In this special episode, Stephanie Hubka, our 2025 MIATD Regional Conference Keynote speaker is featured. We explore her path to the main stage, from her impactful work at ATD National to being featured on the cover of TD Magazine for her expertise in storytelling.

Stephanie opens up about how storytelling has shaped her career, why it matters more than ever in talent development, and what attendees can expect from her upcoming session at ATD 2025.

Beyond L&D, Stephanie wears many hats: she’s the former host of the Beltway Broadcast Podcast, runs a true crime podcast, and owns a successful travel business. Her ability to connect, engage, and lead across industries all comes back to one thing, the power of a well-told story.

Stephanie Hubka, CPTD wants to live in a world where learning is fun, inspiring, and a recognized driver of organizational success. As the managing partner of Protos Learning, LLC, she specializes in developing strategies and products that advance an organization’s mission and vision. She is a sought-after facilitator, author, and keynote speaker, particularly on storytelling and fostering connection within training environments. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Carnegie Mellon University and is a passionate ATD volunteer; she served as the Metro DC ATD President in 2016 and enjoyed two terms as a National Advisor for Chapters from 2017-2022.

If you’d like to learn more about Stephanie, connect with her on LinkedIn.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are solely those of the individual speakers and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views and opinions of ATD Detroit, hosts, or sponsors.

Episode Credits:

Hosts: Sarah Maier

Speaker: Stephanie Hubka

In this episode, Clifton and Sarah sit down with Jay Johnson to unpack the top five reasons training often fails. Jay brings insights from his research, while Sarah and Clifton share real-world experiences from the workplace to see if it lines up.

If you’d like to learn more about Jay, visit Coeus Creative Group

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are solely those of the individual speakers and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views and opinions of ATD Detroit, hosts, or sponsors.

Episode Credits:

Hosts: Sarah Maier, Clifton Clarke III

Speaker: Jay Johnson

In a world where change is constant and often unpredictable, adaptability has become a must-have skill — for individuals, teams, and entire organizations. In this episode, Clifton and Sarah sit down with Dr. Esther Jackson to explore how we can not only survive change but embrace and grow through it. From the changes to DEI to the promise of AI, we'll cover how to be adaptable as you lead, support, and evolve.

Dr. Esther Jackson leads Lynnjac Consulting and teaches at the collegiate level. She has shared her expertise on adaptability, diversity, emotional intelligence, and leadership at national conferences. Dr. Jackson authored Adaptability in Talent Development and has written a number of articles. Her academic credentials include degrees in education, along with certifications in AQ Foundations and as a Certified Diversity Executive.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are solely those of the individual speakers and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views and opinions of ATD Detroit, hosts, or sponsors.

Episode Credits:

Hosts: Sarah Maier, Clifton Clarke III

Speaker: Dr. Esther Jackson

If you’d like to learn more about Esther, reach out on LinkedIn or visit her website.

Book Recommendations:

Adversity Quotient @Work - Paul Stolz

Golden Book - Dale Carnegie

7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Steven R. Covey

No Limits: Blow the Cap off your Capacity - John Maxwell

People to Follow:

Tom Erhardt

Episode Credits:

Hosts: Sarah Maier, Clifton Clarke III

Speaker: Sardek Love

In this episode of ATD in the D, Sardek Love talks to us about becoming successful through the ATD. Sardek is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, author, engagement expert, leadership expert, master trainer, master performance consultant, and speaker coach. He specializes in providing performance consulting, training, and development services, and management and leadership development programs focused on employee engagement, production and operations management, and human performance improvement. In this episode, Sardek shares evidence-based insights and practical strategies to elevate your training programs and discusses how to apply laws of engagement to engage participants regardless of topic.

If you’d like to learn more about Sardek, visit his website.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are solely those of the individual speakers and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views and opinions of ATD Detroit, hosts, or sponsors.

In this episode, you’ll have the opportunity to get to know your chapter leaders and their vision for the upcoming year. 

Connect with your hosts:

Sarah Maier

Clifton Clarke III

A shout-out to all the lovely ATD members we mentioned in this episode:

Esther Jackson

Laurie Zeller

Lisa Toenniges

Heidi Saucier

Betty Dannewitz

Sardek Love

Want to volunteer with us or join us at ICE? Send an email to [email protected]

Colors and shapes are all around us. How can we harness the power of color to make our learning more effective? Misty Minna - graphic designers, photographer, and instructional designer - is here to discuss how we can upscale our training programs, job aids, and graphics through a basic understanding of color theory and the impact that color has on how we learn.

