The Women Talking About Learning Podcast

You can contact Women Talking About Learning through our website https://womentalkingaboutlearning.com You can buy us a coffee to support Women Talking About Learning via Ko-Fi https://ko-fi.com/wtalpod Or you can email us via [email protected] and uncertainty are constants now, not exceptions. This conversation looks at what it takes to stay effective when the ground keeps moving and what organisations and individuals can do differently to build genuine resilience.Full episode resources at https://womentalkingaboutlearning.comGuests:Sarah Markham is the founder of Calm In A Box. She works with organisations and leaders to derisk people-centred performance through future-fit ways of working. Her research and client practice explores what it takes to move beyond the culture of overwork and develop the resilience, adaptability and leadership practices needed to thrive in a world of constant change.https://linkedin.com/in/sarah-markham-31195a24https://calminabox.substack.comPatty Aluskewicz is the founder of Agile Mindset Consulting, with a background in agile transformation, learning and development, and AI workforce enablement. Her work focuses on helping people and organisations rethink how they learn, work and adapt as AI reshapes the workplace.https://linkedin.com/in/pattyaluskewicz-aicoachCatherine Dock is the founder of Stellar Shift Consulting, where she helps organisations rethink how they work, learn and communicate. She combines people-focused thinking with a practical eye for systems, process and the everyday tools that make teams more effective, and is known for untangling messy workflows and championing sensible digital security and privacy. https://linkedin.com/in/catherinehalpernhttps://linkedin.com/company/stellar-shift-consulting-limitedhttps://stellarshiftconsulting.co.ukShannon Tipton is the founder of Learning Rebels. She transforms outdated learning models into practical, performance-driven solutions, with expertise in microlearning, reinforcement strategies and upskilling L&D professionals.https://linkedin.com/in/shannontiptonhttps://learningrebels.comhttps://learningrebelscoffeechat.podbean.comhttps://learningrebelshub.podia.comThank you for listening.

You can contact Women Talking About Learning through our website womentalkingaboutlearning.comYou can buy us a coffee to support Women Talking About Learning via Ko-Fi.Or you can email us via [email protected] week’s first guest is Nicole Gee. Nicole is an independent consultant with over 20 years' experience in organisation design, target operating models and complex change. Through her practice, Geenius (www.geeniusconsulting.co.uk), she has worked across a wide variety of sectors with clients including Tesco, Unilever and NICE, where she served as Chief People Officer at board level. Grounded in HR and OD, Nicole believes the best outcomes come when people can reach their potential within organisations that are ambitious but people-focused. https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolegeeOur second guest is Odile Chefdor. Odile is an Organisational Development & Design practitioner with over 25 years' experience across France, Germany, the US and UK, in private, public and not-for-profit organisations. She spent 16 years at Bloomberg, moving from building the HR function in Germany to a global role working directly under the Chairman on leadership, succession and the future of the organisation. Since then, alongside her work as a business and executive coach and interim leader, she has held senior roles in Talent Management & Development, People & Culture and Org Dev and Design. She is drawn to OD for its holistic, interconnected approach and is particularly interested in the relationship between purpose, strategy, culture, leadership and people's behaviours at work and in life.Odile Chefdor | LinkedIn

You can contact Women Talking About Learning through our website https://womentalkingaboutlearning.com You can buy us a coffee to support Women Talking About Learning via Ko-Fi https://ko-fi.com/wtalpod Or you can email us via [email protected] learning impact is one of the oldest conversations in L&D and still one of the least resolved. This episode gets into what useful evaluation actually looks like, why so much measurement stops at the wrong point, and what it takes to tell a credible story about what learning achieves.Full episode resources at https://womentalkingaboutlearning.comGuests:Emma Klosson has spent 25 years in learning and development, working both in-house and for learning providers to create solutions for some of the world’s leading brands. Throughout her career she has been focused on proving the impact of learning, and that focus on evaluation is at the heart of her work today. Emma is the founder of Rooftop Recognition, a boutique consultancy helping L&D, HR and edtech teams win industry awards by telling compelling, evidence-backed stories of their success. As a judge for major industry programmes including the Learning Technologies Awards, she knows what makes an entry stand out. https://rooftoprecognition.com https://linkedin.com/in/emmaklossonHeidi Kirby is an L&D strategist, consultant and founder of Useful Stuff. With a PhD in instructional design and technology and a career spanning college English classrooms, NASA and corporate L&D leadership, she specialises in helping organisations design learning that changes people rather than just checks a box. She is the creator of FUSE, a Framework for Useful Learning Evaluation, which integrates evaluation into the design process from the start and includes measures that leaders actually care about. https://getusefulstuff.com https://linkedin.com/in/heidiekirbyThank you for listening.

