Escaping L&D tunnel vision: Smarter paths for learning leaders

How do you know if your L&D team has slipped into tunnel vision? When the same mindsets, metrics, and default solutions keep showing up - even as the business around you changes. In this episode of Learning at Large, we’re joined by Mark Sheppard, Diagnostic Learning & Development Lead at General Motors, who’s spent 35 years exploring how to break free from the L&D echo chamber. He shares practical ways to challenge your own assumptions, borrow smarter ideas from other disciplines, and build politically savvy strategies that make a real business impact. Ep. 74 Brought to you by Elucidat.  Want more insights? Get the latest tips, expert advice, and best practices from top L&D leaders - delivered straight to your inbox. The Learning at Large newsletter brings you monthly insider content to help you create and scale impactful learning. Subscribe now and never miss an edition!

What does leadership in learning really look like when the ground beneath us keeps shifting? In this episode of Learning at Large, we’re joined by Laura Overton and Michelle Ockers, co-authors of The L&D Leader: Principles and Practice for Delivering Business Value. Instead of offering another rigid playbook, Laura and Michelle share how L&D leaders can thrive in uncertainty by stepping away from being the “expert with answers” and instead becoming navigators - curious, courageous, and tuned in to their environment. Ep. 73 Brought to you by Elucidat.  Want more insights? Get the latest tips, expert advice, and best practices from top L&D leaders - delivered straight to your inbox. The Learning at Large newsletter brings you monthly insider content to help you create and scale impactful learning. Subscribe now and never miss an edition!

What if the success of your learning programs wasn’t measured by completion rates or ROI on every project - but by how much they make people want to stay? In this podcast episode, we’re joined by Courtney Brouse, Talent & Development Manager at Midtown Athletic Clubs, who shares how she’s reframing learning to focus on connection, culture, and the long game. From rethinking ROI to embedding core values in training, Courtney reveals how to create learning experiences people don’t just complete - they stick around for. Ep. 72 Brought to you by Elucidat.  Want more insights? Get the latest tips, expert advice, and best practices from top L&D leaders - delivered straight to your inbox. The Learning at Large newsletter brings you monthly insider content to help you create and scale impactful learning. Subscribe now and never miss an edition!

How do you support 170,000+ learners across every level of English football? In this episode, we’re joined by Nick Baker, Head of Learning Design and Digital Innovation at the Football Association (FA), to explore how they’re making coach education more personalized, inclusive, and effective. From grassroots volunteers to elite professionals, Nick shares how the FA is building a learning ecosystem that meets people where they are - by understanding what really matters and designing for real-life needs. Ep. 71 Brought to you by Elucidat.  Want more insights? Get the latest tips, expert advice, and best practices from top L&D leaders - delivered straight to your inbox. The Learning at Large newsletter brings you monthly insider content to help you create and scale impactful learning. Subscribe now and never miss an edition!

What’s the real opportunity AI presents for workplace learning, and how can L&D teams avoid just doing the same things faster? In this episode, we’re joined by David Kelly, CEO of The Learning Guild and a respected voice at the intersection of learning and technology. David unpacks what AI really means for learning, why empathy and creativity are more important than ever, and how L&D can lean into the future - without losing what makes us human. Ep. 70 Brought to you by Elucidat.  Want more insights? Get the latest tips, expert advice, and best practices from top L&D leaders - delivered straight to your inbox. The Learning at Large newsletter brings you monthly insider content to help you create and scale impactful learning. Subscribe now and never miss an edition!

What does it really take to make learning stick, and turn knowledge into action? In this episode, we’re joined by Amy Brann, author of Make Your Brain Work and founder of Synaptic Potential. Drawing on years of experience applying neuroscience in the workplace, Amy shares practical insights on engagement, learning transfer, coaching, and how L&D teams can work with the brain - not against it. Ep. 69 Brought to you by Elucidat.  Want more insights? Get the latest tips, expert advice, and best practices from top L&D leaders - delivered straight to your inbox. The Learning at Large newsletter brings you monthly insider content to help you create and scale impactful learning. Subscribe now and never miss an edition!

The shift to a skills-based approach is no longer theoretical, it's operational, urgent, and redefining the role of L&D In this episode, we sit down with three influential L&D voices - Lori Niles-Hofmann, Sandra Loughlin, and Teresa Rose - to unpack what it really means to put skills at the center of learning strategies. Ep. 68 Brought to you by Elucidat.  Want more insights? Get the latest tips, expert advice, and best practices from top L&D leaders - delivered straight to your inbox. The Learning at Large newsletter brings you monthly insider content to help you create and scale impactful learning. Subscribe now and never miss an edition!

In a world of constant change, learning is one of our most powerful tools for staying resilient. But real learning takes time, effort, and the right environment. In this episode, we’re joined by Stella Collins, author of Neuroscience for Learning and Development, to explore how learning fuels real adaptation. Stella shares practical, science-backed strategies to help L&D teams build learning cultures that support performance, engagement, and long-term change. Ep. 67 Brought to you by Elucidat.  Want more insights? Get the latest tips, expert advice, and best practices from top L&D leaders - delivered straight to your inbox. The Learning at Large newsletter brings you monthly insider content to help you create and scale impactful learning. Subscribe now and never miss an edition!

What can L&D teams learn from marketing? As it turns out - quite a lot. In this episode, we’re joined by Bianca Baumann and Mike Taylor, two learning experts passionate about applying marketing principles to learning design. From learner personas to engagement strategies, they explain how a marketing mindset can help L&D teams better connect with audiences, drive meaningful impact, and prove value to stakeholders. Ep. 66 Brought to you by Elucidat.  Want more insights? Get the latest tips, expert advice, and best practices from top L&D leaders - delivered straight to your inbox. The Learning at Large newsletter brings you monthly insider content to help you create and scale impactful learning. Subscribe now and never miss an edition!

Organizational learning isn’t just a nice idea – it’s essential to staying resilient, productive, and people-centered. But what does it really look like in action? In this episode, Dr. Nigel Paine, a learning and leadership expert, explores how organizations can shift away from individual performance and toward collective learning. Nigel shares his vision for learning cultures built on trust, team connection, and the “organizational brain". Ep. 65 Brought to you by Elucidat.  Want more insights? Get the latest tips, expert advice, and best practices from top L&D leaders - delivered straight to your inbox. The Learning at Large newsletter brings you monthly insider content to help you create and scale impactful learning. Subscribe now and never miss an edition!