The Skills We Didn't Know We Needed In L&D
2025-11-21 11:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago)
Remember when being good at developing elearning felt like enough?

The L&D profession has changed significantly, and the skills that make you effective today might look very different from what you expected when you started.
As we reflect on 2025 and look ahead to 2026, this coffee chat focuses on the skills that have become essential in our field, and the ones that might be getting too much attention. We’ll discuss what surprised us most about the competencies we actually use day-to-day versus what we thought we’d need.

We’ll talk about the unexpected skills that have become critical: maybe it’s data interpretation, change management, or having difficult conversations with stakeholders. We’ll explore which technical skills are worth your time to develop and which ones you can safely skip or outsource. And we’ll address the skills that get hyped up but don’t necessarily translate to better learning outcomes.
This is also a chance to discuss where you should focus your professional development efforts in the coming year. What skills will help you grow in your career? What gaps do you need to fill? And what trendy skills can you ignore without falling behind?
Bring your perspective on what’s working, what’s overrated, and what you wish you’d learned sooner. We’ll learn from each other’s experiences and help you prioritize your skill-building efforts.

👉 Register now to join us.
Can’t Make It In Person? No Worries, We’ve Got Your Back! Register And Receive The Following:
✅ Access to the Learning Rebels resource page with all the extra goodies
✅ Copy of the video recording
✅ Copy of the chatbox transcription
✅ Copy of the full session transcript & summary
✅ Additional resources such as books, articles, and handouts

Gifts for the Person in My Life and Holiday Party
2025-12-05 11:00 - 12:00
It’s that time of year again and our annual Coffee Chat holiday party is back!
For the fifth year running, we’re gathering to celebrate the season, share gift ideas, and just enjoy each other’s company. This isn’t your typical professional development session. It’s a chance to relax, have fun, and connect with other L&D professionals in a casual, festive atmosphere.
We’ll collaborate on our famous gift list for the trainers and L&D people in your life (or anyone else you’re shopping for). Whether you’re looking for practical tools, clever resources, or just something fun, we’ll crowdsource ideas that actually make sense for people who do what we do.
Throughout the event, we’ll play games, share holiday stories, and have casual conversations about whatever’s on your mind. No agenda, no pressure – just good conversation and community spirit. It’s the perfect way to celebrate with people who understand the unique joys and challenges of working in learning and development.
Bring your gift ideas, your holiday cheer, and maybe a festive beverage of your choice. Let’s celebrate our community and the connections we’ve built throughout the year.

👉 Register now to join us.
Can’t Make It In Person? No Worries, We’ve Got Your Back! Register And Receive The Following:
✅ Access to the Learning Rebels resource page with all the extra goodies
✅ Copy of the video recording
✅ Copy of the chatbox transcription
✅ Copy of the full session transcript & summary
✅ Additional resources such as books, articles, and handouts

The Best Thing I Learned in 2025
2025-12-19 11:00 - 12:00
As 2025 comes to a close, it’s time to reflect on what we’ve learned – both professionally and personally.

Our last coffee chat of 2025 is all about sharing the insights, skills, and experiences that made a difference in your year. Maybe you finally cracked the code on stakeholder communication, discovered a tool that changed your workflow, or learned something completely outside of L&D that shifted your perspective. Whatever it was, we want to hear about it.

We’ll discuss the learning experiences that stuck with us, why they mattered, and how they’ve influenced the way we approach our work. This is also a chance to talk about what we’re curious about heading into 2026—the skills we want to develop, the topics we want to explore, and the questions we’re still trying to answer.
This session is as much about celebration as it is about learning. We’ll recognize the growth we’ve experienced, acknowledge the challenges we’ve overcome, and look ahead with fresh ideas and renewed energy. It’s a chance to close out the year with gratitude and excitement for what’s next.
Bring your wins, your “aha” moments, and your wish list for future learning. Let’s celebrate our growth and inspire each other as we head into a new year.

👉 Register now to join us.
Can’t Make It In Person? No Worries, We’ve Got Your Back! Register And Receive The Following:
✅ Access to the Learning Rebels resource page with all the extra goodies
✅ Copy of the video recording
✅ Copy of the chatbox transcription
✅ Copy of the full session transcript & summary
✅ Additional resources such as books, articles, and handouts

Why SMART Goals Aren't Smart: Writing Goals that Matter
2026-01-16 11:00 - 12:00
Time for the Learning Rebels annual Coffee Chat: Why SMART Goals Aren’t Smart!

