In this episode of the Become an IDOL podcast, Alyssa Coiro shares her journey from teacher to instructional designer.  Tune in to hear: - Alyssa's story of how she discovered instructional design during the COVID pandemic and decided to pursue it through IDOL. - Details about Alyssa's experience building her portfolio within 8 weeks of the IDOL program and starting to apply for jobs. - An overview of Alyssa's career progression so far, including her roles at Lowe's and a large construction...

In this episode, Jessica Evans shares her journey from classroom teacher to freelance instructional designer.  Tune in to hear:  Jessica's career path from teacher to instructional designer and how she started her freelance business  Tips on networking, building relationships, and generating referrals as a freelancer   Advice for aspiring instructional designers on getting training, asking questions, and dreaming big 

In this episode, Robin Sargent interviews Chris Skees, a Learning Product Manager at Cisco, about his career progression in the learning and development industry. He provides insights into career development and upskilling strategies, emphasizing mindset, curiosity, and stretch projects. Tune in to hear:1. Chris Skees discuss his career journey from content creation to learning product management and the various roles and industries he has worked in. 2. Strategies for career development and...

In this episode, Robin Sargent interviews Russell Sweep about his career transition from professor to instructional designer and training manager.  Tune in to hear:  Russell's story of transitioning from academia to the corporate world as an instructional designer. How Russell prepared himself for 6 months before landing contract work and eventually a full-time role. Advice Russell has for others looking to make a similar career change, including building a portfolio and leveraging resources...

In this episode of the Become an IDOL podcast, Robin Sargent interviews Destery Hildenbrand, an XR Solution Architect who helps clients realize their immersive technology dreams through virtual reality, augmented reality, and blended learning solutions. Tune in to find out: Destery's career journey from graphic designer to XR Solution Architect and how he got involved with immersive technologies. Examples of use cases for augmented reality and virtual reality in learning and why certain...

In this episode of the Become an IDOL podcast, host Robin Sargent interviews Kelsie Marks, the director of resume services at Educated Exit, an organization that helps teachers transition out of the education profession.   Tune in to find out: Kelsie's journey from being a preschool teacher to leaving the education field and founding Educated Exit.   The process Educated Exit uses to help teachers find new careers outside of education, from identifying values and skills to resume/LinkedIn...

In this episode, Susan Teague shares her career journey in learning and development.  Tune in to find out: How Susan transitioned from her first training role to becoming an instructional designer and elearning project manager. Susan's insights into leadership development and how she helps companies think about professional development for their employees. Advice Susan gives to new instructional designers for learning about different businesses and the challenges they face.

In this episode of the Become an IDOL podcast, host Robin Sargent interviews Monica Garcia about her role as an instructional systems designer for the Air Force. Monica describes her career path which began in air traffic control and led her to become a branch chief overseeing curriculum development for 70,000 Air Force students across 180 career fields. She discusses some of the differences between developing training for the military versus corporate settings and provides advice for those...

In this episode of the Become an IDOL podcast, host Dr. Robin Sargent interviews JD Dillon, the Chief Learning Officer at Axonify and author of the book The Modern Learning Ecosystem. JD discusses his background transitioning from operations management into learning and development, focusing on supporting frontline workers. He shares examples of understanding workers' needs and problems to design effective performance support solutions rather than traditional training. JD emphasizes the...

This episode of the Become an IDOL podcast features Michael Shackleton, an instructional designer who transitioned into the field after 14 years of teaching. Michael shares his journey of discovering instructional design, enrolling in the IDOL Academy, and building his portfolio and skills. He discusses his application process, interviews he went through, and how he landed his first job as a learning content designer at a large company in Manchester. Michael offers advice to others looking to...

In this episode, I'm chatting with Randi Myers and Teresa O from OWL which is Open World Learning, a FREE online training platform being offered to all registered charities in the US and Canada! Tune in to hear about this amazing resource and the process for volunteering as an instructional designer.    Learn more about OWL-Open World Learning   Are you looking for a no-nonsense formula for creating engaging courses and training? Check out my new book, The Do It Messy Approach: A Step-by-Step...

