Your Strategist Is In with Dr. Loren M. Hill

Dr. Loren M. Hill
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Hosted by Loren M. Hill, founder of The Acclivity, The Strategist Is In podcast offers clear, candid perspective on the complex realities of working in higher education today. From navigating institutional change to advancing equity and leading with intention, each episode speaks to professionals across the academic spectrum — faculty, staff, and administrators alike. Real conversations about leadership, purpose, and success in Higher Ed.  Smart, grounded insight for all the people who move institutions forward.

  1. MAR 15

    Leaders Navigating High-Visibility Environments

    In this episode of The Strategist Is In, Dr. Loren M. Hill explores what it means to be highly visible without always having power. Drawing from a recent experience presenting at an international conference in Argentina, she reflects on how leadership often shows up in moments of confusion, tension, and structural gaps — especially for those who are expected to hold rooms together that they did not design. This conversation examines hypervisibility: being seen before being supported, being included without being resourced, and being read as a symbol or representation rather than as an individual. Dr. Hill also unpacks the tension between institutional credibility and community impact, and how leaders are often required to navigate both while under watchful scrutiny. If you have ever felt the weight of expectation in rooms where you had limited leverage, this episode offers a framework for understanding where visibility translates into influence — and where it does not. A companion workbook is available in the show notes to help you map where you are visible, where you have influence, and where there may be gaps between the two. 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱): https://theacclivity.com/VisibilityInfluenceAudit Dr. Loren M. Hill is a licensed clinical psychologist, the founder of The Acclivity and a Senior Executive Consultant for Transformational Leadership in Higher Ed helping Higher Ed leaders lead with clarity, courage and purpose. She is an APA Feminist Academic Leadership Academy Fellow, RAND Faculty Workshop Fellow, and member of Psi Chi, she also serves as Resident Psychologist for KBLA 1580’s Urban Family Focus talk radio. Dr. Hill specializes in helping women, BIPOC, and first-generation professionals gain clarity, confidence, and leadership impact.  For further information on Academic Career Advancements support and coaching, click here to book a free no obligation call  ************************ → Subscribe to YouTube → Subscribe to the Newsletter → Connect on LinkedIn → Connect on Facebook Not sure what your next move is? Acclivity's Quick Clarity Session offers a one-time strategy consult + custom follow-up to help you figure it out. ​ → S𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹

    20 min

  2. FEB 15

    The Higher the Influence, the Heavier the Expectation

    We often assume that achievement brings relief. A higher title. Greater influence. More authority. Surely, at some point, the pressure eases. But what if that assumption is wrong? In this episode of The Strategist Is In, Dr. Loren M. Hill explores what she calls “the boulder at the top” the quiet emotional weight experienced by leaders, executives, and high-achievers whose influence continues to expand. Drawing from a candid moment in a high-level leadership gathering, Loren unpacks: • Why the higher the influence, the heavier the expectation • The myth of “arrival” in leadership • The difference between meaningful challenge and structural friction • How competence becomes baseline and often invisible • Why excellence can feel cumulative in some spaces and endlessly resetting in others • The structural roots of exhaustion at the top This episode continues Season 5’s exploration of The Emotional Cost of Excellence, reframing leadership strain as a design issue rather than a resilience failure.  Plus: Download the free companion reflection workbook to map where your effort accumulates and where it resets. Dr. Loren M. Hill is a licensed clinical psychologist, the founder of The Acclivity and a Senior Executive Consultant for Transformational Leadership in Higher Ed helping Higher Ed leaders lead with clarity, courage and purpose. She is an APA Feminist Academic Leadership Academy Fellow, RAND Faculty Workshop Fellow, and member of Psi Chi, she also serves as Resident Psychologist for KBLA 1580’s Urban Family Focus talk radio. Dr. Hill specializes in helping women, BIPOC, and first-generation professionals gain clarity, confidence, and leadership impact.  For further information on Academic Career Advancements support and coaching, click here to book a free no obligation call  ************************ → Subscribe to YouTube → Subscribe to the Newsletter → Connect on LinkedIn → Connect on Facebook Not sure what your next move is? Acclivity's Quick Clarity Session offers a one-time strategy consult + custom follow-up to help you figure it out. ​ → S𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹

    21 min

  3. JAN 15

    What I’m Building Next

    January is often framed as a reset. But clarity doesn’t automatically create momentum. This episode completes a three-part arc from Season 5: November: noticing what still countsDecember: choosing what to carry forwardJanuary: committing to what you’re willing to build nextThis is not a productivity episode. It’s about building under real conditions. You’ll hear stories of faculty and leaders navigating shifting metrics, institutional ambiguity, and emotional overload, not by reinventing themselves, but by choosing containment, boundaries, and sustainable commitment. This episode is quieter by design. Because building doesn’t require urgency. It requires honesty. A companion guide, 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜'𝗺 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁, is linked in the show notes for listeners who want to work with the questions more slowly. 👉🏽 https://theacclivity.com/WhatImBuildingNext_ReflectionGuide Dr. Loren M. Hill is a licensed clinical psychologist, the founder of The Acclivity and a Senior Executive Consultant for Transformational Leadership in Higher Ed helping Higher Ed leaders lead with clarity, courage and purpose. She is an APA Feminist Academic Leadership Academy Fellow, RAND Faculty Workshop Fellow, and member of Psi Chi, she also serves as Resident Psychologist for KBLA 1580’s Urban Family Focus talk radio. Dr. Hill specializes in helping women, BIPOC, and first-generation professionals gain clarity, confidence, and leadership impact.  For further information on Academic Career Advancements support and coaching, click here to book a free no obligation call  ************************ → Subscribe to YouTube → Subscribe to the Newsletter → Connect on LinkedIn → Connect on Facebook Not sure what your next move is? Acclivity's Quick Clarity Session offers a one-time strategy consult + custom follow-up to help you figure it out. ​ → S𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹

