Your Strategist Is In with Dr. Loren M. Hill
Hosted by Loren M. Hill, founder of The Acclivity, The Strategist Is In podcast offers clear, candid perspective on the complex realities of working in higher education today. From navigating institutional change to advancing equity and leading with intention, each episode speaks to professionals across the academic spectrum — faculty, staff, and administrators alike. Real conversations about leadership, purpose, and success in Higher Ed. Smart, grounded insight for all the people who move institutions forward.
Your Strategist Is In with Dr. Loren M. Hill
The Higher the Influence, the Heavier the Expectation
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We often assume that achievement brings relief.
A higher title. Greater influence. More authority.
Surely, at some point, the pressure eases.
But what if that assumption is wrong?
In this episode of The Strategist Is In, Dr. Loren M. Hill explores what she calls “the boulder at the top” the quiet emotional weight experienced by leaders, executives, and high-achievers whose influence continues to expand.
Drawing from a candid moment in a high-level leadership gathering, Loren unpacks:
• Why the higher the influence, the heavier the expectation
• The myth of “arrival” in leadership
• The difference between meaningful challenge and structural friction
• How competence becomes baseline and often invisible
• Why excellence can feel cumulative in some spaces and endlessly resetting in others
• The structural roots of exhaustion at the top
This episode continues Season 5’s exploration of The Emotional Cost of Excellence, reframing leadership strain as a design issue rather than a resilience failure.
Plus: Download the free companion reflection workbook to map where your effort accumulates and where it resets.
Dr. Loren M. Hill is a licensed clinical psychologist, the founder of The Acclivity and a Senior Executive Consultant for Transformational Leadership in Higher Ed helping Higher Ed leaders lead with clarity, courage and purpose. She is an APA Feminist Academic Leadership Academy Fellow, RAND Faculty Workshop Fellow, and member of Psi Chi, she also serves as Resident Psychologist for KBLA 1580’s Urban Family Focus talk radio. Dr. Hill specializes in helping women, BIPOC, and first-generation professionals gain clarity, confidence, and leadership impact.
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