Author: The Advisor That Cares

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Personal, Professional, Reflecting, Why

Hello, 2026

The Advisor That Cares

As the first month of the year winds toward a closing, I cannot help but reflect on how much gratefulness I have in my heart.

We are here. We wake up each day with a new opportunity and a fresh start.

I really enjoyed a two-week holiday as a beautiful personal equinox from 2025 to 2026. I spent time in reflection, relaxation, and did some prioritizing and organizing inside and out.

During that time, many people will set new year’s resolutions. You know the good old lose weight, travel more, spend more time with friends and family. This year, I knew I wanted to be determined. Determined to stay happy, healthy, and whole, inside and out. I began building boundaries around my thoughts, my heart, and event my actions. You see I’m a problem-solver, let me save the day, kind of girl, but those around me need to know how to survive with or without me. My child is a beautiful adult finding her way in live and college. My staff are maturing and growing, that comes with both beauty and trials. It is in my nature to want to carry every burden and solve every issue, but they have so many good ideas inside ofo them too.

I have made other personal commitments and walked into the new year with “intentionally-determined” as my objective for the year.

Did the chaos around me stop

Kind of. It was very entertaining to see the world come flying back into my life when daily non-home life resumed, but it didn’t feel personal anymore, so I just tried to stay neutral in all things. It was return to work and jump into walk-ins, as you all may remember, I’m just a sucker for! I love helping students navigate our complex processes and systems. I love problem-solving with advisors and campus stakeholders about complex issues. I often times reference inspector-gadget in my thoughts (I try not to mention him out loud too often anymore, it dates me) because I love the investigative process of following the data thread through admission, documentation processing, any number of status updates and changes. Oh, it’s fun! I’m a complete nerd for it.

It is really one of about two times a semester or academic year that I get to really directly interact with the student body and boy do I miss it and love it! I cannot even explain how much I still know and believe that my career change from medical office staff to university staff was a transformative shift to the purpose for my life. I love what we do. I believe in every single step of the process and the collaboration and coordination it takes along the way.

Has peace spread across the land

Not even close. Our office has been impacted by so many losses and personal traumas as we stepped into the new year. Team members moved on, team members experienced personal loss, the office culture is still not unified or healthy in many ways, but is absolutely inspirational in its teamwork, collaboration, and healing in other ways. It’s just this duplicity of being right on the cusp of some positive shift, when disruption comes. I’m looking back on September 2025 blog posts and recognizing, this is another area I need to be intentionally determined about this year.

Upcoming invitation to share innovative ideas

Next week our division is invited to share any innovative ideas about the upcoming incoming freshman cohort of students.

After walk-ins I feel like my heart is screaming about how complicated and complex our university system is to anyone outside of it and most of those inside too. We become so blind to how complex our processes and procedure are to students. They grasp for any knowledgeable and helpful sounding person that will guide them through those steps. Some well-intentioned people give them invalid information and they become even more frustrated and confused.

I believe that the University should invest in campus-wide onboarding and training programs for every level of staff and faculty depending on roles and responsibilities. I believe that a unified training process would ensure that administrative assistants to department chairs would have access and knowledge on available resources, departmental connections, and university policies. There is no university training based on user-class and role, on how to look up the major code of a student in the Student Information System. Not to mention the complexities added by the segmented processed created by campus-code, classification, and don’t get me started on the physical complexities of which office processes which part of each process. Attempting to help departmental advisors, chairs and deans over the years, it is clear there is no university onboarding to their roles either. It can be frustrating to navigate university policy and systems without a good mentor. Some of them have succession planning and good mentors to their new roles and some are thrown into the deep end of the pool. I spent a lot of my resources trying to point individuals to university source like catalog and processes.

Within these university driven, produced, and maintained training programs, I believe it is very important to Start with Why! In the words of Simon Sinek, people don’t buy what you do they buy why you do it. When there is a clear vision of why we do what we do, then everyone can align accordingly.

I think this university wide innovation would provide an opportunity for a unified message about the campus “why” would provide new members to our community and opportunity to buy-in.

For our student body, from undergraduates to doctoral students, I believe that the University should invest in a “How To” resource or course explaining how to navigate the systems and procedures. With staff and administrators able to have this single resource every time someone needs to know there is a link/module available to share or review together.

A university website, a link to a video, text, and audio option would provide access to all potential and LU students. This could be a single links page or an organized public facing learning management system with modules and embedded resources. With staff and administrators able to have this single resource every time someone needs to know there is a link/module available to share or review together.

This is true for every one of our areas. If a student doesn’t know their student account ID or password, they are locked out and frustrated. Video, text, and audio resources could help guide students calmly through the process. Many of our offices have templates and guides and we do our best, but I feel this is a great opportunity to show our why in action by helping our students and staff have unified resources and information to reduce frustration and errors, cost and enrollments.

Implement 4DX as led measures will give lag/yield measures. Requirements, standards, documentation, deadlines. Expectations that understand why students need to show the initiatives and ownership of these responsibilities while we also ensure that every team member from student-staff to executive administration know why we do what we do and why it matters so much.

Personal, Reflecting

Happy 2025!

