A heartfelt reflection on how influence travels through our lives, the power of believing in others, and the legacy we create by passing light forward to those around us.
Influential Woman · Doctoral Services
Heather Buschmann
Founder & CEO, Academic Phoenix Protocol
3Articles published
5Awards received
Her Story
About Heather
Dr. Heather Buschmann holds a PhD in Education and a Master's in Curriculum and Instruction, with 25 years of PreK–12 experience. Her dissertation is published in ProQuest, and her research appears in the Journal of Digital Educational Technology. She also serves as a peer reviewer for academic journals. Her blend of rigorous academic training and decades of real-world practice means she understands both the theory of research design and the real-life support doctoral students need. That's exactly what Academic Phoenix Protocol provides: the resources scholars worldwide need to keep moving forward.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Heather
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to understanding this truth: your mind is the most powerful place you'll ever occupy. See a vision, a reality that you want, then go get it with discipline, with support, with unwavering devotion to your vision. And when you build from that pure inspiration, you don't just create success, you create movements that change the world.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
My committee chair, mentor, and professor always told me, Trust the process, and feedback is a gift. When you trust the process and embrace feedback, you don't just survive the journey; you transform through it.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Stay resilient, stay committed, stay focused, raise the bar, and become UNSTOPPABLE. You never know what you can accomplish when you truly follow your mind and heart with discipline, support, and devotion.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Many doctoral students need more support than their programs can give. So I built AcademicPhoenixProtocol.com
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
- Devotion (or deep commitment) — To knowledge, to learning, and to people. I believe in pouring heart and soul into pursuits that matter. Whether research or supporting someone through their most challenging chapter, devotion means showing up fully, consistently, and with genuine care.
- Determination (or discipline and perseverance) — Life and academia are full of breaking points, but I've seen time and again that with disciplined effort and resilience, extraordinary things become possible. This value fuels my own path from paraeducator to PhD to CEO and inspires the work of helping others push through theirs.
- Support (and the belief that no one should go it alone) — No meaningful achievement happens in isolation. The support that saved my dissertation changed my life, and now it's core to my mission: ensuring scholars have the encouragement, resources, and guidance they need so no brilliant mind or vital knowledge is lost.
- Honor and respect for persistence and human potential — I value honoring the intellectual fire in every researcher, the years of effort they invest, and the potential impact of their work on education, healthcare, policy, technology, and beyond. Preserving that isn't just professional, it's a profound way of respecting human striving and curiosity.
- Lifelong passion for learning and growth — At my core, I love knowledge, its creation, its preservation, and its power to change lives. This passion drives both my personal fulfillment and my professional purpose: ensuring that no valuable insight goes unshared.
These values aren't abstract; they're lived. They show up in how I approach every assessment, every conversation, and every day. In work and life, with determination, devotion, and the right people beside you, anything meaningful is possible, and no one has to do it alone.
Her Content Hub
Articles by Heather
For Every Version of You Nobody Applauded
How One Woman's Journey Reveals That True Influence Means Passing the Light to Others
My friend Brenda would remind me, "It takes a village."
She was right.
When I look back at my journey from paraeducator to PhD to CEO, I don't just see what I accomplished. I see the encouragement. The conversations. The different perspectives. The people who believed in me along the way.
There were days I believed in myself completely.
And there were days when someone else believed in me more than I believed in myself.
Through all of it, my faith stayed at the center. God comes first in my life. Thank you, Lord. Always.
I believe there was purpose in every chapter, even the ones when I couldn't see what came next.
I earned the degrees. I did the work. I became the CEO.
But none of that made me more valuable.
A doctorate didn't make me worthy.
A title didn't make me influential.
I was becoming her all along.
And I wasn't becoming her alone.
We may have our own dreams, but we don't have to chase them alone.
To the Woman Reading This
Maybe she is 18.
Maybe she is 38.
Maybe she is 68.
Maybe she is 88.
Maybe she knows exactly where she is going.
Maybe she has no idea.
Maybe she is building a career.
Maybe she is raising a family.
Maybe she is caring for someone she loves.
Maybe she is learning to care for herself.
Maybe she has three degrees.
Maybe she never went to college.
Maybe she loves being the center of the room.
Maybe she would rather never be noticed at all.
Maybe she is chasing a dream.
Maybe getting through today is enough.
Maybe everyone thinks she has it all together.
