Patrick J. Healy
Designer | Consultant | Coach
A public school kid from upstate New York, I received my B.A. in Economics and Government from Dartmouth College in 2013.
After graduating, I headed down to D.C. to work at The International Monetary Fund (IMF) to aid Fund economists in conducting macroeconomic policy research and developing online and face-to-face training programs for government officials.
The dreams I had of becoming an economist were quickly dashed, however, when I realized just what it was that economists did every day! Boy, was it different than what I thought... Interesting, for sure, but just not for me...
Luckily, however, I had a second realization: I absolutely LOVED designing and delivering online programs to help professionals improve in their roles and contribute to their organizations. So, I decided to pivot into learning design and never look back!
My Story
After a two-year stint at the IMF, I shipped up to Boston in 2015 to work as an instructional designer at Harvard Business School Online, partnering with HBS professors to design and deliver online courses in business economics, strategy, marketing, management, leadership, and negotiation. While working at HBS, I also got my Master's in Education at the Harvard Grad School of Education (HGSE), where I studied the neuroscience and psychology of how humans learn and grow. And I worked with two HBS professors directly, conducting research with Ranjay Gulati on organizational leadership, and Amy C. Edmondson on psychological safety and organizational learning. It was at HBS that I fell in love with instructional design, online learning, and management and leadership development.
Having worked in NGOs and higher ed for six years, in 2019, I decided I wanted to gain experience in the corporate sector, so got a job leading L&D for technical roles at Wayfair. I worked with a team of amazing Wayfairians for a few years designing onboarding and training programs for the company's product managers and designers in the U.S. and Europe. It was at Wayfair that I got my first taste of performance consulting, training facilitation, program evaluation, and coaching.
Then, in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and everything changed. Online learning (unfortunately) became mainstream, instructional design was in hot demand, and working from home became a real option. I took the opportunity presented by the pandemic to make the leap from big organizations to start my own learning and performance business, helping companies and universities transition their offerings online. I also began to work with students as an academic success coach, helping them develop the skills and systems needed to effectively learn online. I decided to return to school online myself, enrolling in a doctoral program in Instructional Systems Technology at Indiana University. And I moved back home to be closer to friends and family. It was quite the year!
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Today, I wear many hats. As a consultant, I advise companies on talent strategy and performance improvement. As a designer, I partner with leaders and organizations to build and deliver learning experiences to upskill their talent. As a researcher, I study the design of effective and engaging online and mobile learning programs. And, as a coach, I work with students to achieve their academic goals and young professionals to find and excel in careers they love.
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At the end of the day, though, what drives me is helping humans learn and perform better in areas that matter to them. Learning has changed my life for the better, and I love to support others in leveraging the power of learning to achieve their goals.
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In my spare time, I love to run, work out, bowl, play tennis, cook, see shows, strum my guitar, and spend quality time with people who matter to me. A learner at heart, you'll always see me with headphones, listening to a new audiobook or podcast.
My Mission
What I Seek to Do
I love to learn and improve. More than that, though, I love to help other people learn and improve. I enjoy nothing more than seeing others finally "get" a difficult concept, develop a complex skill, or discover something about themselves or the world that they never knew before.
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It's my professional mission to design, build, and deliver learning experiences that help learners develop the knowledge, skill, and habits of mind required for them to be more effective in whatever it is that they do, for whatever reason they do it.
My Values
What I Care About And Why
Learning
I value discovery, growth, and development. I believe learning is the most powerful ability we can cultivate to change our lives and the world.
Contribution
I value making a positive impact in the lives of others. I believe we all exist to utilize our gifts to contribute to the common good.
Community
I value connection, friendship, and social groups. I believe no person is an island and we all need others to support and challenge us on our paths.
Agility
I value persistence and flexibility. I believe success is a delicate combination of knowing when to sprint and knowing when to stop and quickly change course.
Autonomy
I value the freedom to think, dream, and create. I believe innovation results from allowing people the time and opportunity to choose how they work, learn, and live.
Integrity
I value authenticity and ethicality in all domains of life. I believe in aligning my thoughts, words, and deeds.
My Definition of Success
For me, "success" means showing up with others each day in such a way that people leave encounters with you with increased knowledge, improved skills, and/or more helpful attitudes.
Not only that, but they have greater energy and motivation to make changes that increase their chances of success in achieving their goals, enhancing their capacities, and living the lives they desire.
While you cannot ultimately control others, you can show up with them every day in an encouraging, empathic manner to increase the likelihood that you can be of service to them and make a difference in their lives. That's what I seek to do every day.
My Approach to Learning + Performance
The "4-H" Framework
I've found that the most effective learning experiences engage individuals in four key domains: (1) cognitive, (2) emotional, (3) behavioral, and (4) social. I call such solutions “4-H” experiences. In a "4-H" experience, people are using their heads, hearts, and hands to pursue desired learning and improvement goals, while giving and receiving help from other sources along the way.
Head
Learners are actively processing information to develop new knowledge and skills—not just passively receiving information.
Heart
Learners are highly motivated to learn and improve at things that matter to them—and derive satisfaction and meaning from doing so.
Hands
Learners are participating in realistic exercises, activities, and projects that are relevant to their work and lives.
Help
Learners are receiving support from many sources to enable their performance—and providing help to other learners along the way.
Each element of my "4-H" model is supported by decades of research in psychology, education, and related fields.
As a professional, I strive to design evidence-based, 4-H learning experiences for all the clients I serve.