    29 min

  4. 12/15/2025

    December’s Work: Choosing What Stays

    In this episode of Your Strategist Is In, Dr. Loren M. Hill continues the three-part end-of-year arc by naming December’s quiet but critical leadership work: discernment. As higher education remains unstable and expectations continue to shift, this episode invites you to slow down and ask a single guiding question: What am I choosing to carry forward? Through reflection, metaphor, and real-world examples from across higher education, Dr. Hill explores how discernment differs from clarity, why not all labor is meant to cross seasons, and how intentional choice becomes an act of leadership — not withdrawal. This episode is for faculty, administrators, staff, and academic leaders who feel the weight of what they’ve been holding and are ready to choose what truly belongs in the next season. 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱): https://theacclivity.com/ChoosingWhatStays_ReflectionGuide Dr. Loren M. Hill is a licensed clinical psychologist, the founder of The Acclivity and a Senior Executive Consultant for Transformational Leadership in Higher Ed helping Higher Ed leaders lead with clarity, courage and purpose. She is an APA Feminist Academic Leadership Academy Fellow, RAND Faculty Workshop Fellow, and member of Psi Chi, she also serves as Resident Psychologist for KBLA 1580’s Urban Family Focus talk radio. Dr. Hill specializes in helping women, BIPOC, and first-generation professionals gain clarity, confidence, and leadership impact.  For further information on Academic Career Advancements support and coaching, click here to book a free no obligation call  ************************ → Subscribe to YouTube → Subscribe to the Newsletter → Connect on LinkedIn → Connect on Facebook Not sure what your next move is? Acclivity's Quick Clarity Session offers a one-time strategy consult + custom follow-up to help you figure it out. ​ → S𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹

    25 min

  5. 11/15/2025

    What Still Counts? | Navigating Ambiguity in Higher Ed

    In a year marked by shifting metrics, institutional turbulence, and the evolving landscape of higher education, resilient leadership requires something far deeper than steadiness — it calls for clarity, groundedness, and self-honesty. In this reflective November episode, Dr. Loren M. Hill guides you through the quiet work of noticing: noticing what’s fading, what’s evolving, and what no longer belongs to you. Through the Healing-Centered Leadership lens, she offers tools, questions, and reframes to help you understand your current season of meaning-making. This is the work of November: not fixing, not releasing — noticing. Tune in as we prepare for December’s work of choosing what stays, what goes, and what deserves to cross the threshold into a new year. 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱): https://theacclivity.com/WhatStillCounts_ReflectionGuide Dr. Loren M. Hill is a licensed clinical psychologist, the founder of The Acclivity and a Senior Executive Consultant for Transformational Leadership in Higher Ed helping Higher Ed leaders lead with clarity, courage and purpose. She is an APA Feminist Academic Leadership Academy Fellow, RAND Faculty Workshop Fellow, and member of Psi Chi, she also serves as Resident Psychologist for KBLA 1580’s Urban Family Focus talk radio. Dr. Hill specializes in helping women, BIPOC, and first-generation professionals gain clarity, confidence, and leadership impact.  For further information on Academic Career Advancements support and coaching, click here to book a free no obligation call  ************************ → Subscribe to YouTube → Subscribe to the Newsletter → Connect on LinkedIn → Connect on Facebook Not sure what your next move is? Acclivity's Quick Clarity Session offers a one-time strategy consult + custom follow-up to help you figure it out. ​ → S𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹

