In this special solo Thanksgiving episode of the Higher Ed AV Podcast, Joe Way steps “back to the roots” of the show with a reflective, unscripted gratitude list and a peek at what’s coming next. He explains recent changes to the podcast format including, inviting with executive and AV-adjacent guests, episodes stuck in limbo, and a refreshed bumper, while recommitting to the heart of the show… Elevating tech managers and support professionals across the higher ed AV vertical. He also teases the traditional Christmas episode and a mysterious “special” episode to close out the year, before resetting the show’s direction for 2026.
Joe then walks through an extended, deeply personal ten-part gratitude list that tracks not just his career, but his growth as a leader, husband, father, and grandfather. He starts with his work at UCLA, celebrating how the Digital Spaces team and campus IT leadership have come together through reorgs, budget pressures, and shifting higher ed realities to form one cohesive, people-first organization. From there he turns to HETMA, reflecting on how the alliance has matured beyond being “the Joe show” into a global advocacy force led by a broad slate of passionate volunteers which is proof that organic leadership and shared ownership can outgrow any single personality.
He highlights emerging leaders on his team by name, honoring how they’ve stepped into awards, recognition, and responsibility, and uses that to encourage listeners to seek mentorship, ask their bosses for development opportunities, and be bold about their own growth. Joe also expresses gratitude for a breakout year of speaking and writing, framing it as the “ten-year overnight success” of his higher ed journey and urging aspiring thought leaders to start small, stay consistent, and leverage platforms like Higher Ed AV to find their voice.
The episode moves into more vulnerable territory as Joe thanks the wider AV channel, integrators, manufacturers, and media partners, for friendships that now feel less transactional and more like true community. He openly acknowledges a difficult year personally and emotionally, sharing how his family, especially his wife and grandson Frankie, anchored him through loss, change, and some unhealthy coping patterns. That honesty sets up his gratitude for a major physical and spiritual reset: losing a dramatic amount of weight, changing his conference habits, re-engaging in church and ministry, and rediscovering a sense of purpose rooted in service rather than hustle.
Joe also talks about learning to value rest and work–life blend, discovering that golf, writing, and podcasting can be forms of healthy release instead of just more work. He challenges listeners to examine their own “why,” to decide whether their jobs are just paychecks or vehicles for impact, and to be intentional either way. Finally, he comes full circle to thank the Higher Ed AV community itselflisteners, volunteers, and peers who have supported him through house fires, career changes, and reinvention—and casts 2026 as a “legacy” year focused on passing the torch, empowering a second wave of leaders, scaling UCLA’s cloud-first pilot, making HETMA’s impact undeniable, and living in a way that changes lives long after the trophies stop coming.
