Danielle Wallace, Chief Learning Strategist at Beyond the Sky, merges decades of corporate marketing expertise with cutting-edge L&D innovation to tackle the crisis of ineffective training. In this episode, she dismantles why traditional content-heavy approaches fail to drive real-world performance, revealing how AI-powered role-plays, immersive scenarios, and precision feedback systems can transform skill acquisition.

Drawing from her Fortune 100 experience and recent breakthroughs in behavioral design, Wallace provides actionable frameworks to close the "knowing-doing gap" while exposing common pitfalls that sabotage even the best of well-intentioned programs.

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Danielle Wallace, Chief Learning Strategist at Beyond the Sky, combines 20 years of Fortune 100 leadership (P&G, PepsiCo) with learning science to engineer measurable behavior change. A CTDP-certified pioneer in AI-driven immersive scenarios and coaching systems, she hosts the You in 2042: The Future of Work podcast, helping organizations future-proof workforces through behavioral psychology and adaptive tech.

Her consumer marketing-inspired methodology creates sticky learning experiences, delivering 260%+ business impact for clients like Sun Life and Roche Pharmaceuticals.

Join us for a captivating conversation with Margie Meacham, famously known as "The Brain Lady," a pioneer in applying AI to learning and talent development since 2013. Drawing from her hands-on experience developing educational chatbots, Margie will take us on a journey through the powerful intersection of neuroscience and artificial intelligence.

We’ll explore practical ways to enhance learning experiences using AI, uncover the benefits of integrating AI tools into talent development, and examine real-world examples. Plus, we’ll tackle key challenges, like AI hallucinations, that every learning professional should understand.

Watch the full video with slides
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Margie Meacham, renowned as "The Brain Lady," is a scholar-practitioner and Chief Freedom Officer of LearningToGo, where she pioneers the integration of neuroscience and artificial intelligence in talent development.

With a master's degree in Learning Technologies from Capella University, she has authored influential works like Brain Matters: How to Help Anyone Learn Anything Using Neuroscience (2015) and AI in Talent Development (2021), which demystify cognitive science and AI applications for learning professionals.

A trailblazer in educational AI, she developed her first chatbot in 2013 and later created award-winning tools like BrainyBot™ to personalize learning experiences. Recognized as a Top 100 Most Innovative Learning Professional, her work is deeply informed by her journey overcoming dyslexia, fueling her mission to make learning accessible through science and technology.

Training content can only help create true change if it can help everyone in your organization. There is a whole range of reasons and circumstances why learners might find content inaccessible or exclusive, and it can seem very daunting to try and solve accessibility and inclusivity for all possibilities.

In this session of IDIODC, we’re talking with Sarah Mercier who has recently edited Design for All Learners, now available from ATD Press.
The book is a collection of essays and articles from accessibility, inclusion and L&D experts. We’ll be talking about some of the major insights the book has to offer, and some of her own lightbulb moments from the book and her own time focusing on accessibility and inclusion as an L&D professional.

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Sarah Mercier is the CEO and strategic consultant at Build Capable, specializing in instructional strategy and learning technology. With her talent for translating complex technical concepts into practical applications, Sarah serves as an international facilitator for the ATD.

Sarah is the author and editor of "Design for All Learners: Create Accessible and Inclusive Learning Experiences." She frequently speaks at industry conferences on instructional design, accessibility, data strategy, and learning ecosystems. Her insights have been published in numerous professional publications, including ATD's Trends in Learning Technology, TD Magazine, and CLO Magazine.

More info on her book: https://www.designforallbook.com/

L&D teams face mounting pressure to prove engagement isn’t just a vanity metric. Join Becky Willis, learning strategist and co-founder of Tractus Learning, as she reveals how to transform engagement from abstract concept to measurable business driver.

Discover practical frameworks for connecting learning maturity to engagement strategies, including how to leverage modern ecosystems that blend AI-driven personalization with human-centric design. Becky will unpack case studies showing how aligned engagement approaches lead to 3x higher content adoption – and why the future of L&D hinges on making this critical connection.

Get the "5 Es of Learning Engagement" Playbook: https://tractuslearning.com/white-papers/#:~:text=The%20Learning%20Engagement%20Playbook

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Becky Willis is co-founder and CLO at Tractus Learning, where she architects learning ecosystems for Fortune 500 companies and mid-market innovators. With 25+ years experience spanning HP’s global learning innovation team and leadership roles at EdCast, she’s pioneered strategies blending LXPs, microlearning, and engagement analytics. A frequent ATD speaker and author, Becky’s work focuses on making learning measurable through what she calls “the engagement-maturity continuum.” Her insights have been featured in Training Industry Magazine and at DevLearn 2024’s keynote panel on AI-driven learning.

