What happens when a two minute self portrait becomes the doorway to deeper reflection? When advising slows down just enough for students to breathe? And when feminist pedagogy quietly reshapes the way we listen? Guest host Matt Plescia sits down with Hannah Stubley from Hamilton College for a conversation that blends theory, creativity, and heart.

Hannah shares her journey from growing up in a small factory town in upstate New York to studying Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and returning to her alma mater as a holistic advisor. Along the way, she explores:

• ✏️ Why she begins advising sessions with a silent two minute self portrait
• 🌱 How feminist pedagogy lives beyond the classroom and into advising spaces
• 🐢 What “slow scholarship” looks like in a fast moving institutional world
• 🎓 How first generation students navigate hidden rules and unspoken expectations
• 🎶 Why playlists, bookstores, and campus talks matter more than we think

This episode is a reminder that advising is not just transactional. It is relational. It is creative. It is deeply human.

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In this episode of Adventures in Advising, Matt and Ryan sit down with Julie Montgomery, academic advising generalist manager at Sinclair Community College (Mason Campus), who leads with equal parts clarity, compassion, and “let’s-get-this-done” energy. Julie serves up practical wisdom on building a healthy advising office culture (hint: purpose + philosophy + communication make the whole thing rise) and introduces a powerful concept every team needs: compassionate colleague correction, aka how to fix mistakes without torching trust.

You’ll also hear Julie break down Virginia Gordon’s “Three I” career conversation framework so advisors can navigate those “this was supposed to be course planning, but now it’s a life crossroads” appointments with confidence.

Along the way: community college myth-busting, leadership lessons from Les Mis, Wicked, and Hamilton, and the real talk behind the dissertation grind. 🎓✨

Follow the podcast on your favorite podcast platform!

The Instagram, and Facebook handle for the podcast is @AdvisingPodcast

Also, subscribe to our Adventures in Advising YouTube Channel!

Connect with Matt and Ryan on LinkedIn.

In this episode of Adventures in Advising, we explore a bold redesign of student support with guests Steven Schaffling, Cindy Zazzara, Molly Clock, and Ryan Howlett from Syracuse University! They share how they dismantled silos, rewrote the advising playbook, and built an integrated academic/career student success model! We talk:

✨ Holistic advising that connects the dots between academics and careers
📊 Data, formative assessment, and why holds aren’t the magic answer
🧠 Building “advisor tools” that free up brain space for real conversations
🤖 How AI can offload the transactional so advisors can double down on the relational
🎓 And what it takes to shift culture without losing heart

With over 14,000 one-on-one meetings a year and retention gains to show for it, this team proves that when students don’t have to retell their story five times, everyone wins.

Follow the podcast on your favorite podcast platform!

The Instagram, and Facebook handle for the podcast is @AdvisingPodcast

Also, subscribe to our Adventures in Advising YouTube Channel!

Connect with Matt and Ryan on LinkedIn.