ATD St. Louis upcoming events

Instructional Designer Growth Series Launchers (#2) (01 Jul 2026)

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 17:30:00 GMT

A year-long, capability-building journey for new and emerging Instructional Designers.

The Instructional Designer Growth Series is a four-part, year-long Special Interest Group designed to help new and developing Instructional Designers build clarity, capability, and confidence in their professional practice. Each quarter blends mindset, skill development, and practical application—aligned with the ATD Talent Development Capability Model—to help participants grow from task-focused designers into strategic learning professionals.

Across four quarterly sessions—THINK, BUILD, GROW, EXECUTE—participants will clarify their professional identity, strengthen core instructional design capabilities, develop reusable assets and workflows, elevate their design decisions, and build sustainable habits that support long-term career growth. Each session includes prework, hands-on exercises, peer collaboration, and a field assignment that reinforces real-world application. This session continues on the first and is focused on the BUILD or Design stage.

Meet our Speaker: David Kolmer!

Who is David Kolmer?

David Kolmer is a learning experience designer, gamification strategist, writer, and podcast host who helps organizations turn training into engaging, behavior-changing experiences. With over a decade of experience in corporate learning and leadership development, he designs practical, human-centered programs that blend play, technology, and business outcomes to drive real performance.

What Will You Learn by Attending?

By the end of this session you will be able to:

Articulate a Definite Chief Aim that guides business decisions.
Describe how identity influences entrepreneurial behavior and performance.
Distinguish between assets and liabilities in entrepreneurial contexts.

Who Should Attend?

If you're an early-career and developing Instructional designer, career-pivoter, or L&D professional seeking structure, community, and a strategic path to becoming a confident, capable, and future ready Instructional Designer!

Need help explaining the “why” behind this work to leadership or highlighting its impact?

This session Builds the following Capabilities and skills from the ATD Capability Model:

Personal Capability - Emotional Intelligence and Decision Making, and Lifelong Learning
Professional Capability - Career and Leadership Development
Organizational Capability - Organization Development and Culture, and Change Management

To learn more about our capability model, visit https://capability.td.org/!

This session has been approved for recertification credits by the Association for Talent Development.

The Self-Compassion Advantage: Managing Stress and Building Resilience (14 Jul 2026)

Tue, 14 Jul 2026 16:30:00 GMT

Matt Kovatchis, CPCC

Burnout isn't a badge of honor — it's a barrier to excellence. This session delivers a research-backed framework for building resilience through self-compassion so you can lead yourself and others without burning out on the way there.

Session Objectives:

Identify how self-criticism functions as a hidden driver of chronic stress and explain its impact on professional performance, decision-making, and long-term resilience.
Apply a research-backed self-compassion framework to interrupt stress spirals, reframe setbacks, and return to peak performance faster under real-world pressure.
Construct a personal self-leadership plan that replaces self-judgment with sustainable habits of emotional regulation, self-awareness, and resilience-building.

Speaker Bio:

Matt Kovatchis, CPCC, is an ex-corporate banker turned mental health and stress management speaker and executive coach. He delivers high-energy and interactive keynotes and facilitates transformative workshops for associations, corporations, and leadership teams across the country – focusing on stress management, self-compassion, and heart-led leadership.

Before launching his speaking career, Matt spent seven years in corporate banking at multinational banks including PNC and Capital One. Externally, he looked like a massive success. Internally, he felt empty and alone. That disconnect led him on a journey of emotional healing and self-discovery - ultimately revealing a deeper purpose: to help others navigate the same struggles he once endured.

Matt is also the author of the guided journal Enjoying Your Own Company and the host of The Men in the Arena, a top 1% podcast on mental health. Based in Chicago, IL, when he's not speaking or coaching, you'll find him exploring a new coffee shop, or hanging out with his dog, Patty.

Need help sharing the why with leadership or documenting this development on your performance review?

This session Builds the following Capabilities and skills from the ATD Capability Model:

Personal Capability - Emotional Intelligence & Decision Making, Collaboration and Leadership, Cultural Awareness and Inclusion

Professional Capability - Career and Leadership Development, Coaching

Organizational Capability - Organizational Development and Culture, Performance Improvement

This session has been approved for recertification credits by the Association for Talent Development.

Annual ATD St. Louis Learn Conference -Celebrating 80 Years of Growth: From Legacy to Learning Revolution (17 Sep 2026)

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 13:00:00 GMT

Annual ATD St. Louis Learn Conference

Our Chapter's Turning 80!!!!

Join your peers in the Learning & Talent Development community for our annual ATD St. Louis Learn Conference! Register EARLY for discounted pricing! Registration opens April 15th!

Conference highlights...

Both In Person and Virtual Options
Free Parking
Target Learning Tracks facilitated by experienced facilitators
Light Breakfast, Lunch, and Snacks included with registration
L&D Focused Vendors on site throughout the conference

And so much more!!!

More details about our speakers and session descriptions will be posted soon on our conference website.

To for questions about sponsorship or vendor opportunities please reach out to presidentelect@atdstl.org.

These sessions have been approved for recertification credits by the Association for Talent Development.