Every year at this coffee chat, we talk about how L&D professionals can be better partners, better designers, and stronger advocates for their businesses and learners. For the next few chats, we’re flipping the focus. We’re concentrating on YOU and helping you move the needle on your own goals. Starting with setting your BIG HAIRY AUDACIOUS GOALS!
Most of us enter the new year thinking about what we want to change. But here’s the problem: only 10% of people follow through on their New Year’s resolutions beyond a few months. That’s not a motivation problem. It’s a framing problem. To help you get a jump start, download your copy of the BHAG worksheet.
Think about how we typically set goals:
“I need to stop procrastinating.” “I have to lose weight.” “I must get organized.” “I should communicate better.”
Notice the pattern? These are all framed in terms of what we’re doing wrong. We’re setting ourselves up to feel like failures before we even start.

It’s Time to Flip the Script
What if we created positive and purposeful intentions instead?
Instead of “I must lose weight,” try “Spend 5 minutes a day stretching.” Instead of “get organized,” try “keep the area around my keyboard tidy.”
Small, positive actions we can actually sustain.
Why SMART Goals Don’t Work
SMART goals are gospel in most organizations, but they don’t deliver results. A large-scale study published in 2020 found that people who used SMART goals had less success with their resolutions than those who didn’t.
The problem? “Achievable” and “Realistic” don’t push us to take action—they encourage us to play it safe and stick with the status quo.
Let’s Build Something Better
We’ll discuss how to create goals that are actionable, positive, and actually have a shot at success. Whether you’re working on personal development or helping your learners set meaningful objectives, this conversation will give you practical strategies.

👉 Register now to join us.
Can’t Make It In Person? No Worries, We’ve Got Your Back! Register And Receive The Following:
✅ Access to the Learning Rebels resource page with all the extra goodies
✅ Copy of the video recording
✅ Copy of the chatbox transcription
✅ Copy of the full session transcript & summary
✅ Additional resources such as books, articles, and handouts

Show and Tell: Your Best L&D Resources
2026-01-30 11:00 - 12:00
Get ready for the L&D Resource Swap 2026!

This Coffee Chat is where your desire to learn something new meets the collective wisdom of the Learning Rebels community. Here, everyone will have a chance to share a story, book, or tool and how it opened a new window of opportunity for their professional development.
This isn’t just our normal chat; it’s an opportunity to broaden your professional horizons through shared resources. Whether you’re new to the L&D field or looking to refine your existing skills, this session is for you.
What you can expect:

Resource Sharing: Bring along a book, article, tool, or any resource that has significantly impacted your L&D journey. It could be something that helped you grasp a complex concept, a book that inspired new teaching methods, or a tool that revolutionized your training approach.
Robust Discussions: Engage in thoughtful discussions about how these resources have shaped your practices. Hear diverse perspectives and experiences from fellow L&D professionals.
Networking: Connect with like-minded individuals who are passionate about L&D. Expand your professional network and discover potential collaborations.
Practical Takeaways: Leave the session with a list of recommended books and resources curated by your peers to fuel your ongoing professional growth.

This Coffee Chat isn’t just about sharing and growing together as a community. Every book, article, or tool you share opens a door to new knowledge and possibilities for someone else. And in return, you gain insights from the group’s collective wisdom.
So, mark your calendar and join us for a stimulating exchange of ideas and resources. Let’s learn, grow, and elevate our L&D practices together!

Can’t be there live? We’ve got your back!
Simply by registering to attend the coffee chat, you will receive the following:
✅ Follow-up email with resources and extra goodies
✅ Copy of the video recording
✅ Copy of the chatbox transcription
✅ Copy of the full session transcript and summary

Practice What We Preach: Building Your Learning Habit
2026-02-13 11:00 - 12:00
Building Your Learning Habit

