About the Designer
Hi. I'm Julie. 👋
I'm an L&D leader who has spent the past twenty years obsessing over one question: what does the learner actually need?
Quick Facts About Julie
I've designed learning for Amazon drivers, Fortune 500 executives, doctors, Target cashiers, engineers, creatives, sales teams, and everything in between. If they sit in a chair and learn things, I've probably designed for them.
I have ADHD, which means I experience bad training very personally and very immediately. I used to think it was annoying but I've come to love that it's a superpower that helps me design for the distracted masses.
Someone on my L&D team once said “so we're just throwing out everything I know about designing a learning class and doing it differently?” Yes. Correct. Welcome to the team.
I am constantly scanning the environment for interesting nuggets of wisdom — a podcast, a random article, a conversation at a coffee shop. Everything is a learning opportunity if you're paying attention. (And I am always paying attention.)
I built The Seat because people kept asking me how I build great training. For a long time I couldn't figure out how to explain it. Now I can. The Seat has the logic, the special sauce, and the magic to help you build world-class training.
I learned ten years ago how to tweak PPT clip-art and remove all of the 1980s from it (well, most of it). Today? I'm obsessed with Canva. How did we live without this tool?!
Current Obsessions
📖 Reading
How to Cheat at French Verbs
I'm plodding my way from A2 to B1 French. This book is amazing — I've read it at least four times. It reminds you that what you learned in school isn't always helpful; sometimes you have to cheat a little.
🤖 Building
Claude (yes, this one)
I built this entire site with Claude. I have a Master's in CS and can hack my way around HTML, but wow does Claude make it easy. We got into some pretty hefty arguments about what it should look like. I think we're still friends.
🌅 Morning ritual
My non-negotiable me time
Every morning: get up, get coffee, crawl back into bed to read, study French, or doom-scroll. I just cannot roll out of bed and start the day without this little self-cuddle. It's sacred.