Chapter Connections

Thought leaders shape what everyone else does next. In Learning & Development, that means being the person who consistently brings the freshest, most effective ideas to your L&D team and turns them into real-world results. When you do that, you become someone people look to when they’re trying to solve tough problems, modernize learning, or boost performance.

That’s exactly why you went to the ATD International Conference and Exposition in the first place. You invested your time and energy so you could bring back the latest thinking, the most actionable strategies, and the kind of insights that can move your organization forward. You came home with pages of notes, a head full of innovative approaches, and at least one great new idea you knew could make a real impact.

Then reality hit.

Your inbox exploded. Projects that were “on hold until after the conference” suddenly became urgent. Stakeholders needed updates, your team needed decisions, and the momentum you felt at ATD began to fade. Instead of implementing that powerful new concept, you’ve been stuck reacting to day-to-day demands. The idea is still there—but the time and space to act on it haven’t been.

This is where many aspiring thought leaders stall. It’s not a lack of ambition or insight; it’s the pressure of the workload. But if you stay in reaction mode, those brilliant ideas from ATD will slowly turn into “someday” projects—and “someday” rarely comes.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

You can reclaim that post-conference momentum and turn your ATD inspiration into concrete action. Start by choosing just one high-impact idea you brought back—one that’s both exciting and realistically doable in your current environment. Instead of trying to overhaul everything, focus on a small, clear pilot: one program, one team, one challenge.

From there, carve out protected time on your calendar specifically dedicated to this initiative, even if it’s just an hour a week. Use that time to translate your conference notes into a simple plan: what you’ll test, who’s involved, how you’ll measure success. Share your intent with your manager or a key stakeholder so they understand you’re not just “trying something new”—you’re putting ATD-backed best practices into motion to benefit the organization.

By doing this, you shift from “I went to a great conference” to “Here’s how I’m using what I learned to move us forward.” That’s the difference between being a conference attendee and being a thought leader.

Let’s discuss how to get back on track: how to cut through the post-conference noise, prioritize that great new idea, and turn it into visible impact. When you do, you won’t just validate your trip to ATD, you'll strengthen your position as the person who brings the freshest, most effective ideas to your L&D team and makes sure they actually get put to work.

We are so excited to let you know that ATD’s Member Appreciation Sale is here!

All-Month Sale (now–March 31):

March 11–31 Sale:

The #ATDMemberAppreciationSale is coming! Don’t miss your chance at exclusive members-only deals March 11-31 at td.org!

ATD National membership provides exclusive members-only content and trusted resources to support your work. Now through March 31 you will save 25% on your ATD national membership, 10% on Los Angeles chapter membership, plus receive deep discounts on ATD courses or conferences. This savings is in addition to the $30 discount you receive as a Power member. (Power Member means you are a member of both ATD National and your Local Chapter. Contact Denise, OC Chapter’s Admin @ 714-527-4785 for questions and details.)

If you are already an ATD National member or OC Chapter Member and want to add the other membership, follow the instructions below. 

Take advantage of the ATD Member Appreciation Sale at td.org or by contacting ATD’s Customer Care team at 703.683.8100.

Help the Chapter!

Give the ATD rep the Orange County Chapter’s ChIP code CH8091 or select Orange County from the dropdown menu online on the final page of checkout to receive your discount and ensure that a portion of your purchase goes back to the local chapter through the Chapter Incentive Program (ChIP).

ATD-OC has 3 high-impact volunteer roles open now. Whether you're interested in governance or mentorship, these positions allow you to strengthen our chapter’s credibility while expanding your own professional skillsets.

Financial Overview Committee Member | Interested? Contact cfo@atdoc.org

If you are a detail-oriented professional who values transparency and good governance, we are forming a small committee to conduct a structured review of the Chapter’s finances and support the selection of an independent accounting firm for our formal review.

Chapter Secretary | Interested? Contact membership@atdoc.org

Ideal for growth-minded leaders looking to impact Chapter operations. The Chapter Secretary is the "historian" of our organization, ensuring we remain compliant with ATD National requirements while maintaining operational excellence.

CPTD Multi-Chapter Study Group Moderator | Interested? Contact certifications@atdoc.org

If you’ve earned your CPTD and enjoy mentoring and facilitation, "pay it forward" by supporting members pursuing certification while staying sharp yourself.

Ready to Make an Impact? 

Your time and talent make a real difference.

Thank you for your continued support and for helping ATD-OC thrive. Our chapter is great because of people like you!

OneOC’s mission is to accelerate Orange County nonprofit success. They provide solutions and support services to nonprofits, helping them reach their goals, make a greater impact, and engage with their communities.

This Team Management Skills series of courses is delivered in person and aims to give nonprofits the ability to effectively motivate, develop, and lead a team.

OneOC is seeking Training Facilitators for their 3-hour training sessions in April/May.

Session Details:

Location: OneOC | 1901 E 4th St Ste 100, Santa Ana, CA 92705

Time: 9:00am - 12:00pm

Available Dates: Thursdays starting April 2nd - May 14th

Positions are limited!

Click here for the full schedule and learning objectives

This volunteer opportunity is a strategic investment to:

OneOC provides a project manager and all the materials. So, all you need to do is come prepared to deliver an engaging and informative training session!

Contact Patrick Del Rosario at secretary@astdoc.org if you have any additional questions and to sign up! The opportunity to shape your future is waiting!

Each year I accumulate stacks of notes from the meetings and events I've attended. I was looking through some recently, and one phrase stopped me: 'Work and personal journeys don't run parallel—they intertwine and influence each other.'

