Train Like You Listen

Host Brian Washburn talks with Katrina Kennedy, author of Learning That Lasts: Reflection Activities for Trainers and Designers, about how reflection helps transform training from a one-time event into lasting behavior change. Katrina shares practical ways to integrate reflective activities before, during, and after learning—what she calls “pre-flection” and reflection—to deepen understanding and strengthen application. She also offers tips for choosing the right activities based on outcomes, time, and audience, and explains why skilled facilitation and time management are key to making reflection work.📖 Check out Katrina Kennedy's book Learning That Lasts: Reflection Activities for Trainers and Designers📖 Brian shows how the build-borrow-buy approach can help small L&D teams deliver amazing training in Instructional Design on a Shoestring. 📖 Brian’s first book, What’s Your Formula? helps professionals find the right approach for their business problems. You can also check out the companion website, 51 Elements of Learning. 🆓 Get access to more free resources from Endurance Learning. 🎓 Learn about Endurance Learning’s Foundations of L&D course at L&D Pro Academy.📜 Read the full transcript of this episode.💻 Start a FREE TRIAL of Soapbox +AI, the revolutionary tool helping professionals created facilitated training faster and better.

Research shows that management quality is the single biggest predictor of employee satisfaction and retention. In this episode, Brian Washburn speaks with Dan Lawner, Founder of Bevel Talent, about why managers are the key to employee engagement and organizational success. They discuss common challenges mid-sized organizations face as they grow, what makes leadership development programs effective, and practical ways to start improving leadership, even without formal programs.From accountability and peer support to mentorship and cohort discussions, Dan shares actionable strategies to address leadership gaps and help organizations align managers, boost engagement, and drive performance.📖 Brian shows how the build-borrow-buy approach can help small L&D teams deliver amazing training in Instructional Design on a Shoestring. 📖 Brian’s first book, What’s Your Formula? helps professionals find the right approach for their business problems. You can also check out the companion website, 51 Elements of Learning. 🆓 Get access to more free resources from Endurance Learning. 🎓 Learn about Endurance Learning’s Foundations of L&D course at L&D Pro Academy.📜 Read the full transcript of this episode.💻 Start a FREE TRIAL of Soapbox +AI, the revolutionary tool helping professionals created facilitated training faster and better.

Too often in L&D, we’re handed a “training solution” and asked to deliver it without question. In this episode, Brian Washburn talks with L&D expert Jess Almlie about how to stop being an “order taker” and become a strategic business partner. They discuss why relationships matter, how small mindset shifts—from helper to partner—can increase influence, and practical ways to add real business value. Packed with actionable insights, this episode is perfect for anyone looking to elevate their impact in learning and development.📖 Check out Jess Almlie's book L&D Order Taker No More! Become a Strategic Business Partner.📖 Brian shows how the build-borrow-buy approach can help small L&D teams deliver amazing training in Instructional Design on a Shoestring. 📖 Brian’s first book, What’s Your Formula? helps professionals find the right approach for their business problems. You can also check out the companion website, 51 Elements of Learning. 🆓 Get access to more free resources from Endurance Learning. 🎓 Learn about Endurance Learning’s Foundations of L&D course at L&D Pro Academy.📜 Read the full transcript of this episode.💻 Start a FREE TRIAL of Soapbox +AI, the revolutionary tool helping professionals created facilitated training faster and better.

If you're interested in how L&D professionals can support better leadership at every level of an organization, check out my latest podcast with The HR Lady, Wendy Sellers. Wendy brings a direct, practical approach to leadership, and she doesn’t shy away from tough conversations or tough truths.Tune in to hear thoughts on what leadership really means, why titles don’t make leaders, and how HR and L&D can work together to support stronger workplace culture and retention.Wendy also shares a practical technique (something you could try tomorrow with your team!) to help leaders step outside their own perspective.📖 Check out Wendy's book Suck It Up, Buttercup: Be a Leader People Will Follow.📖 Brian shows how the build-borrow-buy approach can help small L&D teams deliver amazing training in Instructional Design on a Shoestring. 📖 Brian’s first book, What’s Your Formula? helps professionals find the right approach for their business problems. You can also check out the companion website, 51 Elements of Learning. 🆓 Get access to more free resources from Endurance Learning. 🎓 Learn about Endurance Learning’s Foundations of L&D course at L&D Pro Academy.📜 Read the full transcript of this episode.💻 Start a FREE TRIAL of Soapbox +AI, the revolutionary tool helping professionals created facilitated training faster and better.

What does it really take to build a lasting business? Brian Washburn and Tim Waxenfelter, co-founders of Endurance Learning, pull back the curtain on 10 years of grit, unexpected pivots, and hard-won lessons. No sugarcoating; just real stories from the trenches of entrepreneurship. The episode serves as both a celebration of their milestone and practical advice for aspiring entrepreneurs in Learning & Development or consulting.⛵Endurance Learning is a full service training development company, delivering the best in elearning, instructor-led training, and train-the-trainer sessions. 🎩Check out Small Business Founder where Tim and Brian share lessons they've learned with other small business owners.🎯 Use AI in your training process with the free learning objectives generator.📙Brian simplifies training design in his book,  Instructional Design on a Shoestring. 📘 Brian’s book, What’s Your Formula? helps professionals find the right approach for their business problems. You can also check out the companion website, 51 Elements of Learning. 🆓 Get access to more free resources on this topic and others from Endurance Learning. 💻 Start a FREE TRIAL of Soapbox with AI, the revolutionary tool helping professionals created facilitated training faster and better.

