Become an IDOL: Instructional Design and Online Learning

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.   ...

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 i...

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 fo...

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 lear...

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...

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 m...

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...

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 trendin...

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 th...

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 wa...

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 o...

In this episode, I will be chatting with Marilyn Day, an IDOL courses Academy member who transitioned into an Instructional Designer and landed her first contract with IDOL Talent in 6 months time. Just a few short months later, landed her next position at Google. She worked previously as a career coach. In this role, she started to problem solve for ways so she didn't have to verbally repeat the...

In this episode, I’m chatting with Ron Nakamoto, the Training Service Chief at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Academy. He is one of the most experienced people I've found in this field to talk to us about working as an Instructional Systems Specialist (ISS). He shares how to find these jobs, how to make yourself a competitive candidate, and why he thinks now is the best time to b...

In this episode, I will be chatting with Jennifer Berman, an IDOL course Academy member who transitioned into an Instructional Designer in just 14 weeks. She worked for 17 years in Elementary Education when becoming the primary virtual teacher inspired a love for online learning. She tells how IDOL gave her the skills, feedback and goal setting that she needed to make such a quick transition. List...

In this episode, I will be chatting with Barbara Taylor, IDOL alumni from cohort 3. She was able to transform her role within a fortune 100 company through her passion for Learning and Development with the implementation from IDOL courses Academy. She now serves as the training manager for 180 recruiters. Listen in now to hear more details on Barbara’s internal promotional journey.    Connect with...

In this episode of Become an IDOL, I’ll be chatting with David James, Chief Learning Officer at 360 Learning. David has a wealth of information about our industry and he shares tips for creating digital learning that makes an impact.  Tune in to find out: How learning and development teams can help solve critical problems that come up within their organization How data and evidence based practice...

In this episode of Become an IDOL, I’ll be chatting with Brian Harris, Chief of Design and Development at Brilliant Educational Services, about his journey since enrolling in the eLearning Freelancer Bootcamp . Brian talks about how he leads conversations with his clients, manages pushback, and always keeps the needs of the learners first. Connect with Brian on LinkedIn.   Are you looking for a no...

In this episode of Become an IDOL, I’ll be chatting with Ian Melchinger, a former Lead Instructional Designer at IDOL Talent. He recently accepted a position as a Program Manager with Learn Quest! Ian discusses his experience as an IDOL courses Academy member and his journey to become an IDOL. Tune in to hear him talk about the importance of giving and receiving quality feedback, diving into the w...

In this episode I'm chatting with Laura Wilczek, a former teacher who transitioned to a new career as an eLearning Developer for Hanover Research. While teaching during the pandemic she realized she had a unique set of skills and a passion for developing courses and training.    "Investing in myself and joining the IDOL courses Academy was the best decision I ever made. " - Laura Listen now to hea...

In this episode, I'm chatting with Rebecca Hogue a professor of Instructional Design at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. She hosts her own podcast, Demystifying Instructional Design. Her varied experience, knowledge of the field and love for students 'aha' moments  makes this such a good listen.    Connect with Rebecca on Linkedin   Podcast: Demystifying Instructional Design    IDOL course...

In this episode, I'm chatting with Murray Gray, who is a Co-Founder of a new platform called Xperiencify. It is a learning management system where you can sell digital course products with gamification to motivate learners for completion. He shares his joy of creating software solutions to help business owners get more out of their businesses and help more people. If you want to leverage your time...

In this episode, I'm chatting with Kim Limon with 10 years experience in Education and English writing.  She was wanting more with flexibility. When she found IDOL courses Academy she knew it was the clear bridge to help her cross over into corporate.  Hear how much time she put in and how she went through IDOL courses Academy while working a full time job. After 2 months she built a portfolio, re...

Today I'm chatting with Barbara Faulkner, who has an adventurous spirit with a desire to help other countries in need.   Barbara has a love for teaching and training but wanted more. She shares insight on the nonprofit world and how it requires many hats. Her inspiring journey led to work with the Peace Corps Response. Hear her traveling Instructional Design/Training adventures!  Enroll in the IDO...

In this episode, I'm chatting with Sharon Tavares who currently resides in Sweden and taught ESL for 10 years. Hear her journey through IDOL courses as she landed 2 positions within the first two months. As these roles slowed down, she gained the confidence to apply for her dream role at IKEA. Her interview process is something you don't want to miss. Listen now!    Enroll in the IDOL courses Acad...

In this episode, I'm chatting with Annmarie on her IDOL Success Story who talks about her natural transition into a training role within her school with creating professional development for teachers. Through the pandemic she learned new ways of getting information to her teachers by online learning. This sparked her passion and career towards Instructional Design.  Annmarie shares her journey thr...