Let’s be honest with each other – we’re L&D professionals who spend our days designing learning experiences and advocating for development. But when it comes to our own learning? It somehow always ends up at the bottom of the to-do list.
It’s not that we don’t care.
We’ve got the books saved on our reading list. The podcasts downloaded. The resources bookmarked. Maybe you even grabbed some great recommendations from our resource share chat. But between stakeholder meetings, project deadlines, and everything else demanding our attention, our own development keeps getting pushed to “later.”
The Irony Isn’t Lost on Us
We know learning matters. We champion it for everyone else. We can articulate exactly why continuous learning is critical for staying relevant in this field. But knowing and doing are two different things.
The real question isn’t why we should learn – it’s how we actually make it happen when we’re already stretched thin.
How do I carve out time that doesn’t exist? How do I start without adding more guilt to my plate? How do I turn intentions into habits that actually stick? How do I capture what I’m learning so it doesn’t just disappear?
Let’s Work Through This Together
We’ll talk about practical strategies that fit into real life. Share what’s actually working for people (and what’s crashed and burned). Tackle the barriers that keep tripping us up. And figure out how to prioritize our own growth without the guilt.

Can’t be there live? We’ve got your back!
When you register, you’ll receive:
✅ Follow-up email with resources and extra goodies
✅ Copy of the video recording
✅ Copy of the chatbox transcription
✅ Copy of the full session transcript

Getting Strategic About Growing Your Knowledge
2026-02-27 11:00 - 12:00
Here’s the trap we fall into as L&D professionals: we try to learn everything.

New authoring tool? Better learn it. Someone mentions personalized learning? Better research it. AI drops a new feature? Add it to the list. Meanwhile, we’re stretched thin across a dozen surface-level skills with no real depth in anything.
Are we mistaking exposure for expertise? Are we confuse being aware of something with actually knowing it? It’s no wonder we feel like we’re scrambling to keep up.
The Breadth Trap
The L&D field is massive. Instructional design, learning tech, adult learning theory, change management, project management, data analysis, facilitation, consulting skills – the list never ends. And every month, something new gets added.
When you try to learn it all, you end up:

Knowing a little about everything but not enough about anything
Feeling like an imposter because your knowledge is always surface-level
Unable to articulate what you’re actually good at
Overwhelmed by how much you still don’t know

Let’s Get Strategic
We’ll discuss how to choose what’s worth going deep on based on your goals and where you want your career to go. How to resist the pressure to learn everything. What depth actually looks like versus just scratching the surface. And how to build expertise that positions you for the next step.
You’ve built the habit of learning – now let’s make sure you’re focusing that habit on building depth in areas that actually matter to your career.

Can’t be there live? We’ve got your back!
Simply by registering to attend the coffee chat, you will receive the following:
✅ Follow-up email with resources and extra goodies
✅ Copy of the video recording
✅ Copy of the chatbox transcription
✅ Copy of the full session transcript and summary

Building Your Personal Brand as an L&D Professional
2026-03-13 11:00 - 12:00
We talk a lot about increasing L&D’s visibility within the business. But what about your own visibility? Your personal brand?

For many L&D professionals, this feels uncomfortable. Self-promotional. Maybe even gross. We got into this field to help others, not market ourselves. And there’s this question: should personal branding even be a priority?
The Tension
You can champion L&D as a function all day, but if nobody knows who you are or what you’re good at, your career options stay limited. When opportunities come up such as promotions, speaking gigs, or new roles – they go to people who are visible.
But visibility doesn’t mean being loud or constantly self-promoting (ICK). It means people know what you stand for and what you bring to the table.
What Does Personal Brand Even Mean?
Your personal brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room. The question is whether you’re shaping that intentionally or leaving it to chance.
You’ve gone deep on specific areas. You’ve built real expertise. Now what? Do you keep it to yourself, or do you let people know what you’re capable of?
Let’s Talk About It
We’ll discuss whether personal branding is worth the effort (spoiler: it depends on your goals). What it looks like in practice for L&D professionals. How to build visibility without feeling like you’re bragging. And how to position yourself for the opportunities you actually want.

