With Lonn Shulkin (Founder, BAM Advertising)

Episode Summary

This week, Myles Biggs and Patrick Patterson sit down with Lonn Shulkin, founder of BAM Advertising, for a candid conversation about leadership, trust, and what it actually takes to build an agency that lasts.

From Lonn’s early career lessons to BAM’s growth and eventual partnership with Level Agency, this episode explores how people-first leadership, emotional intelligence, and long-term thinking outperform short-term tactics. Lonn shares hard-earned insights on managing ego, earning trust with clients and teams, and why retention, not acquisition, is the true indicator of success.

Rather than chasing hacks or hype, this conversation focuses on building organizations grounded in values, accountability, and genuine care for people.

If you care about leadership, sustainable growth, or creating work environments people don’t want to leave, this episode is for you.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• From ego to empathy: How self-awareness and humility shape better leaders and healthier teams.
• Trust as a growth strategy: Why trust, not tactics, is the foundation of long-term client and employee retention.
• Retention over acquisition: Why keeping clients and people matters more than chasing constant new wins.
• Values-driven growth: How aligning principles made the BAM × Level partnership possible.
• Leadership under pressure: Navigating insecurity, decision-making, and responsibility at scale.
• Marketing that feels like value: Why the best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing at all.
• Culture as a competitive advantage: How strong internal culture translates directly to client outcomes.

Featured Guest

Lonn Shulkin — Founder, BAM Advertising
Entrepreneur and agency leader focused on trust-based relationships, long-term growth, and people-first leadership.

Learn More

• Lonn Shulkin on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lonnshulkin/?originalSubdomain=ca
• Level Agency – https://www.level.agency

Takeaways for Operators & Leaders

• Start with trust, not tactics, internally and externally.
• Retention is a lagging indicator of leadership quality.
• Growth without values creates fragility, not scale.
• Ego is often the hidden constraint in leadership decisions.
• The best marketing creates value before asking for anything in return.
• Partnerships work when cultures align, not just balance sheets.

Connect With the Show

• Level Agency – https://www.level.agency
• Patrick Patterson – https://www.linkedin.com/in/pattersonwork/
• Myles Biggs – https://www.linkedin.com/in/mylesjb/

How to Support the Show

• Subscribe so you never miss an episode.
• Rate & review if this conversation brought you value.
• Share the episode with leaders building people-first organizations.

Higher education is operating in a more competitive and consumer-driven environment than ever before, and new data reveals what actually drives enrollment growth.

In this episode of the Career Education Report, Patrick Patterson, CEO of Level Agency, and Prithwi Dasgupta, President of LeadSquared North America, join host Dr. Jason Altmire to unpack findings from a national benchmarking study analyzing more than 500,000 student inquiries and $100 million in higher education advertising spend.

Together, they discuss how student behavior, marketing channels, and operational execution intersect, and where institutions are falling behind.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:

• Why responding to student inquiries within the first five minutes can increase enrollment conversion rates by nearly 30%
• How AI and automation enable faster, more personalized student engagement
• Why brand building is a critical (and often underestimated) driver of enrollment performance
• How channel mix decisions impact cost per enrollment, not just cost per lead
• Where institutions are misallocating marketing dollars—and how to course-correct
• What “great execution” looks like from first inquiry to enrollment

Practical insights for enrollment leaders, marketers, and executives looking to move beyond surface-level metrics and design student-first experiences that convert.

Resources & Links

• Learn more about Level Agency: https://www.level.agency
• Learn more about LeadSquared: https://www.leadsquared.com
• Check out the Career Education Report Podcast: Linked here
• See the full benchmarking report: Click here

To learn more about Career Education Colleges & Universities (CECU), visit:
https://www.career.org

with Stephen Arthur (Director of AI & Analytics, ECPI University)

Episode Summary

This week, Myles Biggs and Patrick Patterson sit down with Stephen Arthur, Director of AI and Analytics at ECPI University, one of the first institutions boldly pushing toward an AI-first university model. While most universities are still debating whether students should be “allowed” to use ChatGPT, Stephen and his team have already built a proprietary AI learning platform, integrated it into curriculum design, student support, faculty workflows, and the operational backbone of the university.

