How to create a Personal Curriculum

+ an in-depth guide for how to turn your life into a magical university for the very season you're in

GUYS! Have you heard of a “Personal Curriculum/Personal Syllabus?!!!”

I don’t know how I’ve been in the dark to this trend up til now, because UMMM this feels like my ENTIRE PERSONALITY in a nutshell!

But alas, here we are. Enlightened at last.

So if you, like me, have yet to hear of it, or you’ve heard of it but you’re curious to explore it further (and in the most swoon-worthy, holy-shit-this-is-the-magic-my-soul-has-needed) way…

Then YOU’RE WELCOME. This is for you! Happy New Years, witches!

First let me just say I AM A NERD at heart. I FUCKING LOVE LEARNING. Call it the Sag in me or the eldest daughter/perfectionist/overachiever, idk. But I love it! Always have. (Hopefully) always will.

Ever since I was like 4 years old I was making and writing my own books, gathering my stuffed animals up for lessons where I would “teach” them (not sure what I was teaching, but obvi it was enthralling), and would read a zilllllion books for funsies.

Fast forward to my coaching career and the thing I got off on the most was creating the most transformational learning experiences and curriculums. So much so that I created an ENTIRE coaching certification school that I shit you not, was THE Hogwarts of the coaching world. Like I cannot even express to you the level of magic and the in-depth curriculum creation that went into it. (You can get a tiny taste into one of the MANY tools + techniques in this post.)

All this to say—I feel like creative, transformational, otherworldly curriculum curation is my JAM.

And you, my find little friend, get to be the peanut butter! Unless you’re allergic, you can be the fluff! Or whatever works for you.

I digress…

Part 1: WTF Is A Personal Curriculum/Syllabus?

Well, I supposedly it started out as a TikTok trend created by Elizabeth Jean (hello genius!).

Essentially, it’s a self-designed syllabus where YOU decide what you’re learning this month/season/year. You choose the subjects and you get to treat your life like the magical university you’ve always dreamed of attending. Omgggg I’m getting giddy and turned on already (just me? you too?)

If you’re not buzzin’ yet, you will be, so hang tight. I’ll show you how I’m creating my Personal Curriculum + how you can create one too.

Why I’m wettin’ my panties over this.

Because mainstream adulthood (as much as I try to pave my own path and veer away from the normies) is full of “shoulds” and pressure and “this is the way to be a grown up.” And BOOOO, I’m not here for it.

As someone who’s life force is fueled off of MEANING, AND MAGIC, AND MISCHIEF…I need more! And I bet you do too.

A Personal Curriculum puts you and your desires at the center (yes, plzzz) and adds some whimsy to the everyday. It allows you to follow whatever threads spark your heart’s interest—be it cooking, reading, art, language-learning, history, or wellness — without pressure to perform.

It adds a deeper layer of DEVOTION to your day that’s rooted in your one-of-a-kind curiosity and kink. It’s your declaration of, “UMM YES THIS IS WHAT I CHOOSE TO MAKE ME FEEL LIKE THE MOST TRUE AND ALIVE VERSION OF ME!” (in this season, at least) ”…and then I’ll see what’s calling to me next.”

It’s basically a multi-hyphenate’s wet dream!

It can have a strong academic lean where it’s legit like creating a semester’s syllabus based on the school you want to attend. Or can it can be a bit more loosey goosey. The beauty of this is YOU get to choose and make it whatever you want and need it to be.

So…What Does a Personal Curriculum Actually Look Like?

Short answer: whatever the hell you want it to look like ;)

But I like to think of it like building your own mini-university for the season of life you’re in—with as little or as many core subjects as feels YUMMY and nourishing for you.

This is NOT meant to be another slew of things you add to do your to-do list or create pressure around needing to be “productive.” Ew, no thanks.

This is meant to be something that helps invoke more intentionality into your life and fills you up! I’m letting this be a container for curiosity, passion projects, and small experiments and experiences I want to make real.

If you think this is going to add more stress or comparisonitis, skip it! But if you feel drawn to it and curious about it, dive on in! You can always drop your “classes” without any ramifications. Win win!

We’ll go into the deets of what a Personal Curriculum consists of (Core Subjects, Core Topics, Electives, etc. in Part 3)

Part 2: Before You Even Build Your Curriculum…You Go Inward.

For me, a Personal Curriculum isn’t actually about what you learn. It’s about who you’re becoming while you learn.

So instead of just listing out a bunch of “subjects” on a whim, we’re gonna start with the self.

Aka the TRUEST version of you in this season.

So here’s where your curriculum actually begins:

Step 1: Ask yourself—how/what do I want to feel in this season of my life?

What do you want to feel pulsing through your days?

Aliveness? Depth? Play? Tenderness? A sense of “holy shit, I get to actually do THIS with my life?! COOOOL!” Joy? Certainty? Mystery? Vitality? Softness? Power? Belonging? Magic?

