"I design learning experiences that help people slow down, reflect, and discover what they already know."
My work lives where food, fire, and philosophy meet. It began in vineyards and tasting rooms, where I learned the power of gathering. A glass of wine, a shared table, a slow conversation—these things taught me how people open up, and how we begin to heal and grow.
Who are you? What do you care about? And how do you want to move through the world?
Eventually, I stepped away from the wine world and into education. Not the kind found in rows of desks and test scores, but the kind that asks these essential questions.
Now, I build projects that ask these questions out loud.
Wine With Pete
Open-fire gatherings where people come together to eat, think, and remember what it means to be human.
PMBaseline
Helps others rediscover clarity by checking in with their mind and body each day.
Education Technology
Tools that restore agency, support reflection, and make learning feel alive again.
Stillness
Effort
Listening
I care about helping people listen to their own thoughts and then take their next step with confidence.
My Approach to Instructional Design
From wine education to learning design—same philosophy, different context
My journey from wine education to learning design isn't as different as it might seem. In both worlds, I've learned that the best experiences happen when we create safe spaces for people to explore, make mistakes, and discover something new about themselves.
Listen First, Design Second
My background in mentoring has taught me that understanding comes before creating.
Confusion as Growth
I believe confusion is not a barrier to learning—it's an invitation to grow.
Bridge Builder
I connect technical expertise with human empathy in the ID community.
I design with the belief that technology should restore agency to learners, not overwhelm them. Every project I create asks the same questions that guided my wine work: How can we help people slow down, reflect, and connect with what truly matters?
My Design Philosophy
"Opening doors to learning"
Creating spaces where people feel safe enough to be curious, brave enough to be confused, and supported enough to grow through that confusion.
Designing for Human Vulnerability
I believe the best learning experiences happen when we design for human vulnerability. When someone walks into a learning space—whether it's a wine tasting, a classroom, or a wellness app—they need to feel that it's okay to not know, okay to ask questions, and okay to take their time figuring things out.
Creating Safe Spaces
Learning happens when people feel seen and supported, not judged or rushed
Designing for Human Growth
Every interaction should help someone become more of who they are, not less
Technology That Restores Agency
Digital tools should amplify human capacity, not replace it
This philosophy guides everything I create, from wine gatherings that build community to educational tools that support reflection. It's not about making things easier—it's about making them more human.
My Design Journey
The Wine Tasting Room
My path began in the most unexpected place. There, I discovered that education isn't about transferring information—it's about creating experiences that change how people see themselves and the world around them.
Formal Education
I brought my wine education philosophy to formal learning. The same principles that made wine tastings transformative—creating safe spaces, honoring individual experience, building community—were exactly what was missing from most learning environments.
Personal Projects
My projects evolved naturally from this understanding. Wine With Pete is a case study in designing learning experiences around community and human connection. PMBaseline creates daily moments for people to reconnect with their own wisdom.
Formal Study
Now, as I study instructional design formally, I'm learning to articulate what I've been doing intuitively. The theory validates the practice, and the practice enriches the theory.
Key Insight: People don't learn by being told what to think. They learn by being guided to discover what they already know, by being given permission to trust their own senses, and by being surrounded by others who are on the same journey of discovery.
My Story & Experience
Four Chapters of Growth
My journey spans from wine education to learning design, shaped by experiences in hospitality, service, and academia. Each chapter represents a different phase of growth and discovery.
Wine & Hospitality
My journey began in vineyards and tasting rooms, where I learned the art of creating meaningful experiences through hospitality, education, and community building.
Video in production: A 3-5 minute story about my transition from wine education to learning design, featuring vineyard footage and personal reflection.
AmeriCorps & Education
My shift from hospitality to education through service, where I discovered how community engagement and learning design intersect.
Video in production: Exploring my AmeriCorps experience and how it shaped my approach to creating learning spaces.
Educational Evolution
From UCSB psychology to public management, and now to learning design and technology - the story of how my academic path reflects my growing understanding of human learning.
Video in production: My academic journey and the insights that led me to pursue a master's in learning design and technology.
Mr. Beavers & Philosophy
How one high school teacher shaped my entire philosophy of life and learning, introducing me to "Ideas Worth Questioning" and the power of thoughtful inquiry.
Video in production: A personal reflection on the profound impact of great teaching and how it continues to shape my work today.
This section is a work in progress - a live look at my design process. Each story will feature a professionally produced video alongside supporting content, demonstrating both my storytelling and technical skills.