Can’t Make It In Person? No Worries, We’ve Got Your Back! Register And Receive The Following:
✅ Access to the Learning Rebels resource page with all the extra goodies
✅ Copy of the video recording
✅ Copy of the chatbox transcription
✅ Copy of the full session transcript & summary
✅ Additional resources such as books, articles, and handouts

Networking Like a Human!
2026-03-27 11:00 - 12:00
Building and Nurturing Your Professional Network
You’ve built your personal brand. People know what you stand for. Now comes the part that makes a lot of us cringe: actually connecting with people.
Let’s be honest—networking often feels transactional. Awkward. Like you’re using people to get ahead. You exchange LinkedIn connections and then… nothing. You’ve got a list of contacts but no actual relationships.
The Real Purpose of a Network
A professional network isn’t about how many people you know. It’s about having people you can learn from, collaborate with, and support when they need it. It’s reciprocal, not transactional.
The L&D professionals with strong networks didn’t build them through networking events alone. They built them by being helpful, showing up consistently, having real conversations about the work, and staying in touch even when they don’t need anything.
Let’s Figure This Out
Let’s share tips and ideas about building authentic relationships without feeling like you’re networking. How to stay connected without it being a chore. What to do when you need to reach out after months of silence. And how introverts can build meaningful networks without burning out.

Can’t Make It In Person? No Worries, We’ve Got Your Back! Register And Receive The Following:
✅ Access to the Learning Rebels resource page with all the extra goodies
✅ Copy of the video recording
✅ Copy of the chatbox transcription
✅ Copy of the full session transcript & summary
✅ Additional resources such as books, articles, and handouts

See It Differently, Solve It Better: Creative Problem Solving
2026-04-10 11:00 - 12:00
See It Differently, Solve It Better: Creative Problem Solving

Same problem. Same team. Same stakeholder who wants “just a quick course.” And somehow, you’re expected to come up with something different than what you did last time.
Sound familiar?
Here’s the thing. It’s not that L&D professionals lack creativity. It’s that we get locked into the same problem-solving patterns without realizing it. We reach for what’s comfortable, what’s worked before, and what’s least likely to get pushed back on. And slowly, our solutions start looking identical.
Creative Problem Solving (CPS) is the reset button.
It’s not about brainstorming sessions that go nowhere or sticky notes on a whiteboard. CPS is about thinking beyond conventional boundaries and turning challenges into opportunities. Creating solutions that are more than just “tick a box,” tailored to fit the unique needs of the people in your organization.
What We Will Discuss

The real reasons L&D professionals get stuck in problem-solving ruts
Practical CPS techniques that are actually usable, not just theoretical
How to apply creative thinking when working with difficult stakeholders, stale programs, or head-scratching performance gaps

Come Ready to Contribute
This isn’t a presentation. It’s a conversation. Bring a problem you haven’t been able to crack, a technique that’s worked for you, or an honest story about a time your go-to solution completely missed the mark. The best ideas in this community come from the people in the room, and your experience is exactly what makes this discussion worth having.

Can’t Make It In Person? No Worries, We’ve Got Your Back! Register And Receive The Following:
Access to the Learning Rebels resource page with all the extra goodies
Copy of the video recording
Copy of the chatbox transcription
Copy of the full session transcript & summary
Additional resources such as books, articles, and handouts

What To Do When Training Isn't the Answer
2026-04-24 11:00 - 12:00
When Training Isn’t the Answer
The request lands in your inbox on a Tuesday. Sales numbers are down, customer complaints are up, and leadership has diagnosed the problem: the team needs training. Can you have something ready by the end of the month?
You could say yes. You probably have before. But somewhere between building the course and watching nothing change, a nagging thought creeps in. What if training was never actually the solution?
L&D professionals are not training vending machines. Yet that’s exactly how many organizations treat the function. A problem surfaces, someone pushes a button, and out pops a course. The most effective L&D professionals know that sometimes the right answer is proposing a solution that doesn’t start with training. Recommending coaching, job aids, process improvements, or performance support instead could be the smarter (and more productive) way to go.
The hardest part? Saying that out loud to a stakeholder who already has their mind made up.

What We Will Discuss

How to recognize when a performance problem isn’t a training problem
The real cost of saying yes when the answer should be “let’s look at this differently.”
How to redirect a stakeholder who has already decided they need a course

Come Ready to Contribute
Bring a real situation. One where you built the course and nothing changed, or one where you pushed back and it paid off. Better yet, bring your alternative solutions. The time you solved a process problem instead of building a course. The job aid that fixed in one page what a three-module eLearning couldn’t. The coaching conversation that actually moved the needle. The messier the story, the better the conversation.