Stephen shares how his unusual journey, from aerospace engineering to marketing analytics, to AI product leadership, shaped the mindset needed to drive change in one of the most tradition-bound industries in America. You’ll hear how ECPI is breaking higher-ed inertia, converting AI skeptics into evangelists, and redefining what it means to prepare students for the workforce of the future.

If you’ve wondered whether AI will replace universities, or remake them, this episode is your front-row seat.

• AI’s existential question for higher ed
• How ECPI became an early AI-first university
• Change management: flipping skeptical faculty into AI champions
• Marketing, analytics, and the engineer’s mindset
• The Three C’s that ensure universities survive AI
• The future of work and which careers AI won’t replace soon
• Operational AI across the institution

Stephen Arthur — Director of AI & Analytics, ECPI University
Engineer turned marketer turned AI builder, leading ECPI’s transformation into one of the first AI-first universities.

Stephen on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-arthur/

ECPI University Newsroom – https://www.ecpi.edu/newsroom

• AI won’t replace universities, but universities that ignore AI may become irrelevant.
• Experience beats access: AI enables one-to-one tutoring at scale, something higher ed has dreamed of for centuries.
• Adoption requires solving faculty pain first, not just student pain.
• Curriculum must evolve constantly: AI isn’t a topic to teach, but a medium through which all learning happens.
• Operational AI matters: IT support, financial aid, and student services can all be reimagined with LLMs.
• Statistical literacy is a superpower in marketing, analytics, and now AI deployment.
• The human element still wins: Community and accountability remain irreplaceable advantages of real institutions.

Level Agency – https://www.level.agency/

Patrick Patterson – https://www.linkedin.com/in/pattersonwork/
Myles Biggs – https://www.linkedin.com/in/mylesjb/

• Subscribe so you never miss an episode.
• Rate & review if this conversation brought you value.
• Share the episode with colleagues exploring AI, higher ed innovation, or organizational transformation.

with Brooks Canavesi (Baryons)

Episode Summary

This week, Myles Biggs and Patrick Patterson sit down with Brooks Canavesi, serial entrepreneur, technologist, and co-founder of Baryons, an AI company building personal mentors designed to help people flourish. Brooks shares his journey from competitive athlete and founder to a wilderness rehab turning point, and why “good enough isn’t” only works when it’s paired with well-being. We unpack the science of flourishing (PERMA), how Baryons’ voice-first AI uses memory, intention, and post-call processing, and why the goal isn’t more hustle, it’s human agency.

If you’re curious about human-centered AI, personal growth, or building tech that actually helps people live better, this one’s for you.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why flourishing beats hustling, and how the PERMA model frames daily choices.
• How a personal AI mentor can surface root causes (not just symptoms) and drive real change.
• Memory that matters: recency/frequency, decay, and context graphs that feel human.
• Dialogue as product: designing questions, “be quiet” modes, and proactive nudges.
• Guardrails & compliance: building safety for students, teams, and B2C users.
• The power of transitions: why moments of change are the best time to adopt a mentor.
• Group Baryon: private, on-meeting insight that later guides each person 1:1.
• What AI can and can’t replace, and how to keep the human in human-centered AI.

Featured Guest

Brooks Canavesi — Co-Founder, Baryons
Serial entrepreneur and technologist focused on human-centered AI. Brooks blends product, engineering, and flourishing science to build voice-first AI mentors that help people and teams grow.

On X: @brookscanavesi
Sign up: https://baryons.com/
LinkTree (all socials): https://linktr.ee/baryons

Learn more

Baryons — Personal AI mentors for work and life: https://baryons.com/

Takeaways for Operators & Leaders

• Start with outcomes for people, not features for models; measure flourishing, not just usage.
• Treat conversation as a UI: craft prompts, toggles (yes/no), and check-ins with intention.
• Build proactive systems: memory, decay, and context so AI shows up with an agenda to help.
• Safety isn’t optional: define escalation paths, compliance checks, and when to stay silent.
• Focus the roadmap: say “no” to assistant sprawl; be the best at a narrow, high-value job.
• Design for transitions (new role, school, parenting, retirement) where impact compounds.

