Have you ever paused to consider the path you were on? Maybe that reflection led to affirmation, a definitive “Yes, this is the right direction.” Then again, maybe you sensed a quiet voice asking the question, “Are you sure this is the right direction?”

In this Peak Perspective, we hear a story from Thom Golden, founder and CEO of Golden Educational Consulting, who found himself on the traditional admissions leadership track but was wrestling with what he calls "purposeful unrest." How did he respond? (Original audio clip from Season 5, Episode 4 of the ALP)

It's from Chapter 11, "Saying No," one of 20 chapters in my new book, Climbing the Admissions Leadership Peak: Lessons from the ALP, available on Amazon paperback and Kindle.

The ALP is supported by RHB. Music arranged by Ryan Anselment

Have you ever faced an opportunity that made you question your readiness, your abilities—even your worth?

In this Peak Perspective, I share a story from Marie Bigham, founder of ACCEPT and IQID, who wrestled with self-doubt when she was invited to make a leap. What gave her the confidence to jump? (Original audio clip from Season 1, Episode 4 of the ALP)

It's from Chapter 8, "Living with the Imposter," one of 20 chapters in my new book, Climbing the Admissions Leadership Peak: Lessons from the ALP, available on Amazon paperback and Kindle.

The ALP is supported by RHB. Music arranged by Ryan Anselment

Have you ever made a decision so unexpected that it completely changed the course of your life?

Welcome to Peak Perspectives, a short-form spinoff of the ALP, where I share insights and stories from my new book, Climbing the Admissions Leadership Peak. Chapter 10, "Embrace the Unexpected," shares the stories of six admissions leaders who did just that. Here I read the intro of that chapter where I describe my own unexpected course change.

The ALP is supported by RHB. Music arranged by Ryan Anselment

Season 10 kicks off with exciting news and an audible sneak preview.
(And that, dear listener, is what folks in the business call a teaser.)

The ALP is supported by RHB. Music arranged by Ryan Anselment

Nathan Ament and Teege Mettille are the creators and co-hosts of the hit podcast, The Admissions Directors Lunchcast. They share different versions of their podcast's origin while somehow enticing Ken to share how the ALP came to be. Also, there's a teaser hidden in the Rapid Descent that you might catch if you listen carefully.

Special shout-out to a slew of Nathan's and Teege's former Lawrence colleagues, with extra love for Steve Syverson and Chuck Erickson, two of the finest to grace the halls of the Lawrence admissions office.

If you can't get enough of Teege, you can also find him on the Melrose Place Cast, even though he doesn't want you to.

Rapid Descent

• Walkout songs: The Humpty Dance (Nathan) and Superqueen (Teege)
• Best recent read: Say It Like Obama (Teege) and The Covenant of Water (Nathan)
• Eager to read next: Lake of Dragons (Teege) and "whatever Jamie recommends next" (Nathan)
• Favorite podcast:  B*tchslap (Teege) and Capture the Magic Disney World Podcast (Nathan, who is also a licensed Disney World travel agent)
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: Old-fashioned or a Mai Tai (Nathan) and hand-rolled pretzels (Teege)
• Taking and keeping notes: Uniball Onyx pen (Teege) Pilot G2  with a Moleskine (Nathan)
• Memorable bit of advice: "When you try to be like the school down the street, you lose. Lean into what's unique about your school." (Steve Syverson to Nathan); "We all revert to email way too much. When possible, use the phone." (Ken Anselment to Teege)
• Bucket list: Complete the RAGBRAI (bike ride across Iowa for Teege); Be the captain of the water taxi that runs between the Polynesian Resort and Magic Kingdom (Nathan)

The ALP is supported by RHB. Music arranged by Ryan Anselment

(No, the other one.)

What happens when two avowed GenXers record a podcast episode? From the host you get a bad reference to C+C Music Factory; from the guest you get helpful lessons on "how to vice president." Michael Keaton, VP for Enrollment Management at Ursinus College, sets the record straight on who was Michael Keaton first, how to leave things better than you found them, and why all colleges are not in the same boat in the midst of the FAFSA rollout debacle. 

Rapid Descent

• Walkout song: The Boss by James Brown (Michael actually uses walkout music at open house events ... get yourself to Ursinus for one of these!)
• Best recent read: The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed
• Eager to read next: From Punk to Monk by Ray Rahunath Cappo
• Favorite podcast:  Broad Street Breakdown by Jedi Mind Tricks
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: Vegan chopped cheese.
• Taking and keeping notes: Kindle Scribe
• Memorable bit of advice: "Don't start none; won't be none."
• Bucket list: CVisit the last 11 United States he hasn't yet visited. Friends from IA, ID, HI, KS, MI, MS, MT, ND, NE, SD, and WY? Help him out. 

