A first-ever peek behind the scenes… 🍊
Someone asked me last week if I could sum up in a few words what really happens at the “Complete Your Essay in a Weekend” workshop, and they were taken aback by my response:
It’s not just about the essay. It’s about the becoming. ✨
Sure, there’s a lot of writing, structured discussions, and those “Frankenstein drafts” full of pieces and parts that don't quite work… and get lovingly tossed in favor of something stronger.
And yes, every teen leaves with something way beyond what they started with… but underneath all of that?
This is an environment for transition.
👩
The Essay Aunt Energy
is A Real Thing
As a mom of six who's also coached hundreds of teens, I’ve walked beside every flavor of senior year energy: eager, eye-rolling, overwhelmed, sorta bored, and over-it.
So when I welcome teens into my home on a Saturday morning (or my cozy little Zoom lounge), I’m not just a coach. I’m their Essay Aunt — that trusted adult who’s not their parent, but genuinely in their corner.
I offer calm and a safe framework for them to figure out who they are and what they want to say.
It’s not a class in school. It’s more like a retreat—focused, immersive, high-touch.
It’s intense. It’s structured. And it’s a little sacred.
Because without this kind of space, students write something—but stop at their version of “good enough.”
Even straight-A students admit they rarely revise school papers more than twice. During this weekend? We do four rounds—together. And three more in the week that follows.
Let’s be real—on their own, the teen's “essay” is that tab they keep open while they scroll TikTok. The intention is there… but that first-rate essay? It's in a holding pattern until the week before the deadline arrives.
That’s not transformation. That’s avoidance dressed up as productivity.
🦜
The Buzzard Story (Yes, Really)
Last week, I watched from my kitchen window as two baby buzzards fledged. One soared straight to the nextdoor rooftop. The other bonked into the side of the house, flopped to the ground, and needed 15 solid minutes to recover. 😵
Which is pretty much how the essay writing goes.
🌀 It’s clumsy at first.
😩 It’s awkward.
💫 That first draft is never elegant.
But that’s okay. That’s the process. It's real, it's human…and it's exactly what I expect.
Each teen is doing something they’ve never really been asked to do before: tell the truth about who they are, in their own words. Not to meet a rubric. Not to check a box. But to reveal something meaningful — something that shows the person behind the transcript.
This time, it’s to be seen — by an admissions reader or scholarship committee (that might award this essay $10K or more). And that’s a very different thing than a school essay.
🌿🌱
The Magic of Stepping Out
of Regular Life
That wobbly, first-time energy doesn't just need time—it needs different time. A shift in pace. A shift in space. A reset.
And when that space is safe, structured, and soul-level encouraging, that’s when something deeper kicks in.
It’s not happening in a beige classroom or hotel room with buzzing fluorescents. It’s happening in my home—around the kitchen table, with the over-loved cushions (that the teens fight for), with the smell of cookies drifting over from the oven just when the writing energy dips. 🍪
Even the Zoom-crew feels it—same encouragement, same breakthroughs… just minus the cookies.
🖊️
How the Real Stories
Start to Spill Out
Within the first hour, we’re deep into topic brainstorming. The exercises invite them to look at their experiences in new ways — and suddenly, teens are saying things they’ve never said out loud before.
Before anyone starts writing, I check in with each student —either 1-on-1 or in a small group (which, surprisingly, they actually love).
That conversation gives them clarity on their topic and a kind of quiet confidence — like, yes, this is the one.
Then they write a bit, just a few sentences. A messy, honest beginning.
I warn them there’s going to be some ugly babies. (Essays, not people or buzzard chicks… duh!) The kind that are sorta awkward — but essential to the process. And fast growing.
There’s a moment—usually somewhere between snack breaks and quiet typing—when their whole face shifts. You can see them realizing, “Oh… this might actually be something.”
🥗🍵
Midday Reset, Mall Edition
By noon, we head to the outdoor mall. Over CAVA bowls, we talk majors, dream schools, and what comes next.
It’s chill, it’s real, and it’s part of the “you're heading to college” magic.
When we get back, something shifts. They write differently— less guarded, more grounded.
By the end of Day One, every teen has birthed their ugly baby: a rough, imperfect, totally essential first draft—ready to be slept on and reshaped with fresh eyes the next morning.
🎯
The One Thing I Didn’t Know
We Needed (Until Now)
For years, I've held one-on-one sessions with students on Day One.
But a few weeks ago, during the first workshop of the year, something shifted. Three students came back on Day Two asking for another conversation:
📝 “Can you look at my conclusion?”
🤔 “Does this angle work?”
🔄 “I’m rethinking the whole thing.”👂
And they weren’t alone—the online crew was asking too.
That’s when I knew: a second one-on-one had to be baked in.
Because the biggest breakthroughs don’t always show up on schedule. Sometimes students need to see what’s not working before they can say what they really mean to say.
That second conversation changed everything.
Because clarity doesn’t always come on the first try. Sometimes, the best idea is hiding under the first idea.
🏋️♂️🎉
By Sunday Night,
They’re Not the Same Teen
This isn’t just about being ready to hit “submit.”
It’s about clarity. Ownership. Growing up just a little, with someone in their corner who gets it—as a coach and a mom.
By the end of the workshop, they:
Know their story.
Know how to tell it.
And know how powerful it is. 🚀
As one young man said, “The last 10 minutes pulled everything together.” Another laughed, “I didn’t expect this to be fun.”
And it was. 😄
🔍
Why This Space Works So Well
When teens finally get a break from “regular life,” something important happens. They slow down enough to uncover who they are, what matters, and how to say it in their own words.
But to do this, they need:
✅ A safe space with just enough time set aside.
✅ Some carefully orchestrated structure.
✅ And someone in their corner—a kind of Essay Aunt—who knows how to draw out their true voice and has answers for their every question.
With this, they write the kind of essay colleges respond to…
Not perfection. Not fancy vocabulary. But a real human being who knows who they are—and isn’t afraid to show it.
When your teen spends a weekend in this container, yes, they leave with a great essay. And they also leave with a clearer sense of who they are—and where they’re headed.
With love, clarity, and a lot of snacks,
Christy
👋 Hi, if we haven't met yet, I'm Christy. I help students craft standout essays so they can submit their best possible applications with confidence.
Wanna chat? www.calendly.com/easiercollegeessays/30min
