The Higher Ed Breakfast Club Podcast

🎙️ New Episode! Part two of our wild ride with Bobby Szabo! This week, we talk: 🥐 A pastry so buttery it might change your life 🩰 Swing dancing on Tuesdays, D&D on Thursdays, and drunk Shakespeare on Saturdays 🥓 Bacon that’s burnt and wet by design 😵‍💫 Theater trauma, eight-foot cougars, brunch Dracula, and running a sold-out improv company 🎭 Plus: what it’s like to be sober onstage whil...

🔥 That’s right. Bobby Szabo (she/her) joins us for a jam-packed, laugh-out-loud, heart-full episode of the Higher Ed Breakfast Club, and y’all, it DELIVERS.🍕 Microwave pizza for breakfast.🥔 Mourning the loss of a Cracker Barrel sweet potato.🧠 Teaching refugee students with power and purpose.🎭 Owning a drunk theater company…as a non-drinker.✨ Oh, and swing dancing at Waffle House. We said wha...

🚨 The Higher Ed Breakfast Club is back with another deeply unserious but shockingly insightful episode. 🚨 This week: 🧠 Geek culture as community-building 🎓 Comic-Con meets campus life 📚 Dissertations on fandom 👶 Star Wars nurseries 🎭 Cosplay, consent, and cinnamon rolls …and the essential question: What would the Hulk eat for breakfast? Emily and Alex join us to talk about how geek identity...

On this latest episode of Higher Ed Breakfast Club , we’re joined by longtime student affairs pros and cinnamon roll philosophers Alex Belisario and Emily Sandoval for a rich and ridiculous ride through: 🥐 Spam fried rice and bruléed bananas 📍 30 years in Santa Cruz 📚 Pivoting from housing to policy 👠 The death of heels post-pandemic 💡 And why climbing the ladder isn’t always the move And yes...

Yep, we disappeared again. A little surgery (I'm fine), a little taking a kid to college for the first time (he's fine, me and his mom, we're coping) Fits and starts, folks. Fits and starts. But we’re actually back now, and this episode is worth the wait. 😮 You think you’re ready for MJ Raleigh’s story...but somewhere between the IRA, limericks, and college deans, our jaws hit the flo...

🎙️ New Episode Drop! 🥄 Mac & cheese bars. 🍳 Poached egg tutorials. ☕ Cardamom rolls. Also: mental health, kids, higher ed, and whether “caramelized” should be pronounced with three syllables or four. 🎧 After a hot two-month hiatus, The Higher Ed Breakfast Club is back with caffeine, chaos, and a vengeance. Our guest is the one and only MJ Raleigh: school psychologist, former higher ed warr...

Ever wonder what it really takes to help first-year students thrive in college? Or what happens when old high school rivals reconnect in higher ed? On the latest Higher Ed Breakfast Club, Chris & Brian are joined by Kim Sousa Peoples—Senior Director for First Year Student Engagement at a North Carolina university (and fellow high school alum from back in the Kettering Fairmont days!). We talk...

Higher Ed Breakfast Club New Episode Drop! The beads are flying, the Diet Coke is spilling, and Brian’s becoming a New Orleans legend (whether he wants to or not). In Part 2 of our convo with Kenneth Johnson, we go full storytelling mode—from shuttle mishaps and Mardi Gras mayhem to awkward poolside plantation debates and breakfast taco wisdom. 🥯 Plus: the crew digs into hot takes on donuts, ener...

🔥 NEW EPISODE ALERT! 🔥 Brisket for breakfast? Fighting okra? Waffle House wisdom? Yeah, this episode has everything. Join The Higher Ed Breakfast Club Podcast as hosts Chris Taylor & Brian Van Brunt sit down with Kenneth Johnson (Texas A&M) to talk: 🍳 His journey from student affairs to strategic partnerships🏈 Great stories from his days as a college athlete 🥑 Why Texas breakfast taco...

Welcome back to the Higher Ed Breakfast Club Podcast —where we serve up hot takes on higher ed with a side of crispy hash browns. This week, we’re back with Part Two of our episode featuring Robert Scholz , and it’s a breakfast deep dive like no other. Shocking revelation: Robert has NEVER eaten at Waffle House. Should we be concerned? Should we stage an intervention? We unpack the art of cereal m...

What happens when a licensed therapist and two higher ed pros walk into a podcast? You get deep conversations about masculinity, therapy, and… the ultimate breakfast burrito. Join Chris Taylor & Brian Van Brunt as they sit down with Robert Scholz, a marriage and family therapist who works with men navigating big life transitions. How therapy helps guys open up Why motivational interviewing is a ga...

