In this episode of The L&D Explorers Podcast, we sat down with Holly Owens, instructional design expert and host of the EdUp Learning and Development Podcast.
Holly discusses how to become an instructional designer, highlighting the role of empathy, effective communication, and practical tools for creating impactful, learner-focused training experiences.
Key takeaways
1. Tools and resources for new instructional designers
Exhaust the free resources first before you invest in paid tools.
Getting started in the ID space doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. Making use of free tools like Teal (for job tracking), or Trello (for project management) is a great way to get your feet wet. Plus, there are lots of communities that provide great support, resources, and networking opportunities for new IDs.
2. How to stand out
Know enough to be dangerous.
Master the basics of a tool, then learn small, useful tricks to stand out and show its value, helping you gain trust and support from your audience or stakeholders.
3. Keeping learners at the center
We have to remember the why behind what we do. It’s not just about getting a project done.
When creating training, focus on the people who will use it by understanding their needs and making sure it helps them solve real problems and improve their skills.
4. Transferable skills for instructional designers
- Project Management: Planning lessons and curriculum in teaching translates directly to managing instructional design projects.
- Empathy: Understanding learners’ needs and stakeholders’ challenges is critical.
- Flexibility: Adaptability is key. Priorities shift quickly, and instructional designers must pivot without losing focus
- Public Speaking: Communicating ideas clearly—whether in meetings, webinars, or training—is a valuable skill for IDs.
Actionable insight
Build on your existing skills, learn the basics of key tools, and focus on helping learners succeed to make a smooth transition into instructional design and show your value to others.
Mentioned in episode
- EdUp Learning and Development Podcast
- Holly Owens' LinkedIn
We hope you enjoyed this episode of our L&D Explorers Podcast! Subscribe to our YouTube, Podbean, or Spotify so you don’t miss the next episode.
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Try it nowTranscript:
Dan Gorgone: Welcome to the L&D Explorers podcast from GoSkills.
On today's episode, we talk to Holly Owens, host of the EdUp Learning and Development podcast. She joins us to discuss transitioning to an instructional design role. Holly and I cover her journey into ID roles, the challenges she faced, the skills that helped her get established, and the tools and communities that new ID professionals can use to find success.
No matter what job role you're coming from, I’m Dan Gorgone, Course Producer at GoSkills. I hope you enjoy this episode.
Dan Gorgone: Hey, everyone.
Welcome back to the L&D Explorers podcast. I'm Dan Gorgone, the Course Producer at GoSkills, and joining us today is Holly Owens. Holly Owens is the host of her own podcast, the EdUp Learning and Development podcast. It’s nice to have another podcast host on the show. Holly, thanks for joining us.
Holly Owens: Well, thanks for having me, Dan. I'm excited, and I think it makes things a little easier because you know what's happening on your end. I know what's happening on your end, so I'll try to be the best guest possible for you.
Dan Gorgone: I appreciate that. Well, the reason we’re having Holly on the show today is not just to talk about how cool podcasting is, but also to discuss the topic of the day: how to transition to an instructional design role.
So many of us did not go to school for instructional design. It wasn’t our degree program, and it certainly wasn’t our first job. Many of us transitioned from other roles and found ways to use transferable skills to help train others—whether internally, externally, or working with subject matter experts across various industries.
Holly, I know you started as a high school teacher. You also taught in higher ed, and most recently, you were an instructional designer at Amazon. So somewhere along the way, you went from education to the company that emails me daily about Black Friday deals.
Holly Owens: (laughs)
Dan Gorgone: Lay the groundwork for us. Tell us about your journey and how you ended up transitioning to instructional design.
Holly Owens: Yeah, absolutely. I’d love to talk about this journey because it keeps getting windier than I ever anticipated!
I started my career as a high school teacher. I taught high school government for about four years. As we were chatting earlier, my principal said, “You’re going to be the edtech person because you’re young.” Naturally, we younger folks were drawn to technology, right? I like to call myself an elder millennial.
I started using technology in my classroom and saw the impact it had on my learners. From there, I began training within the school, and eventually, the larger school board. But I got tired of the regulations around teaching and all the different roles that teachers take on. God bless you if you’re an educator—it’s not easy with all you’re expected to do.
So, I transitioned out of teaching when it wasn’t the “cool” thing to do in 2011. I did a brief stint in e-learning development with the government before landing a job at Northern Virginia Community College. I lived in Maryland for 34 years—the DMV, as they call it.
