Episode Summary In this episode, Dawn walks you through how to plan your 2026 CPA Exam Success by learning directly from your 2025 experience. Instead of starting over with another “perfect” plan, this episode shows you how to keep what helped, change what didn’t, and build a study plan that actually fits real life. You’ll learn how to break the start–st...

🎙  The Simple Study System – Part 1: Schedule to Make It Real The 5 Essential Steps to Create a Weekly CPA Exam Study Schedule That Actually Works Episode Summary In this episode, Dawn kicks off Part 1 of her Simple Study System with a deep dive into scheduling. Instead of vague advice or overly complicated plans, she walks you step by step through a simple, repeatable process you can complet...

Episode 17 — Finding Time You Didn’t Know You Had So many CPA candidates tell me they “just can’t find the time,” and I hear this more often than any other challenge. The truth is: it’s rarely about discipline. It’s usually about having a plan that matches your real life — and most people don’t. In this episode, we explore a simple, compassionate approach to understanding where your time is actual...

🎙️  5 Simple Ways to Study Without Stress and Enjoy the Holidays The holiday season can leave many CPA Exam candidates feeling stretched thin. End-of-year deadlines, family commitments, travel, and social plans all collide with your study goals—and it’s easy to feel like you have to choose one or the other. But you don’t have to. You can enjoy the holidays and make meaningful progress toward...