This week on Higher Ed Breakfast Club , we’re sitting down for part 2 with Dave DeNino —crisis response expert, counselor, and all-around breakfast aficionado. What do Waffle House hash browns , New Orleans brunch , and helping people through disasters have in common? More than you’d think. Breakfast Takes You Need to Hear: The best and most overrated breakfast spots in New Orleans Waffle House— i...

On this episode of the Higher Ed Breakfast Club , we’re joined by Dave Denino , a seasoned college administrator, counselor, and crisis response expert. Together, we explore what it takes to support both students and staff in high-stress environments , the importance of mental health first aid , and how to create more trauma-informed campuses. We discuss: 🍳 Supporting students facing stress and t...

Do you like it when the syrup touches everything else on your plate or no? In part two of our episode with Chris Usher, we tackle the ultimate breakfast debates—McDonald’s Big Breakfast vs. Burger King Croissanwich, the underrated magic of Waffle House, and even Chick-fil-A’s bagel sandwich, AKA "sin chicken." We also talk bodega breakfast sandwiches, why French toast just might reign su...

In this episode of the Higher Ed Breakfast Club Podcast, Chris Taylor and Brian Van Brunt chat with guest Chris Usher, whose incredible career spans from the Marines to diplomatic security, and now to higher education and safety training. Here’s a taste of what we discussed: Roux. And I mean a lot of talk about roux. I'm serious. Eye-opening perspectives on law enforcement, cultural diplomacy,...

After our holiday hiatus, we welcome Lisa Pescara Kovach back to the Higher Ed Breakfast Club Podcast. Part two with Lisa looks at the deep complexities of higher education, faculty challenges, and fostering meaningful dialogue in today’s polarized climate. Key topics discussed include: Navigating Controversial Topics in the Classroom: How educators balance neutrality, academic freedom, and studen...

Get ready to laugh, reminisce, and maybe even rethink your holiday traditions as Chris and Brian take you on a festive journey like no other. This special episode is packed with heartwarming stories, a touch of chaos, and plenty of good humor. Whether it’s navigating Christmas morning rituals, reflecting on cookie recipes that span generations, or the brilliance of having breakfast at any time, th...

Join us for a post-Thanksgiving feast of conversation on the Higher Ed Breakfast Club podcast! This week, Chris and Brian are joined by the insightful and dynamic Lisa Pescara-Kovach Director of the Center for Education in Mass Violence and Suicide at the University of Toledo. In this episode, we explore the pressing challenges facing higher education, including navigating post-election tensions a...

Welcome to the  Higher Ed Breakfast Club , where today’s conversation goes deep! In this episode, our guest, Dr. Tammy Hodo, shares her journey through academia, white supremacy, and the roots of her DEI-focused company,  All Things Diverse . Tammy dives into the political charge around school board takeovers, the weaponization of CRT, and how diversity efforts are often met with defensiveness ins...

Join us on the latest episode of the Higher Ed Breakfast Club podcast, featuring special guest Dr. Tammy Hodo! We discuss her experiences as a runner, a veteran, and a diversity advocate, have a powerful discussion on the backlash against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts, especially in Florida and beyond, and discuss the ongoing struggles and systemic racism in higher education and s...

In this episode of the Higher Ed Breakfast Club podcast, hosts Chris and Brian sit down with JS Bragg, a passionate educator who has transformed student engagement through innovative teaching methods, including using games to illustrate leadership concepts. JS shares insights into his unique approach to the classroom, revealing how he incorporates his love for gaming into lessons, leading to stati...

In this episode of Higher Ed Breakfast Club , hosts Chris Taylor and Brian Van Brunt sit down with J.S. Bragg, Assistant Director for Student Activities at Miami University in Ohio. They dive into a lively discussion that covers everything from their favorite breakfast orders to the challenges faced by today's college students post-pandemic. They share some laughs over breakfast traditions, no...

Welcome back to the Higher Ed Breakfast Club Podcast! In this episode, we continue our conversation with Amy, diving deeper into her insights on academic integrity, accountability, and the growing influence of AI in higher education. Amy shares her reflections as a faculty member teaching predominantly online and discusses the lessons learned from the pandemic, especially around flexibility and st...

In this episode of the Higher Ed Breakfast Club podcast, hosts Chris Taylor and Brian Van Brunt sit down with special guest Dr. Amy Murphy, associate professor from Angelo State University. Together, they dive into everything from breakfast favorites—like the ongoing crunchy vs. creamy peanut butter debate and Amy’s love for breakfast tacos—to more serious topics in higher education. The conversat...

Part two of episode one. A little more higher ed chat and a lot more breakfast chat, like, a lot, including more mentions of the now infamous Trader Joe's Meat Bag, toast options, syrups choices, and more.