The Advisor That Cares

Reflecting on another year in the records books and looking forward with intention for the year ahead. I find myself fantasizing in my head about how I’ll return, call a staff meeting, and once again authentically attempt to share my vision, my innovation, and my heart for the service-work we do daily.

Spending winter break decluttering, organizing, and prioritizing how I plan to spend 2026. Realizing same goes for my professional outlook too.

May you have a cozy and warm holiday, surrounded by love. See you next year!

Growth, Personal

Step 1: Stop Adult Bullying

The Advisor That Cares

Improve office culture by asking everyone to create a healthy work environment by their commitment to stop back biting (aka adult bullying).

How to start changing an unhealthy work environment | Glenn D. Rolfsen | TEDxOslo. YouTube/TEDx Talks. (2016, May 2). https://youtu.be/eYLb7WUtYt8?si=5leyYVXZirxy2gs5

Quotes and paraphrasing from Glenn D. Rolfsen

Next time someone comes to you with information about someone else who is not present, use Socrates “Triple Filter Test,” by first asking them the following:

  1. Do you know that this piece of information is true?
  2. Are you going to tell me something good about this person?
  3. Is the information you want to tell me useful?

How to implement change

Gather the group and ask the following questions:

  1. Do you feel that this is an unhealth work environment?
    • Agree/Disagree
  2. Define back-biting and asking, do you believe that back biting happens here?
    • Explain this triple filter test.
  3. Ask everyone if they would like to work in a healthy work environment, where there is no back biting?

Action steps

  • Invite those who would like to join you in changing the unhealth work environment to sign up for a six-month project where they agree to ask these three questions before entertaining any commentary about another member of their team, colleagues at their workplace, even challenge themselves to carry this practice home to friends and family members.
  • Frame the agreement and post it in a visible place as a reminder to everyone of their commitment to change our workplace into a healthy work environment.
  • Have weekly check ins asking, How are we doing with [_____ project title?]” Helping to hold one another accountable and commit to stop talking negatively about [____ insert person, group, or issue].

Assessment

In six months, ask the change questions again. Additionally, review leave requests and productivity measures. Did sick leave requests decrease? Did productivity and workplace satisfaction increase?

Growth, Personal

Striving to be a better leader

The Advisor That Cares

Home, sick and self-reflecting.

Simon Sinek always has great advice when I’m feeling lost at sea.

  1. Go after the things you want.
  2. Take care of each other.
  3. Be last to speak.
  4. Take accountability of your actions.
  5. Be humble and grateful.

Quotes and paraphrase’s from Simon Sinek.

Simon Sinek’s Advice Will Leave You SPEECHLESS 2.0 (MUST WATCH). YouTube/Alpha Mentors. (2024, December 8). https://youtu.be/vCIu7Ja_TE0?si=uVt1Kvnyt43zdsrU
Uncategorized

That was fun!

The Advisor That Cares

Well, that was fun. Now that the chaos from walk-ins is over, I find myself at a complete loss. What is my purpose? Why am I here? What do I have to offer?

I am a problem-solver. Now I’m off to find the next problem that needs solving (or you all are about to deal with a bunch of ramblings), because I cannot just sit on my hands. I will not live a status quo life. Sorry, not sorry.

Personal, Professional

Passion

The Advisor That Cares

I have determined that either I’m a really sick individual or I just really have a passion for helping people. We are in the think of wild wild west, students are being admitted as quickly as students are dropping. We are flooded with status updates, transcript blind-sides and full blown scheduling mayham.

I have come home smiling ear to ear each and every night of walk-in advising chaos. I am in my passion. I am helping students and supporting advisors. THIS IS MY JAM!

I am using this opportunity to teach advisors so many things, teaching students so many things, pointing out so many annoying aspects of our world to outsides (culture change), and generally just “putting my finger in the dam” wherever the need pops up.

I am happier than I have been in months! I need this!

Uncategorized

Passion Project

The Advisor That Cares

In my opinion, life is a passion project. I just don’t really see the point of living a passionless life. I feel like this comes from a place of gratitude. I sincerely feel absolute thanks for the freedom I experience in my daily life. I recognize the gift and opportunity each and every morning presents. I just cannot imagine not looking out across the property as I open or close the gate without thankfulness.

I go to bed each night and reflect on every interaction. I analyze and process what I should have done or said differently. How I better understand someone in my world after an interaction or a miscommunication.

Gosh, working in passion projects means that people are running on high octane for long periods of time. We are often under rested and over caffeinated.

I am not sure how to pour life into those around me who are desperately trying to change and influence the lives of the next generation. These people are passionate about the work they do. They strive to do good work every single day.

They are tired.

We are three days into the registration cycle I planned my innovation to go live. I don’t know how to get my innovation idea in front of the right audience. I completed the ADL program with a growing innovation idea. My department allowed me to complete a NACADA Micro credential course on Flipped Advising with the goal of a proposal. To avoid bias and blindness I used that knowledge and experience to form a committee within our advising unit to explore and form the proposal. These team members have done such a great job taking my thoughts and ideas and expanding them with new perspectives. We utilized so much of the Backward Design principles in last years orientation cycle trying to help students connect the idea that they should be invested in and take ownership of their academic journey. Things were trucking along nicely. The proposal went to several university officials to determine placement, governing body oversight, and digital learning approvals. As different areas signed off on implementation additional information was requested regarding the official proposal, intended audience, and other logistical details. We got all the way to a scheduling conversation and then everything just fizzled out. The committee was ready to move on to planning for “advising 101” type implementation planning. I am just not comfortable moving forward with any additional time, research, or planning until I knew whether or not we had approval to do so.

