Blog

Freelancing or Full-Time: Finding Your Career Path in Instructional Design
April 1, 2026

Freelancing or Full-Time: Finding Your Career Path in Instructional Design

In the world of instructional design, the decision between freelancing and full-time employment can feel overwhelming. In episode 103 of the Designing with Love podcast, host Jackie Pelegrin delves deep into this pressing question, offering insights…
Measure What Matters, Then Make It Human with David Sanchez
March 29, 2026

Measure What Matters, Then Make It Human with David Sanchez

In episode 102 of the Designing with Love podcast, Jackie sits down with David Sanchez, a former ER nurse turned entrepreneur. David shares his unique journey from the emergency room to founding Digitalis Medical and Miracle Recovery, blending clini…
Building Meaningful Connections: Five Low-Stress Networking Moves for Career Growth
March 25, 2026

Building Meaningful Connections: Five Low-Stress Networking Moves for Career Growth

In today's fast-paced professional landscape, networking can often feel daunting and transactional. However, Jackie Pelegrin, in episode 101 of the Designing with Love podcast, emphasizes the importance of transforming networking into a more human e…
Teaching and Curriculum Design in the Age of AI with Hamza Sami
March 22, 2026

Teaching and Curriculum Design in the Age of AI with Hamza Sami

In episode 100 of the Designing with Love podcast, Jackie sits down with Hamza Sami, an academic manager at Excell International Academy, to explore the evolving landscape of education in the age of artificial intelligence. This conversation kicks o…
Building Your Instructional Design Portfolio: A Step-by-Step Guide
March 18, 2026

Building Your Instructional Design Portfolio: A Step-by-Step Guide

Creating a standout instructional design portfolio is essential for showcasing your skills and landing job opportunities. In this blog post, we'll explore step-by-step strategies to construct a portfolio that not only highlights your work but also r…
Choose Love Over Fear To Guide Learning with Tommy Kilpatrick
March 15, 2026

Choose Love Over Fear To Guide Learning with Tommy Kilpatrick

We explore how educators can turn a child’s earliest spark into practical change while building classrooms that choose love over fear. The anchor is a simple ten-minute exercise: replay your life’s “movie” from your earliest …
Building Engaging Learning Environments: The Power of Virtual Playgrounds
March 11, 2026

Building Engaging Learning Environments: The Power of Virtual Playgrounds

In the rapidly evolving landscape of instructional design, creating engaging and effective learning experiences is more crucial than ever. In episode 97 of the Designing with Love podcast, host Jackie Pelegrin dives deep into the concept of virtual …
Why Starting With Where Changes Everything with Tommy Kilpatrick
March 8, 2026

Why Starting With Where Changes Everything with Tommy Kilpatrick

Clarity often begins with a simple reboot: ask where, when, and who before you chase the what. That was our starting line as we explored Tommy Kilpatrick’s Human Occidental Owner’s Manual, a practical attempt to write the guide we never …
Embracing Adaptive Learning: A Pathway to Personalized Education
March 4, 2026

Embracing Adaptive Learning: A Pathway to Personalized Education

In our rapidly evolving educational landscape, the one-size-fits-all approach to learning is becoming increasingly outdated. In episode 95 of the Designing with Love podcast, Jackie Pelegrin invites instructional designers and educators to explore a…
AI Made Practical for Teachers and Designers with Sairam Sundaresan
March 1, 2026

AI Made Practical for Teachers and Designers with Sairam Sundaresan

AI is not a magic wand, and that clarity might be the most empowering place to begin. Throughout our conversation with AI engineering leader and author Sairam Sundaresan, we challenged the common belief that artificial intelligence can be thrown at …
Guiding the Classroom with AI Copilots
Feb. 25, 2026

Guiding the Classroom with AI Copilots

As the education landscape evolves with technology, the integration of AI tools has become increasingly significant. In this blog post, we will explore how educators can effectively utilize AI copilots as supportive allies in the learning process, e…
Paragraphs, Not Panic: Dyslexia-Smart Strategies with Russell Van Brocklen
Feb. 22, 2026

