Ep. 13 - The "Just Us" Episode

Before the calendar flips and the ball drops, Brody and Kevin wrap up 2025 of The Pickup Meeting! In this special “Just Us” mini episode, the duo looks back on personal wins, professional highlights, and the unexpected moments that made 2025 meaningful. From record-breaking step streaks to kids publishing books to NACADA adventures and beyond. They also look ahead at the big conversations coming for higher ed in 2026 (spoiler: AI and navigating the enrollment cliff).

Light the tree, grab that leftover fruitcake (or don’t), and join us for a cozy, reflective, end-of-year sendoff filled with laughter, gratitude, and genuine connection.

✨ It’s the final Pickup Meeting of 2025. Thanks for listening, laughing, and learning with us all year. See you in 2026...Do good and be nice.

*The Pickup Meeting is a spinoff of the Adventures in Advising podcast!

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Transcript

Kevin Thomas  
And away we go for the final time in 2025. Welcome to The Pickup Meeting everyone.

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
Yeah, this is a this is a fun one, Kevin.

Kevin Thomas  
This is a new format, or a new format that's coming. We used to have the breaking news at this moment, but essentially, we're ending 2025 and how we will continue on in 2026.

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
That's right, these kind of mini episodes where it's just you and me.

Kevin Thomas  
It's just you and I. Brody there, there's a country song that just keeps coming to my mind, and it's like, just you and I, and then the woman says, just you. And I don't know what song it is, but like, that's what this is about, you and you and me. Moving forward, here we go.

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
Islands in the Stream like Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, right? A love letter to the advising community.

Kevin Thomas  
Islands in the Stream. Let's go. Wouldn't be the first time I sang it. So we're trying to think of names for like we will always be the pickup meeting, but we've come up with some things, and I was gonna at least throw them out to the audience, right? And they get to decide. But maybe we'll get some feedback in between meetings, you know, because it's the pickup meeting, and these will be in between every other week, the pickup minis, the pickup minis, I because there's these, are going to be smaller. We know that people can't handle this much of us for that long a period of time. So they can't be long episodes, right?

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
Like 30 minutes. Feels like the right amount of you and I together alone, talking about stuff.

Kevin Thomas  
Without interruption from someone else. Absolutely, you suggested. And then you're like, oh, but you hate coffee, the coffee run edition, which I think is a great one. 

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
It's a great one, but you need to like coffee. 

Kevin Thomas  
Yeah, that's not happening. 

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
Golly.

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
I mean, we could do Diet Coke, but they're not sponsoring yet, so that's out. And so then the last one we kind of had as an option was the just us episodes. And so for at least today, this is a just us episode, yeah, I like it. Yeah, it fits. I really do. And in this just us episode, we are releasing here at the final episode of the pickup meeting for 2025 and it's in that Christmas holiday time frame. Are you excited?

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
I am excited. I love that time from Thanksgiving to Christmas. It's such a fun time, like two holidays, lots of breaks, lots of time to rewind and kind of reflect on a semester I've really, I really enjoy that time, kind of getting the house ready to go, although I've been really bad about that the last couple of years. But you know, thinking about the gifts that you're going to give, maybe what you're going to get. I'm a little selfish sometimes. So I'm like, Oh, what am I going to get? What are you going to get? I don't know. Probably, probably records. Let's go. I mean, what are you going to get?

Kevin Thomas  
I don't know. I really don't I have zero idea. I'm really, really difficult to get gifts for. I think my wife says that that's the case. My family, I think, says that that's the case just because there's, there's a lot, but it's also like, I really, I'm pretty particular about things.

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
Well, I mean, now's a chance, right? Like I was talking to my wife this morning, I'm like, well, I need a new running hat. I need 25 pound dumbbells. I wouldn't mind a couple music posters. Obviously, records are on the list. Like, records are always on the list. I need some new running socks.

Kevin Thomas  
But you say records being on the list. And like, if I sent you five records, chances are, how many of those would I hit on?

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
I don't know. It depends on what you're going to send me like.

