For the Season 11 finale—the season's 11th episode—we go to 11, earning ourselves an "E" for some cussin'

In the ALP's most meta-episode, two podcasters hit record and promptly turn the show into a show about conversation, consulting, and being human. 

Emily Smith, VP of Partner Success at CollegeVine and host of the terrific podcast, The Vinedown with Emily Smith, joins Ken to talk podcast origin stories, why vendor content too often feels “imperious,” and how she builds a looser, more generous show that invites guests to actually "go there."

We compare notes on consulting craft (including Ken's early tendency to overdeliver), the outsider/insider lens she’s honed across work with hundreds of colleges, and a smart take on AI as a thought partner—not a cheat code. Emily also drops a keeper: pattern-break vision—spotting the stale thing we repeat for no good reason and reframing it so others can finally see it.

The episode, in true Emily fashion, is quick, witty, and wildly human. (Her take on Mary Oliver's poetry in the Rapid Descent is gold.)

• 00:00 — Cold-open chaos
• 05:38 — Emily’s show origin, friction of starting, and why “imperious” content misses the mark
• 07:32 — Trust from CollegeVine; leaning out from salesy moments
• 10:44 — Early episodes, dropping the brand preamble, finding the voice
• 13:37 — Doubt & impostor syndrome thread (and why it shows up)
• 15:46 — Outsider vs. insider: value of the outside lens; “600 colleges” perspective
• 19:18 — Consulting arc: outsider credibility, my over-delivering phase, and the line “everything you say must be true… but you need not say every true thing”
• 22:22 — “Noise-lumberjack”: cutting clutter vs. adding it
• 24:28 — Community building and how Emily chooses (and handles inbound) guests
• 29:02 — Jeff Selingo gets a public invite to join the show + the “VP Council” mini-series idea (a teaser for season 12).
• 34:06 — Using GPT well: training on transcripts; AI as creative accelerator
• 40:30 — Key takeaway, from pattern-match to pattern-break vision
• 43:33 — Rapid Descent (spoiler, there's talk of heliskiing in Alaska)
• 55:16 — Outtake: first meeting, Colorado life, and Emily's “Hello Humans” sign

The ALP is supported by RHB, a division of SIG. Music arranged by Ryan Anselment