Paragraphs, Not Panic: Dyslexia-Smart Strategies with Russell Van Brocklen

Building a body paragraph sounds simple until you’re the one guiding a room full of ten-year-olds—some dyslexic, some distracted, many anxious—through the fog of ideas into a clear, grounded argument. The heart of our approach is s…
Navigating the New Realities: Unpacking VR, AR, and MR for Lasting Impact
Feb. 18, 2026

Navigating the New Realities: Unpacking VR, AR, and MR for Lasting Impact

In the rapidly evolving world of instructional design, the use of immersive technologies like virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR) is reshaping how we teach and learn. In episode 91 of the Designing with Love podcast,…
Designing Learning, Not Just E‑Learning with Connie Malamed
Feb. 15, 2026

Designing Learning, Not Just E‑Learning with Connie Malamed

Breaking into instructional design can feel like standing at the edge of a maze made of tools, terms, and templates, but the path clears when you start with a simple truth: design for how people learn, not for what software can do. That framing sits…
From SME Pathways to Stakeholder Highways
Feb. 11, 2026

From SME Pathways to Stakeholder Highways

In the fast-paced world of instructional design, relying solely on subject matter experts (SMEs) can limit the potential of your projects. This blog post distills insights from episode 89 of the Designing with Love podcast, where host Jackie Pelegri…
From Haiti to Edge AI: Building Privacy-First Learning Tools with Sebastien Fenelon
Feb. 8, 2026

From Haiti to Edge AI: Building Privacy-First Learning Tools with Sebastien Fenelon

Education changes when resilience meets practical technology, and that is the thread running through this conversation with founder and technologist Sebastien Fenelon. He grew up in Haiti, where electricity and internet access were scarce, yet carve…
Beyond The Basics: A Practical Blueprint for Microlearning
Feb. 4, 2026

Beyond The Basics: A Practical Blueprint for Microlearning

Microlearning works best when it is small on purpose and built for a single job moment, not a shrunken course. The heart of the approach is clarity: define one moment where a performer needs help, name one move they should make next, and choose one …
Alpha Minds, Real Tools with Queen Michele
Feb. 1, 2026

Alpha Minds, Real Tools with Queen Michele

The conversation with Queen Michele begins with a simple truth many educators feel but rarely name: survival can quietly replace purpose. She describes retiring after 27 years in classrooms and admin, then facing a pension that covered rent but not …
Gamification Strategies to Improve Learner Engagement
Jan. 28, 2026

Gamification Strategies to Improve Learner Engagement

Many teams rush to add points and badges to their training, only to discover that nothing important changes. The reason is simple: mechanics cannot save muddled outcomes. To design gamified learning that actually works, start with a sharp performanc…
People First, Tools Second with James Gilchrist
Jan. 25, 2026

People First, Tools Second with James Gilchrist

Compassionate, human-centered learning design sounds soft until you see what it does to performance. When projects stall, it is rarely because the storyboard was weak or the platform missed a feature; it is because the learning was dropped into an e…
Mobile Learning Design: How to Create Courses for Any Device
Jan. 21, 2026

Mobile Learning Design: How to Create Courses for Any Device

Mobile learning succeeds when content meets the realities of time, attention, and context. The core shift is designing for mobile moments rather than shrinking desktop modules. These are the brief windows in a day—on a bus, in a hallway, betwe…
Rediscovering Creativity: A Conversation with Patrick Williams
Jan. 18, 2026

Rediscovering Creativity: A Conversation with Patrick Williams

In a world increasingly dominated by technology and rigid systems, many of us feel disconnected from our innate creative abilities. The latest episode of the Designing with Love podcast features creativity expert Patrick Williams, who shares profoun…
Stay Ahead: The Learning Designer’s Playbook
Jan. 14, 2026

Stay Ahead: The Learning Designer’s Playbook

Staying current in learning and development without burning out is a real challenge. The pace of tools, frameworks, and workplace change is relentless, yet the demand for measurable results only grows. This episode focuses on a practical playbook th…
The Unstoppable Leader: Victoria Pelletier's Journey Through Corporate Transformation
Jan. 11, 2026

The Unstoppable Leader: Victoria Pelletier's Journey Through Corporate Transformation

The intersection of leadership, technology, and personal growth has never been more critical than in today's rapidly evolving corporate landscape. Victoria Pelletier, a C-suite executive, board director, bestselling author, and professional speaker,…