Think about who we are. We're Instructional Designers. Facilitators. Leaders. And as diverse as we are within this talent development industry, our personal journeys have been even more diverse. 

The passion you have for your hobbies, the struggles you face at home, the triumphs you celebrate personally—they all shape the professional you bring to the table.

At our annual holiday event last month, we encouraged attendees to share a personal win that they took into their work life, or a lesson learned at work which they also applied at home.

As we step into 2025, I want to challenge you to keep that spirit alive. Take this mindset back to your offices. Bring your whole self—your unique, diverse journey—into your work every day.

I also invite you to let ATD Orange County intertwine with your work life. Don't let your Chapter be a silo separate from your career. Let the flow go both ways. When you learn a new strategy here, take it back to your teams. When you're facing a tough challenge at work, bring it here to your peers.

Our journeys are diverse and powerful, but only if we share them. So in the year ahead, let's make sure our paths don't just run parallel. Let's ensure they intersect, influence, and elevate each other. That's how we'll make 2026 a year of genuine growth—together.

Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at ATD-OC’s Marketing: we often ask our Chapter leaders to share their experiences as they guide the evolution of our talent development community. Kim stands out as a steadfast advocate, both within social media and in the real world, for our volunteers and their hard work in building up our community through creative programs and networking events that actually connect. Every time we’ve asked her for thoughts on her leadership journey, she has graciously shared her experiences with openness and honesty. Her positive influence is evident across our social media channels, and we are truly grateful for her ongoing support as we continue to grow and evolve into 2026 and beyond.

It's Saturday. If you've followed this series throughout the week, our thanks for being here. Here's our summation.

Your Fresh Start of 2026 offers a choice: add more resolutions to your list or direct your finite energy more intentionally.

• If you want to apply AI research: Use the Power Member resources and test them in our chapter sandbox.

• If you want to transition careers: Immerse yourself in our projects to learn the language of L&D.

• If you want to prove your worth: Build your portfolio through active chapter contributions.

Before you commit to another certification, another conference, another year of consuming content you'll never apply, return to those four questions:

• What are your passions and interests?

• What are your skills?

• What causes you the most concern?

• How much time do you actually have?

For those of us in learning and development, ATD-Orange County represents one opportunity through which we practice our craft, contribute to our profession's growth, and connect with people who understand both the work and the struggle. 

The real question isn't about where to volunteer. It's where to direct your finite energy so that this time next year, you're not just older but genuinely more capable.

Find that space. Show up. See what challenges your assumptions.

She's right. It's deeper than networking.

When you work alongside someone toward a shared goal, you form bonds that social media and conference small talk can't replicate. You see how they solve problems, handle setbacks, and celebrate small wins. You watch someone navigate a difficult conversation with grace. You experience the moment when your idea merges with someone else's and becomes better than either of you could have created alone.

But equally important: you get to witness what's possible. You see how experienced practitioners think through ambiguity. 

"The stereotypes get challenged," Phillips said. You challenge your own assumptions about what you're capable of. And you challenge your assumptions about the field itself—what seemed simple from the outside reveals its complexity. 

The Insight: Volunteering is where you discover what you're actually capable of by doing it alongside people who:

We started this week with an invitation to conduct a 'pre-interview' with ourselves before directing our focus and energy for 2026. This post deepens our reflection with an insight shared in our February State of the Industry Learning Event.

The Insight: Early last year*, Robert Coleman, Director of Services at OneOC, described two types of work that keep mission-driven organizations alive. The "blue music" is the mission itself—the reason everyone shows up, the inspiring work that fills the house with life. The "grey music" is operations—the infrastructure work that builds the house in the first place.

"You have to be both," Coleman explains. "The reason you're there, of course, is for the organization's mission. So everything that you do is for the mission. But you cannot survive as an organization, you cannot keep that mission alive, if you do not pay attention to the operations."

Here's why this matters for your professional development: most of us are drawn only to the blue music. We want to work on inspiring projects, transformational initiatives, visible wins. But the professionals who become indispensable understand the grey music—fundraising, grant writing, accounting, HR, professional development, measurement strategies.

When you volunteer, you often get access to "grey music" work that your day job doesn't expose you to. You see how organizations actually make decisions when resources are limited. You discover how difficult it is to measure training relevance when serving diverse needs. You learn that mission-focus and operations-focus aren't opposing forces—they're interdependent.

And perhaps you apply those lessons back at the office.

Coleman's challenge at OneOC illustrates this perfectly. They can't provide training that covers every nonprofit's specific mission—the blue music is too varied. Their training focuses on the grey music skills that every organization needs regardless of their particular cause.

The question for your career: Are you building capabilities only in your organization's blue music? Or are you developing transferable grey music skills that travel with you?

*already?

We started this week with an invitation to conduct a 'pre-interview' with ourselves before directing our focus and energy for 2026. This post follows up on one of those questions.

The Question: What are your skills?

Here's what they don't tell you when you develop a skill: it's perishable. Project management, facilitation, data storytelling, strategic communication—if you don't use them regularly, they don't just sit dormant. They atrophy.

Even more insidious: they become credentials on a résumé rather than capabilities you can deploy. You can say you're skilled at something, but when the opportunity arrives, the muscle memory is gone.

Volunteering keeps those skills alive, but more importantly, it tests their boundaries. A marketing professional working with a nonprofit communications team discovers that member engagement operates differently than customer acquisition. A data analyst helping with organizational metrics learns that mission-driven organizations measure impact in ways corporations don't.

This testing reveals what transfers and what doesn't. It shows you where your expertise is portable and where it's context-dependent. That knowledge makes you better at your primary work because you understand the shape of your own capabilities more clearly.