Surveying the L&D Landscape

After completing 50 interviews surveying the jobs and work of L&D professionals, Surveying the L&D Landscape host Abigail Wheeler Charlu sits down with her boss and mentor Emily Frieze-Kemeny to recap learnings from the 50 podcast episodes.  Timestamps: (00:00) - Introduction and background on Emily Frieze-Kemeny (03:30) - Abigail's journey to L&D and starting the podcast (10:00) - Key learnings from 50 episodes about L&D work (16:30) - Importance of connecting L&D to performance (22:00) - Challenges of creating relevant, accessible content (28:00) - Critical role of leadership development (33:00) - Reflections on interviewing L&D professionals (38:00) - Variety of L&D roles and responsibilities (45:00) - Advice for people interested in L&D careers (50:00) - Abigail's experience working with Emily (55:00) - Closing reflections on the podcast journey

In episode 50 of the Surveying the L&D Landscape podcast, I sit down with Bree Champagne to analyze her role as a Organizational Development and Effectiveness Expert at Bayer.  During our conversation, we unpack: How talent marketplaces help companies become skills-based organization and prepare for the future of work Various methods you can leverage to communicate, education, motivate, and ensure someone adopts a new skill, behavior, or tool  A workshop she led with leaders in the organization to help increase talent profile adoption  How she and her team conducts retrospectives after each project completion to evaluate efficacy and increase their impact AND SO MUCH MORE! ABOUT THE GUEST: Bree Champagne currently works as an Organizational Development and Effectiveness Expert on the Talent Impact Team at Bayer, where she supports the North America organization enabling change and driving culture to design the organization of the future. Bree is a seasoned talent management, change management, and trusted HR business partner with experience in the fields of human resources across multiple industries. She is motivated by creating environments where people can realize their career dreams and reach their full potential, embracing change and building a growth mindset. Her goal is to increase employee satisfaction and empower employees to take control of their career.    

In episode 49 of the Surveying the L&D Landscape podcast, I sit down with Jesmin Mejia to unpack her role as a training and development specialist. During our conversation, we unpack:  How sitting under the Operations function of the business helps her and her team closely support the work of employees An effective system her team utilizes to receive, evaluate, and manage training and development requests How she helped train employees on the adoption of a new company-wide dashboard application ABOUT THE GUEST: Jesmin Mejia moved to the US on her own when she was 21. She had to navigate language, employment, and cultural barriers, which sparked her passion for Human Resources. Through diverse roles in HR, Jesmin honed her skills, eventually transitioning to Learning and Development. In her current role, she focuses on instructional design, leadership development programs, facilitation, and employee onboarding. She’s led by curiosity and a desire to continuously learn and evolve. Her goal is to drive organizational success and nurture employee talents.

In episode 48 of the Surveying the L&D Landscape podcast, I sit down with Jospeh Diaz to analyze his role as a Sales Enablement coordinator. Joseph Diaz is an instructional designer with skills in project management, UX/UI design, and sales enablement. A former Spanish and Portuguese tutor, Joseph holds a master’s degree in Instructional Psychology and Technology. During our conversation, we dive into: The L&D adjacent world of sales enablement How he gets to have a seat at the table and consult stakeholders on issues and potential training solutions Why knowledge management is critical to his approach, as he strives to make resources and tools easy to find and easy to apply AND SO MUCH MORE! Let's dive in!

In episode 47 of the Surveying the L&D Landscape podcast, I sit down with JD Dillon to analyze his role as Chief Learning Architect at Axonify. During our conversation, we unpack:  Why he advocates for learning and design that fits operational realities How his company uses just-in-time microlearning and stretches onboarding over time for frontline success Why he obsesses over helping people and the building of solutions ABOUT THE GUEST: JD Dillon is a veteran talent development leader, former Disney cast member and dedicated Back to the Future aficionado. JD became a learning and performance expert over two decades working in operations and talent management with dynamic organizations, including The Walt Disney Company, Kaplan, Inc. and AMC Entertainment. A respected international speaker and author of The Modern Learning Ecosystem, JD continues to apply his passion for helping people do their best work every day in his roles as Axonify's Chief Learning Officer and founder of LearnGeek, an insights and advisory practice. You can find JD riding his Peloton, refusing to stand in line at Orlando theme parks or online at LearnGeek.co.  Ways to continue the conversation with JD: Connect with him on LinkedIn Follow his podcast In The Know Listen in to his interview on Jess Almlie's podcast L&D Must Change  

In episode 46 of Surveying the L&D Landscape podcast, I sit down with Gretchen Pettet to analyze her role as Senior Talent Development Consultant.  During our conversation, we unpack concepts like: ☑️ Empowering individual contributors to drive change as informal leaders ☑️ Using leadership competencies as roadmaps to intentionally connect learning to business goals ☑️ Guiding leaders to model competencies like emotional intelligence and relational skills ☑️ Helping employees align their unique skills/passions with impactful opportunities across the organization   ABOUT THE GUEST: Gretchen Pettet is a passionate and engaging leadership consultant and coach skilled in all aspects of talent and organizational development. Seriously, you name the L&D landscape role, Gretchen has filled it. Trainer, skills specialist, customer service effectiveness lead, performance consultant, VP of Talent and Culture -- she’s truly done it all. Gretchen is a high-energy optimist who believes anything is possible with a great team and actively works to grow and develop others through relationships built on mutual respect and trust. Connect with Gretchen on LinkedIn to continue the conversation.   

