In today’s episode, Heather sits down with Dr. Christie McMullen, educator, author, speaker, and leadership expert, to explore how learning truly takes root. With a 25-year career spanning high school classrooms, adult education, and leadership training, Christie brings a wealth of experience to the conversation. Her book, Learning Can Stick: A Guide to Make Every Learning Experience Safe, Logical, Fun, and Memorable, offers strategies for teaching and leading that apply far beyond the classroom.

Together, Heather and Christie dive into why everyone is a teacher, whether you’re guiding patients, mentoring employees, or leading a courtroom, and how to make every lesson both memorable and impactful.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Performance vs. Learning Goals – How setting both helps define success and the steps to get there.

• “Clear is Kind” – Why clarity is essential in teaching, leading, and everyday communication.

• The Power of Connection – How learners deepen understanding by engaging with each other.

• Trusting the Learning Process – Why letting go of control often leads to better outcomes.

• Making It Personal – How emotion and reflection anchor lessons in memory.

• Note-Taking vs. Note-Making – Why interacting with your notes makes all the difference.

• Sprinkle, Splash, Flood, Drip – Christie’s framework for ensuring information actually sticks.
  
  

Resources & Links:
📖 Learning Can Stick: A Guide to Make Every Learning Experience Safe, Logical, Fun, and Memorable Buy the book here
🌐 Christie McMullen Learn more about her work and speaking

In this episode:

[00:00] Meet Dr. Christie McMullen, educator, leader, and author
[02:30] Performance vs. learning goals explained
[07:00] Why “clear is kind” in leadership and teaching
[09:20] Leveraging connection to make learning stick
[12:45] Trusting the process and formative feedback
[16:30] Making it personal: emotion, reflection, and relevance
[22:00] Turning notes into learning tools
[27:40] Sprinkle, splash, flood, drip: repetition that works
[31:10] Final reflections and key takeaways

Connect with Heather:

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• heather@elegantwarrior.com

The Elegant Warrior Podcast and content posted by Heather Hansen is presented solely for general informational, educational, and entertainment purposes. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast or website is at the user’s own risk. It is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical or mental health condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their healthcare professionals for any such conditions.