Most virtual training feels flat for one simple reason: the tools are there, but the activities aren't designed around them. It's not a technology problem. It's a design problem. And the good news is that some of the most effective engagement tools available to...

And How to Shift into Professional Positioning There is a subtle difference between a portfolio that feels academic and one that feels professional. Many talented instructional designers unintentionally create portfolios that read like graded projects rather than...

A Clear Framework for Turning Projects into Proof If you feel unsure whether your portfolio is “good enough,” it is usually not a talent issue, but rather a structure issue (or, maybe, you suffer from perfectionism). Most instructional designers were never taught how...

The Portfolio Shift Hiring Managers Are Actually Looking For One of the most common portfolio mistakes instructional designers make is this: They build a gallery. Screenshots. Storyline interactions. Rise modules. Canva graphics. Vyond videos. Beautiful work, but no...

What That Means for Instructional Designers Right Now This week, my co-presenter Christy Tucker and I attended a Training 2026, and she was chatting with a hiring manager about a recent instructional design opening. 70 people applied. Only FOUR had a portfolio....

If you’re an experienced instructional designer or trainer, you probably don’t struggle with content. You struggle with everything around the content. The formatting. The slide cleanup. The handouts. The small tweaks stakeholders request at the last minute. It’s not...

I do my best leadership design thinking on the trail. Not because I am escaping from work. When I run, my work comes with me. Client conversations replay in my head. Leadership challenges resurface. Program ideas click into place somewhere between base pace and push...

Most people can feel the difference between managing and leading long before they can explain it. You know it when your boss checks boxes, tracks hours, and approves requests but never really connects. And you definitely know it when someone inspires you to stretch,...

This builds on last week’s blog, Leadership Isn’t Always Loud Confidence. To read that one first, head over to our blog.  Why strong leaders burn out quietly, and what actually helps There’s a particular kind of exhaustion that comes with leadership. It’s not the long...

How is January hitting for you?  I am in a funk. I feel off, distracted, and just not at peace, and I am not enjoying it at all. I know, “this too shall pass”, but my anxiety is off the charts. I am limiting my social media, so I don’t spiral, overusing my calm app,...

January tends to bring a collective urge to purge. I don’t know about you, but the day after Christmas, I filled 5 outdoor trash bags with clothes, household items, linens, and anything else I could get my hands on to purge and donate.  Closets get cleaned. Desks get...

Diverse teams don’t need more control; they need leaders willing to adapt, listen, and connect. A Holiday Table, Two Daughters, and a Leadership Wake-Up Call Over the holidays, we had both of our daughters home at the same time, 21 and 23 years old. If you’ve...