How Many Coaching Sessions Do I Need?
Common Coaching Queries for College Leadership I’m often asked this question when I meet new coaching clients. My answer, which some find frustrating, is that it depends. The right number of sessions depends on your goals, your capacity to reflect and take action, your budget, and the level of support you need. Do you need […]
How a Ta-da List Can Boost Your Confidence
Ta-da List: Tracking Small Achievements In a podcast conversation with Kate Bowler, educator of educators, Parker Palmer shared that during a debilitating bout of depression, a therapist encouraged him to keep a list of the tiniest achievements. The therapist told him that documenting these micro wins each day would be evidence of his progress, even […]
How to Build Self-Trust as a Woman in Academia: Key Strategies
Building self-trust as women in academia often means pushing past doubt and grounding ourselves in our own judgment. We encounter many expectations, some written, many implied, that can make us question our competence. Developing self-trust in leadership allows us to make clear decisions and speak with confidence. This ability becomes essential for both career growth and long-term […]
How Appreciative Inquiry Creates a Hopeful Campus Culture
Appreciative Inquiry in higher education is a strengths-based process that helps us build positive change by identifying and expanding what gives our academic communities life. Higher education often focuses on fixing problems—low engagement, poor collaboration, or lack of innovation. But, appreciative Inquiry takes a different approach by shifting attention from what is broken to what already works […]
Reflection Prompts For Women In Leadership: Strategies for Growth and Balance
Every day seems full, yet the list keeps growing. Leadership brings satisfaction and purpose, but it can also feel like too much. For many of us, recognizing how our leadership development unfolds amid overwhelm is the first step toward restoring clarity and resilience. Between responsibilities at work and home, it’s easy to move so fast […]
How to Build Trust Through Staff Engagement in Planning
Faculty and staff engagement is essential to effective campus planning, yet it’s often overlooked. When we launch new initiatives, early involvement from staff and faculty shapes stronger outcomes and smoother implementation. Many plans fail not because of poor ideas but because the people responsible for carrying them out weren’t part of the initial planning. Including […]
My Path to Coaching Badass Women in Higher Ed
Childhood Dreams to Coaching in Higher Ed When I was a little girl, I would line up my stuffed animals classroom-style and pretend I was their teacher. I idolized my third-grade teacher, Mrs. Brophy, who wore loud clogs, taught us American Sign Language, and let us do impromptu dance performances at the front of the […]
The Iterative Process of Creating Your Strategic Plan
Why Higher Ed Strategic Planning Matters In previous posts, I have written about the conditions leading to a successful strategic planning process, how appreciative inquiry can be used to facilitate an inclusive strategic planning process, how SOAR can be an effective analysis tool and, finally, how to involve multiple stakeholders. In this post, I offer […]
Prompts to Reflect on 2022
College Leaders Seeking Growth How was your 2022? Reflecting back on your year has many benefits. Thinking about the past year’s ups and downs, achievements and challenges, joys and sorrows can help you make decisions about the year ahead. Taking the time to reflect on the past year helps us think about what serves us, […]
How to survive when you are in survival mode
Tips for College Leaders December is a brutal times for academics. Students are stressed; just trying to make it to the finish line in one piece. Faculty are stressed as they stare at the enormous pile of grading in front of them. For administrators, the clock is ticking on what you can do while faculty […]