Kevin Thomas  
That's obviously the point. Are you going to a thrift shop and just pulling out five records? Are you actually paying attention to when we talk about what I like or what I don't like. Yeah, I think you like all music. So I can't fail in this right, as long as I'm not buying I don't, I couldn't even tell you somebody you dislike. Wow, we should have a question on a future episode of things you artists you dislike.

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
Not a big Def Leppard. Pour some sugar on me, fan. That's that. That version of Def Leppard was not fun. I don't really enjoy country music all that much.

Kevin Thomas  
That's true. The country part of this, if I sent you five Patsy Cline albums, you would not be thrilled with that.

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
I mean, one would be enough. Okay, find a way to listen to one.

Kevin Thomas  
All right. What. Go. Go.

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
My dad was a big country music fan, so I, like a lot of the old classic country, like, there's nothing wrong with Johnny Cash or Marty Robbins or anything like that. Yeah, you're a pins guy and a Vikings guy. Now, like, I would assume, anything Vikings, anything, any pin?

Kevin Thomas  
Yeah, these are, these are good. I think people are a little leery of the pins, because, as you can see, for the YouTube audience, on behind me, just pins on my wall, like five or 600 of them. And it's like, I think people are afraid I already have them all. And I just think that's probably not true, because there are so many pins out there.

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
Yeah, you've got a lot of them, but there's always more to get, because you're always going to different places. Well, I mean, gifts are gifts are fine, but that's not why we really celebrate the holidays, is it, Kevin?

Kevin Thomas  
No, it's not. It's about the traditions and memories. And I know you want to talk about some traditions and memories.

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
I know you do too, absolutely. I mean, we kind of, I kind of introduced this when we were talking to Bobby. But growing up like Pizza Hut after the 4:30 Christmas Eve mass was like the fanciest the Broshears family got. I mean, I love that dinner. I loved that Christmas eve dinner with my brothers, my mom and dad, we kind of did that before we went out to my grandma Helen brand's house. What a great tradition. My mom's orange slice cake like this is like fruit cake on steroids. I know fruit cake is kind of this polarizing thing, but my mom makes this cake with the candies, like the orange slices, and sounds delicious. Oh my God. It is so amazing. And she makes me one. Now, every year, I don't think she makes it anymore, except for me, sometimes she'll make me two. They weigh, like 100 pounds. They're like bricks, but they taste awesome.

Kevin Thomas  
That's like a picture, and send it to you, you have to.

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
And then I've got a couple of old photos I was going through. You know, my dad passed away a couple years my dad loved Christmas, and later in life, he really got into taking photos with a really nice camera. And I've got just a couple of great pictures of me taking pictures, of him taking pictures, and I really treasure those.

Kevin Thomas  
Absolutely. I mean, how fantastic is it. Do you have those memories and have that you can look back on and and just share that timeframe with the entire family, but in that moment with your with your dad, that's just fantastic.

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
What do you have, like, what are some of your your best memories? 

Kevin Thomas  
I think about this every year and during the holidays, of like, the things that we do as families and as parents and just how we are connecting in the world around us. And so I think it's funny, right, like the Santa part of this, and I don't think we have a huge Santa believing audience at this moment. So I'm going to talk out of turn here some. But in our spoiler alert, in our house. We would go to Mass. Grew up Catholic and went to Catholic Church, and we would go to the five or six o'clock mass. And every year we'd get loaded into the car, and every year my mom would say, Oh, my stomach hurts. I need to go to the restroom real quick. You guys, just stay here. I'll just be a second. And, like, after like, three minutes, then my dad would say, I better go check on your mom and see if she's doing okay. And then we would come home from church, and magically, all of the presents could be there, you know. So, just awesome. I just remember these things as being, like, such a like, a part of those moments of the year, right? And like being so excited, but also being at mass, and like looking through the windows outside and be like, Oh my gosh, I think I saw something move. I think I saw Santa, you know, like just remembering those time frames, but we did Christmas Eve, Christmas essentially, so we're opening the gifts from the big guy on Christmas Eve. How did my parents explain that? Listen, I don't know. Like, he got to our house early. What are you what are you going to do? Right? But I now as a parent thinking back on this, because that would happen, and then instantly, after it was all said and done, I would call my friends in the neighborhood and be like, Oh my gosh, Santa came to the house, and here's what I got. And you have to realize how much my parents were pissing off all of the other neighborhood parents at that moment, because they're like, how do we explain that? Just, you know, that it was a nightmare scenario. And so it was, you know, video games, and you paid extra. Yeah, Star Wars toys and all kinds of things over the years that I think it's just been, you know, those gifts that stand out. But you know, really, it's the memories of, like, Christmas Eve day, going to my grandma and grandpa Thomas' and then going to church that night and the next day, going to the my grandma and grandpa winks. My mom's family and so, you know, those, those are the things that stand out so much. And, yeah, food along the way, and different things, but it's just the memories of of that time frame in those days is just something that stands out every year. 