Maybe nobody knows how hard yesterday was.
I don't know her story.
I don't know what she believes.
I don't know what she has survived.
I don't pretend to know what she should do next.
But she knows something no one else fully can:
What it took to become the woman she is today.
The private battles.
The starting over.
The things she carried that nobody knew were heavy.
The days when simply continuing was the victory.
That woman might be someone you love.
That woman might be you.
And if nobody ever applauded those moments, this is your standing ovation.
Not because the world finally noticed you.
Because your story mattered before it did.
How Far Does Influence Travel?
That's the question I keep coming back to.
A teacher says something a student remembers thirty years later.
A friend's encouragement becomes someone else's courage.
One woman believes in another before she fully believes in herself.
Someone listens when another person needs to be heard.
Someone makes another human being feel less alone.
One life touches another.
Then another.
Then another.
Eventually, the woman who started it may disappear from the story entirely.
But what she gave doesn't.
Something you said, taught, shared, or gave may already be traveling through someone else's life.
Maybe it was so small you don't even remember doing it.
They might.
You may never know.
And that might be the most extraordinary thing about INFLUENCE:
It can outgrow the moment that created it.
Someone may have changed a small part of your life without ever knowing it.
And you may already have done the same for someone else.
Pass the Light
That's the kind of influential woman I want to be.
Not a woman whose story makes someone think, "Look what she accomplished."
A woman whose story makes someone think:
"Maybe my story matters too."
Someone passed a light to me.
I carried it.
Now some of it lives in these words.
I may never know who carries it next.
I don't have to.
Because influence was never meant to stop with the person who started it.
It doesn't stand above someone.
It doesn't stand in front of someone.
It stands for someone.
Maybe the greatest influence we have isn't the influence we get to see.
Maybe it's the courage we leave in someone else.
The belief.
The kindness.
The moment we made someone feel seen.
The light.
And somewhere, something we gave may already be traveling farther than we ever imagined.
None of us was ever meant to be the whole light.
We were meant to pass it on.
An inspiring message about pursuing your own path to excellence. Two sisters, two different journeys, one shared legacy of courage, determination, and refusing to settle for anything less than your best.
Two Crowns, One Legacy
A story of two paths, one purpose: building your legacy through courage, determination, and the gift only you can give.
Two Crowns. One Legacy.
My sister and I built two very different lives.
She is a CEO who built her own salon, bringing confidence to whoever sits in her chair through her talent, skill, and gift for making people feel like the best versions of themselves.
I am a CEO with a doctorate, building through education, research, insight, and purpose.
She has her tools.
I have mine.
Our paths are different. Our determination is the same.
Moreover, that is what I want every woman to know:
You do not have to do what I do.
You do not have to do what my sister does.
You have to do what is yours and give it everything you have.
Because extraordinary is not a profession.
It is not a title.
It is not a degree.
It is a decision to care deeply about what you are building and refuse to give it anything less than your best.
Whatever your work is, make it matter.
Whatever your gift is, use it.
Whatever your dream is, give it a chance.
And whatever is in your hands today,
Do not underestimate it.
A pair of scissors can become a business.
Knowledge can become a calling.
An idea can become a future.
A classroom can become a turning point.
A kitchen table can become the beginning of an empire.
You never know what your smallest beginning can become.
My sister and I did not need the same map.
We needed the courage to follow our own.
And neither of us built everything in one day.
We built our legacy by showing up.
Learning.
Working.
Failing.
Trying again.
And refusing to let one difficult day end the story.
That is how confidence is built.
Not by waiting until you feel ready.
By moving before you feel ready.
So, if you have been waiting for permission,
This is it.
If you have been waiting for the perfect time,
This is the time.
If you have been waiting to feel like you are enough,
You already are.
You are enough to begin.
You are enough to learn.
You are enough to try again.
You are enough to build something that has never existed before.
Start today.
Not because you know exactly where you will end, but because you believe enough in where you could go to take the first step.
And when you do, do not ask whether your dream is big enough.
Ask:
"What happens if I finally give it everything I've got?"
That question can change a life.
It changed mine.
It shaped my sister's.
And it can shape yours.
My sister has her crown.
I have mine.
And there is room for yours.
You do not have to wait until you feel ready.
You do not have to wait for someone to believe in you.
You do not have to wait until your dream looks impressive.
You are enough to begin.
So start.
Start with what you have.
