ABOUT IDEA LEARNING

Built on partnership.
Focused on performance.

Co-Founders Jillian Douglas and Shannon McKenzie met while working in the training department at Hollywood Entertainment's corporate headquarters, where they discovered a shared passion for making workplace training more practical, engaging, and effective. After years of collaborating and imagining what a different kind of training company could be, they founded Idea Learning in March 2009.

From the beginning, their belief was simple: workplace training should respect people's time, build confidence, and help people perform their work safely, confidently, and consistently.

Shannon and Jillian developed the Cafeteria Learning® methodology in 2013, a choice-based approach to adult learning design that emphasizes learner agency, engagement, and real-world application. Their book, Let Them Choose: Cafeteria Learning Style for Adults, is published by ATD Press. Their thought leadership also includes articles such as The Power of Choice and Writing Choice-Based Learning Objectives, published in TD Magazine.

Jillian Douglas and Shannon McKenzie, co-founders of Idea Learning, sitting in an office and smiling at the camera with bookshelves and office supplies in the background.

Jillian and Shannon in the first Idea Learning office, 2009.

Our Leadership Team

  • Jillian Douglas smiling with wavy, dark hair, standing in front of a colorful background.

    Jillian Douglas

    Co-Founder | Senior Learning Consultant

    Jillian believes that practical training begins with curiosity, creativity, and a deep understanding of how people learn. She takes an imaginative, people-centered approach to developing training that inspires growth, builds confidence, and helps individuals apply new skills.

    LinkedIn
  • Shannon McKenzie smiling with wavy, light brown hair, standing in front of a colorful background.

    Shannon McKenzie

    Co-Founder | Senior Learning Consultant

    Shannon approaches training through a strategic lens, starting with an understanding of how people, processes, and goals connect. She brings a structured approach to creating training that simplifies complexity, strengthens performance, and helps organizations work more effectively.

    LinkedIn
  • Emily Segel smiling with long, curly brown hair and a broad smile, wearing a white and pink striped top, sitting outdoors with a wooden fence and trees in the background.

    Emily Segel

    Senior Learning Consultant

    Emily focuses on clarity, accuracy, and thoughtful design to create practical learning experiences. She brings a detail-oriented, quality-focused approach to developing training that organizes information, creates consistency, and gives people the confidence to apply what they learn.

    LinkedIn
  • Katie Paulson smiling with shoulder-length brown hair, outdoors in a sunny environment.

    Katie Paulson, M. ED.

    Senior Learning Consultant

    Katie combines technical expertise, problem-solving, and efficiency to make complex information easier to understand and apply on the job. She brings a practical, solutions-focused approach to creating training that builds knowledge, improves performance, and helps people put what they learn into practice.

    LinkedIn

Let’s build training that works.

Training is most valuable when it helps people perform.

Let's explore how custom training can strengthen onboarding, develop leaders, and help your teams adapt to change.