Become an IDOL: Instructional Design and Online Learning

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...

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 industr...

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.

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:

1. Destery's career journey from graphic designer to XR Solution Architect and how he got involved with immersive technologies.
2. Examples of use cases for au...

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:

1. Kelsie's journey from being a preschool teacher to leaving the education field and founding Educated Exit.

2. The process Educated Exit uses to help teachers find new ...

In this episode, Susan Teague shares her career journey in learning and development. 

Tune in to find out:

1. How Susan transitioned from her first training role to becoming an instructional designer and elearning project manager.
2. Susan's insights into leadership development and how she helps companies think about professional development for their employees.
3. Advice Susan gives to new instructional designers for learning about ...

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 mili...

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 solut...

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 com...

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? C...

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...

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 Mat...

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 tra...

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 c...

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 g...

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...