Whatever you want to feel will be the true north of your curriculum compass.

Step 2: What matters to me right now?

This is about your values—what is ACTUALLY important to you in this season?

Is it family? Creativity? Rest? Beauty? Mental health? Wonder? Slowness? Connection? A deeper relationship with your body? Reclaiming your identity? Walking through your days with more intention, less chaos?

These are the pillars your curriculum will be supported by.

Step 3: What would fill me up—not drain me—in this curriculum cycle?

Your curriculum should feel like MIND BODY SOUL NOURISHMENT.

Like, “Mmm yeahhh baby, give me more of THAT.”

Not, “Ugh, I need to do this thing that I said I’d do and if I don’t I’ll be a failure so I’m just doing it to do it.”

Ask yourself:

• What would actually add energy to my life?

• What would make me feel more me?

• What sounds luxurious to my nervous system?

• What would spark something ancient or dormant or delicious inside me?

• What would make me look forward to a Tuesday for no reason?

Step 4: What is the right size of container for my real life?

When creating your curriculum, how far out do you want to plan for?

A month? A Moon cycle? 90 days? A quarter?

The length of your container needs to match:

• how much bandwidth you actually have

• how your energy naturally moves

• whether you crave structure or spaciousness

• whether you want a cozy month-long experiment
  or a full-on seasonal metamorphosis

Choose the timeframe that your body says yessss to. Not your ego.

Step 5: What season of ME am I in? AND what season am I moving into?

After the above steps, this is a good check in and grounding step. Get real about where you’re at right now to make sure this is going to be supportive for the season you’re in and the season you’re moving into.

Where am I actually right now?
And where am I heading next?

Because your curriculum has to support both.

Maybe you’re:

• In the foggy wilds of first trimester, where nausea has replaced your personality, and the idea of “learning anything” feels absurd—but you know the second trimester glow (and energy) is somewhere up ahead.

• In your late second trimester, feeling that weird suspended-in-time sweetness… but you know the third trimester portal is coming, with its heaviness and nesting instincts and emotional tectonic shifts.

• Weeks postpartum, living inside the rawest initiation of your life, where everything feels full-on— and your curriculum needs to honor slowness, cocooning, and rebuilding your identity inch by inch.

• Parenting littles, where your days are chopped into tiny unpredictable increments of time—but you’re craving a sense of self and a flicker of adult aliveness…a pulse of something that belongs only to you.

• Deep in a season of reclaiming yourself after years of abandoning your needs.

• Or grieving.

• Or expanding.

• Or burning down what no longer fits.

• Or in that weird liminal middle place where everything matters and nothing is stable and you’re trying to make the mundane feel meaningful again.

Your curriculum should honor the season, NOT override it.

The curriculum for someone in a season of expansion looks nothing like the curriculum for someone in a season of survival.

The curriculum for postpartum softness is not the curriculum for high-energy, going to all the in-person events business-building.

Or maybe the curriculum for your bestie who is about to give birth is WAYYY different than yours. Even if you’re about to give birth too. Because you’re both your own wildly individual women! Le duh.

Ask yourself:

• What is true about my current season?

• What is the next season I’m heading into?

• What do I need to support the transition between the two?

• What can I actually hold?

• What would hold ME?

• What would feel enlivening, not exhausting?

This check-in saves you from overcommitting, under-nourishing, or creating a syllabus that belongs to a fantasy version of you instead of the woman living in your body right meow.

We don’t build a curriculum until we know what experience we’re trying to create inside ourselves.

Part 3: Design Your Personal Curriculum

Once these pieces feel clear, then we move to designing:

• core subjects

• core topics

• learning resources

• practices

• ritual touchpoints

• little delicious experiments

• “final projects”

• the whole Hogwarts experience

Core Subjects (aka your departments of study)

Think of Core Subjects as the departments at your magical university—the overarching fields that are shaping you right now. Or just the themes your soul is obsessed with right now.

2–4 Core Subjects is the sweet spot.

Some examples are:

• Mythology

• Creativity

• Relationships + Intimacy

• Health + Wellness

• Spirituality

• Motherhood

• Embodiment

• Interior design

• Village-building

• Storytelling

• Philosophy

• Psychology

• History

• Language

• Business

• Leadership

• Cultural studies

• Music

• Art

• Writing

• Whatever is lighting you up or piquing your curiosity!

Core Topics (your classes within each department)

If Core Subjects are the departments at your magical university, Core Topics are the actual classes you’re taking this term.

This is where things get a bit more specific!

Core Topics help focus your curiosity so your learning doesn’t feel scattered.

Each Core Subject usually has 2–5 Core Topics underneath it.

