Learning Leader Spotlight: Interviews with corporate L&D leaders

Welcome to Learning Leader Spotlight: Interviews with corporate L&D leaders — the podcast where we learn from leading minds in the L&D space.Each week, we’ll dive into the details of what it takes to thrive in learning and development, as guests from different corporate contexts and sectors share their expertise and experience.If you’re dedicated to staying on top of optimized growth, transformative industry technologies and all things training, then this is the show for you!

Learning Leader Spotlight: Interviews with corporate L&D leaders is a business podcast hosted by Leigh Anne Lankford, with 115 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Leigh Anne Lankford hosts Learning Leader Spotlight: Interviews with corporate L&D leaders, a business show with 115 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #114

  Why the Future of L&D Belongs to Consultants, Not Content Creators with Alicia Turino-Sheppard of Cognizant

  Sep 15, 202622 minS1

  Alicia Turino-Sheppard , Director of Learning at Cognizant , joins us to talk about the shift happening inside L&D as AI takes over content creation and facilitation. Alicia leads a lean, consultative team supporting Cognizant's global Workday practice, and she makes the case that the professionals who stay relevant won't be the ones who build the best slide decks; they'll be the ones who think like business consultants. She also explores the difference between change resistance and change exhaustion, why she reads historical fiction instead of traditional leadership books, and the mentor lesson about asking for what you want that still shapes how she leads her team. KEY TAKEAWAYS 00:00 Why L&D’s future belongs to consultants, not content creators 01:35 Leading a lean L&D and talent team at Cognizant 03:53 Where AI ends and the human touch begins 06:25 From content creation to strategic consulting 09:09 The mentor who helped Alicia earn her first promotion 10:42 The career advice from her father she still follows 14:22 Why Alicia reads historical fiction, not leadership books 17:14 How to stay relevant in L&D 18:44 Change resistance vs. change exhaustion 21:10 Revisiting these AI predictions in a year If you enjoyed this conversation, please leave a 5-star review and subscribe to “Learning Leader Spotlight: Interviews with Corporate L&D Leaders,” brought to you by TrainingPros — because when you have more projects than people™, the right L&D consultant makes all the difference. RESOURCES MENTIONED Harvard Business Review, cited by Alicia as a regular source of L&D and business insight: https://hbr.org Association for Talent Development (ATD), the professional association Alicia references for talent development magazines and resources: https://www.td.org CliftonStrengths (formerly StrengthsFinder), the Gallup assessment Alicia recommends for identifying team strengths: https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/home.aspx “Atomic Habits” by James Clear, one of the leadership books Alicia references: https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits #LearningAndDevelopment #CorporateTraining #TalentDevelopment #LeadershipTraining

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  Episode #113

  How a Former Journalist Builds Corporate Training That Competes With TikTok and YouTube with Brad Ulmanu of Expedia Group

  Sep 8, 202620 minS1

  Brad Ulmanu, Director of Learning Experience at Expedia Group, joins us to talk about why storytelling is one of the most important skills in learning and development. Brad started his career as a journalist before moving into L&D, and he ties storytelling to instructional design, eLearning content creation, and learning experiences people want to finish. A useful frame for any learning leader rethinking corporate learning and development. KEY TAKEAWAYS 00:00 What great learning is actually competing with. 01:56 How a journalism career led Brad into L&D. 02:51 What made the move into L&D worth it for Brad. 03:59 Brad's advice to his younger self. 07:54 What Brad's learned about first impressions. 09:37 The real AI challenge facing learning leaders. 12:28 The most important skill in the workplace right now. 13:29 Brad's go-to resource for L&D research. 14:12 Two books every aspiring L&D leader should read. 16:29 Why Brad's team designs learning like a media team would. If you enjoyed this conversation, please leave a 5-star review and subscribe to "Learning Leader Spotlight: Interviews with Corporate L&D Leaders," brought to you by TrainingPros — because when you have more projects than people™, the right L&D consultant makes all the difference. RESOURCES MENTIONED Expedia Group website: https://expediagroup.com/ i4cp (Institute for Corporate Productivity), a research subscription Brad's team uses for L&D and future-of-work insights: https://www.i4cp.com “The Leader's Guide to Storytelling” by Stephen Denning, on using organizational narrative to spark action and align teams: https://www.amazon.com/Leaders-Guide-Storytelling-Mastering-Discipline/dp/078797675X “The Design of Everyday Things” by Donald A. Norman, on mental models, feedback loops and human-centered design: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262640374/the-design-of-everyday-things/ #LearningAndDevelopment #CorporateTraining #LeadershipTraining

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  Episode #112

  How the Assumptive Yes Helps L&D Leaders Stop Waiting for Permission with Melissa Kruminas of Litmos