At NOVA, I became an instructional technology specialist. I trained higher education faculty on how to use technology in classrooms. Back then, it was smartboards, CPS clickers—things that don’t even exist anymore! I helped with hybrid, online, and in-person courses, developing strategies to engage learners.
I spent about 10 years in higher education at various University System of Maryland schools. For personal reasons, I later moved to New York, became an instructional designer at Touro University, and continued teaching in higher education. Teaching is where my passion lies.
Most recently, I transitioned from higher ed to corporate, and now corporate to edtech. It’s been an interesting path. The motivation for each transition has been taking what I learned in previous roles and applying it to new ones, while being open to learning something new. Like I was telling you before, Dan—now I’m a marketer! How did that happen?
Dan Gorgone: That’s a really handy road to travel. If you have transferable skills, they’ll find a place for you if they value your experience.
Dan Gorgone: That’s something I wanted to talk about too—transferable skills. We’ll get to that soon because I know a lot of people watching or listening are interested in L&D. But first, what were some of the challenges you faced when stepping into instructional design and e-learning design? Coming from a teaching background, I imagine there were tools and techniques that were completely new. What were those early challenges like for you?
Holly Owens: That’s a great question—and a loaded one at the same time.
Right off the bat, one big challenge was understanding resistance. I was young and very open to technology in the classroom, but when I started meeting faculty who resisted it, I thought, What’s your problem? I couldn’t understand their thought process when they said technology had no place in the classroom, or that traditional teaching methods were the only way to go.
I had to learn to empathize with their situation. They were teaching the way they were taught, and for some, that was all they knew. Early on, I took it very personally. I’d think, Don’t you want to change learners’ lives? Don’t you want to help them? But not everyone thinks the same way.
Over time, I learned to approach resistors differently. I’d connect with them on something that mattered to them, something they valued, and show them how technology or instructional design could enhance that. It was all about getting them to see the impact they could have when they moved beyond outdated methods.
Another major challenge was upskilling. Instructional designers wear so many hats—you have to learn all these tools and technologies, from Articulate to iSpring to learning management systems. And you’re expected to become a technical expert in all of it. But it doesn’t happen overnight.
What I tell people is: know enough to be dangerous. Know the basics of a tool, but also learn little tricks that will help you stand out and really add value. That’s how you get buy-in from faculty, learners, or stakeholders.
And let’s not forget that this field is always evolving. It’s not like math where the formulas stay the same. Instructional design priorities and methodologies shift constantly, and you have to adapt.
Finally, there was the challenge of explaining my role. Pre-COVID, hardly anyone knew what an instructional designer was. It wasn’t like saying you’re a doctor or a teacher—people had no idea. Post-COVID, it’s a different story. Now, companies like Sephora, Wendy’s, and even gas stations like Buc-ee’s are hiring instructional designers. Everyone’s catching on to the value.
So, part of the challenge was proving that I wasn’t just some young person saying, “Use technology because I said so.” I had to share my experiences as an educator and show how instructional design could make a real difference.
Dan Gorgone: You touched on misconceptions about instructional designers. People often don’t see the work happening behind the scenes. They don’t realize that instructional designers are there to help subject matter experts present their knowledge in a way that’s intuitive, accessible, and engaging.
For me, transitioning from web design to instructional design felt like a natural step. I’d been a web designer for 10 years, but when I moved, I needed a new job. A local university was launching online degree programs and needed someone to teach web design. I thought, Well, I know web design, usability, and accessibility—why not?
Once I started interacting with students and hearing their feedback—how the course was helping them—it clicked. That was my moment of validation. I knew this was for me.
What was that moment for you? When did you know, Yeah, I can do this. This is what I’m meant to do.
Holly Owens: Honestly, it was very similar for me. When students or faculty told me, “What you’re doing works,” that was it. I could use that data to prove to others that it was working.
But one of the most validating moments for me was when the biggest resistors had a change of heart. When they saw their learners more engaged, or when they felt more confident and less pressured to be the “sage on the stage.” Suddenly, they were okay with letting go of control.
That’s when the magic happens. The learners start taking the content to another level. They talk about real-world applications, problem-solving, and critical thinking—things that traditional lecture-based courses don’t always encourage.
Those moments—when faculty come back and say, You know what? This really isn’t so bad. I see the impact now—those are the moments that make it all worth it.
Dan Gorgone: That’s powerful. And you’re right—traditional methods don’t always support those deeper skills like problem-solving or critical thinking.
Now, something we can’t ignore is the influence of technology and social media on learning. Platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and even Instagram have changed the way people consume content. It’s created shorter attention spans, but also a demand for content that’s quick and to the point.
