For precisely three years, because of my illnesses, Paul and I have not been able to put up the tree or celebrate the holidays in our home in a meaningful way. But this year, we have joyfully returned to these traditions. Like decorating the tree, wrapping garland and white lights around the banister, and donning the dining room table with shiny brass candlesticks and a wintery table runner.

Our family will come together to celebrate three days early, so that the kids can be at their own homes for Christmas Day. In addition to hosting these beloveds at our home, I will revel in something else that brings me great joy – I get to cook and bake for them! I can't wait to make elaborate and yummy meals for them, then give out dessert bar gifts from my favorite chef.

Professional development professionals in associations and businesses are frequently interested in the design, development and delivery of learning pathways. Effective learning pathways usually include a series of different types of content delivery venues. Each venue is focused on achieving a specific set of behavioral results for improved workforce performance. The types of venues through which a series of courses are delivered include: instructor-led (with or without prework); online elearning modules; blended learning events; micro-learnings; and even higher-end games or simulations for learning. Continue reading to learn about the impact of venue, and the six steps you should take to develop effective learning pathways for your organization.

During and following my early 2024 brush with death, reflecting on my hospitalization and being again sidelined for awhile, I discovered that "productivity anxiety" was one reason I had continued to retain stress, despite making numerous lifestyle changes to slough it off. Then, a few weeks ago, Paul and I attended a Village Square event called "Lost & Found: A frank conversation about a generation of struggling young adults."

While the panelists discussed opinions on why many young adults are so anxious, a couple of things were clear to me:

1. Many adult parents feel pressed to work harder to get ahead but earn relatively low salaries or hourly rates.

2. Parents also face inflationary trends and a diminished value of their dollars, while also feeling increasingly diminished in value as human beings.

As a result, parents often absorb the beliefs that to be of value, they must do more and do it better with less time. They then transmit these beliefs to their children, which perpetuates the cycle and imprints anxiety as the familial and societal norm. It becomes a vicious cycle.

In the rapidly evolving field of instructional design, staying ahead of the curve requires leveraging the latest technological advancements. Have you ever wondered how much more efficient your design process could be with the help of generative AI? Generative AI (genAI) is emerging as an important new tool in our design toolkit, offering unprecedented opportunities to enhance the instructional design process. We’ll go through each step in the ADDIE model—Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation, and discuss how genAI can assist in your goal of making effective and efficient instruction.

In August, I attended the Annual Conference of the American Society of Association Executives in Cleveland, and was particularly struck by keynote speaker Adam Kinzinger's remarks about his experience as a U.S. Congressman.

When he voted to impeach former President Trump and subsequently expressed ongoing concern to colleagues, Kinzinger was censured by the Republican National Committee and eventually resigned. Kinzinger talked about how difficult it was to be abandoned by his tribe, especially when eleven of his extended family members sent him a certified letter telling him he no longer was a part of their family. Kinzinger also spoke of his desire to be a good father and strong example for his young son, all while enduring death threats towards his family because he persisted in standing for what he believed was right. Whatever one's opinion might be about his stance, standing for his truth in the face of such personal rejection is certainly an act of courage.

As I've spent time recently in physical therapy and occupational therapy, partnerships have been on my mind. Kelly, my occupational therapist at Be Strong Therapy, has two partners. And she's talked about how a partnership is a lot like a marriage. If that's the case, I reasoned, then perhaps there are similar principles with marriage that can help or hinder a partnership. Ever the scholar, I went outside of personal experience, and back to a literature source to revisit this concept more deeply about informal vs formal partnerships.

Imagining and planning for the future is not always easy. Sometimes we just can't foresee obstacles until they are right in front of us. But then we must pivot, and quickly.

A busy first quarter of 2024 culminated in my near-death experience (due to medical negligence). This was followed by a long recovery, and new physical realities that have shifted my life, irrevocably. Cancer was essentially the one-punch; and being back in the Emergency Room in April with septic shock, fighting flesh-eating bacteria, was the uppercut. On the bright side, the extra rest provided some time for long-term introspection and decision making.

It also put the interplay between high-performing systems and people, front and center of my hospital bed. In Healthcare, the systems and people have to work well together or patients die. But that's the case in many industries.