Can’t Make It In Person? No Worries, We’ve Got Your Back! Register And Receive The Following:
Access to the Learning Rebels resource page with all the extra goodies
Copy of the video recording
Copy of the chatbox transcription
Copy of the full session transcript & summary
Additional resources such as books, articles, and handouts

When Your Subject Matter Expert Drives You BANANAS
2026-05-08 11:00 - 12:00
When Your Subject Matter Expert Drives You BANANAS
They know everything about their topic. Everything. And they want to put it all in your course.
Working with subject matter experts is one of those skills nobody really prepares you for in L&D. One day you’re trying to convince a reluctant SME to give you thirty minutes of their time. The next, you’re in a review meeting where they’ve rewritten your entire script because “that’s not exactly how it works.” Either way, the project is officially off the rails.
The tactics you use to build and preserve your relationship with an SME can mean the difference between elegant content simplicity or your learning initiative crashing into a ball of flames. And yet no two SMEs are alike. Every project brings a different personality, a different agenda, and a different set of priorities that have nothing to do with yours. Learning to read the room and adjust accordingly is the real skill nobody talks about.
The good news? There are strategies that actually work. And this community has the battle scars to prove it.
What We Will Discuss

The most common SME barriers and how to address them before they derail your project
How to manage the SME who wants to include every single thing they know
What to do when your SME ghosts you, pushes back hard, or thinks they know more about learning design than you do
Practical strategies for setting expectations, maintaining momentum, and keeping the relationship intact

Come Ready to Contribute
Bring your SME horror stories and your wins. What’s worked, what’s backfired, and what you wish you’d known before your first SME relationship went sideways. The more specific, the better.

Can’t Make It In Person? No Worries, We’ve Got Your Back! Register And Receive The Following:
Access to the Learning Rebels resource page with all the extra goodies
Copy of the video recording
Copy of the chatbox transcription
Copy of the full session transcript & summary
Additional resources such as books, articles, and handouts

Credit Where Credit Is Due: Recognizing Informal Learning
2026-05-22 11:00 - 12:00
Credit Where Credit Is Due: Recognizing Informal Learning
Nobody learned how to do their job from a course alone.
Think about it. The workaround a colleague showed you over coffee. The LinkedIn post that reframed how you think about stakeholder relationships. The podcast you listened to on your commute that gave you the exact language you needed for a difficult conversation. That’s all learning, and none of it showed up in your LMS.
Informal learning makes up the majority of how people actually develop on the job. And yet most organizations have no system for acknowledging it, supporting it, or connecting it to business outcomes. The real challenge for L&D isn’t just recognizing that informal learning exists – it’s figuring out how to surface it, give it the credit it deserves, and make a compelling case for its value to the business.
Because if you can’t connect it to outcomes, it stays invisible.
L&D is often so focused on what can be measured in a completion report that the learning doing the heaviest lifting goes completely unnoticed. That’s a problem worth talking about.

What We Will Discuss

What informal learning actually looks like in today’s workplace and why it matters more than ever
How to surface and support learning that happens outside of formal programs
How to make the case for informal learning to stakeholders who only trust what the LMS tracks
Creative ways to recognize and reward informal learning without turning it into another program

Come Ready to Contribute
Bring your ideas, your experiments, and your frustrations. Have you found a way to recognize informal learning that actually stuck? Or tried something that completely flopped? Either way, this community wants to hear it.

Can’t Make It In Person? No Worries, We’ve Got Your Back! Register And Receive The Following:
Access to the Learning Rebels resource page with all the extra goodies
Copy of the video recording
Copy of the chatbox transcription
Copy of the full session transcript & summary
Additional resources such as books, articles, and handouts

Building Feedback to Change Behavior
2026-06-05 11:00 - 12:00
Most feedback in learning programs is an afterthought. A quiz at the end of a module. A “great point!” from the facilitator. A smile sheet that nobody reads after the session closes.
That’s not feedback. That’s the appearance of feedback.
Real feedback, the kind that actually shifts behavior and helps people grow, doesn’t happen by accident. It has to be intentionally designed into the learning experience from the start, not bolted on at the end. And the approach looks different depending on whether you’re standing in a classroom, facilitating a virtual session, or building an eLearning module that has to do the heavy lifting without you in the room.
Most L&D professionals know feedback matters. Fewer have a clear strategy for making it work across all three formats, and that gap shows up in programs where learners finish without really knowing whether they got it right, got it wrong, or why it matters either way.
What We Will Discuss

What effective feedback actually looks like when it’s built into the design
How feedback strategies differ across classroom, VILT, and eLearning environments
The difference between feedback that informs and feedback that changes behavior
Common feedback mistakes and how to fix them before they become habits

Come Ready to Contribute
Bring your best feedback techniques and your design experiments. How do you build feedback into your programs in a way that actually sticks? This community wants to know.