Hopefully, people are in place now and some of these innovation ideas can come to life and my passion project can take form and evolve into whatever advisors and students need to feel loved and supported.

To be continued…

Personal

Advocating Mediator

The Advisor That Cares

I am an advocating mediator. My entire life, I have found myself in the middle of relationships, situations, or interdepartmental challenges as the person who sees both sides and advocates for a solution.

  • Question: Should we open calendars for late appointments?
  • Answer: Yes
    • Advocating-mediator: Agreed 100%, let me talk to the leadership team about were we can move everyone’s next day’s appointment prep time so that mistakes aren’t made and our customers aren’t angry about same day cancelations.
    • Leadership team, we need to ensure our teams have adequate time to review student records and resolve transcript, hold, schedule errors, etc., while also making sure that the last appointment of the day is reserved for high school seniors needing advising after school.
    • Collaborative discussion about the functions and features of the advising platform and effective solution of setting new availabilities for that last appointment slot to be only for the incoming cohort. Continued discussions on where best to move next day appointment prep so that team members can focus on the task while avoiding overtime. Some teams want to leave it up to individuals, and others want to standardize it. Observations were made about leadership teams’ allotted work time, which is also currently at the end of the day. Continued discussions of equity across the unit and the need for uniformity due to stakeholder meetings across campus left the final decision about where to move next-day prep and team lead work time.

My whole life, I have examined situations from multiple perspectives and genuinely tried to understand everyone’s perspective on the issue at hand.

For most of my professional life, this min-max, efficiency expert, admittedly type A professional personality type of always striving for more and for better, has been made to make me feel bad for being who I am.

I recognize that I push myself too hard, but I don’t push others too hard. I listen to those around me. I collaborate very well and am always willing to modify solutions that take all parties into consideration.

I admit that I am not willing to settle. I don’t think that is a bad thing. I have done so much research in my quest for knowledge about this amazingly beautiful human condition that makes us want to leave an impact.

For someone like myself who has so much personal emotional baggage, striving to do more, be more, and give more is a testament, not a detriment.

I don’t know how to make people realize they can trust me. I work so very hard to be kind, caring, and giving. I tell all team members and leaders how much I see and appreciate their strengths and hard work. They are the most caring bunch of people I have ever known. I have some strong personalities to balance, and every single one is just absolutely passionate about the work they do and the impact we have on students’ lives. I respect that and fight for them all daily.

I know I’m not alone. Every middle manager is trying to meet the administration’s demands while hearing and addressing the needs of front-line workers.

I believe I have proven that I am always striving for solutions that allow both goals and initiatives to be met with that 80/20 mindset of doing everything by the established policies 80% of the time, recognizing that at that final push finish line, hopefully, only 20% of the population will require so much extra effort across the whole campus.

The turnover rate and team morale plummet when they have to rework the same schedules repeatedly, as new information is gathered after the fact.

We were asked to find proactive ways to increase enrollment and provide valuable advising. We spent months discussing ways to do more outreach to these populations and connect them with the advising office.

We were asked to reduce backdated drops/refunds due to additional information sent by students well after enrollment (and often well after the semester start date). We determined that meeting with students in various formats (in-person, virtual, email) would allow students to alert advisors to pending/potential coursework, thereby allowing a first-semester schedule that avoided those course areas until additional transcripts, score reports, etc., could be received and processed by the admissions office.

We established a campaign with a built-in communication plan through the use of reminder nudges. Utilizing the advising platform’s appoint campaign feature, we can welcome incoming students to the institution by either routing them to a specialist to complete assessment requirements and then to advise or directly to advise when those requirements are satisfied.

Not wanting to miss any incoming contacts with our parent/student populations contacting the front desk until these campaigns get sent in one week, a call list was requested so that leadership could confirm and ensure students were added to advising invitations.

A. I just don’t know how to earn/establish trust both upline and downline.

B. I don’t want to keep apologizing for who I am because I believe I have proven my initiatives effective.

Where do I go from here? Are there advocating mediator positions in the world where all my personality characteristics and skills can be utilized and valued?

I have located one company that is 100% powered by the concept of Simon Sinek’s Why. I recently attended a professional conference and found a whole community college founded and functioning from it. I have been trying to build and establish this why culture by bringing choice, ownership, and voice to the advising unit, but I am really feeling overwhelmed at the moment by the amount of apathy and defeat surrounding me.

I can’t just mark time.

I won’t just march forward to my grave.

I have a life to live and blessings to give. I really hope that I can find ways to give them where I am, but I am willing to find other ways to utilize my gifts. I know in my heart of heart, given the right supportive environment, I can help bring positive change to workplace culture and efficiency.