Ever wonder what it really takes to help first-year students thrive in college? Or what happens when old high school rivals reconnect in higher ed?

On the latest Higher Ed Breakfast Club, Chris & Brian are joined by Kim Sousa Peoples—Senior Director for First Year Student Engagement at a North Carolina university (and fellow high school alum from back in the Kettering Fairmont days!).

We talk the joys and chaos of welcoming new students, surviving college as a “townie” kid, higher ed’s work/life balance crisis, and the hard truths of student affairs—plus: hash brown preferences, vegan breakfast hacks, and a live American taste test of Australia’s mysterious Vegemite.

Listen in for real talk, honest laughs, and maybe a few hot sauce recommendations.

Higher Ed Breakfast Club New Episode Drop!

The beads are flying, the Diet Coke is spilling, and Brian’s becoming a New Orleans legend (whether he wants to or not). In Part 2 of our convo with Kenneth Johnson, we go full storytelling mode—from shuttle mishaps and Mardi Gras mayhem to awkward poolside plantation debates and breakfast taco wisdom.

🥯 Plus: the crew digs into hot takes on donuts, energy drinks, and the controversial cereal rankings you didn’t know you needed.

🎓 And we don’t stop there. Kenneth gets real about the future of higher ed—DEI audits, shifting political winds, and how student leadership is evolving in the face of it all.

🔥 Oh, and did someone say Vegemite taste test and Australian shout-out? It’s coming.

Tap in now. Laugh, learn, and maybe rethink your next breakfast taco order and find out Brian's nickname.

👉 Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
🍳 #HigherEdBreakfastClub #NewEpisode #BrianSpillsAgain #DonutsAndDEI #BreakfastTalksRealTalk

🔥 NEW EPISODE ALERT! 🔥

Brisket for breakfast? Fighting okra? Waffle House wisdom? Yeah, this episode has everything.

Join The Higher Ed Breakfast Club Podcast as hosts Chris Taylor & Brian Van Brunt sit down with Kenneth Johnson (Texas A&M) to talk:
🍳 His journey from student affairs to strategic partnerships🏈 Great stories from his days as a college athlete 🥑 Why Texas breakfast tacos changed his life

Also, we finally answer the big question: Are you extraordinary? (Hint: Kenneth has a legendary speech for that.)

#HigherEd #Podcast #BreakfastTalk #WaffleHouseWisdom #BrisketForBreakfast #StudentAffairs #FightingOkras