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
Yeah, we get really busy too. I mean, we still have three of our four parents kind of hanging out, right? And lots of cousins and but one of the things I'm really happy about is that me and Kat, we spend some time early in the morning on Christmas Day with just the girls, and that's great. Like, I think it's important to kind of make your own traditions, no doubt, yeah. So I've really enjoyed that. Do you all do something like that with Braden now?

Kevin Thomas  
Yeah, you know, we've, we've, we've really committed to being at home on on the holiday in that time frame. It was one of those things as parents, especially early on, you know, and when you're newly married folks and you're coming together, it's like, well, where are we going to do Christmas at and how is this going to work? And at some point, you know, my wife having to have the very difficult conversation with both sets of parents that, you know we're going to have Christmas at our house, like he needs to have his own memories. So I was glad that she had that for me.

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
That's what wives are for, right? They do a great job of that,.

Kevin Thomas  
So, yeah, I and then, you know, there's books that we read at the night before and just really make sure that we're spending time together. There's movies that have to be watched as you know, wrapping gifts and doing things you know. There's a whole host of movies home alone, family, stone, different movies that we'll watch as a family and really enjoy. And it's just, you know, our memories, our time together, enough so that we were at Disney last year the day before Christmas, we said to Braden, hey, let's just stay through Christmas. And he's like, No, I want to be home for Christmas, like I want to be in the house. So, you know, those memories matter to him too, which is we really love. 

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
I thought you were going to say, he was saying, I don't know if Chris is Santa going to make it here?

Kevin Thomas  
I don't think he was worried about that anymore.

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
Thankfully, he is a little old for that. I mean, he's writing his own books now, for God's sake, he better know.

Kevin Thomas  
He is writing his own books and like that is just the wildest thing. And maybe this is a good transition of like, the things that you know we think about for 2025 that maybe are those things that are that we're really, really proud of or really happy about, and then those things that, like, maybe our fails of 2025 and what could we what would we do differently under the what are we really, really proud about? My kid wrote a book, man like, that's so amazing, and just mind blowing and surreal. And in people bought the book. You bought the book. Thank you for buying the book. Yeah, the Reaper chronicles the syndicate arc part one, which indicates there's going to be a part two. There is, I already know it and but people have been buying this book. And man, like, that's just, it's a weird thing to know that your kids talent is out there in the world and being digested in a way. It was a it was Kevin wathin, a good friend of mine that works in the field at SIU. You met Kevin at NACADA. Yeah, he wrote me a text, and he said, I'm through four chapters of the book. And he said, it's fantastic. And also, your son has the gift. And I'm like, gosh dang, how nice of a compliment is that? It's pretty amazing. What about you? Wins for the year.

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
Oh, I mean, NACADA this year was great. I did a couple of new sessions this spring, one on AI and one on connecting retirement kind of principles and retirement development with first year student development, which was kind of interesting, right? Trying to make the connection between what a successful retirement looks like and what a successful first year student transition looks like. Obviously, you know, winning the Bobbie Flaherty Service Award's a pretty big win like that was kind of fun. And I had a great time at the annual conference, right? My brother and his wife were there. My wife spent some time. We kind of crossed the streams there. She had never been to a NACADA event, so she got to meet some of my folks that I see every year. That was exciting. So that's my big win I think.

