Connor Pierce is a passionate lifelong learner who thrives at the crossroads of psychology, technology, and art. His career has been rooted in higher education, professional development, and learning experience design. With a solid background in psychological principles and learning theory, he currently specializes in creating innovative instructional designs. He's especially fascinated by how games and playful experiences can drive meaningful change and enhance learning.

In this podcast you will learn:
- How will gamification and AI change education?
- What is the purpose of education in a world with gamification and AI?

Sylvie started working with Cornell’s Team and Leadership Center at the age of 15. Since then she has worked as an outdoor adventure guide for the Claremont Colleges in California, a rock climbing instructor in Colorado, a bicycle tour guide in New Zealand and the Northeastern USA, and a mountain instructor for the North Carolina Outward Bound School. Bicycling, canoeing, backpacking, rock climbing and organic farming are Sylvie’s primary outdoor activities.

In this podcast you will learn:
- How we can become better educators through outdoor education principles
- What scientific thinking can do for our educating
- How to build connection, leadership, and emotional intelligence through outdoor education

Rob Alvarez is a gamification wizard, learning experience designer, and host of the Professor Game Podcast. With a background in business and a passion for play, he helps educators and organizations craft meaningful, game-inspired learning and product journeys.

In this podcast we talked about:

• How gamification can improve education
• How serious play can revolutionize team environments
• How gamification can build community in education

3 Free Gamification Hacks to Supercharge Your Community's Revenue: https://www.professorgame.com/Aidan

Robert Rasmussen and the Power of LEGO SERIOUS PLAY | Episode 237

Sharon is an eLearning professional and media designer with 13 years of experience teaching English learners at the university level. Her journey to the field of instructional design inspired her to host a monthly Zoom networking session to inspire other educators who are looking for advice on how to break into the field of instructional design.

In this podcast you will learn:
- Why rushed learning is actually useless learning
- The essential skills for better learning experience design
- How to become a better writer

Sharon Tjaden-Burke's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharon-tjaden-glass/

Yu Kai Chou: Yu-kai Chou, world-renowned designer and keynote speaker, created the Octalysis Framework, impacting 1.5B+ lives through gamification and behavioral design. He is the Founding Partner and Chief Creation Officer of the premium consulting/design firm The Octalysis Group. Recently he and his co-author Mark Diaz wrote 10,000 hours of play which asks the question: what if you could approach life as the ultimate video game — complete with quests to conquer, allies to recruit, and strategies to level up your skills? 10,000 Hours of Play transforms the principles of gaming into a revolutionary guide for achieving real-world success.

In this podcast you will learn:
- How to gamify your life in six steps complete with quests to conquer, allies to recruit, and strategies to level up your skills
- How to find alignment in your life game and your unique self
- How to balance extrinsic and intrinsic motivation
- What nut peanut butter is made of

The Octalysis Framework for Gamification & Behavioral Design: https://yukaichou.com/gamification-examples/octalysis-complete-gamification-framework/

Farhan has 12 years of experience driving innovation and delivering scalable digital solutions, He specializes in leading transformative product teams that exceed client expectations. His expertise spans multiple industries, including AI/ML, education, finance, healthcare, and hospitality, where he's successfully implemented strategies leveraging both agile and waterfall methodologies.

In this podcast you will learn:
- How community plays a role in Learning Experience Design
- How learning differs across culture
- The most overlooked sensory dimensions in Learning Experience Design

James Washok is a Learning Experience Designer with over two decades in IT and HR Services. He’s honed his skills in creating immersive, scenario-based eLearning modules that resonate across various levels of an organization. His role as an Instructional Designer and Content Developer involves a symbiotic relationship with management, subject matter experts, and business analysts to craft training solutions that are both effective and delightful.​​​​​​​​​​​

In this podcast we talked about:
- Principles of effective learning experience design
- How to change our mindsets regarding learning to make it more effective
- How to integrate AI into your Learning Experience Design

Carolyn Smith graduated from Fordham University and The Juilliard School, has performed as an actor on Broadway in "Romeo and Juliet" and appeared opposite Robin Wright in "House of Cards" as Claire's Chief of Staff. She happens to have been my acting teacher but she doesn't have to act like a great teacher she was one. Her father was a flutist and factory worker and her mother a legal secretary which leads me to my first question.

In this podcast we talked about:
- How acting changes your relationship with yourself, others, and the world
- How acting can make you a more curious, kind, and empathetic person
- What is truth in acting?