In this episode, Danielle Wallace, Chief Learning Strategist of Beyond the Sky Custom Learning, shares her perspective on the practical application of AI in L&D. We chatted about the evolving use of AI in L&D, the importance of staying updated with AI advancements, and practical tips for integrating AI into learning experiences. We also touched on …

Today, we're thrilled to have the extraordinary Rebecca Prejean joining us. Rebecca is a seasoned freelance instructional designer with over 12 years of experience. And not just an ID and learning strategist but also a passionate advocate for neurodivergent learners, helping companies create accessible and inclusive learning experiences. In this ep…

Today, we're excited to have Leigh Ann Morgan joining us in a new Member Showcase - her second as a TLDC Member. Leigh Ann is a dynamic, "wear many hats" instructional design professional, bringing a unique blend of expertise from her diverse backgrounds in nutrition, dietetics, and cosmetology. She's not only an educator at heart but also a visual…

You know, there are some people you feel you've known forever, even if it's only been a short while. Cyndi Nagel is one of those for me. Her vibrant presence in the community and her consistently insightful contributions to TLDC conversations have always stood out. Today, I'm thrilled to share our one-on-one chat. Dive into Cyndi's captivating stor…

I was surprised to see that the last time we'd spoken to Vanessa Alzate was back in 2019. Back then, I knew Vanessa more as a freelancer and Youtuber, doing things differently than what's typical in L&D. And now in 2023, Vanessa has a booming L&D Agency with a fantastic team, AND also recently acquired Kirkpatrick Partners, whose Founder, Don Kirkp…

I feel like the Founders of IDLance, Parker Grant and Andrea Dottling, have many similar approaches to how they nurture their community as I do here with TLDC. And it's probably why I enjoy talking with them so much. Just one look at their website at idlance.com gives you a sense of their witty and informal approach. And also how focused they are o…

With over 30 years experience in L&D, and 20 years of that focused on distance learning, Chris Paxton McMillin is the perfect modern day instructional designer. There isn't much she hasn't seen in this industry, and she's at a point where sharing her knowledge is how she wants to give back. Chris has shared a few times with TLDC before, and I encou…

The Spamming of Certification. Sounds like a big problem, right? Absolutely. But there's a tremendous opportunity for L&D here and we were lucky enough to have Bobbi Losee Vernon in this TLDCast to break down this concept and help us understand why this is such an important topic. As the gatekeeper to knowledge in the workplace, its important for L…

Theresa Francomacaro is always wonderful to talk with. She's had a few guest appearances on TLDC in the past, and like those episodes, Theresa again offers valuable advice to instructional designers and L&D professionals. Think Story is important to your career? Definitely. Is Story important to your learners, your SMEs, and your stakeholders? The …

What an honor it was to talk to Terry Godfrey in our latest Showcase episode. Terry's been an L&D professional for over thirty years and has been a trainer in diverse sectors such as chemicals, distribution, bio-diesel fuels, natural gas, and fertilizers. So needless to say, he's seen a lot. And interestingly, he mentioned he nearly canceled our sh…

In this Community Member Showcase, we talked with Taylor Akioka, an Instructional Designer working at Allstate Insurance. What stands out the most about this conversation with Taylor was how much she loves her job and her team. As a lifetime learner and passionate educator, finding L&D as a career path was the perfect fit. And even better, it seems…

In this episode I talked to Sylvia Cherry, Founder of Cherry Learning Coach, LLC and an L&D veteran of over twenty years. We had a surprisingly lengthy conversation that didn't feel long at all; the time went by quick. Maybe it was the quality of her responses or how insightful Sylvia was, but more than anything, I knew I was speaking to someone wh…

Danielle Gines is an experienced L&D professional in the nonprofit world, and in this Member Showcase, she shared insights about her career and the challenges of that sector. We haven't had many guests that work in nonprofits, so it was interesting exploring some of the challenges Danielle regularly overcomes. We talked about how she began working …

Melissa Shoemate is an up and coming Instructional Designer, currently working as a clinical trainer and wrapping up her Bachelor's degree. I really loved listening to Melissa's story and admire the passion and ambition she has for achieving her career goals. The conversation reminded me that it's not just the successful L&D veterans that can inspi…

Skye Suttie was a super fun conversation. I can understand why she's the "go to" person in her organization for anything facilitation and instructional design, but I can imagine she's probably pulled in to lots of projects because of her charisma. Learn more about Skye in this episode, she's sure to be someone you'll want in your network.…

