Escape Velocity - Where Strategy Meets the Unexpected – Details, episodes & analysis

Tracey Halvorsen, CEO of adeo, talks with Dayana "Day" Kibilds, VP of Strategy at Ologie and author of Mailed It, about the language problem hiding in plain sight across higher education.

Day has worked in-house in admissions and now leads strategy for dozens of institutions worldwide. Together they dig into why financial aid pages read like legal documents (paste yours into the Hemingway app and watch it turn red), how Ologie's work with Amherst College created a home-delivered guide that reached first-gen students nobody else was reaching, and why creative testing almost always kills the boldest work.

They also get into the agency-institution dynamic: why schools think they're more unique than they are, why "community" isn't a differentiator, what happens when a president swoops in at the 11th hour, and what the structural future of higher ed looks like as AI reshapes everything.

Escape Velocity is hosted by Tracey Halvorsen, CEO of adeo, a creative and digital agency working with higher education and complex growth brands.

Link to the book - "Mailed It!"

Link to Day's Newsletter: You Ask Day Answers

Your website isn't the thing anymore. Your brand message is. And most companies still have it backwards.

Yianni Mathioudakis and Monica Sanchez run DEEO, a two-person design studio that made a gutsy call early on: turn down the wrong clients, say the quiet parts out loud about money, and bet everything on authentic connection over algorithm-chasing content.

In this conversation, we get into what's actually changing right now for creative studios and the brands they serve. AI is flooding every platform with content. Google is summarizing your website before anyone clicks on it. And the old playbook of "build a nice website and they will come" is dead.

We talk about why brand strategy is becoming the most important investment a company can make. How DEEO rebuilt their entire business development approach after getting ghosted. Why "content for connection, not for the algorithm" became their breakthrough philosophy. And what generative UI could mean for the future of branded web experiences.

We also get into the real stuff: how to talk about money with clients without it being weird, why saying no to a big project was the scariest and smartest move they made, and why taste and curation are the irreplaceable human skills in an AI world.

Plus a new Escape Velocity tradition: guests now leave a question for the next guest. Yianni and Monica's questions are worth the listen alone.

If you run a creative business, work in brand strategy, or care about where design and AI are headed, this one's for you.

Topics: brand strategy, creative studio growth, AI and branding, value-based pricing, client red flags, generative UI, web design future, authentic marketing, small agency business development

In this episode of Escape Velocity, Tracey Halvorsen is joined by Traci Barrett—founder of Navigate the Journey, executive coach, former HGTV founding team member, and author of What If There’s More?. Together, they explore what it means to lead with clarity, navigate burnout, and make brave choices in business and life. From surviving betrayal and recalibrating after setbacks to building teams rooted in honesty and shared values, Traci shares deep wisdom on fear, identity, hope, and finding significance beyond traditional markers of success. This is a must-listen for anyone feeling overwhelmed, off-course, or hungry to realign their ambition with purpose.

In this episode of Escape Velocity, Tracey Halvorsen sits down with Brigid Lawler, a seasoned enrollment strategist with decades of experience navigating the shifting landscape of higher education. From small liberal arts colleges to state institutions, Brigid shares candid insights on what’s broken in traditional recruitment, how schools can tap into their true identity, and why the admissions funnel might need to be flipped on its head.

Together, they unpack the myth of one-size-fits-all marketing, explore the real reason students (and their parents) make decisions, and reflect on how small teams can punch above their weight with creative thinking, collaboration, and clarity of mission. If you work in higher ed—or are just trying to make bold decisions inside a cautious system—this conversation will hit home.

In this episode, Tracey sits down with her 17-year-old niece Romy, a rising senior deep in the college search process. From TikTok dorm tours to admissions anxiety, Romy offers a refreshingly honest Gen Z perspective on what matters (and what doesn’t) when evaluating colleges. If you work in higher ed—or just want to understand how this generation thinks—you’ll want to hear this.

In this episode of Escape Velocity, I’m joined by someone I’ve had the privilege of collaborating with on some of the most meaningful projects of my career—Pete Mackey.