Connect With The Show

• Level Agency – https://www.level.agency/
• Patrick Patterson – https://www.linkedin.com/in/pattersonwork/
• Myles Biggs – https://www.linkedin.com/in/mylesjb

How to Support the Show

• Subscribe so you never miss an episode.
• Rate & review if it brought you value, share it with a friend.

with Bill Nance (StrataTech Education Group)

Episode Summary

This week, Myles Biggs and Patrick Patterson sat down with Bill Nance, an education operator and change leader, now the CEO of StrataTech Education Group. Bill’s journey spans art & design, IT, operations, finance, and strategy, experiences he’s used to rebuild how schools work from the student's perspective.

Bill shares why great leaders do the hard work themselves until they understand it, make the call without perfect data, and protect the brand by owning demand rather than renting it. You’ll hear how he balances quarterly pressure with long-term purpose, why referrals outperform short-term volume, and how AI can widen opportunities, from adaptive learning to securing real funding for real students, without sacrificing human connection.

If you care about student experience, sustainable growth, or pragmatic AI in higher education, this one’s for you.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Student-first operations: How structuring programs (pricing, devices, materials) levels the playing field and frees faculty to teach.
• Own the brand, don’t rent demand: Why overreliance on pay-per-lead hurts referrals, show rates, and long-term unit economics.
• Referrals as a north star: What Bill learned when cohorts sourced from aggregators didn’t refer, and how that changes the math.
• Leadership under uncertainty: Making 50/50 calls, communicating pivots, and earning trust by explaining the “why.”
• AI as a leveler (not a chatbot gimmick): Practical use cases that improve outcomes without degrading the front-door experience.
• Adaptive learning’s moment: Why true personalization at scale finally looks feasible with modern AI.
• Funding discovery at scale: Bill’s Monday-morning AI experiment to surface grants, workforce funds, and employer sponsorships for each student.
• Skilled trades at scale: Why the next five years demand high-ROI programs that meet community and employer needs.

Featured Guest

Bill Nance – CEO, StrataTech Education Group; former executive at Delta Career Education and Ancora; operator focused on student experience, brand ownership, and technology-enabled transformation.

Bill Nance on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/billnance/

Learn more

• StrataTech Education Group - https://stratatech.com/

Takeaways for Operators & Leaders

• Start with the student, design the service: Treat curriculum as the product and everything around it as the service layer, price, materials, devices, financing, so day one is equitable and predictable.
• Brand ownership compounds: Leads you generate yourself have higher intent, higher referral rates, and better downstream economics than rented demand.
• Measure what matters (referrals): Track referral % per source; if a channel suppresses referrals, its “cheap” volume is more expensive than it looks.
• AI ≠ call-deflection: Avoid front-door chatbot traps that erode trust. Prioritize AI that adds value (adaptive learning, call summaries with human QA, funding discovery).

Connect With the Show

• Level Agency – https://www.level.agency/
• Patrick Patterson – https://www.linkedin.com/in/pattersonwork/
• Myles Biggs – https://www.linkedin.com/in/mylesjb

How to Support the Show

• Subscribe so you never miss an episode.
• Rate & review if it brought you value,

with Dr. Michael Hageloh & Dr. Bruce Fraser (Indian River State College)

Episode Summary

This week, Myles Biggs and Patrick Patterson sit down with two innovators who are shaping the future of higher education: Dr. Michael Hageloh and Dr. Bruce Fraser of Indian River State College in Florida.

Together, they discuss how AI is disrupting higher ed, not as a technology problem, but as a change management challenge. From Steve Jobs’ lessons at Apple to democratizing knowledge in the classroom, Michael and Bruce share their experiences leading transformation at scale.

They make the case that students are customers first, that knowledge is no longer scarce, and that AI, used wisely, can help colleges unlock creativity, adaptability, and epic wins for the next generation of learners.

If you care about innovation, the future of education, or how to lead through massive change, this conversation is packed with insights.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• How Apple’s product philosophy shaped Michael’s approach to education leadership
• Why “customers don’t know what they want” still applies to students in 2025
• The death of the click economy and what it means for marketers & schools
• How IRSC is using AI to move students from curiosity → enrollment → success
• The role of fidelity (taste, judgment, human refinement) in an AI-driven world
• Why higher education must shift from “knowledge scarcity” to AI-abundant, collaborative learning
• Predictions for the future: apprenticeships, stackable credentials, and billion-dollar one-person companies

Featured Guests

Dr. Michael Hageloh – VP of Marketing at Indian River State College, former Apple executive, author, and change leader.