What impact do you see that having on instructional design?
Holly Owens: Oh, it’s a double-edged sword for sure.
The good thing is that it forces us to get to the point. Learners don’t want fluff. They want to know: What’s the point? What do I need to do to get the job done? This focus on getting straight to the goal is something I value as a learner myself.
For example, I don’t want to sit through an Excel basics training if I’m already an advanced user. I’d rather focus on the skills I need to learn. That’s where personalization comes in, and that’s where instructional designers can shine—by curating content that meets learners where they are.
The bad side is the same: shorter attention spans. It makes instructional designers think harder about how we present content. People don’t realize that a 5-minute e-learning simulation might take 200+ hours to create. That’s a lot of work, and sometimes, the ROI can be unclear.
It’s a delicate balance between adapting to modern trends—like short, TikTok-style videos—and sticking to sound instructional methodologies. The question always comes back to: What behavioral change are we trying to achieve? What skill are we trying to develop?
In instructional design, we’re not just creating content for content’s sake. We’re focused on creating meaningful experiences that lead to real outcomes.
Dan Gorgone: That’s so true. You hit on something really important: focusing on the behavioral change you’re trying to make. If you start a project and decide upfront how long it’ll be or how many lessons it needs, without knowing the goal, you lose sight of the big picture.
It’s so easy to get distracted by shiny tools or trends. As instructional designers, we have to focus on the outcome—what we’re trying to deliver and the change we want to see.
Holly Owens: Exactly. The tools and trends are great, but they’re just vehicles for the message. The real value lies in identifying and delivering on those outcomes.
Dan Gorgone: We’ve danced around this topic a bit, so let’s dive into it now: transferable skills. There are so many people who are tasked with L&D work—HR managers, teachers, or people coming from entirely different fields. What are the most helpful transferable skills for someone stepping into an instructional design role?
Holly Owens: Oh, this is a good one. Let’s start with project management.
When I was a teacher, planning lessons and curriculum required a ton of project management. That skill transferred seamlessly into instructional design. Managing timelines, resources, and priorities—it’s all project management.
Another big one is working with people. It might sound obvious, but it’s hard to teach. You have to lead with empathy—understanding others’ challenges and perspectives. Teachers do this naturally. They deal with students, parents, and administrators every day, navigating different personalities, attitudes, and beliefs.
That skill is just as important in instructional design. Whether you’re working with stakeholders, faculty, or learners, empathy helps you meet people where they are and move the project forward.
Another key skill is flexibility. In teaching, no two days are the same. You might have a plan, but a student might have a bad day, or something unexpected happens. You learn to adapt quickly. It’s the same in instructional design. Priorities shift, projects change, and you need to pivot without losing your mind.
Dan Gorgone: That’s so true. Flexibility and empathy go hand in hand. When you’re working with learners or stakeholders, you have to be patient and open to changes.
Another transferable skill that comes to mind is public speaking. Whether it’s leading a meeting, presenting ideas, or teaching—public speaking is a huge part of instructional design.
Holly Owens: Yes! Public speaking is a big one. Hello, podcasting! (laughs)
But you’re right—public speaking isn’t just about being on stage. It’s about communicating ideas clearly, whether you’re teaching a class, running a webinar, or leading a Zoom call. It’s about connecting with your audience and delivering value.
Dan Gorgone: Exactly. And sometimes you’re put on the spot. Early in my career, I had to lead hour-long walkthroughs of a software platform over the phone. There were no visuals, just me explaining what was on the screen and answering questions. That experience taught me so much about planning, patience, and thinking on my feet.
Holly Owens: That’s a great example. It’s those experiences—especially the challenging ones—that teach you skills you can carry with you forever.
Dan Gorgone: It’s those experiences that stick with you—those moments when you’re forced to think on your feet, adapt, and find a way to deliver value.
You also mentioned empathy earlier, and I couldn’t agree more. Empathy makes everything authentic. It’s hard to teach, but it’s so important for instructional designers because it keeps the learner at the center of everything we do.
We’re not just creating training to check off a box. It’s about helping real people develop skills, solve problems, and make changes that matter.
Holly Owens: Exactly. As instructional designers, we have to remember the why behind what we do. It’s not just about getting a project done or ticking off a list. It’s about the people who are going to experience that training. It’s about the learners.
We’re all learners at some point in our lives, and I think that perspective helps keep us grounded. It reminds us that our work has a real impact.