Pete is the founder of Mackey Strategies, where he helps colleges, universities, and nonprofits find their voice, sharpen their story, and face the future with clarity and confidence. With more than 30 years of experience leading communications for institutions like Amherst College, Bucknell University, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, and Science Foundation Ireland, Pete brings a rare combination of strategic leadership, creative insight, and on-the-ground experience building teams and navigating change.

We talk about the difference between creating a message and reflecting one, and why deep listening is the most underutilized strategic tool in higher education. We explore the role of creative disruption—not as a threat, but as a necessary force for organizations that want to stay relevant without losing their core identity.

We get into the challenges facing higher ed communications teams today—from overthinking and risk aversion to leadership misalignment and message control. Pete reflects on his time as an interim communications leader for multiple institutions, what it takes to re-energize internal teams, and why none of this work sticks without trust and buy-in from the top.

We also discuss the growing pressures facing higher education in today’s political climate, the importance of sector-wide advocacy, and why moments of courage—whether on a global stage or within a single institution—can change the trajectory of an organization and the people it serves.

It’s a wide-ranging conversation with one of the sharpest thinkers I know, and I’m excited to share it with you.

In this deeply personal and philosophical conversation, Tracey Halvorsen is joined by Richard Banfield—artist, writer, former CEO, widower, parent, and all-around human compass—for a wide-ranging discussion about identity, agency, grief, creativity, and what it means to truly be present in our lives.

From confronting midlife reinvention and letting go of society’s need to label and define, to embracing vulnerability and the healing power of art, Richard offers an honest and expansive take on what it means to be a whole human navigating an increasingly complex world. The two discuss the myth of productivity, the seductive danger of perfectionism, and how shame can quietly shape our creative pursuits.

They also explore the creative tension between mastery and curiosity, the liberating power of saying “yes,” and how emerging technologies like AI might paradoxically help us reconnect to our humanity. Richard reminds us that our greatest agency lies not in having all the answers, but in showing up—open-hearted and willing—to our own lives.

Before she was a stage 4 ovarian cancer survivor, Tracy Gosson was already a force.

As the founding executive director of Live Baltimore, Tracy helped rebrand city living and sparked a movement to bring people back into Baltimore neighborhoods. She later launched Sagesse, Inc., a boutique consultancy that’s helped cities and developers across the country reimagine how place, story, and investment intersect.

Then, in 2019, everything stopped. Tracy was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer—and suddenly, the only thing on the agenda was survival.

In this deeply personal episode of Escape Velocity, Tracy shares what it took to get through an aggressive, experimental treatment—and what she learned about herself, her business, and her boundaries in the process.

We talk about:

• Reinventing your business after reinventing yourself

• Getting clear on what (and who) is worth your time

• The hard-won wisdom that only shows up after everything falls apart

This is a story about velocity, clarity, and real courage—the kind that only shows up when your life depends on it.

Carl Smith is more than a leader—he’s a community builder, a mentor, and, as I call him, the “daddy of digital agencies.” In this episode, we dig into everything from the evolution of agency life to the promise and peril of AI, the value (and curse) of ego, and why trust and human connection matter more than ever. Carl shares candid stories from his time running an agency, building the Bureau of Digital, and navigating complex relationships in creative teams. It’s funny, heartfelt, and packed with hard-earned wisdom. If you’re building a business, leading a team, or trying to stay sane in a shifting industry—this one’s for you.

In this episode of Escape Velocity, host Tracey Halvorsen sits down with Ashley Budd, higher education marketing expert and co-author of Mailed It!, to discuss how email remains one of the most powerful communication tools—when done right.

Ashley shares insights from her book, offering practical strategies and “hacks” for making email more effective in an era of overwhelming digital noise. From the importance of clear subject lines to the role of authenticity, empathy, and logic in building trust, Ashley breaks down the principles that help emails stand out and drive action.

The conversation touches on the evolution of email, how AI and automation are shaping inboxes, and why personalization isn’t just about inserting a name—it’s about delivering real value. Ashley also explains the impact of eye-tracking studies on email design, why institutions should embrace a more engaging and even humorous tone, and how a well-planned content strategy can transform audience engagement.

If you want to make your emails more impactful, reduce unsubscribe rates, and turn your email program into a relationship-building powerhouse, this episode is a must-listen.

🎧 Tune in to Escape Velocity to hear Ashley Budd’s expert take on how to cut through inbox chaos and make email work for you!