Real Talk About Learning That Works

About Ricky Ratcliff

For more than a decade I’ve worked inside complex organizations, building programs that prove learning drives real results. Along the way I’ve seen how easy it is for creative, talented people to get buried under requests and processes that don’t reflect their potential.

That experience shaped my mission: to challenge what’s always been done, design learning that’s measurable and human, and give learning professionals the confidence and tools to lead from wherever they are.

Ricky Ratcliff sitting on a textured chair against a dark abstract background.

The Reason Behind the Work

Breaking the Pattern

I’ve always been drawn to creativity and challenge. What I didn’t expect was how often both would be dismissed. When I said I wanted to go to art school, I was told it wasn’t practical. Years later, when I moved into learning and development, I saw the same mindset again. Brilliant people boxed in by tradition. Training built to meet requests instead of driving change.

That didn’t sit right with me. Learning should solve real problems. It should connect effort to outcomes and give people proof that what they design actually works.

Working inside some of the world’s most innovative companies, I’ve seen what happens when learning shifts from checklists to strategy and from activity to impact. That experience shaped how I approach every project.

I started asking better questions. What are we trying to change? How will we know it’s working? What if learning was built like a system—measurable, adaptable, and human at its core?

Those questions became the foundation for everything I build today: design with purpose, measure what matters, and make learning both creative and credible.

My Approach

the Learning DNA™ Framework

Learning DNA™ Framework

Learning DNA is the framework I created to make learning measurable, adaptable, and human. It helps you design learning experiences that create real change — for people and for the business.

Applying this framework begins with the business outcome, the reason a learning experience needs to exist in the first place. The outcome clarifies the change you are aiming for and shapes the direction of the learning pattern. From there, the Learner Model comes into focus, capturing who the learner is: their motivation, confidence, context, and skills.

Think of Learning DNA as a double helix. One strand represents the learner. The other represents the design, the techniques that bring learning to life. Connecting them are the mechanisms, the science that makes it all stick. And just like real DNA, the shape of this helix is not random. It is formed by the business outcome, the environment that determines which mechanisms matter most and how the pattern takes shape. When the outcome shifts, the pattern adapts.

When the learner model, mechanisms, and techniques align, they create a learning activity. Stack those activities into a measurable pattern and you create a living learning system that stays aligned to evolving business needs.

Learning DNA turns learning from a one time event into an adaptable system that improves and delivers impact where it is needed most.

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Ideas in Action

Leading the Conversation on the Future of Learning

I believe learning should never stop evolving. The tools, the technology, the way people connect — all of it is changing faster than ever. My goal is to make sure the conversation keeps up. 

Through my podcast, Learning Playground, I explore how learning really happens. It’s where I sit down with unconventional educators, creators, and practitioners to talk about what works in the real world. No buzzwords. No recycled playbook. Just honest stories about creativity, systems, and the messy side of making learning human again. 

Beyond the podcast, I share articles, frameworks, and research that help learning professionals lead with clarity and purpose. Every idea I put out connects back to one simple belief: when learning is built with evidence, creativity, and care for people, it can change everything.

listen to the podcast

Explore Resources

Black and white portrait of Ricky Ratcliff wearing a dark shirt, with text above reading 'Learning Playground with Ricky Ratcliff' in purple and blue gradient.

Speaking

Conversations Worth Having

I’m passionate about helping learning professionals see what’s possible when we stop playing it safe and start designing for real impact. My work focuses on how learning can be both creative and credible, measurable, adaptable, and human.

I share practical insight on design, leadership, and innovation, shaped by years of leading learning programs inside global organizations. More than anything, I want to help learning designers see their own careers differently, not as support roles but as strategic drivers of change.

I’m always looking to connect with others who care about the future of our field. Whether it’s a keynote, podcast, or panel, my goal is to challenge old assumptions and inspire learning professionals to lead with evidence, creativity, and confidence.

Book Me to Speak

Giving Back

Opening Doors for Creative Learning

Creative Launchpad is the nonprofit I founded to help students access creative learning experiences they might not otherwise have. We connect young people with hands-on opportunities in design, technology, and the arts, giving them space to explore, build confidence, and see what they’re capable of.

It’s built on the same belief that drives all my work: when people have the freedom and tools to create, they don’t just learn — they grow, they innovate, and they change what’s possible.

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