You can contact Women Talking About Learning through our website https://womentalkingaboutlearning.com You can buy us a coffee to support Women Talking About Learning via Ko-Fi https://ko-fi.com/wtalpod Or you can email us via [email protected] Episode: Work throws curveballs. This conversation looks at how women navigate unexpected change, whether that is organisational, professional or personal, and what it takes to adapt without losing yourself in the process.Full episode resources at https://womentalkingaboutlearning.comGuests:Janet O'Hehir is a HR and OD consultant and social scientist who works with organisations managing complex workforce and cultural change programmes, ensuring people are placed at the centre of organisational transformation. She has worked across emergency services, magic circle law firms, and public, private and not-for-profit organisations in both the UK and Australia. As a social researcher, her work has spanned age-friendly cities, education programmes for teenage mums, and resilience and wellbeing interventions in workplaces and community settings. https://linkedin.com/in/janetohehirSophie Malik is a people and culture leader with more than fifteen years running HR functions across the UK, US and EU. She has twice led People functions at Limejump and EnergyHub, and scaled global People operations through an IPO at Nerdy. She now runs an independent practice coaching senior leaders and advising founder-led teams, and designs career programming at the New York Public Library. She holds an MSc in Organisational Psychology from Birkbeck, University of London. https://sophiemalik.com https://tiffinhr.com https://linkedin.com/in/hrsophieSarit Gafan is the founder of Highest Good Wellbeing, a mental wellbeing company. Through twenty years working in education and a continuous journey into self-awareness, she has become a practitioner of holistic, student-centred and nature-based education. Her book Gratitude Goldmine describes her journey out of a fifteen-year depression and into greater wellbeing through theory and tools that have transformed her life. https://highestgoodwellbeing.comElycia French is Head of Membership at the LPI (Learning and Performance Institute), the global professional body for workplace learning and performance. Her career spans learning, organisational and talent development, leadership, performance enablement and capability across commercial, public sector, NHS and not-for-profit environments. Earlier experience across sales, sales operations and membership has shaped her commercial instinct and her understanding of what it takes to keep L&D close to the business. https://thelpi.org https://linkedin.com/in/elyciafrenchThank you for listening.

You can contact Women Talking About Learning through our website https://womentalkingaboutlearning.com You can buy us a coffee to support Women Talking About Learning via Ko-Fi https://ko-fi.com/wtalpod Or you can email us via [email protected] Episode: AI is reshaping work fast, but the conversation about who benefits, who gets left behind, and what it means for women specifically is still catching up. This episode brings together three perspectives on AI, equity, skills and what a genuinely human-centred approach to technology adoption actually looks like.Full episode resources at https://womentalkingaboutlearning.comGuests:Jenny Garrett OBE is the founder and CEO of Jenny Garrett Global, a leadership development consultancy she has run for twenty years, specialising in inclusive, entrepreneurial and AI-ready leadership. She was awarded an OBE in 2021 for services to entrepreneurship and women in business, and is a graduate of MIT's AI Strategy and Leadership Programme. Her third book, AI for Equity: Creating a More Equitable Society for All, co-written with her daughter Leah-Sunshine Garrett, is published by Emerald on 27 October 2026. She also founded the UK's Diverse Executive Coach Directory and co-hosts the AI for Equity podcast. Erica Farmer is one of the UK's leading voices on AI, future skills and human potential. With more than 25 years of experience across learning, development and apprenticeships, she has helped some of the country's most recognisable organisations prepare their people for the future of work. A TEDx speaker, LinkedIn Learning instructor and AI strategist, her TEDx talk Reforming Education Through a Digital-First Mindset was selected for TED.com. In 2026 she was recognised as an HR Top Mind by HR World and shortlisted in HR Magazine's Most Influential list. She hosts the AI for the Average Joe podcast and has recently published her first book, AI for HR Professionals.Christine Chiang is Chief Operating Officer and VP of Customer Success at Gutenberg Technology, where she has led operations and customer delivery since 2018. She brings more than two decades of experience building and scaling enterprise content and learning platforms, working closely with publishers and training organisations on digital transformation and the shift from print-first workflows to structured, multi-channel content production. She holds an MBA from Babson College and is based in Boston.Thank you for listening.

