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.

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.

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.