Kevin Thomas  
I was really trying to consider those things that like would be fails of 2025 because I really struggle with the fail term anyway, because everything's something you're learning from. And so there's always some wins, even if it's some struggles. But I think, as I reflected on it a little bit, my fail is realizing that there are certain periods of time that it's okay to not have your foot on the gas pedal, whatever that might look like, especially I think about it professionally. I have a really strong team here at UCA that I enjoy working. With and enjoy really driving us forward here as an institution, but every once while it's okay to be on cruise and my team is kind of at a place where being on cruise control, that's just like meeting, meeting the expectation, not constantly trying to exceed the expectation is is where we are and like, that's been a really difficult thing for me to just not have the foot on the gas pedal. But life, some of the leanness of things going on, some of the things that are happening within higher education, just the work is gotten a little little little difficult. And so I think this year, just realizing that I don't always have to have my foot on the gas pedal would be my takeaway of things I could do a little differently.

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
Yeah, I mean, I forgot about this question. You've kind of caught me off guard. I don't you know, I Kevin, we've talked about like, my streak, right? 10,000 steps a day for five years. And, yeah, this this spring, right? Like, I go out for a run at the end of March, and my knee just doesn't cooperate, right? And I go in and do all the checking and have a torn meniscus, and then you got to kind of take a step back. And so to me, right? Like, I don't know that I do anything differently, but sometimes it's just about being comfortable with the uncomfortable, or not even just realizing that, you know, I am getting older, sometimes you got to slow down. And the streak was really important for me at a certain point in time, and maybe now, like both in work and in my personal life, it's just a recommitment to just being the best version of you, right? I don't know that. I I'm not doing that, but, you know, I really struggled right there after the streak broke that like, Well, why do I even run or walk anymore? Why do I, you know? And so I think you get a little bit older like me. I mean, I turned senior citizen this fall, at least according to the AARP, I'm full senior citizen now that 55 years old, and you start to think about some things. So I think it's just kind of being more comfortable with the idea that you know you might have to slow down, you may need to savor the things that are really important to you and be kind of fully intentional and connected to that which might speak to some of the things I'll talk about a little bit later, in terms of my goals for 2026 well.

Kevin Thomas  
And you know, I really think the streak part of things, my counselor has a really healthy conversation with me every once in a while when I start talking about the step streak, where she says, what happens on the day you do 9,999 oh, right, and brutal. And it's, it's one of those where I feel like because she has had that conversation, and it's not just this, right, like it's a level of perfectionism and a level of detail that probably isn't the healthiest to have, but it is motivating in some ways. And next week is 1000 straight days of 10,000 steps. I'm super pumped about it, but I do think about that. What happens on that day? Because I remember when you called me and and you said, Hey, I'm not going to get it today. This is what happened. And you even led with steps before you led with the injury and what's happening? Did you, like, give up? Like, what's happening?

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
Like, every streak is broken?

Kevin Thomas  
Yeah, yeah. It was, like, your real, you know, Cal Ripken, Jr moment, like you were walking across high five and your friends, I did it for this long, everyone. I made you super country there. 

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
But when I moved to Iowa, they thought I was the most country person in the world. I think about that a lot like I don't sound that southern Indiana. I guess maybe I do.

Kevin Thomas  
I don't know. We're gonna have to put out a poll on that one. Does Brody sound southern? 

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
We have to talk about some work stuff too. We don't have a guest.

Kevin Thomas  
All right. Well, I think one of the things that I that I was thinking about here, is that in the last few weeks, the academic advising quarterly article that I put together for that publication came out, and I believe you're writing for that too, is that...

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
I thought we could talk about both of those things, like your article about advising as an art, right? Is really great.