One of THE most consistent challenges I've seen ID's face is tackling graphic design. But that's definitely not the case with our latest guest, Jennifer Grimes. Jennifer is a graphic designer turned instructional designer, with her own agency, Nektar Design. She also serves as adjunct faculty in the graphic design department of the Cleveland Instit…

Dr Heather Herstine is a long time participant in online learning, both as a learner and instructor. And in her journey, she's managed to create a career that she really enjoys, now working as an instructional designer and producer at Cinecraft, one of L&D's most innovative and creative companies. The conversation was compelling and her path a grea…

ATD ICE (Association for Talent Development International Conference & Exposition) is one of the premier events in the instructional design and training world. It gathers professionals from across the globe to share insights, best practices, and the latest innovations in the field. But does it truly provide value for instructional designers seeking…

Tristia Hennessey is an award-winning eLearning developer from the Pacific Northwest and has a passion for immersive learning, VR, and AR. And interestingly enough, that love for immersive learning stems from her love of travel; she studied abroad for a number of years and learned first hand the power of immersion as a learning experience. So check…

We had a great conversation with Maisha L Cannon in this episode. It's not often we get to chat with recruiters or sourcers in our showcases, so this one has a unique flavor to it. And not just that, Maisha is dynamic, has a compelling background, definitely a lifelong learner, and endlessly curious about tech - she's already using AI tools in how …

In this showcase, Liz Stefan, co-founder and CEO of Nifty Learning, shares her journey in the learning and development field. Liz discusses how she got started and the inspiration behind the name of her company. Liz also highlights key traits and priorities for L&D professionals, and details how her automation and operations skills enhance her role…

In this episode, we talked with Ian Crook, an experienced L&D professional based in Bristow, VA. Ian knowingly wanted to use the click baitey title "Why Training Teams Are A Waste!" because he knows this audience and has a great sense of humor. But all joking aside, talking with him reveals his passion for sharing why training teams are a critical …

In this episode, we talked with Amanda Davison in our latest Community Member Showcase. Amanda went from Anthropology and Archaelogy to a Masters in Education, which ultimately led her to corporate training. Previously in the construction industry, she is now working in the travel space as a Learning Specialist, with a variety of learning responsib…

Laurel will share her lived experiences in leadership challenges and successes at a major tech company. She will also share strategies for female leaders on how to define a team vision, build and lead a diverse, inclusive team, and successfully coach and retain team members. She will focus on strategies to move from survival to thriving as a leader…

Eleanor Roosevelt said, “No one can make you feel inferior with your consent.” What about you? Are you consenting to feel inferior? Do you truly know your own worth – personally and professionally? Kassy LaBorie and Betty Dannewitz candidly share their own journeys to finding their worth, to work according to their own rules, and to believing in th…

In this panel, host Mallori Steele and guests Carolyn Dumont, Courtney Teague, and Nora Pykkonnen share their stories of how they overcame barriers to entry to become L&D leaders. From inspiration to doubt, finding mentorship and networking, nurturing growth, learning, and self-reflection --- it's all covered in this excellent panel.…

This presentation explores how feminine politeness norms impact women's communication styles, career advancement, and job satisfaction in the workplace. Attendees will learn about the cultural roots of these norms and how they intersect with race, class, and identity. Strategies for navigating these norms in professional settings will be discussed,…

How do you get paid what you're worth? It starts by knowing the benchmarks and understanding what others are paid for similar roles. In this session, we'll review some data from multiple sources on pay in the learning and development field, for employees and freelancers. We'll talk about the factors that affect salaries and hourly rates, as well as…

The pandemic redefined how we work and where it can be done. Between that and being a new mom recovering from mental illness, I opted for the work-from-home, mostly contract work environment. I enjoy the freedom of making my own schedule, but I realized that my time management strategy needed to change. The time I was saving from no commute was bei…

From The Women of Learning and Development Conference 2023 In this session, I will talk about stereotyping Muslim women in e-learning content and provide practical strategies for avoiding common pitfalls. I'll discuss the negative impact of stereotyping Muslim women and offer tips for conducting research, being culturally inclusive, and avoiding ov…

From The Women of Learning and Development Conference 2023 Having a mentor can be a valuable asset for women in L&D, helping them to grow professionally, build their networks, and achieve their goals. Join this panel where we'll discuss the importance of mentorship and share stories of how others have lifted us up.…

From The Women of Learning and Development Conference 2023 Let’s be real: boundaries for men and women are viewed very differently by society. When men set boundaries, they are heralded as strong, logical, or confident. Why is it that when women do the same, they are labeled as difficult, troublesome, or emotional? In this session, you will learn t…