Start where you are.
Start with the gift in your hands.
Start with the dream in your heart.
And then give it everything.
Your heart.
Your mind.
Your courage.
Your determination.
Because somewhere inside you is something the world has never seen, exactly the way you can give it.
Do not leave it there.
Let us build.
Let us believe.
Let us become.
Two crowns. One legacy.
— Dr. Heather Buschmann
From paraeducator to CEO: A transformative journey of faith, courage, and purpose. Discover how one woman's decision to follow God's calling led her from the classroom to the boardroom, proving that it's never too late to pursue your extraordinary destiny.
The Day Everything Changed: One Decision, No Limits
From Paraeducator to CEO: How One Woman Answered God's Call and Changed Her Life Forever
I thought I would retire as a paraeducator.
That was my plan. Fifteen years at my son's elementary school. Two more at the high school. Then retirement. Safe. Predictable. Done.
Then life exploded. My son went to college. I lost my mom. I lost my mother-in-law. Everything I thought was certain became uncertain.
And in that chaos, I heard God whisper: "You were made for more."
One day after school, I came home and told my husband, "I'm going to college to earn a bachelor's degree. I don't want to be a paraeducator anymore."
The next day, I signed up.
I didn't stop until I finished my doctorate.
Today, I'm a CEO. And I'm here to tell you: God has a purpose for everybody.
Here's What Nobody Tells You
I had never been to college. Not one day. My son went before I did.
I was 17 years into a career I thought would be my last.
Every logical voice said: Too old. Too late. Too risky.
But God's voice was louder.
That's the secret they don't teach you: When God calls, logic doesn't matter. Age doesn't matter. Your resume doesn't matter. What matters is whether you're brave enough to say yes.
I went from bachelor's to master's to doctorate without taking a single break. Not because I'm special. Because I finally stopped planning my retirement and started living God's purpose for my life.
The Three Things That Changed Everything
1. I stopped waiting for perfect and started walking in faith.
You don't need a perfect plan. You need one decision. One conversation. One signature the next day. God doesn't ask for perfect—He asks for willing.
2. I realized every day is a gift.
Losing my mom and mother-in-law taught me: tomorrow isn't promised. The time to pursue your purpose is NOW. Not someday. Not when you're ready. Not when it's convenient. Now.
3. I understood that God's purpose is always bigger than my plan.
I thought being a paraeducator was my ceiling. God knew it was my foundation. What you think is your ending might be your beginning.
You Can Accomplish Anything with God's Support and Faith
I am so thankful to be inspired my entire life by following God's purpose for me. Here I stand today, continuing to fuel my passion, my knowledge, helping others, making a difference—and feeling blessed to know that every step, every day is a gift from God.
With God's support and faith, you truly can accomplish anything.
Not might. Not maybe. Can.
The doctorate I earned. The CEO title I hold. The impact I make. None of it came from my strength alone. It came from surrendering to God's purpose and refusing to let fear write my story.
God has a purpose for you too. It might not look like mine. But I promise you—it's there. Waiting. Calling. Ready for you to say yes.
Your One Decision
Here's what I need you to understand:
The gap between where you are and where God is calling you isn't time—it's one decision.
Mine happened after school on an ordinary day. I came home. I told my husband: "I'm going to college. I don't want to be a paraeducator anymore." I signed up the next day.
Yours could happen right now. This moment. As you read these words.
What would you do if you knew God was with you? If you knew He had a purpose for your life that's bigger than your fear? If you truly believed that with His support and faith, you could accomplish anything?
Stop planning your safe retirement from life and start living the extraordinary purpose God designed for you.
One decision. One conversation. One step of faith.
That's all it takes to go from "I thought I would retire as a paraeducator" to "I didn't stop until I finished my doctorate."
Your Moment Is Now
Someone needs to know that losing people you love can redirect you toward your destiny. That 17 years in one place doesn't mean you're stuck—it means you're prepared. That one decision after school can change everything. That God's purpose for your life doesn't expire.
You are that someone.
Stand up. Not tomorrow. Not when you're ready. Now.
Speak your dream out loud like I did. Sign up the next day like I did. Don't stop until you finish like I did.
Because God has a purpose for everybody, and yours is too important to keep waiting.
I'm living proof that ordinary people following God's purpose accomplish extraordinary things.
Now go be proof too.
Your moment is now. God is ready. Are you?
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