Almost five years in, the Goal School Premium community continues to be a highlight of the year, every year, for the whole Cultivate What Matters team. Without fail, the hundreds of women who sign on are kind, ambitious, thoughtful, and totally fired up about creating a life they love—and this year is no different!
The best part? Team Cultivate learns and grows right alongside our community members! Whether I'm researching to lead a class or sitting at the feet of one of our guest hosts, I come away a little bit wiser (and usually with some sort of genius tip to try) from every gathering.
If you're considering joining us in 2026 (registration opens on Launch Day!), I thought it might be fun to share a few of the lessons and insights that have stuck with me from the eight monthly master classes we've held so far. Let's do it!
January
In January, we kicked off the year with our traditional first class: a deep dive into Tending Lists and how to break down goals. If you've ever felt stuck breaking down your big goals into smaller action steps, if you've ever been unsure what to focus on each month, or if you've ever struggled to create a Tending List that's not just another to-do list, you would have loved this class! Gals left feeling totally clear on what a Tending List is and how to use it to make incredible progress on their goals throughout the year.
After almost 15 years of filling out my PowerSheets® goal planner, even I picked up a few new ideas :) One super simple tip that I've been putting to good use: if you have a daily habit that you only plan to do certain days of the week, highlight or box around those days—that way, it will be easier to see at a glance whether you're hitting the mark, even though not every daily box is checked off.
February
In February, we held our first guest-hosted class, and it was a delight from start to finish! Of course, our inaugural guest host was none other than the founder of Cultivate, Lara Casey herself. Lara shared so much gentle wisdom and gave us much to ponder.
One idea we discussed that has stuck with me: that when we're exposed to something that sounds amazing/impossible, people tend to have two reactions: 1) "Must be nice," or 2) "I'm going to figure out how to do that." Instead of fighting down jealousy, how could we put our heads down and focus on building a life where the "impossible" becomes possible, little by little?
March
In March we learned how to pivot like a pro. We reviewed three helpful reminders about pivoting in goal setting and then learned a four-step process to pivot with grace. The first reminder was one I needed: the importance of compassion. There are so many things that can disrupt our plans—world events, our children, our bodies, our health, our energy levels, unexpected expenses, the weather.
When our plans don’t go as planned, many of us blame ourselves. We feel guilty for not doing better. We obsess over what we could have done differently.
While we believe in discipline and think behavioral hacks can be powerful, blaming yourself for a stuck goal is not helpful nor productive. Your plan not going perfectly is not a failure. A plan not going perfectly simply means you’re a human in an imperfect world.
We make plans with the best intentions with the best information we have available, but we remember that planning is more powerful than pivoting.
April
In April we *pivoted* to one of my very favorite topics: the intersection of goal planning and daily planning. I'm passionate about this topic because I think it’s hard to have a purposeful, joy-filled life without attending to at least the basics of both. I’ve also seen how neglecting one or the other can lead to frustration and disillusionment, and we don’t want that for anyone.
This class reminded me of the power of digital reminders! As a diehard paper gal and digital minimalist, I tend to look down on digital solutions... but they can be quite helpful as we seek to live out our goals! After this class, I set recurring reminders in my phone to take a nightly supplement, to get up and walk midway through the afternoon, and to review the text I'm memorizing every morning at 10am.
May
May's guest-hosted class felt like a warm hug. We invited on longtime friend of Cultivate, Hannah Brencher, to share wisdom from her newest book as we talked about unplugging, deep work, and using our time well.
When we asked attendees to share what they took away from the class the answers ranged wildly (showing just how much we covered in an hour!), but what stuck with me was an exercise Hannah suggested. It felt reminiscent of the PowerSheets® Prep Work, but was a bit of a different twist. She challenged us to write a description of the person we are becoming, and then to make a list of what that person needs—"the person I am becoming needs these kinds of rhythms." I took this prompt to my journal and it was fruitful—a way of mothering myself!
June
In June I looked on with a lot of FOMO as Alli and Lauren led a class that dove into all things finance goals. This was our first class highlighting one of our life audit categories, and it was a hit!
As I was working alongside them to prepare this class, I was reminded of the power of community—of finding people who are moving in the same direction as you, who have the same values, and who share similar goals. For example, in the finance arena, if you have a group of friends who take European vacations every year, it might be hard to find contentment in your road trip to see family. On the flip side, think about how much easier it would be to feel satisfied with a road trip vacation, or an older car, or consignment store clothes, or a homemade lunch if everyone around you was doing the same thing.
We can't choose every environment, but we can choose a lot of them! And perhaps even more powerfully, whatever environment we find ourselves in, WE can build community right where we are and invite others in. We can be an encouragement to others by modeling a different way of living.
July
July was our Q3 guest-hosted class, and it was right on time! Jess Connolly, multi-passionate leader and longtime friend of Cultivate, joined us to talk all things AI and goal setting—eep!
We had gals joining us who love ChatGPT, gals who've never used it and don't know what it is, and everything in between—and Jess ushered them all along expertly. My favorite moment was a vulnerable story I told about how my husband and I use ChatGPT differently, and the wise and gracious perspective that Jess offered me in real time. It was a gift to be in the room!
August
In August I took the mic solo to lead a class on "how to create extraordinary moments in life and goal setting." Pulling from a recent read, The Power of Moments, we talked about the peak-end rule and how it applies to goal setting, multiplying milestones in creative ways, how to stretch for insight, and avoiding the soul-sucking force of reasonableness—among many other things! I loved this class.
Does this sound like something you'd love to be a part of? We'd love to have you! Enrollment for a 2026 yearlong membership to Goal School Premium opens on Launch Day, September 16. Join us for monthly master classes, prep parties (we'll fill out our goal planners together every month!), giveaways, discounts, community, and more. Sign up here to be notified as soon as doors open!
Emily Thomas
Your goals matter! Set, plan, and track progress toward the things that matter most to you—big dreams or small habits—with PowerSheets, a one-year goal planned trusted by thousands of women worldwide.
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