Can’t Make It In Person? No Worries, We’ve Got Your Back! Register And Receive The Following:
Access to the Learning Rebels resource page with all the extra goodies
Copy of the video recording
Copy of the chatbox transcription
Copy of the full session transcript & summary
Additional resources such as books, articles, and handouts

Wake Up the Room: Energizers That Actually Work
2026-06-19 11:00 - 12:00
Wake Up the Room: Energizers That Actually Work

You’re forty-five minutes into your session. The energy that was there at the start has quietly left the building. In person, people are checking their phones. Virtually, the cameras are off and the chat is a ghost town.
Sound familiar?
Every facilitator hits that wall. The question is what you do when you get there. A well-timed energizer isn’t a gimmick. It’s about reaching not only the mind but the heart of your audience. The right activity at the right moment can shift the entire dynamic of a room, virtual or otherwise. The wrong one can make an already disengaged group feel like they’re being managed.
There’s also something worth acknowledging: energizers only work when people feel safe enough to participate. Quiet rooms aren’t always safe rooms. They’re often scared rooms. The best facilitators know the difference and design accordingly.

What We Will Discuss

Energizer techniques that actually work — for in-person, VILT, and hybrid environments
How to read the room and choose the right activity at the right moment
What makes an energizer land versus fall flat
How to create an environment where people actually want to participate

Come Ready to Contribute
This one is all about sharing. Bring your go-to energizer, your most creative activity, or the one that bombed spectacularly. We want the full picture — what worked, what didn’t, and what you’d never do again.

Can’t Make It In Person? No Worries, We’ve Got Your Back! Register And Receive The Following:
Access to the Learning Rebels resource page with all the extra goodies
Copy of the video recording
Copy of the chatbox transcription
Copy of the full session transcript & summary
Additional resources such as books, articles, and handouts

What We're Actually Reading: L&D Picks for Summer
2026-07-03 11:00 - 12:00
Summer time at the beach with a great reading list!
Summer is the perfect time to step back from the day-to-day and feed the brain with something that isn’t a project deadline. Whether you’ve got a stack of books you’ve been meaning to get to, a podcast you can’t stop recommending, or a blog that consistently makes you think differently about your work, this is the session where we share all of it. No formal agenda, no slides, just the L&D community swapping the resources that are actually worth your time.
Come ready to give and get a few good recommendations before the summer gets away from you.
What We Will Discuss

The books, blogs, and podcasts L&D professionals are actually reading and listening to right now
Hidden gems that don’t always show up on the usual “top 10” lists
Resources that work for both newer practitioners and experienced pros
How to build a sustainable reading and learning habit when work gets busy

Come Ready to Contribute
Bring at least one recommendation: a book, a podcast episode, a blog, or even a single article that stuck with you. Bonus points for telling us why it made your list.

Can’t Make It In Person? No Worries, We’ve Got Your Back! Register And Receive The Following:
Access to the Learning Rebels resource page with all the extra goodies
Copy of the video recording
Copy of the chatbox transcription
Copy of the full session transcript & summary
Additional resources such as books, articles, and handouts

L&D Mythbusters: Training Assumptions We Need to Retire
2026-07-17 11:00 - 12:00
Some learning myths have been repeated so many times they’ve started to feel like facts. They are not.
Every field has its sacred cows. The assumptions that get passed down, rarely questioned, and then shape how we design, deliver, and defend our work. L&D is no exception. From beliefs about how adults learn, to assumptions about what makes training effective, to the unexamined logic behind why we build things the way we do, some of what the field takes for granted deserves a hard look.
This session is about naming the assumptions, questioning the evidence, and having an honest conversation about what we should probably stop saying and doing. What learning myths need to die?
What We Will Discuss

Common L&D beliefs that don’t hold up under scrutiny
Where these myths came from and why they’ve been so hard to shake
The practical impact of building training on faulty assumptions
What the evidence actually says and what we should be doing instead

Come Ready to Contribute
What’s the one training assumption you’re tired of hearing? Bring your myth and your reasoning. Bonus points if it’s something you used to believe yourself.

