Your Strategist Is In with Dr. Loren M. Hill

Dr. Loren M. Hill

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. MAY 15

    Who You Had to Become to Work Here

    In this episode of The Strategist Is In, Dr. Loren M. Hill explores a quieter form of workplace adaptation—how environments slowly shape who we become in order to survive inside them. Not every change is growth. Some changes are adaptation that became so familiar, we stopped questioning it. This episode examines: The difference between strategic adaptation and self-contractionHow workplace environments train behavior over timeWhy some ideas, voices, and forms of visibility feel “safer” than othersWhat happens when survival strategies become identityThe emotional cost of constantly editing yourself to stay absorbableThis is a nuanced conversation about professionalism, political awareness, visibility, and the subtle ways institutions shape identity. If something in this episode feels familiar—not dramatic, just familiar—that may be worth paying closer attention to. Download the companion reflection worksheet in the show notes. https://theacclivity.com/ReflectionGuideE65 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

    14 min

  2. MAY 11

    Moving from Director to Dean (Why It’s Not Happening)

    In this episode of The Strategist Is In, Dr. Loren M. Hill explains why many highly qualified directors and department chairs are not being selected for dean roles—even when they are already doing work at that level. The issue is not capability. It’s positioning. Most leaders focus on credibility inside their current scope. But hiring decisions for senior roles are shaped by how you are perceived across the institution long before a job is posted. You are not evaluated on your potential. You are evaluated on how you are already seen. This episode breaks down:  The difference between credibility and visibility  Why great performance at your current level can keep you there  How positioning happens months before interviews begin  What higher ed leaders must do differently to be seen at the next level If you’ve ever thought, “I’m qualified, so why am I not being selected?” — this episode answers that directly. 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

    3 min

  3. APR 15

    You Can Be Clear… and Still Not Be Set Up to Succeed

    You can be crystal clear about what matters and still find yourself struggling to execute it well. In this episode of The Strategist Is In, Dr. Loren M. Hill shares a powerful observation from a recent strategic planning session: a room full of thoughtful, capable, aligned leaders came to one honest conclusion—they were severely under-resourced. And that insight doesn’t just apply to organizations. It applies to how many high-performing professionals are operating right now. This conversation explores: Why clarity alone doesn’t solve the problemHow over-functioning becomes a compensation strategyThe difference between effort and structural supportWhat it means to rethink how your work is designedThis episode is not about doing more. It’s about understanding what you’re operating inside. Download the companion reflection guide to identify where you may be clear… but not supported—and what that means for how you move forward. 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱): https://theacclivity.com/YouCanBeClearGuide 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

    12 min

  4. 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

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. 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
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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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