Kevin Thomas  
It really does stem from being in the field for so long and seeing people that you work with that are artists, and that there's a difference in those things, and in that there are certain people that look at this, and you can just see that evolution of being a prescriptive advisor, right? Like, when new people come on, it's like, well, here's the checklist, and here's what I'm gonna talk about, and here are the things. And as they start to figure it out, and. As people start to figure out it really does become an art form, and then for folks that really connect in a way that is special, it just becomes like watching someone do their craft. And there's just nothing better than hearing an appointment that's going at that level and in that way. And you can see the connections and the relationships and the belief and the belonging and what that power really comes to and and so, yeah, I thought it was a good article to write for those reasons, because I think advising is at that crossroad right now. Yeah, they're at that crossroads where AI and technology can make things very prescriptive and very informed, but if that's what we're, think advising is, we're missing out on that relationship that needs to occur.

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
Yeah, it's not a transactional event, right? Like we're not, you wrote this in the notes, right? We do prep every now and then. Gang like you said, we're we're not service providers, right? We We really are about making a difference in students lives, and it's what students report is the most important parts of their experiences on college campuses are the personal relationships they develop with faculty and staff and other students that makes the difference, right? I mean, ultimately, most of the research suggests that and our advising practices should reflect that.

Kevin Thomas  
Yeah, and it's one of those two that I think that it's an interesting and with respect to the article that's there, and for folks that were wanting to read it, you check out LinkedIn page. You can search Academic Advising Quarterly. There's a lot of really great articles that are in there, but I think it's one of those things that people think, well, all you talk to them about is the classes they need, the curriculum they're going to take. And even if that was the case, right, even if that was the case, still being able to tell that story well and provide that information is an art form. You could say the same thing for any class that's taught on our campus, right? Well, all you're going to teach them is 1950s history, right? But you still like it's already happened. You've got to be able to do it. You've got to be able to to make the policy and the curriculum intersect with empathy and structure and improvisation, you know, like it's you've got to take those steps that really, really do stand out in teaching the student and being a good instructor in this as well.

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
Yeah, absolutely it. I feel like the article that I'm going to write for academic advising quarterly. Here coming up, I've been talking to Matt and I, we threw out a couple of ideas. I want to be helpful whenever I can. And, you know, we had Marsha on earlier this year, and she's kind of motivated both of us, I think, to kind of think about writing a little bit. And now here we are doing it. And I talked to Matt about a couple of ideas, and the one thing that kind of popped out was the power of the 30 minute meeting, right? Like the power of the 30 minutes, right? So many of our advising appointments now, or the 30 minute meetings. Are you talking to advisors at Nakada? And I think about just how much we leave to chance in those 30 minutes in some way, shape or form, or I think about the tone that we take with our students when we're with them for those 30 minutes really matters, because sometimes it's the only chance we're going to get to have an impact on that student. And you know, I was telling Matt before we went on the before we're recording today, you know, just last week, I'm kind of reminded of the power of the 30 minutes one of my first years of running the Living Learning Community Exploring Majors for at the University of Southern Indiana. I think it was 2010 I had this group of 15 students that I was teaching a first year seminar for and that we're living on the same floor and were undecided about their major. And man, it was, it was a rough group. I think only three of those students came back after year one, but I stayed in contact with most all of them. A couple of them have since passed away, right? Like I've known two students or three or four students that have have passed away, right? And two of them were from that class. And so I have a couple really great stories about those two students, but this student, this student that I'm going to talk about right now, just last week, you know, I wished him happy birthday on Facebook, and he sent me a note. Like, I haven't talked to this, this guy in 15 years, 15 years, amazing. And he sent me a note. He said, Brody, I'm really impressed that you say happy birthday to me every year, right? And I just need you to know college didn't work out for me. I had a lot of problems when I was a young person. I kind of got that sorted out, and now I'm a really productive adult. I've got a great family, and I want you to know. You were the only teacher advisor that really believed in me and knew that I was going to get it done 15 years I hadn't talked to this guy in 15 years other than to wish him a happy birthday. And so my article is going to start with a kind of a similar experience with a student that I worked with at the University of Northern Iowa, right the way that we show out in those 30 minutes matters. Yep, it absolutely matters. And there's a lot of power in that 30 minute meeting that we we underutilized so often.

