When Language Fell Short

When Leadership Has Lost Its Mind - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2ROPG0hLSg8A3oX0FcIHfy?si=828005dde8b54594

This is one of the first playlists I created for work. It’s a soundtrack for those moments when things go sideways and explanations don’t hold. Disbelief, dark humor, and the uneasy suspicion that competence does not always prevail.

Still Showing Up Anyway - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7yxiA1yUxTSLu6a1PLX2js?si=eddd15ba95db4021

This playlist marks the stubborn, daily choice to keep teaching, keep building, keep caring, even when the larger structure feels unstable.

With a Little Help From the Other Deans - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7GcSCFBRlr1lQD8fMOdq5U?si=2dbc99b3c6604c14

I was lucky to go through the most recent chapter with amazing colleagues and friends. This playlist celebrates the solidarity in a season of uncertainty. It’s a reminder that leadership, even when constrained, is rarely solitary, and that friendship can steady what structure cannot.

Kind Doesn’t Mean Quiet - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7hFKjK7BoNJMdFQJqQYeNW?si=d040418cb00c4586

This may be my favorite of the playlists, although that tends to change depending on the day. It’s a study in voice and power. These songs remind me that civility does not require silence.

The Sound of No Apology - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2eB6isT5brj1QGbseiE0dg?si=fa884c72a6904af3

These songs trace the line where apology feels demanded but is completely unwarranted — voice steadied, spine intact. It starts with a song I have listened to so many times over the past months - you have to love Tami Nielsen.

The Day You Get Fired - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6bzEVBZOSsfcE0znJOXk3X?si=5ffa66abac674e89

For all those who took the shrapnel, this playlist captures some shock, anger, clarity, and strange relief. It’s a record of that singular day when the story turns sharply, and the future gets redrawn without consultation.

Too Tired to Strategize - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3GMbTRkj22Cm7BazUapCTu?si=485f6aa92d754e71

This is a pointed entry in the collection. I created it with a significant measure of irony. It nods to too many times when fatigue became an explanation for questionable decisions.

Holding It Together With Humor - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6TrlsKJsJvyBsM5cq2czEB?si=0a3bc03ef8b74253

This playlist reflects gallows humor as survival strategy. I created it when we needed laughter to clarify more effectively than outrage ever could.

Hope in the Middle of Madness - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4T7Zx4Vb8A9nWIhLqsyapU?si=cfc4eb2205a04e01

I built this playlist for the long view. When the bad decisions churn and the numbers don’t add up, I wanted something that leans toward endurance, sunlight, and the possibility that institutions, like people, can still choose better.