In this episode, I'm chatting with Meg Ramey. Meg is an IDOL Academy member, she is the owner of WorldKind and she is also a leader of one of our IDOL World projects. IDOL World is a volunteer section of our academy to place instructional designers with nonprofit and volunteer opportunities. Tune in to hear about the importance of real world experience and the things that make a good volunteer.    Connect with Meg on LinkedIn   Are you looking for a no-nonsense formula for creating engaging...

Unleash the power of your brain for training transformation with Matt Gjersten! Join me as I chat with the visionary founder of Better Everyday Studios, an instructional design consulting company. Get ready to be inspired as we delve into how Matt empowers learning teams to create a monumental impact. Don't miss out! Tune in now and discover the ultimate brain hacks for mastering behavior change in your training.   Connect with Matt on LinkedIn   Are you looking for a no-nonsense formula for...

In this episode, I am chatting with Theresa Francomacaro, the owner of Why Story Works. She helps others who want to get unstuck, sell their ideas, clarify their message and attract more clients. Tune in to hear her three golden rules for storytelling and so much more. You will feel Theresa's energy in this episode!    Connect with Theresa on LinkedIn   Are you looking for a no-nonsense formula for creating engaging courses and training? Check out my new book, The Do It Messy Approach: A...

In this episode, I'll be chatting with Sarah Cannistra who has an L&D Career, Executive and Business coach, and the founder of The Overnight Trainer, a coaching practice that helps purpose-driven people find, land, create, grow, and LOVE the L&D career of their dreams, so that they can live a life of fulfillment, inspiration, and freedom. Sarah utilizes her past experience as a modern learning leader and hiring manager to coach and consult her clients to ultimate career success. This...

In this episode, I'm chatting with John Reynolds, an Instructional Designer with at Activision Blizzard, and a lifelong nerd. He strives to blur the line between creative training content creator and quest-giver. As an insatiable learner, he hopes to continuously connect with new people and gather fresh and exciting ways to change the game and keep training fun! Tune in to hear his full story and what its like to work for a video game company!    Connect with John on LinkedIn    Are you...

In this episode, I'm chatting with Derek Dorsett, an Instructional Designer with LogicMonitor. Hear about his defining moment, higher education vs. corporate and the importance of a career roadmap. This was an episode to spark encouragement even in your struggles!    Connect with Derek on LinkedIn    Are you looking for a no-nonsense formula for creating engaging courses and training? Check out my new book, The Do It Messy Approach: A Step-by-Step Guide for Instructional Designers and Online...

In this episode, I'll be chatting with Whitney Lowe. Whitney has been a massage educator for 34 years, and teaching online since 2006. He is a subject matter specialist with massage for pain and injury treatments, has authored two books, contributed to multiple others and written hundreds of articles. He hosts a popular podcast (The Thinking Practitioner) and is committed to producing high-quality learning experiences for all his students. We discuss the IDOL World Project and how he was able...

In this episode, I will be chatting with Ethan Webb, the Co-Founder and CEO of Mindsmith, a learning platform that uses generative AI to make it easy to create and share course material and training. Ethan is a current student studying economics and business strategy. He has many family members who are educators and has developed a passion for pedagogy and learning theory. Don't miss this trending episode on Artificial Intelligence and how it can benefit Instructional Designers.    Connect...

In this episode, I will be chatting with Tamara Schroer, the Vice President of Education and Development at Working Solutions and she is not you typical corporate executive. She is a born educator and putting her formal training and innate talents to work, helping Working Solutions to develop one of the world's most powerful and effective approaches to virtual corporate education. You will love the energy in this episode!    Connect with Tamara on LinkedIn    Are you looking for a no-nonsense...

In this episode, I will be chatting with Samuel Apata, currently a Senior eLearning Developer for Starbucks. He has over 8 years of experience developing and retaining talent for organizations like T-Mobile, American Airlines and GM Financial. Listen in to here us chat about accessibility! You'll want to know the accessibility minimums to  incorporate into course building, the guidelines you'll want to pay attention to on federal and state levels and finding the balance to not stifle your...

In this episode, I will be chatting with Kim Tuohy, an Instructional Design and founding Director of Belvista Studios. You don't want to miss this episode of abundance in the way Kim lives her life. Through traveling Australia in a van with solar powered panels to running her own business, she gives great tips on the balance of it all. She seeks to live a life of joy everyday!   Connect with Kim on LinkedIn   Are you looking for a no-nonsense formula for creating engaging courses and...