Kevin Thomas  
And I think the thing that we forget about because it becomes the norm is it's one of 10s of hundreds of 1000s of appointments we will have. But with that student, it's one, it's one, yeah, and hopefully it's the second one the next semester in the next you know, hopefully there's continuation of that relationship. But what you're talking about is that power in the 30 minutes you have one chance, one chance, leave that first impression, and just really have a strong connection with that student.

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
I mean, we'll end here. We need to get we need to get done. But, but like, I mean, the other thing that I'd say is, you know, advisors want that generally. I mean, most of the research says advisors would like to spend less time on the transactional activities and more time on the goal setting and planning, the coaching, the personal kind of the aid and the personal and career goals, right? So let's find ways to do that intentionally.

Kevin Thomas  
Yep, absolutely you've said it though we are at a point where if we're going to make these to be just us meetings or minis, we got to be shorter than this. And so we're going to end in a top three, but we're going to do a little differently, not just three things. What is a personal thing we're looking forward to in 2026 a professional thing we're looking forward to in 2026 and what might be the big trend or challenge for higher education in 2026.

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
Oh, God, right, you get to go first because you got better answers than I do.

Kevin Thomas  
I don't know about that. Well, sometimes I do reflect back on just traveling the world, going to record stores. But anyway, I think the personal thing for me, and I really figured out that this is something that I like to do, is travel. I like to it doesn't have to be complex, but like knowing for me that in 2026 I'm very likely to go to DC, to Kansas City, I think, to Charleston, South Carolina to Disney Minnesota to go to another Vikings game at some point. I sure hope they're playing better by that point.

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
You know fandom. Welcome to Fandom of mediocrity, Kevin.

Kevin Thomas  
I know my team and your team same record. That's embarrassing. You know, I'm really looking forward to the travel ahead. If we're talking about professional thing, I'm looking forward to in 2026 I think that there is a certain amount of of pressure to always have results. And I think that in my roles that I've been in, sometimes it's like, oh, do I ever get to see the fruits of the change that we put in? And there are some things that are coming up in this next year, whether that is preparing for the enrollment cliff that is here, right? Like, I really like the sugar high is over, and so now the drop really starts to come that I think there's things that I've done on my end of preparation and readiness in several worlds, but especially in that enrollment world, that my institution is ready for the enrollment cliff and going to be healthy and thrive in that environment. And then the big trend, maybe challenge, or whatever, for higher education in 2026 I think, is the noise, right? Like I think, and I don't know if that's a trend or challenge, but like in higher education. It's just sometimes we get lost in the noise and whatever that is. Like, this year, it's been a lot of government regulation and legislative change, and, you know, like, there's been a lot of talk about the value of higher education. And I just think if institutions can start to get past the noise and talk about the real successes that's there. I think we're all doing better than being reactive. And so in being proactive 2026 I'm going to say the noise is coming, and we're going to have to be aware of it, and just have to do a better job of telling our story and singing the song of higher education, because somebody needs to be an advocate for the great things happening on our campus, and it should be us.

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
Yeah, that's fantastic. I love that. That's really something I've been thinking about a lot, right? What can we control, and how do we get back to some of the basics, like the role of higher education, the role of the work and the academic advisors and absolutely, Academic Support Professionals, right? Student Success, just more generally, there's a lot to be proud of in terms of the work that we've done. I know I sometimes forget about right what I've done in my career, and the role that I've played in that, and so I think that's a good reminder. So travel is great, and we have cat and I have really committed to kind of doing some specific things with the girls now that they're grown adults, right? And still trying to get the family together for a week or so, that's getting harder, but I think this spring, I'm looking forward to we're going to Maine, we're going to go watch my nephew graduate from Bowdoin College, and I think we're going to do that week out there in the northeast, maybe hit Boston, really excited about that. 

