Dan invites Saint John’s University alum and the Founder & CEO of Your Instructional Designer Dr. Nicole Papaioannou Lugara. On this episode, Nicole reflects on her journey from PhD to CEO. She talks about creating and launching an instructional design company, what she believes the role of instructional design is in today’s world, some of the misconceptions of instructional design, why it’s important to create a strong network, and so much more. This episode was recorded on June 29th, 2022.
I’m Nicole Papaioannou Lugara, founder of Your Instructional Designer– a learning strategist, instructional designer, and entrepreneur. I chose to start Your Instructional Designer because I wanted to build a learning and people development agency that was truly committed not only building meaningful learning products– ones that create positive business impact– but also to providing an exceptional customer experience for those who work with us.
My whole professional career has been focused on empowering others to achieve their personal and professional goals through learning- whether that’s professional development, hands-on training, coursework, community-building, or one-on-one mentoring. There are over 500,000 users currently taking courses that I have designed or were designed under my leadership. My work has been recognized by Brandon Hall, Chief Learning Officer Magazine, and the New York State Assembly in partnership with Philo4Thought.
I am not only an agency owner but a co-founder with experience running startups. I am one of the original six investors in Recovery Education and Applied Learning, a platform for parents whose children are experiencing stigmatized illnesses, such as substance use disorder, and served two years as Chief Learning Officer. I am also the co-founder of Learn Getaway, workcations for women entrepreneurs.
My Ph.D. is in English from St. John’s University (Queens, NY). My academic research focuses on student engagement, transfer of learning, and writing across the curriculum.
People and Texts Mentioned in the Episode
- Your Instructional Designer
- Esquire Magazine
- Arizona State University
- Morehouse University
- Montclair State University
“I’m really always looking for where my strengths are valued, where I can have an impact and also where I can grow.”
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-Nicole Papaioannou Lugara
“That is my philosophy […] to create learning experiences for the people.”
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-Nicole Papaioannou Lugara
“I don’t think there is any role in business that if you can write well, they will not see it as a massive valuable asset. You’re probably more likely to get promoted to leadership roles if you can write well, simply because you can communicate your ideas, get buying, and then from my end create content.”
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-Nicole Papaioannou Lugara
“My background, even from day one of my higher education was always […] interdisciplinary.”
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-Nicole Papaioannou Lugara
“There’s a lot of value in that network and not just the scholarly network […] if you’re interested in business, just talk to people who are doing those things. And most times people like to talk about themselves”
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-Nicole Papaioannou Lugara
“I really care about the impact at the end of the day. And if there’s no good impact coming from my work, then I don’t want to do the work.” -Nicole Papaioannou Lugara
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Episode 102 Transcript
The transcript for this episode is not corrected
This episode was recorded on June 29th, 2022. The theme song is “4 am” by Makaih Beats. You can follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher, join the newsletter for a bunch of extras (a Note From Dan, episode-specific writing prompts, and book recommendations, & follow us on Twitter @WritingRemixPod & Instagram @WritingRemixPod.
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