Dr. Bruce Fraser – Faculty leader at IRSC with a background in psychology, epistemology, and AI research, specializing in organizational change and faculty development.

Learn more:

• Indian River State College - https://www.irsc.edu/
  
  
• IRSC AI Thought Leadership Article: The Death of the Click Economy - https://medium.com/@michaelhageloh/the-death-of-the-click-economy-how-ai-is-altering-human-agency-and-commerce-533e9ac6aeb4

Takeaways for Operators & Leaders

• AI adoption is a change management problem, not a tech problem. Leaders need to prepare their organizations for cultural and structural adaptation, not just tool rollouts.
• Democratization changes the business model. Just as iTunes democratized music, generative AI democratizes knowledge; leaders must rethink what unique value their institutions or companies add.
• Customers (and students) don’t always know what they want. Leaders must guide people through a journey, painting the vision before delivering the product.
• Entry-level work is evolving. Education and employers must fill the gap with apprenticeships and practical, AI-augmented learning to prepare talent for higher-value roles faster.

Connect With the Show

• Level Agency - https://www.level.agency/
• Patrick Patterson’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/pattersonwork/
• Myles Biggs’ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mylesjbiggs/

How to Support the Show

• Subscribe so you never miss an episode.
• Share this episode with someone wrestling with GenAI adoption.
• Rate & review if it brings value, helps us reach more listeners!

A wide-ranging, human-first conversation about scaling AI responsibly. Tracey traces her path from nursing to programming to CEO, explains why “good enough isn’t,” and lays out a practical playbook: pick the right problem, bring people along, then layer AI on strong workflows and platforms to unlock real innovation—not just busywork.

Our Guest

Tracey Cesen — Founder & CEO, Forever Human AI. Former President/CEO in professional services; earlier roles across healthcare, finance, and ed-tech. Advocate for human-centered tech, product thinking, and pragmatic change management.

What we cover

• Origin story: from nursing labs to coding and product leadership
• “Good Enough Isn’t” as a leadership lens (and why a little healthy pushback makes teams better)
• Human-first tech: what AI should automate, and what must stay human
• Platforms > one-off pilots: how workflow/data foundations enable GenAI value
• Why 95% of pilots stall (and how to be in the 5% that ship and stick)
• The “AI as a utility” model (quality–speed–cost) & what that means for builders and buyers
• Marketing implications: YouTube’s rising importance, AI disclosure, and audience trust
• Tracey’s “why”: help people be more than they think they can be, and make new mistakes

Resources & Links Mentioned

Connect with Tracey

• Tracey Cesen’s LinkedIn (DM her here): https://www.linkedin.com/in/traceymzimmerman/

Platforms & Tools

• ServiceNow – Now Assist (Generative AI on Now Platform): https://www.servicenow.com/now-platform.html
• xAI — Grok (Elon Musk’s AI model): https://x.ai/grok
• Google “Doppl” (body-double virtual try-on experiments): https://labs.google/doppl
• 95% of GenAI Pilots fail article: https://mlq.ai/media/quarterly_decks/v0.1_State_of_AI_in_Business_2025_Report.pdf
• Impaxs - https://impaxs.com
  • Email: asheridan@impaxs.com

Hosts

• Level Agency - https://www.level.agency/
• Patrick Patterson’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/pattersonwork/
• Myles Biggs’ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mylesjbiggs/

Takeaways for Operators & Leaders

• Start with the right problem. Strong pilots solve meaningful problems, not just novel ones.
• People > tools. Adoption comes through excitement, not enforcement.
• Focus on platforms. Platforms like ServiceNow unify workflows and data, making GenAI possible.
• Think like a utility. Models are like electricity: optimize across quality, speed, and cost.
• Avoid vanity pilots. Ship useful tools, iterate quickly, and make new mistakes to learn and improve.

How to Support the Show

• Subscribe so you never miss an episode.
• Share this episode with someone wrestling with GenAI adoption.
• Rate & review if it brings value, helps us reach more listeners!