Advertise on podcast: Talent Development Leader

AI may be changing the nature of work, but it is also elevating the importance of what technology cannot replace. In this episode of Talent Development Leader podcast, bestselling author and personal branding expert William Arruda unpacks the concept of The Great Human Premium, and how the most valuable skills in the workplace are increasingly human. William shares which human capabilities organizations need to cultivate now like communication, judgment, creativity, self-awareness, and learning agility. He also discusses the hidden cultural costs of over-relying on AI, the Human Premium Matrix for organizational design, and the workplace shifts every CLO should be preparing for today. Listen to this conversation to gain a compelling roadmap for leading with humanity in the age of AI.

As AI dramatically lowers the barriers to creating learning content, organizations have an opportunity to rethink what makes learning truly engaging and effective. In this episode of Talent Development Leader podcast, Lars-Petter W. Kjos, co-founder and Chief Product Officer of We Are Learning, shares why immersion is not about avatars, VR, or realism alone. Instead, it's about creating meaningful experiences that challenge learners to make decisions, face consequences, and build capability. The conversation explores AI's impact on learning design, the growing accessibility of scenario-based learning, and the future skills talent development teams will need to thrive. Learn why scenario-based learning is experiencing a resurgence and what talent development leaders should do to prepare their teams for the next era of workplace learning.

In this episode of Talent Development Leader podcast, Moe Poirier, founder of Shift Facilitation and creator of the Five Personas of Facilitation, explains how talent development leaders can elevate facilitation from a tactical skill to a strategic leadership capability. Drawing on more than 25 years of experience, Moe shares how facilitators can adapt their presence through five distinct personas: the Sensei, Drill Sergeant, Superhero, Confidant, and Jester.  Moe describes what great facilitation has in common with great leadership, how managers can apply the Five Personas in everyday conversations, and why human connection becomes even more valuable as AI takes on more content delivery. Listen to this podcast and learn how transformational facilitation not only creates transformative learning experiences, but shapes organizational learning culture and positions facilitators as ambassadors of an organization's learning brand and change strategy.

What separates organizations that treat learning as an expense from those that see talent as a competitive advantage? In this episode of Talent Development Leader podcast, learning strategist, author, and Tractus Learning founder Becky Willis explains why the profession must evolve from Learning & Development to Talent Development to remain relevant and drive business results. Becky explores why L&D often struggles to earn strategic influence, how leading organizations align talent initiatives with business goals, the metrics that matter, and the most common reasons transformation efforts fail. She also shares insights from her book, 7 Steps to Better Learning Engagement, and offers advice for TD leaders ready to become more strategic in the age of AI. Learn practical actions you can take immediately to become a strategic force for talent and business growth in your organization.

What sits between a company's strategy and the skills of its workforce? According to Ben Satchwell, Head of Capabilities at Acorn PLMS, the answer is capability. In this episode of Talent Development Leader podcast, Ben breaks down the layered relationship between skills, competencies, capabilities, job design, and performance. He explains why many competency frameworks become shelfware, and offers actionable guidance for talent development leaders who want to build systems that create real value. Listen and learn how to begin designing capability frameworks that will help your organization move beyond training activities and toward meaningful business outcomes.

A clear personal vision can be the difference between reacting to life and intentionally leading it. In this episode of ATD's Talent Development Leader podcast, Kimberly Currier, global talent and leadership development executive, explores why personal vision is a foundational leadership capability. She shares how such a purpose can guide decisions, build resilience, and help leaders stay grounded through change. Learn how to develop your own personal vision; integrate it into your organization's leadership development initiatives; and use it to foster an organizational culture rooted in clarity, authenticity, and shared purpose.

When budgets shrink, talent development leaders must do more than defend their programs—they must demonstrate their value through communication and influence. In this episode of the Talent Development Leader podcast, Amii Barnard-Bahn, former Fortune 5 executive and top leadership coach, breaks down a strategic communication model for elevating TD's role in the business. Learn how to communicate with clarity, strengthen your team's value proposition, and guide your organization through layoffs and disruption. Become a leader who re-engages and "re-recruits" the people who stay, and turns tough moments into opportunities to rebuild trust and commitment. Amii's Resources: https://www.barnardbahn.com/resources

The role of the Chief Learning Officer is at an inflection point. In this episode of Talent Development Leader podcast, Tracie Cantu, Chief Learning Strategist at Your CLO and author of Running L&D Like a Business, breaks down how and why the CLO role has evolved beyond managing training and into enabling enterprise performance. Listen and learn what's keeping L&D stuck in reactive modes, where CLOs struggle most when juggling operational excellence with business agility, and why reframing learning as performance enablement can dramatically change how the business engages with L&D.  Finally, hear Tracie's take on what the CLO role may look like five years from now—and the actions learning leaders should take today to stay ahead.

