In this episode of Lessons from Learning Leaders, I talk with Jazmin Webster about the path from corporate learning and development to entrepreneurship, the role professional communities can play in building confidence, and why meaningful growth often requires us to examine how we see ourselves and the people around us.

Jazmin also walks us through the Box Experience, an immersive learning activity that makes our “thinking boxes” visible. Participants explore how their experiences, emotions, assumptions, and goals shape the way they communicate, make decisions, work with others, and respond under pressure. We discuss the difference between reacting and responding, how facilitators create enough psychological safety for honest reflection, and why leaders sometimes need to model vulnerability before asking anyone else to take that risk.

The conversation also challenges the idea that serious professionals will reject creativity or play. Jazmin explains why experiential learning can work with everyone from volunteer leaders to executive teams, especially when the activity is clearly connected to a real problem the organization needs to solve.

Share this episode with a trainer, facilitator, or leader who would enjoy the conversation, and subscribe to Lessons from Learning Leaders so you do not miss the next one.

What if the most important skill a trainer develops isn’t presenting, facilitating, or even designing activities?

What if it’s listening?

In this episode of Lessons from Learning Leaders, I sit down with Elizabeth Chatham to talk about how listening changes everything, from the way we facilitate a classroom to the way we advocate, lead, and build relationships. Elizabeth shares her journey from working on Capitol Hill at just sixteen years old to training with Americans for Prosperity, and now serving as Associate Director of Philanthropy for Human Life International. Along the way, she explains why the best trainers spend less time proving what they know and more time discovering what their learners already know.

We also explore why training is about improving performance, not delivering content. Elizabeth shares practical ways she adapts her sessions on the fly by listening for cues from participants, using their stories to shape discussions, and helping experienced learners become valuable resources for everyone else in the room. You’ll also hear how the communication skills she developed as a trainer now help her build trust with donors, advocate for adoptive families, and coach others through difficult conversations.

Whether you’re a new trainer trying to find your footing or an experienced facilitator looking to sharpen your craft, this conversation is a reminder that some of the most important moments in training happen when we stop talking and start listening.

If you enjoy this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague who cares about helping people learn, and subscribe to Lessons from Learning Leaders so you never miss an episode.

What really changes the day you become a leader?

According to leadership expert, author, and researcher Vince Molinaro, it’s far more than a new title or a bigger paycheck. Leadership is a commitment, one that many people stumble into without ever understanding what they’ve actually signed up for.

In this episode of Lessons from Learning Leaders, Vince shares the ideas behind his Leadership Contract framework and explains why so many organizations promote great individual contributors without preparing them for the completely different job of leading people. We explore the transition from technical expert to leader, the importance of deliberate onboarding at every leadership level, and why clear expectations are the foundation of a strong leadership culture.

Our conversation also looks at the role Learning & Development can play in shaping organizational culture. Vince argues that trainers and instructional designers have an opportunity to create far more strategic value than simply delivering courses. By understanding the business, translating strategy into meaningful leadership behaviors, and helping leaders build healthy team cultures, L&D can become an essential partner in organizational success rather than just a support function.

Along the way, we discuss shared accountability, why culture is built through daily leadership behaviors, the difference between builders and maintainers, and why communicating strategy isn’t enough. Leaders have to translate it into language people can understand and act on.

Vince is also the author of several outstanding books on leadership, including The Leadership Contract, Accountable Leaders, Community of Leaders, and his newest book, Leading Strategic Shifts. If you’d like to learn more about his work, visit his author website here: Dr. Vince Molinaro’s author page. You can also replace the book link below with your Amazon affiliate link if you’d like to recommend one of his books to readers.

Whether you’re a trainer developing future leaders, an HR professional shaping leadership programs, or a manager trying to lead more intentionally, this conversation is full of practical ideas you can put to work immediately.

If you enjoy this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague and subscribe to Lessons from Learning Leaders so you never miss an episode.

What if trust isn’t a soft skill at all?

In this episode of Lessons from Learning Leaders, I sit down with executive coach, Army veteran, Bronze Star recipient, and leadership expert Jevon Wooden to explore why trust has become one of the most important drivers of engagement, innovation, and performance in today’s organizations.

Jevon argues that many leaders are still operating from an outdated playbook. They talk about trust as a value, but fail to build it through daily actions. Real trust, he says, isn’t something you declare. It’s something you demonstrate in the small moments that happen every day.

We discuss why psychological safety begins with trust, how leaders can create environments where people feel comfortable taking risks, and why organizations often struggle when they focus on compliance instead of commitment. Jevon shares practical insights on vulnerability, delegation, recognition, and the importance of listening before speaking.

