Revived at long last

Tap, tap, tap...Is this thing on?

While updating my website, I decided to wander down the memory lane that was my short-lived design blog. Yes, it is a tad dated and it has a little dust on it; however, it still showcases many gems from my growth as an instructional designer and elearning developer. It also highlights the thought process to my designs and what I was working on circa 2015-2016. It is truly a memory vault from that time!

​The Articulate User Group made a quiet exit after our August 2021 meeting. Do you remember what the second year of COVID was like? We were all exhausted by virtual meetings and terrified to go out in public. We closed up shop without much fanfare and while I miss the seven wonderful years we had together, it was time to focus on other projects and aspirations. What started as a way to meet new people after moving to the DFW area, it evolved into 27 meetings of inspiration and insight with approximately 150 people on the interest list. We even hosted a few happy hours and a Nerdy Christmas Party. I met so many wonderful people through the user group. 

In the past five years, I've focused on being the best Curriculum Developer, Sr. Curriculum Developer, and Curriculum Development Manager that I could be (hence the role progression). In 2019, I started to feel the effects of burn out from many years of my day job paired with my pursuit to be recognized in the training industry as an up and comer. In 2021, ATD Dallas recognized me with a Lifetime Achievement Award for my efforts in the talent development community. Since then, I've taken on new challenges and goals, including being promoted (Oct 2020), earning my AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification (Dec 2021), and becoming a manager (Jan 2022). My day job keeps me very busy, and although I promised that I would not neglect my networking and mentoring duties, I also have not kept up with my end of the bargain. Can we all use COVID as a life change excuse? COVID really taught me that slowing down was ok.

These days I'm contemplating what's next for my career? What is my 2023 accomplishment? Should I work in my Project Management Professional (PMP) certification? Change Management is something that has caught my eye, along with employee experience and engagement. In fact, I've recently taken a lead role to launch a employee experience group representing my team's organization of a few hundred.

All this to say that despite pausing my public persona, I haven't stopped progressing. The work continues and I'm always based on a true story.