AI is transforming work—but not in the ways many leaders fear. In this episode of Talent Development Leader podcast, Patrick D. Lynch, 2026 Thinkers50 Radar thought leader, AI Faculty Lead at Hult International Business School, and one of the world's leading voices on human‑AI collaboration, explores why the future of work is less about job loss and more about job transformation. Patrick brings a rare blend of Fortune 500 executive experience, behavioral science rigor, and real-world insight to the creation of his THRIVE framework, which is helping leaders worldwide design AI adoption as elevation, not replacement. Listen and learn how to preserve humanity and judgment in the human‑AI equation, what creative decision making looks like for a workforce of humans and agents, how to build long-term capability with the THRIVE model, and why leadership and learning matter more than ever in the age of AI. Join Patrick at the 2026 ATD International Conference and Exposition in Los Angeles, CA, May 17-20, to hear him speak about these topics and more.

Storytelling isn't a soft skill—it's a serious leadership advantage. In this episode of Talent Development Leader podcast, Julie Lancaster, CEO of Lancaster Leadership and author of Beyond Words: How Our Stories & Strategies Inspire Action, shares why storytelling is the missing link between great ideas and real impact. She explains what reseach says about storytelling and influence, the ingredients of a story that actually moves people to action, and how to lead with clarity and confidence during uncertain times. Listen for practical frameworks and real-world examples from Julie's work with 75,000 leaders that will help you tap into the stories already living inside your organization.

In this episode of Talent Development Leader podcast, Tina Robinson, executive coach and author of the ATD Press book, Developing Your Business Leaders, explains why many TD leaders get stuck reacting to requests instead of driving the business forward, and how to break the cycle. Tina shares the common pitfalls talent professionals face, how to build credibility with executives, and why defining the WHO, WHAT, and WHY of learning strategy always matters more than the HOW. If you're ready to elevate your TD function from "nice-to-have" to business-critical, this episode is your playbook.

As organizations move beyond high-potential-only development models, AI coaching is emerging as a powerful enabler of personalized growth at scale. In this episode of Talent Development Leader podcast, Kirsten Moorefield, cofounder of Cloverleaf, describes how AI coaching is leveling the playing field for people development. Learn what to look for and watch out for when it comes to AI coaching tools, plus practical use cases in the workplace. And discover how you can responsibly use AI to support learning, true behavior change, and performance across your organization.

What if the most powerful learning initiative isn't a program, but the way work itself is designed? In this episode of Talent Development Leader podcast, Sam Murray, Founder and CEO of AlignedCX, challenges traditional approaches to learning and enablement and makes the case for merging work and learning to drive real business outcomes. She describes how TD leaders can identify high-value work, decide what belongs with humans versus AI, and design employee experiences that fuel both growth and performance. Listen and explore new ways of thinking about data, performance measurement, and operating models for learning in a world where work is the classroom. Website: https://www.alignedcx.com/

Human sustainability is no longer a "nice to have"—it's a strategic imperative. In this episode of Talent Development Leader podcast, Allyson McElwain, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer and Director of Development, Learning, and Engagement at TELUS, describes what it means to create workplaces where employees leave better off than when they arrived. Topics include reimagining employee engagement, supporting mental health and well-being, enabling belonging, and designing meaningful and flexible work. You'll walk through TELUS's human-centric approach to AI, discover the company's transformation journey, and learn how to use AI thoughtfully across the talent development lifecycle.

As AI, reskilling, and shifting workforce expectations reshape organizations, talent development leaders face the unique challenge of balancing innovation with the enduring fundamentals of how people learn. In this episode of Talent Development Leader podcast, bestselling author, facilitator, and former learning executive Jonathan Halls suggests there is a dual mindset required of today's TD leaders: They must be anchored in evidence-based learning principles while navigating ambiguity and preparing for what's next. Listen for new research about current C-suite priorities (hint: AI literacy tops the list), and learn how asking the right questions can future-proof your learning strategy. Get Jonathan's book on learning objectives: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FYYPY918