Tune in as 2025 LPI Learning Professional of the Year Susi Miller reveals how inaccessible learning content creates significant organizational risks, including compliance violations, talent exclusion, and reputational damage.

Through her groundbreaking eLa1000 Accessibility Assessment initiative, Susi demonstrates how organizations that prioritize accessibility gain competitive advantages in employee engagement, retention, and performance outcomes.

Discover the data-driven benchmarks showing where the L&D industry stands today, debunk common accessibility myths holding companies back, and learn practical strategies to transform your learning ecosystem into one that truly serves everyone while delivering measurable business results.

Access the eLa1000 Accessibility Assessment: https://ela1000assessment.elahub.net/

It's been almost 12 years since Experience API (xAPI) version 1.0 was released, and it’s still experiencing some growing pains.
With so much potential yet still waiting to take the world by storm (or by SCORM?), xAPI seems much like many other Tweens.

The fabulous Megan Torrance joins us for this episode of IDIODC to discuss where xAPI stands in 2025 and its future as it strives toward adulthood.

The goal of any L&D department is to influence and change behavior. And guess what? That’s the same goal of the marketing department.

Marketers are great at grabbing attention and convincing people to carry out an action, and many of the strategies and tools they use can also help L&D teams improve the success of training programs.

Tune in for a great conversation with Bianca Baumann, VP Learning Solutions & Innovation at Ardent and co-author of the soon to be released book, 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗟&𝗗 𝗣𝗿𝗼 coming in May from ATD Press.
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Bianca Baumann is a seasoned L&D strategist with 15+ years of experience. Passionate about consulting on effective new solutions to serve learners’ needs, she’s developed processes, methodologies, and frameworks to help organizations meet their growth targets with the help of innovative L&D approaches. Bianca has helped dozens of organizations with their workforce transformations, as well as onboarding and reskilling programs. She has also spearheaded multiple projects in the marketing, automotive, financial, and events industries, creating award-winning programs along the way. Bianca speaks at international conferences and is a facilitator at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. She’s the co-author of “Think Like a Marketer, Learn Like and L&D Pro – Strategies To Ignite Learning"

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is in the spotlight these days, and many L&D teams are exploring the role it can play in their development processes—and even in the learning content itself.

The team at Welbee began incorporating AI into its dominKnow | ONE courses a year ago. Welbee provides courses and learning content focused on school staff well-being in the UK and US. Their use of AI has centered on helping learners better understand course content and serve as an overall well-being tool.

Tim Handley, instructional designer and CPO/CTO at Welbee, will join us for the next episode of #ICIODC to share how Welbee is using AI in its courses. He’ll also discuss the lessons learned over the past year and reflect on the role AI can play in instructional design.

IDIODC is sponsored by dominKnow. Create and manage impactful L&D content – efficiently, at scale, with dominKnow | ONE LCMS.

It’s time to dust off our trusty coffee mugs and get back on the mic!

Instructional Designers In Office Drinking Coffee (IDIODC) is back, and we have a lot to discuss.

In our first session this year, we’ll cover the top eLearning industry challenges in 2025 – some are new and trendy, while others are legacy and persistent. How can we tackle these challenges (if at all)? What are the consequences? Could these obstacles become opportunities to make a big impact?

Tune in  to our session with dominKnow's own Chris Van Wingerden and Paul Schneider, PhD - to find out!

IDIODC is sponsored by dominKnow. Create and manage impactful L&D content – efficiently, at scale, with dominKnow | ONE LCMS.

We've all heard of Sales Enablement roles. But why is it that only sales teams get special attention enabling them to do their jobs better? Shouldn't we be enabling the entire organization?

One might argue that traditional onboarding and training has that responsibility. But it's not quite the same. Enabling all departments to be successful and productive requires more than what traditional training departments provide. Supporting the moments of need within all departments requires knowledge management, informal learning, social learning, access management, and more.

Mike Simmons joins us to talk about organization enablement and how L&D is uniquely positioned to blend the best of Knowledge Management, Performance Improvement, and Learning & Development into a cohesive solution that enables all employees to be their best and provide the most value to their organizations.

Become virtual friends with the IDIODC gang on Twitter. Remember you can always stay in the loop by searching through the #IDIODC tag:

Brent: @BSchlenker

Chris: @Chris_V_W

IDIODC: @TeamIDIODC 

Brent Schlenker is dominKnow's Community Manager. Chris Van Wingerden is dominKnow's Sr. VP Learning Solutions. 

Want to join us live? Follow us on Crowdcast: https://www.crowdcast.io/@dominknow