In this episode, Laurel Schulert, the Senior Director of Learning Experience at SAP Concur, discusses her journey from being an English teacher to becoming a successful instructional designer. Tune in to find out: Laurel's insights on why English majors make great instructional designers and the valuable skills they bring to the field. Laurel's per…

In this episode of the Become an IDOL Podcast, Tamara McLemore, a project management expert, shares her insights and strategies for effective project management, particularly in the context of learning and development. Tune in to find out: Tamara's approach to building relationships and communicating with stakeholders, including her emphasis on und…

In this episode, Dr. Robin Sargent interviews Kayvon Touran, the CEO and co-founder of Zal.ai, about the role of generative AI in workforce learning and development. Tune in to find out: How Kayvon and his company are using generative AI to enhance employee training and practice through AI-powered practice partners and feedback facilitators. The im…

In this episode, Utdam Song, an instructional designer from Cambodia, shares his career journey from being a high school teacher to landing his first instructional design job. Utdam discusses how the IDOL courses Academy provided him with practical, hands-on learning that complemented his academic studies. This helped him succeed in the interview p…

In this episode, Dr. Robin Sargent interviews Dr. Natalie Berkman about her journey to becoming an instructional designer through IDOL courses. They discuss her background in higher education, achievements, and transition into a C-level role. Tune in to hear: - Dr. Berkman's insights on upskilling and leveraging new tools like Articulate 360 and Ge…

In this episode of the Become an IDOL podcast, host Dr. Robin Sargent interviews Juliana Stancampiano, founder and CEO of Oxygen Experiences. Tune in to hear: - Juliana's journey from working at Microsoft to founding the US office of Oxygen and eventually acquiring ownership of the business - How Juliana's company creates engaging learning experien…

In this episode of the Become an IDOL podcast, Dr. Robin Sargent interviews Dr. Dwayne Wood about leadership and teaching. Tune in to find out: How Dr. Wood explains how leadership and teaching are interchangeable concepts based on his military and educational background. Examples of leadership principles and qualities that can be applied to effect…

In this episode of the Become an IDOL podcast, Betty Dannewitz and Dr. Robin Sargent discuss leadership training and overcoming imposter syndrome in L&D. Tune in to hear: Betty’s background in learning and development and how she became a known conference speaker Insights into imposter syndrome, including common causes and coping strategies discuss…

In this episode of the Become an IDOL podcast, Amanda Nguyen shares her journey and advice on creativity in instructional design. Tune in to hear: - Amanda's experience working as a learning experience designer at Canva and how she utilized their platform for educational purposes. - Her creative process and workflow, including how she draws inspira…

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 pro…

بقلم Dr. Robin Sargent

بقلم Dr. Robin Sargent

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 …

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 fr…

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 …

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…

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. T…

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 emp…

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 f…

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 un…

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 t…

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…

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 experi…

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 ul…

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…

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 uti…

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…

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…

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 Practi…

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 peda…

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 approache…

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 incorpora…

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…

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 f…

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 cand…

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 tha…

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 Barba…

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 o…

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 w…

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…

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 de…

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: Demy…

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 h…

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 ti…

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 Instructiona…

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 mi…

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 Inst…

In this episode, I'm chatting with Brit Crew. She is an IDOL courses Academy member who has found success and reached her big IDOL goal. She started the Academy in January of 2021 with a background in the multimedia field and taught multimedia in high school for 6 years. Brit dived into IDOL and learned her previous experience with teaching multime…

In this episode, I'm chatting with Who's your ADDIE Co-founders Stephanie Bandli and Lizzy Steenkamp. Who’s your ADDIE? is an e-learning marketplace run by practicing e-learning professionals with over 15 years of experience in e-learning design and development. They are obsessed with creating digital learning that is engaging, pedagogically (or an…

In this episode, I'm chatting with Janette Wilcken about her teacher transition to instructional design. Janette shares all the details of her journey and how it was through networking and hard work in the IDOL courses Academy that she landed her new role as Learning and Development Specialist for PM Pediatrics. Janette's dedication and strategy fo…