Examples

Core Subject: Mythology
Core Topics might include:

• Women’s empowerment in myths

• Goddess archetypes across cultures

• Maiden / Mother / Crone as lived identity

• Myth as a map for modern motherhood

• Personal mythology & meaning-making

Core Subject: Creativity
Core Topics might include:

• Creative writing

• Personal storytelling

• Writing as ritual

• Voice & expression

• Making art without monetizing it

Core Subject: Relationships + Intimacy
Core Topics might include:

• Emotional intimacy

• Erotic aliveness

• Communication & repair

• Attachment patterns

• Female friendships

Core Subject: Health + Wellness
Core Topics might include:

• Nervous system regulation

• Somatic safety

• Hormonal literacy

• Low-tox living

• Energy management for real life baddies (hey, it’s your class, you get to make up the title)

Core Subject: Spirituality
Core Topics might include:

• Ritual & ceremony

• Cyclical living

• Ancestral wisdom

• Prayer, devotion, or meditation

• Making meaning + magic in the mundane

Core Subject: Motherhood
Core Topics might include:

• Motherhood as initiation

• Postpartum identity shifts

• Mothering without self-erasure

• Co-parenting + partnership

• Self-care in motherhood

When people skip this distinction, they either:

• stay too vague (“I’m learning about wellness?”)

• or go too granular and burn out (“I must do 17 protocols and read 91 books…or else!!!”).

How to Choose Your Core Topics

Choose topics that feel:

• intriguing

• aliiiive

• slightly edgy

• emotionally or intellectually nourishing

NOT topics you think you should study. K?!

Check in:

• What questions am I actually living right now?

• What do I find myself Googling at 2am?

• What conversations do I wish I could have more of?

• What feels tender, unfinished, or exciting to explore?

You’ll know you’ve chosen well if your body feels a little spark of, “Oooh…yes. I’m soooul excite to spend my time doing that.”

You don’t have to engage with every topic equally. Some weeks one topic might take over. Other weeks you could ignore a whole subject entirely. Remember, your curriculum is alive and flexible and here to support YOU!

Electives (aka playgrounds and side quests!)

The lighter topics that you want to skim the surface of or make time for when life allows. You can think of them as doors in your magical university you can wander through when the energy is right.

There are probably a ZILLION things you’d love to add to your pleasure list of electives and I love that for you.

HOWEVER! This can easily turn into a never-ending task list and that is not the vibe.

So here’s the move:

• Keep a Master Electives List somewhere for future ideas

• But choose 3–5 electives per curriculum cycle

How Electives Relate to Core Subjects

Electives can echo your Core Subjects, but they don’t have to. They can be adjacent, supportive, or just purely deeeelightful.

For example:

• If Mythology is a Core Subject → tarot spreads, oracle cards, or seasonal rituals might feel extra yum

• If Creativity is a Core Subject → reading fiction again, attending local art exhibits, or doodling with no outcome

• If Health + Wellness is a Core Subject → cooking one new recipe a week or experimenting with herbal teas

• If Relationships + Intimacy is a Core Subject → pleasure reading, sensual movement, or listening to love songs

• If Motherhood is a Core Subject → cozy homemaking projects or reclaiming a personal hobby

Resources (aka how you want to learn)

Now that you’ve chosen your Core Subjects, Core Topics, and a handful of Electives, it’s time to decide how you want to learn.

This is juuust as important as choosing your Core Subjects!! Because learning that does match or support your system, your season, your lifestyle, etc. is going to feel YUCK.

So this is not about “what are the BEST resources out there?!” but → “what FEELS best for me to explore and learn about these subjects?!”

BIG DIFFERENCE.

I should also say, while it’s great to have a few resources picked out ahead of time, I find that the more you dive into your subject and topics, the more resources pop up!

Some examples:

Reading

• Books (nonfiction or fiction)

• Essays

• Substacks

• Articles

• Poetry

• Old journals

• Essays you’ve already bookmarked but never read

Listening

• Podcasts

• Audiobooks

• Audio courses

• Voice notes you’ve left yourself in the past but haven’t come back to (til meowww!)

• Recorded talks

• Music

Watching

• Documentaries

• YouTube deep dives

• Recorded workshops

• Lectures

• Interviews

• Films that align with your themes

• TV shows

Experiential + Embodied Learning

• Movement classes

• Somatic practices

• Breathwork

• Nervous system tools

• Creative play

• Time in nature

• Observation (yourself, others, the world)

Relational Learning

• Intentional conversations

• Circles or gatherings

• Mentorship

• Therapy or coaching

• Learning alongside a friend

How Many Resources Is Enough?

Your call! For one topic you might choose a smorgasbord of lil samplings. Like…

• one documentary

• a single podcast episode

• one book

• a substack post

• a mini course

OR one primary resource that carries the whole thing. Like…

• a TV show where the entire series is part of your curriculum

• a podcast you return to again and again

• a single teacher, mentor, or body of work you orbit

You do not need to consume every resource you choose. You’re allowed to abandon a book, stop halfway through a podcast, skim, come back later, and change your mind, And you can always add more to your resources.