Dan Gorgone: Absolutely. I want to shift gears a bit and talk about tools—because I know a lot of L&D professionals out there are building programs with limited resources. Maybe they’re new to instructional design, or maybe they don’t have access to expensive tools.
What are some of the best free or low-cost tools that can help someone just starting out?
Holly Owens: Oh, I love this question! There are so many great tools out there that people can use for free—or almost free.
One of my favorites is Teal. It’s technically a tool for job searching, but I’ve found it to be so helpful. It tracks your applications, reminds you when to follow up, and even gives feedback on your LinkedIn profile. It’s a lifesaver for anyone transitioning into instructional design or L&D roles.
Another must-have is a project management tool. Whether it’s Trello or Asana, you need something to help you organize and track your projects. Most of these tools have free versions that are more than enough to get started.
And don’t underestimate the tools you already have access to. If your company uses Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, push those tools to their limits. Use them to set up processes, collaborate, and keep everything organized. You don’t always need fancy software—sometimes, simplicity is the best solution.
Dan Gorgone: That’s such a good point. It’s easy to think you need expensive tools when really, you can accomplish a lot with what’s already at your disposal.
Holly Owens: Exactly. It’s all about being resourceful. I always say, “Exhaust the free resources first before you invest in paid tools.”
For anyone looking to transition into instructional design, there are also some incredible communities out there. Communities can be just as valuable—if not more valuable—than tools.
Dan Gorgone: I love that. Let’s dive into that a bit more. Are there specific platforms or communities that you recommend for instructional designers?
Holly Owens: Absolutely. One of my favorite spaces is Useful Stuff, created by Heidi Kirby. It’s a free, supportive community where we share resources, challenges, and job opportunities. It’s a safe space to ask questions, learn, and grow.
Another great one is Tim Slade’s eLearning Designers Community. Whether you’re brand new to instructional design or you’ve been in the field for years, it’s a fantastic place to connect with others and learn from their experiences.
And of course, there are organizations like The Learning Guild and ELB Learning. They offer tons of resources, webinars, and content to help you stay sharp. I also recommend following industry leaders and joining LinkedIn groups—you’d be surprised how much you can learn just by engaging with others.
One thing I love about these communities is that I learn something new every day. There’s always someone sharing a new tool, tip, or perspective. It’s such a great way to stay inspired and keep growing.
Dan Gorgone: That’s so true. Communities are where the magic happens. You get access to collective knowledge and real experiences that you can’t always find in a course or a book.
And speaking of books—you mentioned earlier that you’re an avid reader. Are there any books or other resources you’d recommend for someone stepping into L&D?
Holly Owens: Oh, for sure! There are so many great books out there, but I always recommend starting with the classics. Books like “Design for How People Learn” by Julie Dirksen and “The Accidental Instructional Designer” by Cammy Bean are fantastic. They break down instructional design concepts in a way that’s easy to understand and apply.
I also encourage people to take courses. Platforms like GoSkills, LinkedIn Learning, and Coursera have so many resources to help you develop your skills. Even just watching how other instructional designers structure their courses can teach you a lot.
And honestly—just start creating. You learn by doing. Build a portfolio, experiment with tools, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. That’s where the real growth happens.
Dan Gorgone: I love that advice—just start creating. You don’t need the fanciest tools or the perfect setup to get started. Just dive in, learn as you go, and keep building.
Dan Gorgone: I think that’s such an important mindset for anyone stepping into L&D. Just start, keep learning, and don’t let perfection hold you back.
Now, before we wrap up, I want to give you an opportunity to share where people can connect with you. Where’s the best place for listeners to find you online?
Holly Owens: LinkedIn is my jam—that’s where I spend most of my time. You can connect with me there, and that’s also where I post most of my content. I’m pretty active in communities like Useful Stuff, so if you join Heidi’s group, you’ll find me there too.
And of course, check out my podcast, the EdUp Learning and Development Podcast. I’d love to hear from listeners and connect with more people in the L&D space.
Dan Gorgone: That’s awesome! LinkedIn is such a great place to connect, and I’ll make sure we link to your podcast in the description.
Well, Holly, thank you so much for joining us. This has been such a great conversation, and I know our listeners are going to get so much value out of your insights.
Holly Owens: Thank you, Dan. I had a great time. I appreciate being here!
Dan Gorgone: Hey, everyone—thanks for watching this episode of the L&D Explorers Podcast. If you enjoyed it, please give it a like and subscribe, because more episodes are on the way.
And no matter what your learning and development goals are, GoSkills can help. Click the link in the description to learn more.
Thanks again for watching, and we’ll see you in the next episode.