You can contact Women Talking About Learning through our website https://womentalkingaboutlearning.com You can buy us a coffee to support Women Talking About Learning via Ko-Fi https://ko-fi.com/wtalpod Or you can email us via [email protected] Episode: Apprenticeships are back in conversation, but the reality is more complicated than the headlines suggest. This episode looks at what apprenticeships actually deliver, who they work for, and what still needs to change, from policy to practice and the classroom to the workplace.Full episode resources at https://womentalkingaboutlearning.comGuests:Tilly Martin is Global Director of Technical Support in MarTech, known for her lifelong commitment to learning and a passion for developing others. Having recently completed a Level 7 Senior Leadership apprenticeship and currently pursuing her MBA, she brings firsthand insight into blending on-the-job training with academic study. Her background spans operations and people development, with a focus on leading change, driving transformation and promoting personal growth. https://linkedin.com/in/tilly-martin-4a2bba51Candice Gardner is an award-winning skincare expert with over 30 years in skincare and education. She sits on the Beauty and Aesthetics Expert Working Group for HABIA, shaping National Occupational Standards, and on the apprenticeship employer steering group for Skills England. A long-standing member of the City & Guilds Industry Advisory Board, she was co-opted to the City & Guilds Institute Council and Industry Skills Board and is a BABTAC Collective Expert on skin. With 25 years at Dermalogica, she co-authored Leading from the Heart and Shine. https://linkedin.com/in/candice-c-gardner https://instagram.com/candicecgardner https://substack.com/@candicecgardner https://amazon.com/author/candicecgardnerFran Pyatt is a People and Performance Development Consultant at Samaritans with over 20 years of experience in the charity sector across operational, people and governance roles. Two years ago she established an upskilling apprenticeship scheme that has enabled 12% of the Samaritans staff team to participate. Fran believes charities can only achieve lasting impact when they have the right people, skills and leadership in place. https://linkedin.com/in/fran-pyatt-19966838Thank you for listening.

You can contact Women Talking About Learning through our website womentalkingaboutlearning.com You can buy us a coffee to support Women Talking About Learning via Ko-Fi. Or you can email us via [email protected] Episode: Culture shapes everything at work: how people behave, how decisions get made, what gets said and what doesn't. This conversation explores organisational and cross-cultural dynamics, what leaders often miss, and why understanding culture is one of the most practical things an L&D professional can do.Full episode resources at womentalkingaboutlearning.comGuests:Kelly Pinar Goodwin is the founder and lead intercultural trainer at Culture Savvy, where she helps leaders and teams work effectively across cultures. Drawing on over a decade of direct experience with clients spanning more than 40 countries across a wide range of industries, Kelly brings a research-backed approach to cross-cultural collaboration and communication. Her work delivers measurable impact: from improved multicultural team dynamics and increased customer satisfaction to resolving workplace conflicts and supporting entry into new international markets.linkedin.com/in/kelly-pinar-goodwinculturesavvy.comedium.com/@kpgoodwinTamsin Sainsbury-Hyde is a people and culture leader with a passion for leadership, learning and organisational development. Having worked across both consultancy and in-house roles, she is fascinated by what drives organisational behaviour and performance. Tamsin helps leaders and organisations make sense of complex challenges, uncover what sits beneath the surface, and focus on what matters most.linkedin.com/in/tamsinsainsburyhydeRebecca Edwards is a learning and talent development professional passionate about helping organisations create cultures where people can learn, grow and thrive. Currently working in talent and organisational development, she partners with organisations to strengthen leadership capability, develop talent and create environments where people and businesses can succeed together. She has a particular interest in organisational culture and high-performing teams and how the employee experience is shaped by leadership, learning and purpose.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-edwards-learningThank you for listening.

You can contact Women Talking About Learning through our website womentalkingaboutlearning.com You can buy us a coffee to support Women Talking About Learning via Ko-Fi. Or you can email us via [email protected] of what people learn at work happens outside a classroom and outside a course. This conversation explores informal learning: what it is, how it works, and why organisations that ignore it are missing most of the picture.Full episode resources at womentalkingaboutlearning.comJane Bozarth has worked in the L&D industry for decades, most of it in USA state government, where she worked as classroom trainer, eLearning designer and training programme manager. She developed expertise in inexpensive solutions to workplace performance problems, particularly those with social and self-directed components, followed by a stint as the Learning Guild's Director of Research. She is the author of several books, most recently Show Your Work: The Payoffs and How-Tos of Working Out Loud. Jane continues to write and speak, and can often be found at international speaking events and across online media. linkedin.com/in/janebozarth bozarthzone.blogspot.comNahdia Khan is a leadership and organisational development specialist with more than 20 years of experience across government, business and the voluntary sector. She has designed and led executive and high-potential leadership programmes, managed learning across five Whitehall departments, and supported organisations through growth, restructuring and cultural change. Her work is grounded in extensive research into workplace learning, behaviour change and management effectiveness, including studies involving more than 6,000 L&D leaders across 55 countries. Nahdia is also an executive coach, former Chief Impact Officer at Mind Tools, and Chair of the Digital and Technology Advisory Group at Central London Careers Hub. linkedin.com/in/nahdia-khanThank you for listening.

