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

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

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

Kassy LaBorie, Keynote Speaker, Author and L&D Pioneer of Kassy LaBorie Consulting, joins us to talk about what a career built on noticing things, from people and patterns to vintage Barbie dolls, can teach the learning and development field about staying curious in the age of AI. Expert leaders know a lot, which paradoxically makes genuine curiosity harder.

Kassy, host of The Spark Konnect podcast, discovered that stepping into unfamiliar territory forces the kind of authentic curiosity that matters most in learning leadership. When you move beyond your expertise, you stop performing knowledge and start asking real questions. That shift transforms how you approach talent development and team learning.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

00:00 Introduction to Kassy LaBorie, keynote speaker, author and L&D pioneer

01:33 Trading the label "corporate trainer" for “professional noticer”

04:12 How a lifelong Barbie collection became the perfect AI learning lab

05:59 A theater degree and a career fair led to an accidental path into Silicon Valley training

14:45 Interviewing athletes and artists reveals what curiosity actually requires of a host

23:51 A painter once told her to squint and see the basic shapes before filling in the details

25:53 The one thing AI can't replace: human expression

27:33 L&D leaders building AI-ready teams should focus on the strategic yes

28:21 Three books from women shaping the L&D conversation earn a recommendation

29:10 The debrief question used to bookend every session

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 Spark Konnect podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-spark-konnect/id1847731623

Interact and Engage! 75+ Activities for Virtual Training, Meetings, and Webinars by Kassy

LaBorie:

https://www.td.org/product/book--interact-and-engage-2nd-edition/112209

Producing Virtual Training, Meetings, and Webinars by Kassy LaBorie:

https://kassylaborie.com/book-producing-virtual-training-meetings-and-webinars/

Learning That Lasts by Katrina Kennedy:

https://www.td.org/product/book--learning-that-lasts/112503

L&D Order Taker No More! by Jess Almlie:

https://www.td.org/product/book---ld-order-taker-no-more/112509

#LearningAndDevelopment #CorporateTraining #TalentDevelopment

We sit down with Joe Stoup, Director of the Learning Experience Group at RealPage, Inc., where he oversees content development, content management and content delivery for a team of 32. Joe shares how AI is reshaping instructional design, why curiosity has become his team's most important skill, and why the research doesn't back up one of L&D's longest-held assumptions: learning styles.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

01:24 Joe shares how he came into L&D from computer science and running help desks.

07:17 The most impactful shifts AI has brought to L&D.

12:33 Why Joe believes AI works best in a “human, AI, human” sandwich.

13:37 The mentor who taught Joe how to manage up.

16:43 Why curiosity is the most important skill in L&D right now.

19:40 Building a culture of care, from Simon Sinek's “culture of care” to RealPage's learning advisors.

24:00 Why Joe turns to Google Scholar instead of typical industry sources.

26:04 The book Joe recommends for evidence-based L&D leadership.

27:23 Busting the learning styles myth with the research behind it.

29:49 Joe's closing thought on the privilege of helping people learn.

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

ReelPage, Inc. website:

https://www.realpage.com/

“Evidence-Informed Learning Design” by Mirjam Neelen and Paul A. Kirschner:

https://www.koganpage.com/hr-learning-development/evidence-informed-learning-design-9781789661415

Google Scholar:

https://scholar.google.com

#LearningAndDevelopment #CorporateTraining #TalentDevelopment

Josiah Owens, Program Manager of Employee Development at INPO, talks about what it takes to build a career centered on impact rather than title. Josiah traces his path from video production and instructional design work to leading talent development inside the nuclear industry, and shares why he believes curiosity, more than expertise, is the most critical skill for learning and development professionals today. He also discusses his upcoming term as president of the ATD Greater Atlanta chapter, the mentor who shaped his leadership philosophy, and the book he recommends to every aspiring learning strategist building a career in talent development.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

00:00 Introduction to Learning Leader Spotlight and this week's guest, Josiah Owens.

01:15 Josiah shares his path from teenage video production work to a career in talent development.

02:09 Josiah describes himself as an "impact chaser" pursuing purpose through people development.

04:42 Josiah explains how wider access to tools and resources has reshaped who gets to build learning content.

07:31 Josiah predicts L&D will shift from content creation toward genuine partnership with the business.

10:57 Josiah outlines his plans as incoming president of the Greater Atlanta ATD chapter.

17:38 Josiah credits his grandmother, a career educator, as his most influential mentor.

20:58 Josiah names curiosity as the single most important skill in the workplace today.

23:39 Josiah recommends "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey to every aspiring L&D leader.

24:43 The conversation turns to using Covey's Circle of Control to lead through the pandemic shutdown.

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

Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO):

https://www.inpo.info

ATD Greater Atlanta Chapter:

https://atdatlanta.org

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey:

https://www.franklincovey.com/books/the-7-habits-of-highly-effective-people/

#LearningAndDevelopment #CorporateTraining #TalentDevelopment

Blair Bekker, Director of Global Talent Development of Chewy, joins us to discuss why L&D must trade perfectionism for speed, how entire workforces learning new skills at once is turning L&D into a strategic partner to the business, and why proving measurable impact is what separates the leaders who move fast from the ones who stay stuck.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

00:00 Introduction.

01:35 What it looks like to lead talent development across every part of Chewy’s business, from corporate teams to the fulfillment floor.

04:22 Why Blair says the biggest shift in L&D isn’t a new model.

05:45 The uncomfortable mindset shift Blair has to coach her own team through every day.

09:05 Why Blair believes the entire workforce learning new skills at once is turning L&D into a strategic advantage.

09:55 Where Blair would put 10 times her current budget.

12:50 The skill Blair says is hardest to hire for on any L&D team right now.

17:05 The one book Blair credits with completely changing how she talks to the business.

19:00 How running a true A/B test gave Blair her first real proof that training moved the needle.

21:58 The career advice Blair says is the real unlock for L&D professionals.

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

Chewy Website:

https://www.chewy.com

“Return on Learning: Training for High Performance at Accenture” by Donald Vanthournout:

https://www.amazon.com/Return-Learning-Training-Performance-Accenture/dp/1932841423

#LearningAndDevelopment #CorporateTraining #TalentDevelopment