đź’śWelcome to Designing with Love
Hello, instructional designers and educators!
Welcome to the first post for the Designing with Love monthly newsletter. I’m so glad you’re here.
If you already listen to the Designing with Love podcast or visit the website, this newsletter will feel like a natural extension of that space. The podcast gives us room to explore ideas through episodes, interviews, series, and conversations. The website gives those ideas a home through show notes, blog posts, resources, and episode collections.
This newsletter gives us something a little different: a slower, more personal space to reflect, connect, and keep growing together.
✨Why this, why now?
Instructional design and education are changing quickly.
Artificial intelligence is reshaping how we work. Online learning continues to evolve. Educators are navigating burnout, accessibility, learner engagement, and the pressure to keep up with new tools and expectations. Instructional designers are being asked to think more strategically, collaborate more deeply, and design learning experiences that are not only effective, but also human-centered.
That is a lot to carry.
And while podcasts, blog posts, and online resources are helpful, sometimes we need a more intentional space to pause and make sense of what we are learning.
That is why I am starting this monthly newsletter.
Each month, I’ll share reflections, practical insights, podcast highlights, design ideas, and resources connected to instructional design, education, learning technology, AI, career growth, and the heart behind meaningful learning experiences.
I hope that this newsletter becomes a place where we can slow down, think deeply, and stay encouraged as we continue designing learning experiences with love.
🫱🏼🫲🏼What kind of community are we building here?
This newsletter is for instructional designers, educators, trainers, learning leaders, graduate students, career changers, and anyone who cares about creating learning that actually helps people grow.
More specifically, this is a community for people who want to:
Design learning experiences that are clear, engaging, accessible, and purposeful
Stay current with trends in instructional design, education, and AI without feeling overwhelmed
Think more deeply about the human side of learning
Build confidence in their instructional design practice
Explore practical strategies they can actually use
Grow their careers, portfolios, and professional voice
Connect learning design to compassion, creativity, and real-world impact
This will not be a space for perfection, jargon, or pretending we have everything figured out.
Instead, this will be a space for honest reflection, practical growth, thoughtful questions, and encouragement. We’ll talk about what works, what is changing, what is challenging, and what it means to keep designing with intention in a world that keeps moving quickly.
📅What you can expect each month
Each monthly newsletter may include a mix of:
A short reflection on instructional design, education, AI, or learning
Recent podcast episodes and key takeaways
Blog posts or resources from the website
Practical design tips you can apply right away
Behind-the-scenes updates from Designing with Love
Questions to help you reflect on your own teaching, training, or design work
Encouragement for staying creative, grounded, and purposeful
My goal is to make each issue useful, thoughtful, and easy to read.
Something you can enjoy with your coffee, save for later, or return to when you need a little clarity and encouragement.
🙏🏼Thank you for being here
Whether you are an instructional designer, educator, student, consultant, trainer, or someone exploring a new path in learning design, I’m grateful that you’re part of this space.
Designing with Love has always been about more than creating content. It is about creating learning experiences that honor people, support growth, and make knowledge more accessible.
This newsletter is another way to continue that work.
Thank you for joining me at the beginning of this new chapter.
Here’s to learning, designing, growing, and doing it all with love.
All the best,
Jackie
