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Leadership, laughter, and a little Dairy Queen debate? This episode has it all. Dr. Beth Lesen joins The Pickup Meeting to share how trust, compassion, and authentic leadership can transform campus culture, support first-generation students, and inspire teams to do their best work.

From rebuilding divisions and leading through crisis to career coaching, financial wellness, and the future of student affairs, Beth offers practical wisdom and insight for listeners. Plus, the crew tackles Dilly Bars vs. Blizzards, beach vacations, and why sometimes the best leadership advice is simply to slow down, stay curious, and care for people.

*The Pickup Meeting is a spinoff of the Adventures in Advising podcast!

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This week, the rails were more of a suggestion than a destination.

Kevin celebrates his 46th birthday while Brody shares his philosophy that every birthday is worth celebrating. Along the way, the conversation veers into unexpected territory: the disappearance of neckties, the quest for the perfect joggers, movie theater etiquette (put the phone away!), and whether theaters are destined to become the drive-ins of the future.

Eventually, the duo finds their way back to higher education, exploring what professional development really means beyond annual conferences. From peer observations and book clubs to campus-based learning opportunities and the importance of creating time for growth, they discuss how leaders can cultivate meaningful development experiences—even when budgets are tight.

*The Pickup Meeting is a spinoff of the Adventures in Advising podcast!

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Have a question? Want to chat? E-mail us at thepickupmeeting@gmail.com!

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What happens when adult learners, online education, micro-credentials, baseball parks, and “other duties as assigned” all walk into one podcast episode? You get a lively conversation with Dr. Katie Dawson, Associate Vice President for Enrollment, Innovation, and Talent Strategy for the University of Louisiana System.

Katie joins Kevin and Brody to talk about Compete Louisiana, a systemwide effort helping adults with some college credit finish what they started. Along the way, she breaks down the real barriers stop-out students face, why relationships still matter in enrollment work, how online learning can be built to actually serve students, and why micro-credentials may deserve a seat at higher ed’s grown-up table. The conversation also wanders, delightfully, through mentorship, digital literacy, workforce pathways, grocery delivery, summer nostalgia, and a spirited debate over America’s best ballparks.

*The Pickup Meeting is a spinoff of the Adventures in Advising podcast!

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Have a question? Want to chat? E-mail us at thepickupmeeting@gmail.com!

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Michael “Brody” Broshears and Kevin Thomas revisit Saturday morning cartoons, video games, hockey debates, and conversations that shaped their early years. They then turn to higher education, challenging the assumption that conferences are the primary form of professional development and highlighting creative, practical ways educators and administrators continue to grow without travel or reimbursement forms.

*The Pickup Meeting is a spinoff of the Adventures in Advising podcast!

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Have a question? Want to chat? E-mail us at thepickupmeeting@gmail.com!

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Brody and Kevin sit down with W. Kent Barnds, Executive Vice President for Strategy and Innovation at Augustana College, for a conversation that zigzags from enrollment strategy to storytelling, from FAFSA frustrations to liberal arts value, and from Nebraska football loyalty to why innovation in higher ed is less about shiny new toys and more about smart combinations that actually matter.

Kent brings the heat on what makes strategic plans stick, why public thinking matters, how small colleges can compete in a noisy market, and why higher ed still has to stay deeply human in the age of AI. Along the way, the crew talks admissions essays, musical taste, red meat, Slate dashboards, and the old-person habits they have proudly adopted.

It’s thoughtful, funny, a little nerdy, and exactly the kind of meeting you actually want to be in.

*The Pickup Meeting is a spinoff of the Adventures in Advising podcast!

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook! Also, subscribe to the Adventures in Advising YouTube Channel!

Have a question? Want to chat? E-mail us at thepickupmeeting@gmail.com!

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May is doing May things: inboxes are chirping, calendars are packed, batteries are blinking red, and somehow Brody is recording while standing up. In this “Just Us” episode of The Pickup Meeting, Brody and Kevin celebrate a major milestone, unpack the weird little work habits that make us all twitch, and dig into why academic and career advising should stop living in separate silos. This episode has it all from “reply all” crimes to recharge culture, lifeguard life lessons, AI as an advising sidekick, summer goals, and vinyl record collections.

*The Pickup Meeting is a spinoff of the Adventures in Advising podcast!

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook! Also, subscribe to the Adventures in Advising YouTube Channel!

Have a question? Want to chat? E-mail us at thepickupmeeting@gmail.com!

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Dr. Clint-Michael Reneau joins The Pickup Meeting for thought-provoking and wildly quotable conversation about leadership, belonging, vulnerability, and the real work of student success. As Vice President for Student Affairs at Northern Illinois University, Clint-Michael reminds us that belonging does not happen by accident, care is not soft, and student success is not a program, but a system we are all responsible for designing.

Brody, Kevin, and Clint-Michael dig into what it means to lead through uncertainty, model vulnerability without losing clarity, and stay “trustworthy in the shake” when campuses face budget pressures, political challenges, morale dips, and constant change. Clint-Michael also shares powerful reflections on storytelling, social media, equity work, collaboration between Student Affairs and Academic Affairs, supporting men and masculinities, crisis leadership, and why curiosity may be one of the most important tools a leader can carry.

Of course, this is still The Pickup Meeting, so the conversation takes a few glorious detours through undergraduate transcript confessions, campus traditions, castle offices, Ed Sheeran feelings, favorite cities, hidden talents, dirty martinis, trash TV, and a spirited debate over whether A-ha’s Take On Me counts as a one-hit wonder.

*The Pickup Meeting is a spinoff of the Adventures in Advising podcast!

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook! Also, subscribe to the Adventures in Advising YouTube Channel!

Have a question? Want to chat? E-mail us at thepickupmeeting@gmail.com!

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Summer may look quiet on campus, but higher ed folks know better. In this episode of The Pickup Meeting, Kevin and Brody dig into the myth of the “easy summer,” swap thoughts on orientation season, and reflect on the impact of the Adventures in Advising podcast as it heads toward its final episodes. They also tackle a timely question from higher ed: are students being asked to read less, and what does that mean for learning, engagement, and life after graduation? Toss in a few laughs, some classic Brody stories, and a top three list of the weirdest things left behind during residence hall move-out, and you’ve got an episode that is equal parts thoughtful and entertaining.

*The Pickup Meeting is a spinoff of the Adventures in Advising podcast!

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook! Also, subscribe to the Adventures in Advising YouTube Channel!

Have a question? Want to chat? E-mail us at thepickupmeeting@gmail.com!

Connect with Brody and Kevin on LinkedIn.