Can’t Make It In Person? No Worries, We’ve Got Your Back! Register And Receive The Following:
Access to the Learning Rebels resource page with all the extra goodies
Copy of the video recording
Copy of the chatbox transcription
Copy of the full session transcript & summary
Additional resources such as books, articles, and handouts

The Transfer Problem: Why Learning Stops at the Classroom Door
2026-07-31 11:00 - 12:00
People leave training feeling good. Then they go back to their desks and nothing changes.
It happens in classrooms, in virtual sessions, in eLearning modules that took months to build. Learners complete the program, pass the assessment, and return to doing things exactly the way they did before. The good news is that learning transfer isn’t a mystery It’s a design problem, and design problems can be solved.
This session is about what actually works to make learning stick once people leave the room. That means looking past the training event itself and to the techniques, partnerships, and follow-through that turn “I learned something” into “I’m doing something differently.”
What We Will Discuss

Practical techniques for reinforcing learning after the session ends
How to turn managers into allies instead of afterthoughts in the reinforcement process
What a realistic “after class” plan looks like and who owns it
Small, sustainable habits that beat one-time follow-up emails

Come Ready to Contribute
What’s actually worked for you to make learning stick? Bring your reinforcement tactics, your manager-partnership wins, and yes, your failed attempts too. This community learns best from what’s been tried.

Can’t Make It In Person? No Worries, We’ve Got Your Back! Register And Receive The Following:
Access to the Learning Rebels resource page with all the extra goodies
Copy of the video recording
Copy of the chatbox transcription
Copy of the full session transcript & summary
Additional resources such as books, articles, and handouts

AI Didn't Kill L&D, but it Changed How We Work
2026-08-14 11:00 - 12:00
The robots didn’t take your job. But they did rearrange it.
The conversation about AI in L&D has moved past “is this real?” and into something more practical and more personal. The tools are here, people are using them, and the day-to-day work of designing, developing, and delivering learning looks different than it did two years ago. Some of that is genuinely useful. Some of it is creating new pressures and new questions about where the human judgment in this work actually lives.
This isn’t a session about what AI can do. It’s about what it’s actually changing in our workflows, in our roles, and in how we think about the value we bring to the table.
What We Will Discuss

How AI is reshaping day-to-day L&D work right now
Where human judgment and expertise matter more than ever
The workflow changes that are sticking versus the ones that aren’t delivering
What this shift means for how we talk about our value to stakeholders and leadership

Come Ready to Contribute
How has AI actually changed the way you work, not in theory, but in practice? This community learns from each other and our shared experiences.

Can’t Make It In Person? No Worries, We’ve Got Your Back! Register And Receive The Following:
Access to the Learning Rebels resource page with all the extra goodies
Copy of the video recording
Copy of the chatbox transcription
Copy of the full session transcript & summary
Additional resources such as books, articles, and handouts

Confessions of an L&D Professional
2026-08-28 11:00 - 12:00
Forgive me, I have a confession!
I have pretended the LMS was down to buy myself another day on a deadline. I have copy-pasted a learning objective from a course I built three years ago and called it “updated content.” I have told someone a report wasn’t available because running it requires 35 clicks and a small prayer. And yes, I secretly believe training ROI is about as real as Bigfoot.
We all have them. The compromises, the professional white lies, the things we do (or don’t do) that we’d never share on LinkedIn. This session is a safe space to speak your truth. No judgment, no side-eye, just L&D professionals being honest about the gap between what we preach and what we actually do.
What We Will Discuss

The professional shortcuts we take when nobody is looking
The sacred L&D rules we secretly break and why
What our confessions reveal about the real pressures of working in L&D

Come Ready to Contribute
Come with a confession. Big or small, funny or cringeworthy, this community has done something similar and is ready to absolve you.

Can’t Make It In Person? No Worries, We’ve Got Your Back! Register And Receive The Following:
Access to the Learning Rebels resource page with all the extra goodies
Copy of the video recording
Copy of the chatbox transcription
Copy of the full session transcript & summary
Additional resources such as books, articles, and handouts
