ABOUT INGENIOUS LEADERSHIP
Ideas Into Leadership
IngenioUs Leadership is built around a simple idea: leadership grows through conversation, reflection, and the courage to see familiar challenges differently.
Across the podcast, publishing, learning experiences, and practical tools, IngenioUs brings together ideas worth exploring—and helps leaders turn those ideas into practice.
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
It started with a need for connection.
IngenioUs began at the start of the pandemic, when college and university presidents were navigating circumstances none of them had experienced before. Many were leading in isolation, making consequential decisions at extraordinary speed, with few opportunities to talk candidly with peers who understood what they were facing.
The IngenioUs Podcast was created to provide that connection—a place where presidents and other higher education leaders could share what they were experiencing, what they were learning, and how they were finding their way forward.
It took off almost immediately because it met a real need: leaders learning from leaders. Over time, those conversations began generating something more. Ideas became essays and books. Insights became frameworks and tools. Leadership lessons became learning experiences. What began as a podcast gradually grew into the IngenioUs Leadership ecosystem.
MEET THE FOUNDER
Melissa Morriss-Olson, Ph.D.
Melissa Morriss-Olson has spent her career asking questions about leadership: Why do some leaders and institutions thrive amid change while others become stuck? What helps people see new possibilities? And how do leaders continue growing while carrying the very real weight of leadership?
A longtime higher education leader, professor, author, and leadership consultant, Melissa created the IngenioUs Podcast as a way for leaders to learn from one another. The conversations that followed became the foundation for a much larger body of work focused on reflection, curiosity, creativity, and leadership in practice.
Today, she hosts the IngenioUs Podcast, writes and publishes through IngenioUs Leadership Press, develops learning experiences through IngenioUs Learning, and creates practical tools designed to help leaders turn ideas into action.
WHERE IT BEGAN
From CHELIP at Bay Path University
The IngenioUs Podcast is produced through the Center for Higher Education Leadership and Innovative Practice (CHELIP) at Bay Path University, where Melissa serves as founding director. CHELIP remains an important part of the IngenioUs Leadership story and an ongoing partner in its work. Together, CHELIP and IngenioUs Leadership share a commitment to helping higher education leaders think differently, lead creatively, and navigate the challenges facing colleges and universities today.
IngenioUs Leadership extends that work through the podcast, books, learning experiences, leadership tools, and other resources designed for leaders across higher education and beyond.
LET’S CONNECT
Have something in mind?
Interested in a podcast conversation, speaking engagement, leadership program, institutional collaboration, or another idea? I’d be glad to hear from you.
STAY CONNECTED