In episode 45 of the Surveying the L&D Landscape podcast, I sit down with Stephen Mostrom to discuss his [former] role as L&D Product Manager at Silicon Valley Bank. During our conversation, we unpack how Stephen: ☑ Built a peer-based, learning community program, making it fun to practice and adopt new skills ☑ Utilized agile project management tailored to business cycles and stakeholder needs when managing L&D programs ☑ Demonstrated his impact through metrics like retention and skills fostered across the organization ☑ AND SO MUCH MORE!   ABOUT THE GUEST: Stephen Mostrom spent a decade building internal L&D programs first at Bank of America and later at Silicon Valley Bank. Stephen has several letters behind his name – JD, MBA, PMP. But he says that his most important titles are: DaDa and Founder. In the last year, Stephen made the jump to entrepreneurship. He’s the Founder of Develop Daily, a career development consultancy firm.  When Stephen’s not delivering workshops, he’s busy reading and crushing it on LinkedIn, where he publishes his Develop Daily newsletter. He enjoys hiking, red wine, podcasts, traveling, and a good indie film.    WANT MORE OF STEPHEN? Connect with Stephen on LinkedIn and follow his Develop Daily content!

In episode 44 of the Surveying the L&D Landscape podcast, I sit down with my friend and mentor Jyssaka Myers as the Retail Learning and Development Manager at Commerce Bank. During our conversation, we unpacked how she:  ☑ Translated her experience across industries into the corporate L&D space ☑ Implemented an AI coaching pilot and key lessons learned ☑ Defines metrics and success for learning programs aligned to business goals   ABOUT THE GUEST: Jyssaka Meyers serves as the Retail Learning and Development Manager at Commerce Bank, where she drives strategic learning initiatives to enhance employee performance and fuel organizational growth. With a master’s degree in communication and a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership, Dr. Meyers leverages her expertise to shape effective learning strategies aligned with business objectives. At Commerce Bank, Dr. Meyers is instrumental in empowering employees through innovative learning programs and technology-driven solutions. Her dedication to fostering a culture of continuous improvement and maximizing workforce potential underscores her commitment to driving excellence in performance and engagement.   WANT MORE OF JYSSAKA? Connect with her on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jyssakameyers/   

In episode 43 of the Surveying the L&D Landscape podcast, I sit down with Connie Ozmer to analyze her role as Lead Technical Trainer at Amazon Web Services (AWS) Skills Center in Seattle, WA. During our conversation, we unpack: Her emphasis on approachability in her courses, as she supports and encourages her learners to enter and build skills in a highly technical field How she refines class content through A/B testing with trainers and students before a public launch of a new course How Amazon’s emphasis on small, autonomous teams reinforces risk-taking and a growth mindset that supports innovation AND SO MUCH MORE!   ABOUT THE GUEST: Connie leads technical training at Amazon’s Skills Center, collaborating with instructional designers to develop and deliver in-person and hybrid course offerings. Prior to her work at AWS Skills Center, Connie spent the last 20 years in IT holding the roles of Quality Assurance Analyst, Web Developer, Instructor, Instructor Manager, and Lead Technical Trainer. Connie’s passion and belief in education shows when introducing learners to cloud computing, and in her personal growth. She is currently working on her third master’s degree in Data Analytics at the University of Maryland. Her passion in life is to help others move into IT, especially those underrepresented, as it is a fulfilling and challenging career.   WANT MORE OF CONNIE? Connect with her on LinkedIn  

In episode 42 of the Surveying the L&D Landscape podcast, I sit down with Ross Stevenson to analyze his role as Head of Learning and Development at a UK-based tech company. During our conversation, we unpack:  How Ross revamped his company’s ineffective one-day onboarding into a hybrid digital/human experience over three months; The shift from technical skills to relationship-building, cultural understanding, and navigating diverse business needs when moving from individual contributor to management roles; How L&D practitioners must diversify their expertise with complementary skills like marketing, data analytics, and product management, understanding their customers, and proving impact on the bottom line;  AND SO MUCH MORE!   ABOUT THE GUEST: Ross is the man who dared to tell the world, "Steal These Thoughts!" and made it a business 🤯. He is on a mission to empower modern L&D pros and organizations with the tools, tactics, and frameworks that can transform their work and career Ross spent nearly two decades building world-class learning and performance functions for global organizations. He maximize learning technology, helping L&D teams get unstuck from the web of technologies by demystifying modern and emerging tools. He helps you work smarter with AI, by designing and delivering custom workshops and programs to turn L&D pros from AI clueless to confident. And he boosts skills for modern L&D teams, equipping them with the necessary tools, tactics, and frameworks to thrive in the modern world. WANT MORE OF ROSS? You can find Ross’s portfolio of work at www.stealthesethoughts.com. Follow Ross and subscribe to his newsletter: www.linkedin.com/in/rstevensonuk