You can contact Women Talking About Learning through our website womentalkingaboutlearning.com You can buy us a coffee to support Women Talking About Learning via Ko-Fi. Or you can email us via [email protected] Episode: Connection at work is easy to talk about and harder to build. This conversation explores what connection looks like, why it matters, and what gets in the way.Full episode resources at womentalkingaboutlearning.comGuests:Anat Shabi is a leadership trainer and coach supporting managers and teams across healthcare. With a background in hospital pharmacy and corporate management, she is known for designing and facilitating memorable learning journeys that use creative, hands-on tools to spark insight, connection and action. Having moved countries at a young age and experienced the challenge of finding connection, Anat is driven by helping people reconnect with themselves and others, building confidence, stronger relationships and more effective collaboration.linkedin.com/in/anat-shabianatshabi.comBrigid McCormack helps organisations transform how their people learn. Originally from the Chicago area, she moved to the UK in 2022 to complete a Master's at the University of Edinburgh's Futures Institute, exploring how modern technology and AI reshape the stories we tell. As Customer Success Manager at Assemble You, Brigid partners with clients from onboarding through to long-term growth, building relationships that create real, lasting impact with audio-first learning. She also co-hosts The Assembly, a podcast bringing together voices from across L&D who are reshaping how we think about learning at work.linkedin.com/in/brigidmccormackCelia Orsini is an archaeologist who works with modern teams through Archaeology for Wellbeing. She helps research and knowledge-driven organisations rebuild trust, communication and a sense of belonging, especially when teams feel isolated or stuck in silos. With a PhD in archaeology and over ten years studying how past communities supported each other under pressure, Celia designs practical, grounded workshops that help teams connect more clearly and work together with less stress.archaeology-for-wellbeing.cominstagram.com/arch_for_wellbeinglinkedin.com/in/dr-celia-orsini-archaeology-for-wellbeingyoutube.com/@ArchaeologyforWellbeingRachel Andrew is originally from Yorkshire and now calls the Midlands home. Most of her career has been in the charity and public sector, most recently leading organisational development in an NHS Trust. She is currently on sabbatical, coaching and figuring out what comes next. Bringing people together runs through everything Rachel does, and she hosts a network for OD, learning and people professionals across the NHS and public sector. linkedin.com/in/rachelandrewcoachThank you for listening.

ou can contact Women Talking About Learning through our website womentalkingaboutlearning.comYou can buy us a coffee to support Women Talking About Learning via Ko-Fi. Or you can email us via [email protected] episode resources at womentalkingaboutlearning.comGuests:Henriette Kloots is an organisational psychologist and senior L&D consultant. After years working for both learning solution providers and on the corporate side of L&D, she founded her first company in 2015. Henriette brings a combination of tight project management, strategic and analytical thinking, and a service-oriented approach. Through Interlocked, she continues to pursue impactful learning. She is known for her energy and passion for the industry and, as she says herself: "I am here to challenge." interlocked.nllinkedin.com/in/henriette-klootslinkedin.com/company/interlocked-b-vMary Rapaport spends her days helping leaders and learning teams think a little bigger, ask better questions, and avoid solving the wrong problem. As the founder of The Strategic Playground, she is on a mission to make strategic thinking less intimidating and a lot more useful. Mary helps L&D professionals turn good ideas into meaningful business impact. linkedin.com/in/maryrapaportstrategicplayground.comAnne-Marie Burbidge is the founder of The Spark L&D Consultancy and a fractional Head of L&D, bringing over 20 years of experience across sectors. She helps growing organisations scale what works, fix the friction, and build the leadership, capability and people performance systems needed for sustainable growth. Anne-Marie believes L&D should be one of the most commercially impactful functions in any organisation: not a training provider, but a driver of performance. thesparkconsultancy.uklinkedin.com/in/anne-marieburbidgeThank you for listening.