Michael Stoner — my former business partner, mStoner co-founder, and the person who spotted every major inflection point in higher ed marketing before the rest of us caught up — joined me and Mallory Willsea for the inaugural episode of Higher Ed Icons. What I took away from the conversation surprised me: not a prediction about what's next, but a reminder about what hasn't changed.

The people who shaped higher education marketing over the last two decades haven't been asked to tell the full story. Higher Ed Icons is a podcast built to change that — and here's why Mallory Willsea and I decided now was the time.

"We often assume the moment of conversion — the sale, the deposit, the acceptance — is a moment of pure celebration for our users. But when I mapped the emotional journey of international students at L’Université de Montréal, the data told a different story. Discover how a simple shift in visualization revealed a 'red zone' of anxiety, and why your brand might be missing the most critical friction point in your customer's journey."

In a landscape where online learning is a strategic imperative, how do you stand out? I argue that Brand is the answer—fueled by empathy and scaled by AI.

In 2026, your website has never been more important. It just has a completely different job description.