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Our Story

Hi! My name is Shelby. I am the co-founder and Chief Inspiration Officer of AHz Learning Technologies Inc. Rather than describe my company and provide you with a lot of statistics, I’d like to share the story of AHz with you. I think stories provide insight and convey the essence of who and what a company is, and what it stands for far better than a description and statistics – I hope you do too.

The year is 1996. Two sisters that are passionate about learning and behaviour change, decide to start a company dedicated to performance and learning. They don’t want a company that delivers content. They want an innovative company that makes a difference in organizations and the people that work for those organizations. A company that stretches the limits of learning to self-discovery, change and growth.

aha moment“So what should we call our company?” asked one sister. “What do we like best about being in the classroom and facilitating the training we’ve designed?” asked the other. They both looked at each other and said “It’s seeing people have aha moments”! As they explored this idea, they talked about what they needed to do to create those ‘aha’ moments – those moments when people really ‘get’ what’s being taught. Nobody knows why, but before they knew what was happening, they were talking about the Wizard of Oz and the different characters in the story.

They knew that in every classroom or learning interaction there are people that are like the lion. They are afraid of looking foolish, of making a mistake, or having to interact with others. There are those that aren’t engaged in the organization or in the learning because their heart just isn’t in it; and there are those that don’t think they are smart enough.

the wizardFinally, their discussion turned to the wizard and how he wasn’t really a wizard, he just put things in place so that Dorothy and her friends could find what they were looking for. “What if we called our company AHz Learning”, said one sister. The AH will represent those important aha moments and the z will represent the lessons from the Wizard of Oz. “And we could be ‘AH’ Wizards”, exclaimed the other!

So that is how AHz Learning got its name.

Remember, at the beginning of our story the sisters’ goal was to have an innovative company that made a difference in organizations and the people that work in those organizations. A company that stretches the limits of learning to self-discovery, change and growth. This goal is their quest or, you could say, their Emerald City.

The Quest (the Emerald City):

The Emerald City

To stretch the limits of learning to self-discovery, change and growth by:

  • creating and delivering programs and workshops that open the learning centers of the brain;
  • removing barriers to learning;
  • engaging the learner with stimulating, practical content and interactivity;
  • providing learners with numerous ‘Aha’ moments of insight; and,
  • using inquiry and providing opportunities for self-reflection.

The Journey

This journey has certainly been an adventure. We’ve had incredible highs and made a difference in the lives of many customers and their employees. We’ve also had our fair share of  disheartenment and doubt. The founding characters have even changed, as one sister’s heart took her on a different quest. Yet this wonderful journey has continued and we remain committed to changing lives and organizations as we stretch the limits of learning to self-discovery, change and growth.

The Yellow Brick Road

What’s kept AHz on this journey is the team’s passion for learning; their creativity and commitment to finding innovative ways to help people learn, and apply what they learned; as well as the people we’ve met along the way and our client cheerleaders.

The AHz difference is they come at it from the Wizard of Oz perspective. They want you to walk down that path with them, take you down that road to the end where you get that learning ‘ah’!

~ Louise Yates, Farm Credit Corp

I hope you’ve enjoyed our story. We’d love to help you on your journey down the yellow brick road to your Emerald City. Let’s connect!

Filed Under: AH Inspired



Stretching the limits of learning to self-discovery, change, and growth.

‘AH’ Inspired Learning

  • Turning Knowledge into Action
  • Creative & Engaging Training Design
  • Our Programs & Workshops
  • Learning and Engagement Tools

About Us

For the past 20+ years, we have been on a mission to stretch the limits of learning to self-discovery, change and growth.

Stretching the limits, by delivering leading-edge content and practical concepts in such a way that the learner embraces and integrates their learning into their daily lives. Learners that are committed to experience the discomfort of change as they move toward mastery.

We also stretch the limits beyond the classroom, webinar, or online learning module, by providing structured practices that support the learner as they close the knowing doing gap after the learning experience

Stretching is always more fun when you have someone to stretch with – we’d like that someone to be you. Click here to join our community of ‘AH’mazing learning enthusiasts.

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By accessing or using the AHz Learning Technologies Inc. Web site, you agree to the terms of this Online Privacy Policy, as outlined below. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not access or use this site.

Collection of Personal Information

When you engage in certain activities on this site, you may be asked to provide certain information about yourself by filling out and submitting an online form. It is completely optional for you to engage in these activities. If you elect to engage in these activities, however, you may be required to provide personal information, such as your name, mailing address, e-mail address, and other personal identifying information.

When you submit personal information, you understand and agree that AHz Learning may transfer, store, and process your information in any of the countries in which AHz Learning maintain offices, including without limitation, Canada.

AHz Learning collects this information in order to record and support your participation in the activities you select. AHz Learning also uses information that you provide as part of our effort to keep you informed about product upgrades, special offers, and other AHz Learning products and services. AHz Learning will never sell or share your information with other companies.

‘AH’ Inspired Learning

  • Turning Knowledge into Action
  • Creative & Engaging Training Design
  • Our Programs & Workshops
  • Learning and Engagement Tools

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We like to share our thoughts and best practices on learning and organizational development with you. If you'd like that too please join our community.

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