  Sep 1, 202627 minS1

  Join Melissa Kruminas , VP, Learning Experience and Enablement of Litmos , as she shares her path from asset management to leading learning at a learning company, and the moment a Six Sigma project taught her to tie training to a measurable business outcome. She also breaks down the "assumptive yes," a tactic she uses to drive training attendance and buy-in without waiting for permission, and explains why L&D teams don't need a five-star program when a fast, good-quality solution will do. KEY TAKEAWAYS 00:00 Why L&D professionals hold themselves back by asking permission they don't need. 02:20 From asset management at Fruit of the Loom to leading learning at a learning company. 04:01 A Six Sigma project and the $70,000 lesson in measurable impact. 06:27 The Yoda-and-Dumbledore mindset shift: making others successful, not being the hero. 10:23 A blunt piece of feedback from a sales leader. 10:56 Radical candor: caring enough to tell someone what they need to hear. 13:54 The "assumptive yes": driving buy-in without asking permission. 15:40 The pizza analogy: progress over perfection. 17:47 AI and "learning in the flow of work," a decade after Josh Bersin coined it. 22:23 Melissa's go-to L&D resources: including LinkedIn and “Smart Brevity.” If you enjoyed this conversation, please leave a 5-star review and subscribe to "Learning Leader Spotlight: Interviews with Corporate L&D Leaders," brought to you by TrainingPros — because when you have more projects than people™, the right L&D consultant makes all the difference. RESOURCES MENTIONED Litmos Website: https://www.litmos.com/ Fruit of the Loom: https://www.fotlinc.com/ Brandon Hall Group: https://brandonhall.com/ Radical Candor: https://www.radicalcandor.com/ “Leading in the Age of AI” by Dr. Brigette Tasha Hyacinth: https://brigettehyacinth.com/books/ “Smart Brevity” by Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen and Roy Schwartz: https://www.axios.com/smart-brevity Josh Bersin: https://joshbersin.com/ #LearningAndDevelopment #CorporateTraining #TalentDevelopment

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  Episode #111

  What a Learning Strategist Does Before Building Training with Allyson Roote of The Bonadio Group

  Aug 25, 202622 minS1

  Allyson Roote , VP, Learning and Organizational Development of The Bonadio Group , joins us to discuss why training shouldn’t be the default solution to every performance problem. After building Bonadio’s learning and development function from a team of one to a team of nine, Allyson shares why she starts with diagnosis, not design, and how that approach leads to more effective solutions. She also explores how AI is making distinctly human skills even more valuable in L&D, and why adaptability and authenticity are among the most important workplace skills today. She closes by reflecting on the mentor whose approach continues to shape how she leads and develops her team. KEY TAKEAWAYS 00:00 Introduction: Why not every performance problem calls for training. 01:15 Scaling L&D at The Bonadio Group. 02:56 From psychology to L&D, sparked by an executive coach. 06:15 Why AI makes human judgment more valuable. 09:00 Why training can’t fix the wrong problem. 10:42 A mentor’s lesson: Know your worth before it’s recognized. 12:27 Why adaptability matters more than ever. 13:46 Authenticity, vulnerability, and Brené Brown’s leadership lessons. 16:39 Building curricula that speak the client’s language. 18:00 Two books for aspiring L&D leaders. If you enjoyed this conversation, please leave a 5-star review and subscribe to “Learning Leader Spotlight: Interviews with Corporate L&D Leaders,” brought to you by TrainingPros — because when you have more projects than people™, the right L&D consultant makes all the difference. RESOURCES MENTIONED The Bonadio Group (the accounting and advisory firm where the L&D function grew from a team of one to nine): https://www.bonadio.com/ Association for Talent Development (ATD) (a go-to resource for L&D industry news): https://www.td.org/ Training Industry (another regular industry resource for L&D news): https://trainingindustry.com/ McKinsey & Company (cited as a source for foundational learning and business research): https://www.mckinsey.com/ AICPA & CIMA (followed to stay current on the accounting side of the work): https://www.aicpa-cima.com/ Accounting Today (an accounting industry publication read to understand the client's world) : https://www.accountingtoday.com/ Journal of Accountancy (another accounting publication followed to build credibility with clients): https://www.journalofaccountancy.com/ International Coaching Federation (ICF) (the organization behind the ACC coaching certification earned along the way): https://coachingfederation.org/ “The Trusted Learning Advisor” by Dr. Keith Keating (the team calls it “TLA” and gives a copy to every new hire): https://www.thetrustedlearningadvisor.com/ “Hidden Value” by Dr. Keith Keating (the other recommended book, by the same author): https://www.hiddenvaluebook.com/ #LearningAndDevelopment #CorporateTraining #TalentDevelopment

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  Episode #110

  How AI is Elevating the Instructional Design Role with Kara Kirby of TrainingPros

  Aug 18, 202630 minS1

  Join Kara Kirby , Relationship Manager at TrainingPros , as she shares her career journey from sales training in the tire industry to corporate learning and development, and discusses the experiences and lessons that have shaped her role in relationship management at TrainingPros. She also explains how the instructional designer role is moving towards analysis and strategy, showing organizations what custom corporate training can look like when personalized learning solutions are within reach. Learning leaders still need instructional design consultants who can organize training people will finish. KEY TAKEAWAYS 00:00 Introduction to Kara Kirby and her role as relationship manager at TrainingPros. 01:26 How Kara found her way into L&D. 04:32 Career journey through corporate L&D. 11:03 The most rewarding part of relationship management. 13:42 The skill that helps most: coaching. 15:22 Themes in client conversations today. 16:51 What organizations are investing in now. 19:32 How AI could elevate instructional design. 21:37 What separates a good consultant from a great one. 24:16 Advice for consultants seeking contract work. If you enjoyed this conversation, please leave a 5-star review and subscribe to "Learning Leader Spotlight: Interviews with Corporate L&D Leaders," brought to you by TrainingPros — because when you have more projects than people™, the right L&D consultant makes all the difference. RESOURCES MENTIONED TrainingPros: https://trainingpros.com Ultimate Software (now UKG): https://www.ukg.com Dealer Tire: https://www.dealertire.com #LearningAndDevelopment #CorporateTraining #TalentDevelopment

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