Kevin Thomas  
You know what's funny about going up to Maine and the college that you're going to go to, this is the way food works in our mind, right? So the other night, I'm out at a meal, and it's really good. My wife's like, are you going to take a picture of that and send it to Brody? And I'm like, yeah, probably I'm going to. And the moment you say Boyden, Boyden college, right? The thing that comes to my mind is the only time I've been to Maine, we went to, like, their town square, and there was a food truck there that, I kid you not, had the best burger I've ever had in my life. And so if it's still there some 20 years later, you should totally go.

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
But, and, you know, we're in Maine, so, like, lobster is a thing, and I don't do seafood, so I'm gonna have to sort that out. But I'm sure they make hamburgers in Maine, just like you said. So that's good.

Kevin Thomas  
They have chicken there, man, it's just because it's in Maine, doesn't mean it's just seafood.

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
I'm aware. 

Kevin Thomas  
Get a pizza.

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
I appreciate, I appreciate that clarification, though.

Kevin Thomas  
I'm speaking for all the mainiens. I don't, know what it'll be.

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
I'm relieved I can eat something besides lobster in Maine, and then professionally, I just think, you know, I've really enjoyed my time as an emerging leaders mentor, and I think just being more intentional in that practice and really reaching out to folks, and whether it's people that I supervise directly or folks on campus here that I have really good professional and personal relationships with my folks in NACADA who that emerging leaders class. I really love the way that they're doing that now, which is kind of kind of potting that those mentors with all that, that entire class, and being able to reach out to any of those folks whenever I've tried to follow up with a good chunk of them that I met here this fall at the annual conference. And I've really enjoyed that. And so I just want to remain intentional in that space. And then I think on the higher ed side, the big trend and challenge, I do think that integration of technology and advising is a real kind of It's a soft spot right now. I think there's a lot of concern about the role AI is going to play in advising, and I just feel like it's a topic that we're going to continue to talk about and have to tackle and figure out ways to to kind of best utilize AI for the advising community, and not use it as a crutch to erode erode some of those personal connections that are really important to the advising relationships. And so I'm going to try to continue to play a part in that, learn as much as I can about AI and and try to share that amongst the advising community. I think I'm going to continue to try to talk about that. Maybe I put in a session for the annual conference. But to me, I think that's a big challenge for higher education is thinking about the role that AI is going to play in all of this just generally. And we, we can't. We've got to get on this bus, right? It's, it's a locomotive that's moving pretty fast. And if we don't figure it out, I think we're going to be, we're going to be hurt by it.

Kevin Thomas  
I would agree with you. It's in that may be the thing for 2026 the year of embracing, not just saying we're trying it out. Yes, absolutely, yeah. Well, Kevin, this was great. Hey, you know what? This is it. This is the last episode of 2025 it is and I have to say, I'm so grateful for you. I'm so grateful for our producer extraordinaire, Matt Markin, kudos to you, Matt, for letting us start this journey earlier in the year. And I'm so grateful that people are actually listening. That seems like a small thing to say for a podcast, but people are listening and watching because apparently we're a hoot on the YouTube as well.

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
Yeah, I'm just grateful that my wife doesn't think it's terrible. At least most days.

Kevin Thomas  
Mine does not either. You know, they're two wins, right? If our wives thought this was terrible, this would be a whole new situation.

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
And we're enjoying ourselves. That's all that really should matter. I think at the end of the day.

Kevin Thomas  
Absolutely And listen, this is what it was, right? We started this with phone calls, and we still have those phone calls, and I will say there are far more expletives being spoken on those phone calls than on the podcast. But the podcast has been a great time, and so I'm glad that we're in in 2025 and looking forward to 2026 with some some new directions, new guests, and in a weekly effort with each of you.

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
Yeah, well, Kevin, I do appreciate you, right? I know you kind of already said this, but man, it's been great to be on this journey with you. And look, we're done. So folks, that's this edition. I mean, I'm not as sentimental as maybe I should be but, but that's it for this edition of the pickup meeting, the last pickup meeting of 2025 We hope your own meetings, formal or pickup style, are as meaningful and fun as this one, until next time, do good and Be nice. 

Kevin Thomas  
See you in 2026. Cheers Brody.

Michael "Brody" Broshears  
Cheers.