I've been lucky enough to talk with Alison Sollars a couple of times now, and I'm consistently impressed by her journey to L&D and her path ahead. With a truly diverse background, it's no surprise that she's found herself in our world of instructional design and is making the most of it. So in this latest Member Showcase, you'll find lots to learn …

From IDEAL22: The Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility for Learning Conference DEI has to be focused on systems change to combat systemic challenges beyond the professional development space. It's a parallel path to personal learning journey but it cannot be done by traditional learning and development alone. Gain insights into how to in…

From IDEAL22: The Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility for Learning Conference We know data tells us a story, but do we know if we’re getting the whole picture? By incorporating inclusive design principles into our assessment structure, content, and concepts, we stand a better chance of getting the right information in and developing wha…

From IDEAL22: The Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility for Learning Conference*Note: There were videos broadcast during this session and one of them is in the Italian language. In our rapidly changing world, the topic of DEI has shifted over the past decade. While DEI is continuously evolving, it is important to recognize that there is n…

From IDEAL22: The Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility for Learning Conference Social identities impact how you see and experience the world. In this session, we will explore how your social identities and unconscious bias influence the training you create and its impact on the learner. See the entire series from IDEAL22 at www.IDEAforLe…

From IDEAL22: The Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility for Learning Conference Everyone deserves equitable access to learning experiences and work environments where they feel represented, included, and valued. Developing a culture of inclusion requires a conscious commitment, and L&D professionals have a critical role as agents for chan…

From IDEAL22: The Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility for Learning Conference Unconscious or implicit bias is part of the human condition. But these, of course, are the biases that we don’t know we have, which can cause harm to others--even when it was not our intention. How did these biases get there? And more importantly, how do we wo…

From IDEAL22: The Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility for Learning Conference It’s no secret that the most diverse companies are outperforming less diverse ones on all measures. Learning how to craft a future focused Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) plan is centered around prioritizing and optimizing to create more authentic and s…

From IDEAL22: The Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility for Learning Conference In this engaging and actionable talk, inclusive leadership speaker and trainer, Julie Kratz will share stories, ideas, and research from her book, Allyship in Action: 10 Practices for Living Inclusively. As a group we’ll discuss:• 10 practices for living inclu…

From IDEAL22: The Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility for Learning Conference Let's face it: all of the acronyms can be confusing. There's DEI, DEIB, DIB, DEIA, IDEA... but what do they all mean? It's often a trendy phrase used in workplaces with no real plan is in place to improve work culture. While DEIB is essential for offering a sa…

Ali Siddiqui is a former Teacher and Instructional Designer, now working with Coursera as a Senior Product Consultant in the R&D space. Ali helps teams translate multitudes of learner feedback to design cutting-edge learning products for entry-level learners, companies, and sometimes entire workforces. Recently, Ali wrapped up two short form and mi…

So it's been a couple of weeks since I've released a podcast episode, but in case you didn't know, all of the episodes are streamed on Crowdcast, and I also post them to YouTube. So the last few episodes were visual; last week's episode was based on icebreakers using slides, and before that, I streamed live from DevLearn in Las Vegas. I can't forma…

In this episode we talked with Tom McDowall and Cara North about Global Differences and Similarities in Instructional Design. Since Instructional Design originated in the US in the 1940s, how has it evolved globally? Which brings up more interesting questions, including how technology has impacted ID, the origins of Learning Experience Design (a re…

So are you interested in helping us build out some of our weekly and upcoming events? Take a listen to this episode and learn more about how you can be a part of The Training, Learning, and Development Community's upcoming programming. I'm doing a little bit of catching up in this one, and quite frankly, with how rapid this community is growing, I'…

Bridget Manley's background as a journalist has helped her find ways to productively work with SMEs. It makes sense; journalism and instructional design have lots of similarities. So check this episode out and learn from Bridget's experience, as well as the very rich discussion that was happening in chat during the session. There's definitely an ab…

Our newest Success Stories episode featured Stephanie Diggins, a teacher turned instructional designer just last year. Stephanie actually reached out to me late last year asking if I could produce a virtual event on freelancing. Since becoming an instructional designer, she's decided to go the freelance route, and had lots of questions. It took me …

In this episode, we had another great teacher to trainer success story, this time featuring guest, Alison Sollars. Alison is a new instructional designer, just starting her career in L&D this past March. Prior to that, she worked as a writer, marketer, and teacher - so finding instructional design feels like natural progression. Alison is impressiv…

In this episode, we chatted with Kim Lindsey, Senior Learning Experience Designer at Cinecraft. Kim's specialty is writing, so there was lots to discuss about writing for instructional design, and specifically, writing for learners that work on the shop or factory floor. The conversation went in some interesting directions and I'd say the standout …