Designing with Love

What does it take to design learning experiences that truly work? Join Jackie Pelegrin, award-winning instructional designer and Grand Canyon University (GCU) adjunct instructor, as she explores instructional design, e-learning, and AI integration. Expect actionable tips, real-world insights, and conversations with students, alumni, and industry leaders shaping the future of learning.

Designing with Love is a education podcast hosted by Jackie Pelegrin, with 142 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Jackie Pelegrin hosts Designing with Love, a education show with 142 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #142

  A Master’s Program Can Reveal Your Instructional Design Path With Naomi Allen

  Aug 16, 202627 minS4

  You can feel the moment when a career finally makes sense: you read a course list, something clicks, and you realize there’s a name for the work you’ve wanted to do all along. That’s the energy behind Jackie's conversation with Naomi Allen, who recently completed her master’s in instructional design at Grand Canyon University after starting down a very different path in clinical mental health counseling. We dig into what pulled her toward instructional design and learning and development, especially the mix of psychology, brain-based learning, and the practical craft of building training that changes performance. Naomi shares how she’s used microlearning to break complex content into manageable pieces, and how scenario-based learning and role play can turn “nice to know” information into skills people can actually use at work. We also talk about why scenarios have to be truly job-relevant, or they won’t stick, particularly with adult learners who need immediate value and clear transfer to the workplace. Then we get real about process. ADDIE is essential, but projects rarely move in clean stages once stakeholders, SMEs, approvals, and shifting timelines show up. Naomi explains how backward design often drives real-world development, and why mixing models like ADDIE and SAM can be a practical choice, not a theoretical one. If you’re considering an instructional design master’s program, you’ll also hear concrete advice on doing your research, building a routine, staying grounded in your why, and graduating with a portfolio you’re proud of. Subscribe for more instructional design career stories, share this episode with a colleague, and leave a review so more designers and educators can find the show. Send Jackie a Text Join PodMatch! Use the link to join PodMatch, a place for hosts and guests to connect. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Designing with Love + allows you to support the show by keeping the mic on and the ideas flowing. Click on the link above to provide your support. ☕ Buy Me a Coffee is another way you can support the show, either as a one-time gift or through a monthly subscription. ️ Want to be a guest on Designing with Love? Send Jackie Pelegrin a message on PodMatch, here: Be a guest on the show Check out the show's website here: Designing with Love Send a text to the show by clicking the Send Jackie a Text link above. Please make sure to like and share this episode with others. Here's to great learning!

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  Episode #141

  Myth: More Content Means More Learning

  Aug 12, 20269 minS4

  More slides do not equal more learning, and if you have ever felt pressured to “add just one more resource,” you already know how quickly a course can turn into a content dump. We take on a stubborn instructional design myth: the idea that piling on readings, videos, examples, and links automatically improves understanding. It sounds responsible, but it often creates confusion, weak retention, and low transfer because learners cannot see what matters most. We dig into why this belief sticks around, from the very human fear of leaving something out to the way subject matter experts naturally want to share everything they know. Then we bring in cognitive load theory to explain what is happening in the learner’s working memory when we overload a module with too many competing details, choices, and side paths. The takeaway is simple: content matters, but content alone does not create learning. Clear goals, intentional structure, practice, feedback, and reflection do. You will leave with practical design moves you can use right away, including a sorting method that separates need-to-know content from need-to-practice activities, nice-to-know enrichment, and job aids that support performance later. I also share a weekly “myth reset” challenge to help you clean up one lesson, slide deck, handout, or training experience without losing rigor. If you want the companion myth reset case file and the earlier episode on cognitive load, check the show notes, then subscribe, share the episode with a colleague, and leave a review so more designers can find it. Episode Links Please check out the resources mentioned in the episode. Enjoy! Related Episode: What is Cognitive Load Theory and Why is it Important? Myth Reset Case File: Content Overload Send Jackie a Text Join PodMatch! Use the link to join PodMatch, a place for hosts and guests to connect. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Designing with Love + allows you to support the show by keeping the mic on and the ideas flowing. Click on the link above to provide your support. ☕ Buy Me a Coffee is another way you can support the show, either as a one-time gift or through a monthly subscription. ️ Want to be a guest on Designing with Love? Send Jackie Pelegrin a message on PodMatch, here: Be a guest on the show Check out the show's website here: Designing with Love Send a text to the show by clicking the Send Jackie a Text link above. Please make sure to like and share this episode with others. Here's to great learning!