Host Brian Washburn chats with learning consultant and author Mike Taylor about his new book, Think Like a Marketer, Train Like an L&D Pro, which he co-authored with Bianca Baumann. Taylor dives into the overlap between marketing and learning & development (L&D), arguing that marketers are far better at capturing attention and sparking behavior change, two areas where L&D often falls short. He shares ways that, with just a shift in mindset, applying marketing principles to training design can create a strikingly more engaging and effective learning experience.📖 Visit Mike Taylor's book website Train Like a Marketer📗Get Mike Taylor's book: Think Like a Marketer, Train Like an L&D Pro🎯 Use AI in your training process with the free learning objectives generator.📙Brian simplifies training design in his book,  Instructional Design on a Shoestring. 📘 Brian’s book, What’s Your Formula? helps professionals find the right approach for their business problems. You can also check out the companion website, 51 Elements of Learning. 🆓 Get access to more free resources on this topic and others from Endurance Learning. 💻 Start a FREE TRIAL of Soapbox with AI, the revolutionary tool helping professionals created facilitated training faster and better.

Donald Taylor’s 2025 Learning & Development Global Sentiment Survey reveals AI’s explosive impact on workplace learning, but the real story is how professionals are moving from buzz to action—using it for everything from quick content fixes to reshaping skills strategies. Yet, the timeless challenge remains: proving L&D’s value. Are we chasing trends or driving results?🗄️Download Donald Taylor’s 2025 Learning & Development Global Sentiment Survey📜 Read the full transcript of The Pulse of Learning: The 2025 L&D Global Sentiment Survey.🎯 Use AI in your training process with the free learning objectives generator.📖 Brian's own perespective on the future of L&D is in Instructional Design on a Shoestring. 📖 Brian’s first book, What’s Your Formula? helps professionals find the right approach for their business problems. You can also check out the companion website, 51 Elements of Learning. 🆓 Get access to more free resources on this topic and others from Endurance Learning. 💻 Start a FREE TRIAL of Soapbox with AI, the revolutionary tool helping professionals created facilitated training faster and better.

Whether you are working in an NGO or not, this discussion with Gretchen Regehr from Conservation International will have you thinking more deeply about the role of both talent management and talent development in your organization.I've added some links below to relevant resources including the newest, our Free Learning Objectives Generator!🎯 Create training session descriptions and learning objectives with a free learning objectives generator.📖 Brian shows how the build-borrow-buy approach can help small L&D teams deliver amazing training in Instructional Design on a Shoestring. 📖 Brian’s first book, What’s Your Formula? helps professionals find the right approach for their business problems. You can also check out the companion website, 51 Elements of Learning. 🆓 Get access to more free resources from Endurance Learning. 🎓 Learn about Endurance Learning’s Foundations of L&D course at L&D Pro Academy.📜 Read the full transcript of the discussion of Talent Development in NGO's.💻 Start a FREE TRIAL of Soapbox, the revolutionary tool helping professionals created facilitated training faster and better.

We love cooking up new resources for the L&D field. We get excited when people download them. But we don't often know how they're being used. I had the opportunity to talk to two early childhood leaders, Glenna Gamble and Sharon Norris, and learn about how the integrated Endurance Learning's Activity Cookbook into their early childhood training session. 📖 Brian shows how the build-borrow-buy approach can help small L&D teams deliver amazing training in Instructional Design on a Shoestring. 📖 Brian’s first book, What’s Your Formula? helps professionals find the right approach for their business problems. You can also check out the companion website, 51 Elements of Learning. 🆓 Get access to more free resources from Endurance Learning. 🎓 Learn about Endurance Learning’s Foundations of L&D course at L&D Pro Academy.📜 Read the full transcript of this episode.💻 Start a FREE TRIAL of Soapbox, the revolutionary tool helping professionals created facilitated training faster and better.

Brian spoke with John Edinger, a trainer he met while delivering a train-the-trainer session.John shares just what it was about the design of the program that he went through that inspired him to be doing things new or differently or better, even though he'd already been training for a while. 📖 Brian shows how the build-borrow-buy approach can help small L&D teams deliver amazing training in Instructional Design on a Shoestring. 📖 Brian’s first book, What’s Your Formula? helps professionals find the right approach for their business problems. You can also check out the companion website, 51 Elements of Learning. 🆓 Get access to more free resources from Endurance Learning. 🎓 Learn about Endurance Learning’s Foundations of L&D course at L&D Pro Academy.📜 Read the full transcript of this episode.💻 Start a FREE TRIAL of Soapbox, the revolutionary tool helping professionals created facilitated training faster and better.