Learning Flow and Course Load

This is where we decide how your curriculum lives inside your real days—not your fantasy schedule.

Learning flow = your rhythm.
Course load = your capacity.

Step 1: Name Your Natural Learning Rhythm

Ask yourself:

• What already works for me?

• When do I naturally have the most mental or creative energy?

• Do I learn best in short bursts or long immersions?

• Do I prefer structure, or do I need spaciousness?

• Am I in a season that wants consistency…or flexibility?

Some people thrive on:

• tiny daily touchpoints

• ambient learning (listening while doing other things)

• one longer weekly block

• “as inspired” exploration

Step 2: Decide Your Course Load

Now ask:

• How much time or energy do I realistically want to give this each week?

• Does this replace scroll time or my habit of x? Or am I adding something new into my calendar?

• What would feel nourishing, not burdensome?

Your course load might look like:

• 10–15 minutes a few times a week

• One hour once a week

• One or two small moments woven into daily life

• A loose, non-scheduled flow you dip into when it feels right

This is about choosing an amount that lets you stay in relationship with your curriculum without resentment!!

Final Project (optional but sexy)

This is absolutely NOT required (nothing is!), but it could be fun way to honor your experience and ground it in.

What a Final Project Is (and Isn’t)

A Final Project is:

• reflective

• personal, not polished or professional (hey, unless you want it to be!)

• meaningful to YOU

• about integration

It is not:

• homework

• a test

• something you have to share publicly

• proof that you “did it right”

If the idea of a Final Project feels heavy, SKIP IT!

You might have an idea in mind from the start, but often, the right Final Project emerges on its own as you move through the curriculum.

You may feel it when something clicks, a question resolves, or an identity shifts.

What a Final Project Could Look Like

Example 1: Core Subject — Mythology

Core Topic: Women’s empowerment in myths

Final Project: Your Personal Myth Rewrite

At the end of the cycle, you write (or voice note, or make a video, or whatevs) a short mythic retelling of your own life—past, present, or your becoming.

Maybeee you…

• name yourself as the heroine, witch, goddess, or wanderer

• identify the trials you’ve already survived

• name the power you reclaimed

• articulate the chapter you’re stepping into now

Example 2: Core Subject — Creativity

Core Topic: Creative expression without performance

Final Project: A New Creative Agreement

Your Final Project is rewriting the rules of your creative relationship.

At the end of the cycle, you share:

• how creativity has felt in the past (pressure, productivity, performance, monetization, proving)

• how you want creativity to feel now

• what you are no longer willing to do with or for your creativity

• what you are a HELL YES to protecting when it comes to your creativity

Example 3: Core Subject — Health + Wellness

Core Topic: Nervous system regulation

Final Project: A Personal Nervous System Map

At the end of the cycle, you create a simple map for yourself (maybe a note in your phone, or a visual drawing, or a Notion note) that answers:

• What helps regulate me when I’m overwhelmed?

• What dysregulates me fastest?

• What signals tell me I’m nearing capacity?

• What support actually works in this season of my life?

Final Projects can be something you create, name, or ritualize. They can be tiny but meaningful ways you live differently or a WHOLE new identity!

If choosing a “Final Project” feels like too much, maybe just taking a moment to ask yourself the following q’s could feel yummy…

• What did this subject stir in me?

• What did I learn?

• Where did I feel resistance?

• What changed in me because of this?

Ok!! TELL ME! Whatcha think about this?! What Core Subject(s) are you feeling pulled toward in this season? What q’s do you have as you imagine creating your own curriculum?

And…

If reading this lit something up but also made you think,
“Oh em gee, Lexiiii!! I love this…and while I could take a stab at this by myself, it would feel so yumalicious to have your support and holding…”

Well, yay! We can hippity hop on a Personal Curriculum Advisory call 😉

Think 50 juicy minutes of Hogwarts-meets-soul-coach energy—where I help you design your own magical university for the season you’re actually in (not the fantasy version of you with 17 free hours and zero dependents).

We’ll:
– distill what you’re craving into clear Core Subjects
– right-size your course load so it feels delicious, not draining
– and turn your curiosity into something you actually want to come back to

Use this link here! (It’s labeled as a Transformational Arts session, but just DM or email me and let me know you’re claiming it for Personal Curriculum sorcery, and we’ll make magic.)

Part 4: My Curriculum

Ok…sooooo do you want to know what my Personal Curriculum is?!!! Slash…has been (for a couple weeks now)?! I’m spilling allll the deets to my paid peeps because there’s some personal/top secret info here that I only feel ready to share with you supa dupa special babes! Here we go ;)