The BLOC Podcast

In this episode, I chat with my friend Nicole Papaioannou Lugara about working with others (clients, SMEs, teammates, and stakeholders) and about learning with others through social learning.

Nicole …

On this Q&A episode of the BLOC, I answer (from my experience and opinion) the following questions:

• How do I know what to put in my instructional design portfolio?
• How do I deal with a toxic boss who k…

In this episode, Tom and I didn't have a plan... so we ended up talking about how nothing is really original in L&D and how the past can teach us lessons to take into the future.

Tom McDowall has bee…

Whether you're looking for a new career in L&D, a promotion, a new organization, or just looking to stay right where you are but grow and learn more, this episode is a quick chat about how to set pro…

In this episode, I chat with my L&D BFF and the other half of Useful Stuff, Matt Smith, about the trends we saw in L&D in 2022, why L&D should be more boring and useful, and future predictions for 20…

In this episode, I chat with Zahra Davidson of Huddlecraft about peer-to-peer learning and how we can learn better together.

Zahra is Chief Exec of Huddlecraft. a Community Interest Company who help …

In this episode, I take the time to share a couple of TRUE horror stories (with names and details omitted) from L&D horrors I've experienced in my time working in the field -- as well as the lessons …

In this episode, I chat a bit about what I think is an unnecessary separation of theory and practice in L&D, including how that separation has impacted me as a PhD student in instructional design and…

In this episode, I chat with my friend McKenzie Day about her journey from instructional designer to senior instructional designer and how she upskilled and leveraged her network to find a new role a…

On this Q&A episode of the BLOC, I answer (from my experience and opinion) the following questions:

• How do we get people to use all these new courses we've given them?
• What is the difference between L&…

In this episode, I chat with my teammate at Pantheon, Bela Gaytan, about accessibility - not only how to create more accessible experiences for our learners but also some common misconceptions about …

In this episode, I share four ways for L&D to get a seat at the table:

1. Stop complaining that we don't have a seat at the table.
2. Work on discovering the problem, not immediately sharing a solution.
3. Broad…

On this episode, I chat with co-founder of Offbeat, Lavinia Mehedintu, about creating a podcast, starting a business, and curating content.

Lavinia Mehedintu has been designing learning experiences a…

In this episode, Dr. Kuva Jacobs and I break down 4 major learning myths: the learning pyramid, the Forgetting Curve, learning styles, and microlearning as the answer to the world's problems. If you'…

In this episode, I chat with the brilliant Lata Hamilton about change management and how it's related to the field of L&D. We talk about the differences and similarities between L&D and change manage…

In this quick solo episode, I reflect back on two years' worth of BLOC podcast episodes, talk about how I think new instructional designers (and even some of the most seasoned L&D professionals) shou…

In this episode, I answer some of the interview questions from my ATD blog article, "10 Questions to Ask When Interviewing Instructional Designers."

Here's a link to the blog article: https://www.td.…

In this episode, I chat with Bhakti Karkare, founder of Third Loop Learning about what facilitation can teach leaders. We talk about how leadership has changed since the pandemic and Bhakti gives tip…

In this episode, I chat with the founder of Playful Perspectives, Sarah Filman about how she helps develop teams and leaders through improv and play. 

Sarah Filman (she/her) is a certified leadership…