The ALP is supported by RHB. Music arranged by Ryan Anselment

Carin Smith, domestic recruitment manager and Chicago regional representative for Beloit College (and a former member of Ken's team at Lawrence who helped him learn how to be an admissions director through a creative partnership she arranged), talks about how to lead without title, and the four reasons why this has been a deliberate choice she has made over her four decades in college admissions. She'll also share three essential perspectives on what makes a good leader.

This episode is dedicated to Molly Arnold (1962-2010), without whom neither host nor guest would be the people or professionals they are today.

Rapid Descent

• Walkout song: Centerfield by John Fogerty
• Best recent read: The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
• Eager to read next: Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek
• Favorite podcast:  None, "I'm an audiobook fan."
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: Cinnamon scones.
• Taking and keeping notes: Lined paper by Rifle and a sharp pencil with eraser.
• Memorable bit of advice: Used delayed send [on emails].
• Bucket list: Chicago Cubs spring training [to which the host replies, "Go Brewers."]

The ALP is supported by RHB. Music arranged by Ryan Anselment

From the time he was a little boy, Jeff Blahnik always wanted to be "an attorney," but a moment of crisis halfway through law school changed his path. He's now the Vice President of Enrollment Management at the University of Oklahoma, and shares the secret of winning the job interview at OU, how "inspired hospitality" makes a flagship feel intimate, and how to establish yourself as a new leader at a new institution. He also answers the question: "Who has the hottest seat on an athletic powerhouse's campus: president, enrollment VP, or football coach?"

Special shout-out to Marquette University's Roby Blust, from whose coaching tree both guest and host have sprouted, and Dan Hamrin, yet another branch on that tree.

The Miami of Minnesota ... it's a real thing.

Rapid Descent

• Walkout song: Don't Let the Old Man In by Toby Keith
• Best recent read: Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara
• Eager to read next: Belonging by Owen Eastwood
• Favorite podcast:  Missing in Alaska
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: "I grind the beans and make an incredible pot of coffee."
• Taking and keeping notes: Moleskine notebook and Zebra ballpoint pen.
• Memorable bit of advice: (1) Make gratitude an everyday part of your routine … it prepares you for moments of desolation. Bring light and love into your life."; (2) Competition isn’t hoping that someone else does worse than you. Focus on being your best and ensure your team is the best."
• Bucket list: Travel to Europe for his 25th wedding anniversary.

The ALP is supported by RHB. Music arranged by Ryan Anselment

Angela Frazier, Vice President of Student Services at Waukesha County Technical College (the ALP's first guest two-year college enrollment leader and the first African-American leader in WCTC's 100-year history) shines a light on what people get wrong about two-year colleges; how WCTC has punched above its weight with recruitment and retention; and why she needs help with a walkout song.

Special shout-out to Angela's right-hand man, John McGreal, Dean of Enrollment Services. 

Rapid Descent

• Walkout song: "I don't have a walkout song. I don't like music." (But she's taking recommendations.)
• Best recent read: Transcendent Kingdom, by Yaa Gyasi
• Eager to read next: The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois, by Honoree Fanone Jeffers
• Favorite podcast:  For Your Institution, by Mongoose
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: "Not your momma's banana pudding."
• Taking and keeping notes: Notes app on iPhone.
• Memorable bit of advice: "If you don't think you look good, no one will think you look good, and if no one thinks I look good, you better think that I look good."
• Bucket list: Travel to Australia.

The ALP is supported by RHB. Music arranged by Ryan Anselment

Justin Draeger, President and CEO of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, joins the ALP to share what colleagues in admissions, enrollment, student success, presidents' offices, etc. can do to support their financial aid colleagues, who are about to do 6 to 9 months of work in about 4 to 6 weeks. A deep thinker, reader, writer and speaker, Justin also shares a bunch of excellent leadership lessons, including how, as Bertrand Russell wrote, "Fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people full of doubts."

Special shout-out to the Lawrence University financial aid team, "the finest team in all the land."

References

• Why I Choose the Harder Commute, July 2020
• Finding Motivation in Tough Times, August 2020
• Off the Cuff, NASFAA's podcast

Rapid Descent

• Walkout song: Walk This Way, Run DMC and Aerosmith
• Best recent read: Uncultured: A Memoir, Daniella Mestyanek Young and Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt
• Eager to read next: Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl (the cost of reading a new book is not rereading one of the best books you've already read) 
• Favorite podcast: The Gray Area
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: simple recipes with a chef's kiss, like fried eggs and bacon with a latte.
• Taking and keeping notes: a complex system of handwritten notes, Evernote and Roam Research.
• Memorable bit of advice: "Anyone who says he has finished a canvas is terribly arrogant. 'Finished' means 'complete, perfect.'" (Claude Monet)
• Bucket list: walk the Camino de Santiago.

The ALP is supported by RHB. Music arranged by Ryan Anselment