About Us
We were once exactly where you are now: overwhelmed, frustrated, but determined to finish. We became dissertation coaches because we wanted to be the kind of support we wished we’d had. But after years of working with doctoral students around the world, we saw the gaps: too much generic, unpersonalized advice, too little real guidance, and prices that put meaningful support out of reach. So we built something different. Dissertation Collective is a community grounded in real mentorship, practical systems, and a commitment to helping you move your dissertation forward. We got you.
Our Unique Approach
Coaching the Whole Person
- Moves beyond editing or accountability-only models
- Integrates cognitive, emotional, and workflow systems
- Considering individual ecosystems
The Write Mindset™ Framework
- Tolerating Ambiguity
- Cognitive Endurance
- Intellectual Ownership
- Identity Transition
Lean Management-Inspired
- Maximizing your time
- Developing more effective habits
- Optimizing your systems
Who We Are
A Team Built for the Dissertation Journey
Dissertation Collective is a small team of two dedicated academics from diverse fields who have helped hundreds of graduate students achieve their thesis and dissertation goals. Our mission is to provide both individualized coaching and a robust community based on collaboration, integrity, respect, and transparency.
Dr. Amy Murdock
Coach since 2021PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy from the University of Houston. Specializes in qualitative methodologies including case studies, systematic literature reviews, critical discourse analysis, phenomenology, action research, and autoethnography. Experience spans organizational leadership, healthcare, equity issues for marginalized communities, and pedagogy.
Dr. Alexandra Shaeffer
Coach since 2020PhD in Second Language Acquisition from the University of Iowa. Mixed-methods background with expertise in quantitative and qualitative research across education, linguistics, psychology, business, healthcare, and AI. Described by students as an active listener, organized, patient, and compassionate.
Understand your current academic ecosystem so you can develop your own highly-effective systems and be done once and for all.
Do you:
- Feel overwhelmed instead of making steady progress?
- Find standard dissertation coaching too one-size-fits-all?
- Want to stop wasting time with inefficient writing habits?
- Overthink or stuck in uncertainty instead of taking consistent action?
- Strive to finish their dissertation without energy drain or burnout?
Build Your Own
Dissertation Ecosystem
We help students construct a personal dissertation ecosystem — a supportive environment of habits, feedback loops, and structured writing activity that sustains long-term progress.
Your ecosystem may include:
- Scheduled construction-focused writing time
- Targeted feedback on specific manuscript components
- Developmental coaching centered on next-step thinking
- Tools and routines that reduce the friction of starting work
- Iterative revision cycles rather than pressure for final-quality drafts
Writing Habits
- Scheduled construction-focused writing time
- Iterative revision cycles instead of pressure for final-quality drafts
Developmental Coaching
- Next-step writing guidance
- Identity support from student to independent scholar
Feedback Loops
- Targeted feedback on specific manuscript components
- Iterative revision cycles that build toward completion
Tools & Routines
- Tools and routines that reduce the friction of starting work
- Structured systems that make intellectual progress sustainable
Why We’re Different
Why This Works When Other Dissertation Support Fails
Typical Dissertation Services
- Offer “tips and tricks” but lack depth
- Focus on academic support but aren’t holistic
- Provide advice but no robust community
- Expect near-finished work before offering support
- Reinforce perfectionism and evaluation anxiety
Our Depth-Oriented Model
- Focus on process-based coaching, not performance judgment
- Support the whole person — academic, psychological, and developmental
- Provide enriching communities for shared learning
- Are professional dissertation coaches first
- Guide you through the whole research journey