Coaching in Higher Education

Leading College Mergers & Closures: A Coaching Perspective | Dr. Mary L. Churchill (S2 E08)

Institutional mergers don't fail because of bad strategy — they fail because leaders aren't equipped to handle the human side of change. In this episode, Dr. Tim Jansa sits down with Dr. Mary Churchill to explore what it truly looks like to coach leaders through one of higher education's most disruptive experiences: an institutional merger. Dr. Mary Churchill is Associate Dean of Strategic Initiatives and Community Engagement and Professor of Practice at Boston University's Wheelock College of Education and Human Development. She played a central role in guiding the closure of the original Wheelock College and its full integration into Boston University — giving her rare, firsthand insight into the grief, identity loss, and transformation that define these large-scale transitions. In this episode, you'll learn: ✳️ Why institutional mergers trigger grief, trauma, and identity loss for faculty, staff, students, and alumni ✳️ How the closure of Wheelock College unfolded — and what leaders had to navigate on the ground ✳️ Where coaching ends and therapy begins — and how to hold that boundary with confidence ✳️ How William Bridges' Transitions Framework was used as a leadership tool during the merger ✳️ Why reconnecting clients to their "why" is the most powerful coaching intervention during disruption ✳️ How journaling, physical wellness, and reflective practices sustained leaders through prolonged uncertainty ✳️ What coaches need to understand about shared governance before entering higher ed merger environments Whether you're a professional coach supporting higher education leaders, a higher ed administrator navigating change, or simply someone who wants to understand the human cost of institutional transformation — this episode offers rare, candid wisdom you won't find anywhere else. 🎙️ Guest: Dr. Mary Churchill — Associate Dean & Professor of Practice, Boston University Wheelock College of Education and Human Development | Author of When Colleges Close 📚 Explore more resources at: 🔗 higheredcoaching.us [http://higheredcoaching.us] 🔗 leadershipimagined.com/podcast [http://leadershipimagined.com/podcast] Disclaimer: The views and opinions shared in this conversation are for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute legal, financial, or mental-health advice. Leadership situations are always context-specific. All guests speak from their own experience and do not represent the official position of any institution. #HigherEducation #LeadershipCoaching #InstitutionalMerger #CoachingInHigherEd #AcademicLeadership

Coaching Clients and Students with ADHD | Coach Juli Shulem (S2 E07)

In this episode of Coaching in Higher Education, host Dr. Tim Jansa welcomes productivity coach and organizational psychologist Juli Shulem for a rich, practice-focused conversation on coaching college students, faculty, and staff with ADHD and executive functioning challenges. Drawing on decades of experience with undergraduates through PhD/postdoc clients, Juli unpacks how ADHD shows up in academic life—missed deadlines, chronic disorganization, decision fatigue, overwhelm—and offers concrete ways coaches can respond ethically and effectively while staying within coaching boundaries. She shares practical system-building strategies (from homework planning and calendar use to lifestyle structure and relationship-building with faculty), clarifies when and how to raise the possibility of ADHD or referral for evaluation in a non-pathologizing way, and explores how coaches can help reduce stigma and foster a kinder, more neuro-inclusive campus culture. This episode is especially valuable for professional coaches who want to deepen their skill set with neurodivergent clients in higher education and expand their impact beyond “pure coaching” into truly holistic support.

Coaching Clients with and around Imposter Syndrome | Dr. AJ Lauer (S2 E06)

In this episode of Coaching in Higher Education, host Dr. Tim Jansa speaks with Dr. AJ Lauer, a nationally recognized expert on imposter syndrome, about how imposter feelings uniquely show up for faculty, staff, and emerging leaders in colleges and universities. Drawing on research (including Dr. Valerie Young’s five imposter types), AJ explores how perfectionism, overachievement, “expert” identity, and systemic inequities intersect to fuel self-doubt, burnout, and defensive leadership behaviors in academic settings. Together, Tim and AJ examine how coaches can distinguish between personal and institutional contributors to imposter experiences, work with nervous-system activation and somatic cues in sessions, and use competence-focused conversations (rather than achievement lists) to help clients reframe expectations and build healthier relationships with their “imposter monsters.” Coaches will come away with practical approaches, a richer conceptual framework, and concrete ideas for supporting higher ed clients to move from hiding their perceived inadequacies to owning their expertise and impact.

Coaching Academic Department Chairs | Dr. Whitney Newcomb & Dr. Sara Schley (S2 E05)

In this episode of Coaching in Higher Education, host Dr. Tim Jansa speaks with Dr. Whitney Newcomb (Virginia Commonwealth University) and Dr. Sarah Schley (Oregon State University) about the distinct challenges and rich opportunities of coaching academic department chairs. Drawing on their dual roles as chairs and coaches, they unpack the complex “middle leader” position—navigating up, down, and across among faculty, staff, professional advisors, and senior administration—while managing relentless change, invisible supervisory work, and chronic trust gaps. The conversation highlights how coaching can help chairs develop greater self- and systems-awareness, lead through influence rather than authority, build trust across role boundaries, and shift from individual academic achievement to team- and culture-building. Coaches will come away with nuanced insight into the political, relational, and emotional landscape department chairs inhabit—and practical ideas for how coaching, assessments, and cohort-based development can meaningfully support these pivotal yet often under-resourced leaders.

Coaching Middle Managers in Higher Education | Dr. Kim Burns (S2 E04)

In this episode of Coaching in Higher Education, host Dr. Tim Jansa interviews Dr. Kim Burns—coach, consultant, former long-time community college dean, and contributor to Transformative Coaching for Faculty and Staff in Higher Education—about the distinctive realities of coaching middle managers in colleges and universities. Together, they unpack why deans, directors, and coordinators function as the “glue” of their institutions, carrying heavy emotional labor as they navigate the tensions of managing up and down, and how coaching can help them shift from overwhelmed people pleasers to confident boundary setters. Drawing on her extensive experience in community colleges, Dr. Burns explores what external coaches need to know about institutional culture, the often-misaligned espoused versus lived values, and the practical implications of democratizing coaching beyond the executive suite. She also shares a values-based coaching framework and concrete strategies coaches can use to support clients wrestling with burnout, role ambiguity, and value misalignment. This conversation offers rich, immediately applicable insights for professional coaches who work in—or want to better understand—the higher education context.