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  Episode #140

  Human-Governed AI for Learning Design With James Gilchrist

  Aug 9, 202652 minS4

  AI can hand you a polished outline, a full course draft, and a dozen “best practice” scenarios in seconds. The hard part is deciding whether any of it is worth a learner’s time. Jackie sat down with James Gildrist, founder of Lighthouse L&D Consulting, to talk about the real work behind AI in learning and development: protecting meaning, judgment, and instructional quality when speed is the loudest promise in the room. James brings a simple, memorable framework from his iSpring Days 2026 session: DDQ, Discernment, Direction, and Quality. We unpack how discernment helps us separate what’s truly needed from content bloat, how direction clarifies what AI should do versus what must remain human-led, and how quality standards keep eLearning and training experiences grounded in learner context, practice, feedback, and trust. Along the way, we connect the dots to a problem many instructional designers and educators are seeing right now: AI makes it easy to generate “everything,” while learners are scanning faster and burning out sooner. We also get real about the emotional side of adoption. A thoughtful audience question opens up the guilt and pressure people feel when AI is pushed top-down without time, resources, or support. We talk systems, collaboration, and why learning AI through a fun personal project can be the fastest way to build confidence that actually transfers back to work. If you care about human-centered learning design, AI guardrails, and keeping critical thinking alive in corporate training and education, you’ll get practical language and next steps here. Subscribe, share this with a teammate, and leave a review so more L&D pros can find the conversation. Call-to-Action: I’d love to continue this conversation with you. You can connect with me directly on my personal LinkedIn profile here: James’ LinkedIn Page , where I share ideas on leadership, learning, and authenticity in the workplace. You can also follow my Lighthouse L&D Consulting LinkedIn page for updates, resources, and insights from my consulting work. Send Jackie a Text Join PodMatch! Use the link to join PodMatch, a place for hosts and guests to connect. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Designing with Love + allows you to support the show by keeping the mic on and the ideas flowing. Click on the link above to provide your support. ☕ Buy Me a Coffee is another way you can support the show, either as a one-time gift or through a monthly subscription. ️ Want to be a guest on Designing with Love? Send Jackie Pelegrin a message on PodMatch, here: Be a guest on the show Check out the show's website here: Designing with Love Send a text to the show by clicking the Send Jackie a Text link above. Please make sure to like and share this episode with others. Here's to great learning!

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  Episode #139

  Myth: Learning Styles Should Drive Design Decisions

  Aug 5, 202612 minS4

  If you’ve ever heard someone say “I’m a visual learner,” you’ve seen how quickly learning style labels can shape training decisions. In this episode, Jackie unpacks a persistent instructional design myth: that learning styles should drive how we build courses, lessons, and eLearning. Learner preferences are real, but treating them like fixed categories can pull us away from what actually improves performance and understanding. Jackie explores why the myth sticks around, from how personal it feels to how neatly it simplifies something messy. Then I make the key design shift: stop asking what style a learner “is” and start asking what the learner needs to do. When the goal is understanding a process, visuals like diagrams may be the best support. When the goal is sound recognition, audio examples become essential. When the goal is decision-making, scenarios plus feedback often beat more content every time. The format serves the outcome. We also separate accessibility from learning styles. Captions, transcripts, alt text, clear headings, readable documents, and keyboard-friendly navigation are not extras for a certain “type” of learner. They’re inclusive, responsible design choices that remove barriers for more people. To wrap up, Jackie closes the episode with a practical myth reset challenge you can use to audit one learning experience this week and make one improvement that better aligns with goals, practice, feedback, and evidence-based strategies. If this helped you rethink how you design, subscribe, share the episode with a colleague, and leave a review so more educators and instructional designers can find the series. Episode Links Please check out the resources mentioned in the episode. Enjoy! Myth Reset Case File: Learning Styles and Design Decisions Learning Styles: Concepts and Evidence by Harold Pashler, Mark McDaniel, Doug Rohrer, and Robert Bjork Multimedia Learning by Richard E. Mayer Send Jackie a Text Join PodMatch! Use the link to join PodMatch, a place for hosts and guests to connect. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Designing with Love + allows you to support the show by keeping the mic on and the ideas flowing. Click on the link above to provide your support. ☕ Buy Me a Coffee is another way you can support the show, either as a one-time gift or through a monthly subscription. ️ Want to be a guest on Designing with Love? Send Jackie Pelegrin a message on PodMatch, here: Be a guest on the show Check out the show's website here: Designing with Love Send a text to the show by clicking the Send Jackie a Text link above. Please make sure to like and share this episode with others. Here's to great learning!

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  Episode #138

  Lead Without a Title With Darrell Williams

  Aug 2, 202632 minS4

  The fastest way to become a trusted leader isn’t getting promoted. It’s becoming the person people run to when something hurts, and you can help fix it. Jackie sat down with Darrell Williams, a master certified life coach and longtime military and federal leader, to translate high-pressure leadership into everyday skills for educators and instructional designers. We dig into why rank never guarantees someone’s best work, how culture and connection matter even more on remote teams, and what it looks like to lead through influence when you don’t have formal authority. Darrell shares practical language you can use right away, like asking colleagues what their biggest “headache” is and shifting from “boss energy” to a consultant approach that makes you a strategic partner. We also go deeper than tactics. If you feel stuck, stretched thin, or unsure about your next step, Darrell offers his “three R’s” framework to reconnect with purpose: re-look at your passion, reconnect with a mentor, and review options for a coach. Then we bring it back to performance under pressure with a story from presidential support missions, showing how calm leadership helps teams think, improvise, and own solutions. Plus, a memorable reframe for nerves: the butterflies may not leave, so learn to walk with them in formation. If you found value here, subscribe to Designing with Love, share this with a colleague, and leave a heartfelt review so more instructional designers and educators can find these leadership tools. Website and Social Links: Please visit Darrell Williams’ website and social media links below. Darrell’s Website Darrell’s Facebook Page Darrell’s LinkedIn Page Call-to-Action: Collaborating toward success can help unlock the excellence from within. Alliance Seminars Coaching performs C.P.R. on lives by providing clarity, understanding, purpose, and building resilience. Most of life’s challenges can be solved with effective leadership and efficient mentorship. Send Jackie a Text Join PodMatch! Use the link to join PodMatch, a place for hosts and guests to connect. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Designing with Love + allows you to support the show by keeping the mic on and the ideas flowing. Click on the link above to provide your support. ☕ Buy Me a Coffee is another way you can support the show, either as a one-time gift or through a monthly subscription. ️ Want to be a guest on Designing with Love? Send Jackie Pelegrin a message on PodMatch, here: Be a guest on the show Check out the show's website here: Designing with Love Send a text to the show by clicking the Send Jackie a Text link above. Please make sure to like and share this episode with others. Here's to great learning!

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