Learning Experience Design for Changemakers

Renee Koster, Learning Design Strategist

Most educators start with content. Renee Koster starts with the outcome. Learning Experience Design for Changemakers is a podcast for nonprofit leaders and heart-led entrepreneurs who want to design learning experiences that engage, transform, and last. No hustle culture. No quick fixes. Just purposeful design that serves your learners and scales your impact.

Episodes

  1. 2 days ago

    3 Things That Make Any Moment a Learning Experience (Podcast, Coaching, Courses)

    Have you ever called what you do a course, a program, or a membership — and felt like something was still slightly off? That feeling might be about more than the name. In this episode, Renee Koster gives you a clear, simple definition of a learning experience and explains why the distinction between learning experience design and instructional design actually changes what you build — not just how you label it. In this episode: Why Renee uses "learning experience" instead of "instructional design" — and what that choice reveals about how she designsA simple, one-sentence definition you can use immediatelyThe difference between passive instruction and active experience — with a medical school example that makes it concreteWhy your podcast, coaching sessions, and LinkedIn articles are already learning experiences (whether you've called them that or not)Where a learning experience designer fits in when you've already got the expertiseHow to know if your program is structured the way it should be — and where to get help when it isn't Timestamps [0:00] Opening — the question Renee gets asked almost every week[1:30] The definition: what a learning experience actually is[2:45] Learning experience vs. instructional design — and why the difference isn't just semantic[4:00] The medical school example: instruction vs. active engagement[5:15] The shift from "what do I need to tell them?" to "what do I need them to do?"[6:00] Learning experiences beyond courses — podcast, video, articles, coaching[6:45] Shoutout to Kim Parkinson, Podcasting for Your Spiritual Business, Episode 65[7:30] Where learning experience designers fit in with subject matter experts[8:30] CTA and preview of Episode 005 — backwards design and the Roots to Canopy Method Resources & Links Newsletter: reneekoster.com/newsletterKim Parkinson — Podcasting for Your Spiritual Business, Episode 65: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/podcasting-for-your-spiritual-business/id1814692686?i=1000771845510Episode 002 — Learning experience at the Philadelphia Zoo: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/learning-experience-design-for-changemakers/id1896864819?i=1000771981510 If this episode is landing for you and you're looking at something you've already built wondering if it's structured the way it should be, that's exactly what Renee's newsletter is for. Get on the list at reneekoster.com/newsletter — she reads every reply.

    10 min
  2. History Is a Mystery: Inside the Morgan Log House With Molly Jobson

    17 Jun

    History Is a Mystery: Inside the Morgan Log House With Molly Jobson

    A 1774 home, a curious executive director, and the untold stories she's determined to unravel. What does it take to turn a 250-year-old log house into a living, breathing piece of its community? In this episode, Renee sits down with Molly Jobson, executive director of the Morgan Log House, to find out — from her winding path into museum leadership to the food drives and descendant volunteers that keep the house alive today. In this episode: Why Molly's Wisconsin childhood — and a museum called Old World Wisconsin — sparked a lifelong love of history The unconventional 15-year career path that took her from a $75-a-week internship to running her own museum How a Mennonite family's pacifist history shaped Morgan Log House's approach to its own 250th-anniversary programming Why “history is a mystery” is more than a motto — it's how Molly gets kids (and skeptical adults) hooked The food drives, Toys for Tots donations, and descendant volunteers that turn a museum into a true community hub The rope bed story behind “sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite” — and other moments that make history click for visitors Timestamps: [0:00] Introduction [2:30] Molly's Love of History [11:00] Career Journey to Morgan Log House [20:30] Morgan Log House & Community [28:30] Favorite A-Ha Moments [32:30] Visit & Connect About the guest: Molly Jobson is the executive director of the Morgan Log House in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, a historic home museum interpreting life from 1774 to 1964. She holds a B.A. in history and anthropology from Ripon College and an M.A. in public and applied history from Southern New Hampshire University. Before joining Morgan Log House in 2023, she held roles at Grey Towers National Historic Site, the Harbor District in Milwaukee, and Historic Bethlehem. Website: www.morganloghouse.org Email: director@morganloghouse.org Social: Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn — search “Morgan Log House” Resources & links mentioned: Old World Wisconsin (open-air museum) — https://oldworldwisconsin.wisconsinhistory.org/ Grey Towers National Historic Site — https://www.fs.usda.gov/greytowers Historic Bethlehem — https://www.historicbethlehem.org/ Call to action: If this episode resonated, subscribe to Learning Experience Design for Change Makers and leave a review — it helps more change-makers like Molly find the show.

