Confessions.

I have a confession to make… Last year, I went to a three-day training on facilitation that completely changed how I thought about my work. Took a full notebook of notes. Had at least four moments where I thought, “This is going to change everything about how I run my sessions.”

I was genuinely inspired.

Two weeks later? I couldn’t tell you a single specific thing I’d planned to implement. The notebook sat on my desk, unopened. The inspiration? Gone. Replaced by emails, deadlines, and trying to remember if I’d paid my electric bill.

I’d become the exact person I study in my research.

Here’s what bugs me about this: I literally research the forgetting curve for a living. I’m an Ed.D. candidate studying post-training engagement. I know this stuff.

And I still fell into the trap.

Which means if it can happen to me, it’s definitely happening to your participants, whether you’re running workshops, delivering keynotes, or facilitating learning sessions.

That realization, that moment of recognizing I was both the problem and potentially the solution, is why I’m launching something new today.

It’s called PostSpark.

And it exists because I believe we can do better than hoping our training sticks.

The Problem We Don’t Talk About

I’ve also been on the flip side of this story.

I’ve delivered trainings where breakthroughs happened. I’ve given talks where people came up afterward and said, “This really helped me see things differently.” I’ve facilitated sessions where the energy was palpable.

And then a week later, I’d wonder: Did it stick? Are they actually using any of this?

Here’s what the research tells us: Most people forget 50 to 80 percent of what they learn within just a few days (Murre & Dros, 2015).

Not because your training wasn’t good. Not because your facilitation wasn’t engaging. Not because your keynote didn’t land.

But because life got loud, and nothing reminded them why it mattered.

Here’s How It Usually Goes:

Day 1: They leave inspired. Whether it’s your workshop, your talk, or your training session, they’re thinking, “I’m actually going to do this differently.”

Day 2: The inbox tripled overnight. Three “urgent” requests. Reality is calling.

Day 3: Unless something reconnects them to what they learned from you, the spark fades. Your session is now competing with their grocery list and that doctor’s appointment they keep forgetting to schedule.

Week 2: Your carefully designed content? It’s a vague memory.

Sound familiar?

Whether you’re a trainer running multi-day workshops, a facilitator guiding breakout sessions, or a speaker delivering keynotes, this is the challenge we all face.

What Changed Everything for Me

A few months ago, I did something different.

I followed up with participants from a workshop I’d facilitated. Not with a feedback survey. I just asked:

“What’s one thing from our time together that’s still with you?”

It had been three weeks. The responses surprised me.

What they remembered wasn’t what I thought mattered most. The thing I’d spent 20 minutes building up to? Barely mentioned. The offhand example I’d shared? Three people brought it up.

And several admitted they’d meant to try something but hadn’t gotten around to it yet.

That’s when it clicked: The problem isn’t that I need to be a better trainer. The problem is I’m not designing for what happens after the training ends.

And most of us aren’t, whether we’re training, facilitating, or speaking.

Enter PostSpark

PostSpark is my answer to that gap between inspiration and application.

It’s everything that happens after the session. The follow-ups, the micro-engagements, the touchpoints that keep learning alive when participants return to their real lives.

Here’s what I know: You’re already doing enough. Whether you’re a full-time trainer employed by an organization or an independent facilitator juggling multiple clients, you don’t need more work added to your plate.

You need your sessions to have a longer-lasting impact with less effort on your part.

That’s what PostSpark is all about.

What PostSpark Does:

Extends your impact beyond the session without requiring hours of additional work

Provides strategies rooted in research on how adult brains actually retain and apply learning
Offers practical tools designed for real trainers with real constraints
Explores what works through testing, research, and input from facilitators like you

Think of PostSpark as your partner in designing what happens after. The reflection questions, the micro-challenges, and the strategic touchpoints that reconnect participants to the learning right when they need it most.

Whether you just delivered a two-hour workshop, facilitated an all-day session, or gave a 30-minute keynote, PostSpark helps you extend that impact without exhausting yourself.

Why This Matters

Here’s what really gets me: I’m studying adult learning retention and engagement for my doctorate. This is my area of expertise.

And I still struggled with it.

Which tells me this isn’t a “try harder” problem. This is a design problem.

We’re designing for the session. We need to start designing for what comes after.

The research backs this up. Hermann Ebbinghaus discovered the forgetting curve over a century ago. Modern studies confirm people forget 50 to 80 percent of new information within 24 to 48 hours without reinforcement.

But here’s the hopeful part: Strategic interventions at the right time can dramatically change those numbers.

You don’t need to reteach everything. You just need the right touchpoints at the right moments.

What Actually Works:

Reflection questions that make someone pause and reconnect
Micro-challenges that fit into real life
Stories that remind them why it mattered
Gentle nudges in those first 72 hours when the spark is still warm
Strategic touchpoints that compound over time

That’s what we’re figuring out together.

Whether you’re following up after a training, a facilitated session, or a speaking engagement, we’re exploring how to make your impact last longer with less effort from you.

What I’m Building (And Why I Need You)

Here’s the thing: I can’t build this alone. And I don’t want to.

This is my first post on this new site. The beginning of something I hope becomes a real resource for trainers, facilitators, and speakers who care about making their work last.

Over the coming weeks, I’ll share:

Real stories from trainers, facilitators, and speakers testing these approaches
Simple strategies you can use after your next session, no matter the format
Research insights on why certain approaches work
Behind-the-scenes moments as I build this alongside you

This isn’t about me having all the answers. It’s about us figuring this out together.

Join me on this journey. Be one of the first spark impacters in the adult education space. The trainers, facilitators, and speakers who are pioneering a new way of thinking about what happens after the session ends.

If you’ve ever stood in an empty room after a session wondering if it’ll stick, you’re in the right place.

If you’ve been the participant who forgot everything by Tuesday, you’re definitely in the right place.

If you’re tired of hoping your work matters without knowing if it does, whether you’re training, facilitating, or speaking, welcome. Let’s figure this out together.

What’s Next? Start Here

I’m just getting started with PostSpark, and honestly, the best insights are going to come from conversations with trainers, facilitators, and speakers like you.

Join me on this journey. Be one of the first spark impacters in the adult education space.

Join the newsletter and you’ll get weekly stories, strategies, and insights on extending your impact without burning out. No fluff. Just honest reflections and practical ideas from someone figuring this out alongside you.

Sign up here and you’ll get the next post before anyone else. You’ll be part of shaping what PostSpark becomes.

And if you want to follow along on LinkedIn, where I share daily updates and behind-the-scenes moments, connect with me there.

Let’s keep the spark alive. Together.

Launching PostSpark - Why Your Learning Sessions Deserve to Stick