Have a question for the host or guests, want us to cover a certain topic, or just feel like you have feedback for us? Email Mike Haynes at [email protected]

Learn more about ATD Detroit events and membership benefits at http://www.detroitatd.org

Learn more about the national ATD organization at http://www.td.org

Episode Notes:

Guests: Misty Minna, Instructional and Graphic Designer

Hosts: Michael Haynes, ATD Detroit Chapter President, and Jenny Ertman, Lead Programming Volunteer

Adobe Color https://color.adobe.com/create

Understanding Color Gamut https://www.viewsonic.com/library/photography/what-is-color-gamut/

The Sessions College Color Calculator https://www.sessions.edu/color-calculator/

Coolors Color Generator https://coolors.co/

This month's featured book is Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All by Tom and David Kelly

Special thanks to Production Consultants Matt Nadolny and Nick Harman

Music Credits:

Aerosol Of My Love by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/7013-aerosol-of-my-love

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Wide Open Road by Claus Appel

Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/4703-wide-open-road-

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Hopeful And Positive by chilledmusic

Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/7040-hopeful-and-positive-

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

When people think about the instructional design field, usually that conjures up visions of corporate learning and business-focused outcomes. However, cutting edge learning and training design is also happening in higher education, where instructional designers are innovating ways to improve faculty effectiveness and versatility. In this episode, we talk to two learning specialists from local universities to understand what instructional design means in the academic world.

Have a question for the host or guests, want us to cover a certain topic, or just feel like you have feedback for us? Email Mike Haynes at [email protected]

Learn more about ATD Detroit events and membership benefits at http://www.detroitatd.org

Learn more about the national ATD organization at http://www.td.org

Episode Notes:

Guests: Gwen Tarbox, WMUx; and Nic Bongers, Oakland University

Host: Michael Haynes, ATD Detroit Chapter President

This month's featured book is Map It: The hands-on guide to strategic training design, by Cathy Moore

Special thanks to Production Consultants Matt Nadolny and Nick Harman

Music Credits:

Aerosol Of My Love by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/7013-aerosol-of-my-love

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Wide Open Road by Claus Appel

Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/4703-wide-open-road-

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Hopeful And Positive by chilledmusic

Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/7040-hopeful-and-positive-

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Ever thought about making your own podcast to increase your learning reach and organizational exposure? In this episode, find out how easy it is to plan and publish a professional podcast with a conversation between an experienced podcast producer, an audio engineer, and the creator of ATD in the D Today.

Have a question for the host or guests, want us to cover a certain topic, or just feel like you have feedback for us? Email Mike Haynes at [email protected]

Learn more about ATD Detroit events and membership benefits at http://www.detroitatd.org

Learn more about the national ATD organization at http://www.td.org

Episode Notes:

Guests: Matt Nadolny, Nick Harman, and Michael Haynes

Host: Jenny Ertman, Detroit ATD Program Committee Member

Culture of Change Podcast: https://www.cultureofconvenience.com/

The Go Mode Podcast: https://gomodepodcast.com/

This month's featured book is 101 Ways to Make Learning Active Beyond the Classroom by Elaine Biech

Special thanks to Production Consultants Matt Nadolny and Nick Harman

Music Credits:

Aerosol Of My Love by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/7013-aerosol-of-my-love

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Wide Open Road by Claus Appel

Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/4703-wide-open-road-

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Hopeful And Positive by chilledmusic

Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/7040-hopeful-and-positive-

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Some talent development professionals came right to the industry, knowing they wanted to be part of the field. Others, like our guests in this episode, took a winding road to get here. Listen to three instructional designers talk about how their careers started in dramatically different places from where they are today, and pick up some tips on how to further your career development.

Have a question for the host or guests, want us to cover a certain topic, or just feel like you have feedback for us? Email Mike at [email protected]

Learn more about ATD Detroit events and membership benefits at http://www.detroitatd.org

Learn more about the national ATD organization at http://www.td.org

Episode Notes:

Guests: Emily Ebersole and Tony Mould, Instructional Designers

This month's featured book is Instructional Story Design: Develop Stories That Train, by Rance Greene. Available at td.org.

Special thanks to Production Consultants Matt Nadolny and Nick Harmon

Music Credits:

Wide Open Road by Claus Appel

Hopeful And Positive by chilledmusic

It’s been a crazy year since everything changed in March 2020. Let’s have a conversation about what we’ve learned so far and what we can do to stay resilient moving forward. Lisa Toenniges from Innovative Learning Group and Jessica Tower of Tower and Co. sit down for a chat on how they’ve weathered the storm and found ways to develop their clients, their organizations, and themselves despite the new territory we’ve found the world in.

Have a question for the host or guests, want us to cover a certain topic, or just feel like you have feedback for us? Email Mike at [email protected]

Learn more about ATD Detroit events and membership benefits at http://www.detroitatd.org

Learn more about the national ATD organization at http://www.td.org

Episode Notes:

Guests: Lisa Toenniges from Innovative Learning Group and Jessica Tower of Tower and Co.

This month's featured book is The Biggest Bluff, How I learned to pay attention, master myself, and win, by Maria Konnikova

Special thanks to Production Consultants Matt Nadolny and Nick Harmon

Music Credits:

Wide Open Road  by Claus Appel

Hopeful And Positive by chilledmusic

Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/7040-hopeful-and-positive-

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license