    34 min
  3. Immersive Learning: How to Design for Real Engagement

    10 Jun

    Immersive Learning: How to Design for Real Engagement

    What a tiger at the Philadelphia Zoo taught me about course design I stood in front of the big cat exhibit at the Philadelphia Zoo and had a full curriculum design realization — and this episode is about what I learned. The Philadelphia Zoo's Zoo360 is a network of trails that lets animals roam freely through the zoo. The day we visited, a tiger was walking past the lunch tables. Ten feet away. And it changed how I think about learning design. Because the zoo didn't have to do that. They could have put up a sign with facts about tiger behavior. Instead, they built an environment — and that's the shift I want you to make in your course, program, or training. In this episode we cover: The difference between an information panel and an immersive environmentWhy "purposeful engagement" is not a quiz bolted on at the endThree concrete ways to design contact into your existing contentA 10-minute engagement audit you can do on your last module todayThe goal isn't for your learners to finish your module. It's for their minds to make real contact with the material. That's when something actually changes. 🎙️ Learning Experience Design for Changemakers is for coaches, educators, and nonprofit leaders who have a course, membership, or program out there — and know it can be better. 👉 Want a thinking partner for your engagement audit? Book a free Audience & Outcomes call: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/audience-outcomes

    14 min
  4. From Internship to Impact: How Elise White Is Building Access Through the Let's Change Forward Foundation

    2 Jun

    From Internship to Impact: How Elise White Is Building Access Through the Let's Change Forward Foundation

    What does it look like when someone takes purposeful feedback, applies it in real time, and keeps building? In this inaugural episode of Learning Experience Design for Change Makers, Renee Koster sits down with Elise White — founder and executive director of the Let's Change Forward Foundation, workforce and wellness consultant, and co-host of the Queen Beauty Podcast. Elise shares how a five-day framework challenge sparked immediate, measurable outcomes in her career readiness internship program, what inspired her to launch a nonprofit built around access and connection, and how her Plugged In for Purpose assessment helps people discover their gifts — and actually use them. You'll also hear about the Connection Circle program launching this June, two community partnerships kicking off this month, and why Elise believes feedback isn't criticism — it's a gift. Learn more about the Let's Change Forward Foundation and take the Plugged In for Purpose assessment.

    32 min

  5. 1 Jun

    Welcome to Learning Experience Design for Changemakers

    You built something. You know your stuff. And somewhere between your expertise and your learner's transformation, something's getting lost. That's exactly why this podcast exists. In this intro episode, Renee Koster — Learning Experience Designer and Strategist — lays out exactly who this show is for, what makes it different, and what you can expect. This is not a podcast about building fast. It's not about passive income or hustle culture. It's about designing learning experiences that actually transform your learners — one clear milestone at a time. If you're a heart-led entrepreneur, coach, consultant, or nonprofit educator who already has a course, membership, or program out there and knows it could be better — you're in the right place. In this episode: Who this podcast is for (and who it's not)Renee's background and why it shapes a completely different approach to learning designThe core belief that drives every design decision: access to knowledge is a right, not a privilegeWhat's coming up on the showReady for a second set of eyes on your learning experience? Book a call with Renee: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/audience-outcomes

    3 min
  • 5 Episodes

About

Most educators start with content. Renee Koster starts with the outcome. Learning Experience Design for Changemakers is a podcast for nonprofit leaders and heart-led entrepreneurs who want to design learning experiences that engage, transform, and last. No hustle culture. No quick fixes. Just purposeful design that serves your learners and scales your impact.

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