My learning journey
Every role I've held has taught me something different about learning.
From recruiting skilled trades workers to teaching workforce readiness, building leadership programs, mapping competencies, redesigning onboarding experiences, and consulting with organizations around the world, each chapter added a new perspective.
Together, they've shaped how I approach learning today.
This isn't just my career path.
It's my map.
The moment everything clicked
Hope Builders | 2015–2017
I didn't set out to become an instructional designer.
At the time, I was working in recruiting and helping place candidates into commercial and skilled trades positions. Through that work, I connected with a local nonprofit called Hope Builders, which served young adults facing significant barriers to employment. I was immediately drawn to their mission.
When an opportunity opened up, I raised my hand.
Two days into the job, I found myself standing in front of a classroom teaching a lesson on how to complete a job application. I had never taught before. No teaching credential. No classroom experience. Just a belief that I could make a difference.
Something clicked.
I fell in love with helping people learn.
I loved watching learners connect the dots, build confidence, and experience those moments when understanding suddenly became clear. Over time, I began redesigning the curriculum, experimenting with new activities, and finding better ways to connect content to learners' lives.
Without realizing it, I had stumbled into instructional design.
I learned that learning is most powerful when people can see themselves in it.
Content alone doesn't create change; connection does.
California State University, Fullerton | 2018–2020
M.S. Instructional Design and Technology
Turning passion into practice
By the time I entered graduate school, I knew I loved learning.
What I didn't yet have was the language, theory, and methodology to explain why certain experiences worked and others didn't.
My Master's in Instructional Design and Technology gave me that foundation.
I immersed myself in learning theories, adult learning principles, needs analysis, instructional strategies, evaluation methods, and emerging learning technologies. For the first time, concepts I had been intuitively applying in the classroom were connected to research and evidence.
My thesis explored the impact that emotional intelligence instruction can have on high school students—a topic that combined two passions that continue to influence my work today: learning and human development.
Graduate school didn't change how I viewed learners.
It deepened my understanding of how to design for them.
I learned that great learning experiences are both art and science. Research provides the foundation, but empathy is what brings learning to life.
“I was always looking forward to building our DEI and employee development initiatives with her as a partner because of her valuable insight and skills she brings to the table.”
— Shannon Lujan, MPA, Worked together at Travis Credit Union
Travis Credit Union | 2021–2022
Designing for growth
When I joined Travis Credit Union, I expected to spend my time designing courses.
Instead, I was introduced to something entirely new: competency mapping.
I became one of a small group certified to facilitate competency identification and build success profiles across the organization. Working closely with leaders, I helped identify the skills, behaviors, and capabilities required for success across multiple job families.
At first, it felt far removed from instructional design.
However, I realized it was one of the most valuable experiences of my career.
By understanding what success actually looked like for each role, learning could become more targeted, equitable, and meaningful. Development pathways became clearer. Expectations became more transparent. Employees could see how growth connected to opportunity.
I learned that the best learning doesn't start with content. It starts with understanding what success looks like and designing backward from there.
“She is able to quickly grasp complex subject matter and instill it into engaging and digestible content. Her attention to detail and creativity have helped to make our training programs truly stand out.”
— Greg Thomas, Learning and Development Manager, Worked on the same team at Tonal
Learning through uncertainty
Tonal | 2022–2023
Joining Tonal felt like a dream opportunity.
I admired the product, believed in the mission, and was excited to focus on instructional design full-time.
A few months later, everything changed.
Multiple rounds of layoffs transformed the organization and dramatically reduced the learning team. Managers departed. Team structures shifted. Projects had to move forward with fewer people and fewer resources.
Suddenly, I found myself wearing many hats: designer, strategist, project manager, facilitator, and learning leader.
During that time, I redesigned onboarding experiences, developed sales training programs, built learning strategies, and supported teams through significant change.
The work wasn't always easy, but it reinforced an important lesson.
I learned that great learning isn't about perfect conditions. It's about helping people succeed in the conditions they actually have.
“Britt is a rare kind of talent, one that sticks out in a crowd. I remember interviewing her in January 2020, wishing I could hire her though at the time she was over-qualified for the role. The moment I was able to post for an Instructional Designer in 2021, I have the team reach out to recruit immediately because she had lived in my head rent-free for that past year. ”
— Kirstin Sheehy, Global Head of Learning and Development, Managed Britt directly at Tonal
The Center for Leadership Studies | 2023–Present
Designer to Strategic Partner
Joining The Center for Leadership Studies allowed me to fully step into instructional design.
As the sole instructional designer on a strategic solutions team, I partnered with clients to customize learning experiences ranging from simple content adaptations to fully bespoke programs. Every project required balancing business goals, learner needs, stakeholder expectations, and instructional best practices.
Over time, my role expanded.
I moved from designing solutions to helping shape them.
As Director of Strategic Solutions, I worked directly with clients to understand challenges, uncover needs, and architect learning strategies aligned to organizational goals. It was an opportunity to think more broadly about learning's role in driving performance and change.
The experience taught me how to bridge strategy and execution.
But it also revealed something important.
While I loved helping clients envision solutions, I missed the creative process of bringing those solutions to life.
That realization ultimately led me to launch The Curiosity Guide. A place where strategy, design, and curiosity could exist together.
I learned that the strongest learning solutions emerge when strategy and design work hand in hand. Understanding the problem matters. Creating the experience matters too.