    24 min

  6. 10/20/2025

    What Resilient Leadership Looks Like Now

    In this episode, I share a reflection on what it means to lead with courage, care, and clarity in higher education today. As founder of Acclivity and proud speaker at The Gathering 2025, I explore how resilient leadership isn’t about being unshakable—it’s about being honest, grounded, and transparent, especially when systems are under pressure. Through my Healing-Centered Leadership Compass, I introduce four domains that help leaders navigate misalignment, burnout, and institutional fatigue: Self-Awareness – understanding what we carry and how we lead from it.Relational Accountability – building trust beyond compliance.Institutional Integrity – aligning our actions with our stated values.Social Responsibility – leading with systems awareness and care.I also preview my upcoming sessions at The Gathering 2025, including a solo workshop on academic leadership and a joint presentation with Dr. NaTasha Jordan on bridging healing-centered leadership with high-touch excellence models. Because leadership doesn’t live in silos—it lives in relationships. And in this moment of chronic disruption, we’re called not to be perfect, but to be present. 🎧 Listen now to explore how healing-centered leadership can help you stay aligned, adaptive, and anchored in purpose. Dr. Loren M. Hill is a licensed clinical psychologist, the founder of The Acclivity and a Senior Executive Consultant for Transformational Leadership in Higher Ed helping Higher Ed leaders lead with clarity, courage and purpose. She is an APA Feminist Academic Leadership Academy Fellow, RAND Faculty Workshop Fellow, and member of Psi Chi, she also serves as Resident Psychologist for KBLA 1580’s Urban Family Focus talk radio. Dr. Hill specializes in helping women, BIPOC, and first-generation professionals gain clarity, confidence, and leadership impact.  For further information on Academic Career Advancements support and coaching, click here to book a free no obligation call  ************************ → Subscribe to YouTube → Subscribe to the Newsletter → Connect on LinkedIn → Connect on Facebook Not sure what your next move is? Acclivity's Quick Clarity Session offers a one-time strategy consult + custom follow-up to help you figure it out. ​ → S𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹

    5 min

  7. 10/15/2025

    Haunted, Rebellious, Free — The Season of Letting Go

    We often talk about the weight of failure—but not the weight of praise. Sometimes, the very things we’re celebrated for become the ghosts that follow us. We get known for what we once did well, and slowly, excellence becomes a performance rather than a joy. In this episode, I explore three emotional seasons every high-achiever eventually faces: Haunted by Achievement: When past success becomes a cage.The Quiet Rebellion of Enough: When saying no becomes an act of integrity.The Season of Letting Go: When release becomes the most honest form of growth.“Enough isn’t mediocrity. It’s a moral stance.”  “Letting go isn’t quitting. It’s the beginning of honesty.” For those of us working inside systems that worship more, these aren’t just reflections—they’re survival skills. CLICK HERE for the Reflection Guide to help you pause, process, and shift. https://theacclivity.com/SeasonOfLettingGo_ReflectionGuide Prompt for reflection: What version of yourself are you still performing for? And what might shift if you finally let them rest? Dr. Loren M. Hill is a licensed clinical psychologist, the founder of The Acclivity and a Senior Executive Consultant for Transformational Leadership in Higher Ed helping Higher Ed leaders lead with clarity, courage and purpose. She is an APA Feminist Academic Leadership Academy Fellow, RAND Faculty Workshop Fellow, and member of Psi Chi, she also serves as Resident Psychologist for KBLA 1580’s Urban Family Focus talk radio. Dr. Hill specializes in helping women, BIPOC, and first-generation professionals gain clarity, confidence, and leadership impact.  For further information on Academic Career Advancements support and coaching, click here to book a free no obligation call  ************************ → Subscribe to YouTube → Subscribe to the Newsletter → Connect on LinkedIn → Connect on Facebook Not sure what your next move is? Acclivity's Quick Clarity Session offers a one-time strategy consult + custom follow-up to help you figure it out. ​ → S𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹

    21 min

  8. 09/15/2025

    Leadership in the Gap: What Higher Ed Needs Now

    If you’ve ever felt abandoned by leadership on your campus, you’re not alone. Disruption isn’t the only challenge in higher education — it’s the lack of leadership that follows. In this episode of Your Strategist Is In, Dr. Loren Hill shares how to fill the leadership gap with clarity, courage, and capacity — no matter your role. You’ll hear:  Why trust in leadership is wavering across campuses.How turnover, demographics, and harsher scrutiny for women and leaders of color are reshaping leadership.The three practices you can start using right now to step into leadership, even without a title. 📘 Download the free Reflection & Action Guide to turn these insights into steps: https://theacclivity.com/LeadershipInTheGapGuide Dr. Loren M. Hill is a licensed clinical psychologist, the founder of The Acclivity and a Senior Executive Consultant for Transformational Leadership in Higher Ed helping Higher Ed leaders lead with clarity, courage and purpose. She is an APA Feminist Academic Leadership Academy Fellow, RAND Faculty Workshop Fellow, and member of Psi Chi, she also serves as Resident Psychologist for KBLA 1580’s Urban Family Focus talk radio. Dr. Hill specializes in helping women, BIPOC, and first-generation professionals gain clarity, confidence, and leadership impact.  For further information on Academic Career Advancements support and coaching, click here to book a free no obligation call  ************************ → Subscribe to YouTube → Subscribe to the Newsletter → Connect on LinkedIn → Connect on Facebook Not sure what your next move is? Acclivity's Quick Clarity Session offers a one-time strategy consult + custom follow-up to help you figure it out. ​ → S𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹

    15 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Hosted by Loren M. Hill, founder of The Acclivity, The Strategist Is In podcast offers clear, candid perspective on the complex realities of working in higher education today. From navigating institutional change to advancing equity and leading with intention, each episode speaks to professionals across the academic spectrum — faculty, staff, and administrators alike. Real conversations about leadership, purpose, and success in Higher Ed.  Smart, grounded insight for all the people who move institutions forward.

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