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The Escape Velocity Podcast

Where strategy meets the unexpected

Escape Velocity

Unscripted conversations with people who treat life as a continuous journey. Obstacles as opportunities, challenges as gifts, growth as mandatory. No agenda, no framework, because the best ideas turn up in the exchange.

with Tracey Halvorsen

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One question away.

Search the actual words. Find the guests, moments, ideas, essays, and resources connected to whatever is on your mind.

About the show

The work behind the work.

Escape Velocity is an unscripted podcast hosted by Tracey Halvorsen, CEO & President of Digital at adeo. The conversations cover higher education marketing, brand strategy, creative leadership, and AI, along with the burnout and reinvention that come with an ambitious career.

Short listens · Original conversations

From the Archives

Adrienne Cooper

Oct 1, 2026 · 6 min 32 sec

Enough Challenge to Grow

With Adrienne Cooper

How do you help someone stretch without pushing them past what they can handle? In this six-and-a-half-minute excerpt, Adrienne Cooper and I talk about flow, the stages of learning, and what managers can do in the small moments of a working day to support both the person and the team.

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Carol Keese

Sep 29, 2026 · 6 min 26 sec

Marketing Can't Fix the Product

With Carol Keese

Higher ed keeps asking how to communicate its value. Carol Keese asks whether the product, the price, and the proof need to change too. In this six-minute excerpt, we talk about trust, hidden costs, and why outcomes should shape the message.

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Dayana Kibilds

Sep 24, 2026 · 9 min 23 sec

Who Your Admissions Website Leaves Out

With Dayana Kibilds

Dayana Kibilds was fluent in English and still missed a requirement when she applied to college in the U.S. In this nine-minute exchange, we talk about the assumptions buried in admissions language and who has the help to decode it.

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The Library

Recent Episodes

Showing 9 of 33 Browse every episode

The thesis

Break free from
routine thinking.
Reach a wider orbit.

Meet your host Read the blog

The Archive

Every Episode

Episodes 01–33
33 Volt Santos Miran: Why Higher Ed Websites Still Look the Same EVP, Brand & Web Strategy, Carnegie 1 hr 27 min 32 Carol Keese: A CMO Says Marketing Isn’t the Fix VP for University Communications & CMO, University of Oregon 56 min 31 Jaime Hunt: Empathy Is Not a Soft Skill Founder, Solve Higher Ed Marketing · Author 1 hr 22 min 30 Alia Poonawala: Building a Film Like a Startup Raise Filmmaker · Institutional Executive 55 min 29 Diane Querey: 20 Years of Digital Transformation at WWF VP Digital Platforms, World Wildlife Fund 1 hr 14 min 28 Adrienne Cooper: Building Cultures Where People and Ideas Thrive Founder, GLADsome Work Inc. 47 min 27 Dayana Kibilds: The Language Problem Killing Higher Ed Access VP of Strategy, Ologie · Author, Mailed It. 1 hr 4 min 26 DEEO Returns: Art, AI, and Why Humans Decorate Ft. Monica Sanchez & Yianni Mathioudakis 1 hr 29 min 25 Designing Resilience with Sabrina Depestre Senior Director of Enrollment Marketing, MICA 56 min 24 Kris Land: The Infinity Within Entrepreneur, Technologist, Author 1 hr 10 min 23 Brain Tumors, Bigness, and Believing in Everything with Jen Dary Founder, Plucky · Leadership Coach · Author 1 hr 51 min 22 Second Harvest: The Power of Connection Ft. Richard Banfield & Devon McDonald 1 hr 14 min 21 Elizabeth Stauderman: Creative Thought in Action VP Communications & Marketing, Skidmore College 1 hr 9 min 20 Sarah Patterson: Tango with the Numbers Fractional CFO · Founder, EssJay 1 hr 21 min 19 Mallory Willsea: Build the Stage Media Builder · AI Strategist · Host, Higher Ed Pulse 1 hr 5 min 18 Christina Melito: Designing for Tension Creative Director, Fifteen4 1 hr 7 min 17 Traci Barrett: Navigating the Journey Founding Member, HGTV · Author · Executive Coach 58 min 16 Brigid Lawler: Rethinking Enrollment in an Age of Disruption Enrollment Strategist · Higher Education Consultant 59 min 15 What Today’s Students Actually Want from Colleges Ft. Romy 38 min 14 Pete Mackey: Listening Is Where Strategy Starts Strategist · Poet · Founder, Mackey Strategies 36 min 13 Richard Banfield: The Art of Being Human Artist · Author · Former Agency CEO 1 hr 9 min 12 Tracy Gosson: Surviving Stage 4, Redefining Everything Brand Strategist · Founder, Sagesse 1 hr 20 min 11 Carl Smith: Burnout, AI, and Bullsh*t Community Builder · Founder, Bureau of Digital 1 hr 2 min 10 Ashley Budd: Mailed It! Senior Marketing Director, Cornell · Co-author, Mailed It! 56 min 09 Elizabeth Bawol Round 2: Creative Director at Wide Eye Creative Director, Wide Eye 1 hr 14 min 08 Nancy Lyons: Work Like a Boss CEO & Co-founder, Clockwork · Author 58 min 07 Miles Kemp: CEO at Variate CEO, Variate 59 min 06 Chris Gilbert: Creative Developer Senior Creative Developer 1 hr 0 min 05 Kara Redman: Showing Up Authentically Founder & Lead Strategist, Backroom 53 min 04 Edit Barry & Allison Le: E&A Collaborative Co-founders, E&A Collaborative 1 hr 1 min 03 Elizabeth Bawol: Senior Brand + Creative Director Creative Director, Wide Eye Creative 57 min 02 Yianni Mathioudakis and Monica Sanchez: DEEO Co-founders, DEEO 49 min 01 Dave Look: Chromatic CEO, Chromatic 50 min