We also explore the connection between trust and innovation. From empowering employees to contribute ideas outside their job descriptions to creating guardrails that allow people to fail safely, Jevon explains why the organizations that thrive are often the ones willing to learn from everyone, regardless of title or position.

Along the way, we talk about after-action reviews, Stephen Covey’s views on trust, why leaders should focus on empowering rather than micromanaging, and how meaningful work and recognition remain powerful motivators for adult learners and employees alike.

Whether you’re a trainer, facilitator, manager, executive, or anyone responsible for helping people grow and perform, this conversation offers practical ideas you can apply immediately.

If you enjoy this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague and subscribe to Lessons from Learning Leaders so you never miss an episode.

Trainers are living through another major shift.

AI is moving fast. Companies are looking for faster ways to build courses, reduce costs, and implement new tools. And once again, training departments may be one of the first places leaders look when they want to save money.

So what should trainers do?

In this episode of Lessons from Learning Leaders, I talk with Clifton Clarke III, Chief Learning Strategist for ATD Detroit and founder of Detroit Learning Solutions, about his ATD session Pivot or Perish and what trainers need to do in a changing workplace.

Clifton’s path into training started the way many L&D careers do: almost by accident. Someone saw something in him, gave him a chance, and he discovered the fulfillment that comes from helping people get better at their work. That sense of service runs through the entire conversation. As Clifton puts it, training is about helping people improve their jobs, feed their families, and increase their livelihood.

We talk about:

* How Clifton found his way into corporate training

* Why trainers need to adapt instead of panic

* What AI means for L&D professionals

* Why trainers must advocate for frontline employees

* How to partner with leadership during change

* Why staying calm is part of the trainer’s job

* What trainers need to learn before they can lead others through change

Clifton offers three practical moves for trainers right now: stay calm, ask better questions, and learn the tools inside and out. His point is not that AI should be ignored or feared. His point is that trainers have to understand it well enough to guide the organization, protect employees from bad implementation, and help leaders make smarter decisions.

This conversation is a reminder that training is not about protecting the way we have always done things. It is about helping people move forward without losing sight of the humans doing the work.

If you are a trainer, facilitator, instructional designer, or L&D leader wondering where you fit in the AI shift, this episode is worth your time.

If this conversation would help another trainer, facilitator, instructional designer, or L&D leader, share it with them. And if you haven’t already, subscribe to Lessons from Learning Leaders so you don’t miss future conversations with people doing the work of learning and development.

In this episode of Lessons from Learning Leaders, I talk with Betty Dannewitz, better known across the L&D world as If You Ask Betty, about burnout, psychological safety, and why learning professionals often neglect their own development while helping everyone else grow.

Betty is a solution architect at Blanchard, a speaker, podcast host, confidence coach, and long-time learning professional who works at the intersection of L&D, leadership, and emerging technology. But this conversation centers on something much closer to home for many trainers: the pressure to keep pushing, keep serving, keep answering every urgent request, and somehow not burn out in the process.

We talk about her ATD session, Burnout to Balance, where she led a room of L&D professionals through a community conversation on burnout, wellness, and the real pressures facing people in our field. Betty shares how she created safety in a room of 80 people, gave up control for contribution, and helped participants realize they were not carrying these struggles alone.

The conversation gets practical fast. We discuss why meaningful work can still drain you, how L&D professionals confuse urgency with importance, why breaks only work if you actually take them, and what one-person training departments can do when everything feels like it is falling on them. Betty also shares why boundaries matter, even if you do not love the word, and how building a trusted “board of directors” can keep you grounded when the work gets heavy.

If you work in training, facilitation, instructional design, or leadership development and feel like you are always helping everyone else grow while quietly running yourself into the ground, this episode is worth your time.

Betty does not offer fluffy self-care slogans. She tells the truth. Burnout is real, our work matters, and those two facts can exist at the same time.

Listen in, then ask yourself the question Betty kept bringing us back to:

Are you actually doing the thing you keep telling yourself you need to do?

If this helped, subscribe to Lessons from Learning Leaders for practical tools, activities, and ideas for better training.

Most trainers think about consulting long before they make the leap.

Then reality hits.

What do I offer?Who would hire me?How do I build a brand without sounding fake?How do I find clients without becoming the person everyone avoids at conferences?

In this episode of Lessons from Learning Leaders, I talk with Amy Vaughan, CPTD, about her move from corporate training into independent consulting and coaching.

Amy’s story includes layoffs, reinvention, strategic networking, and the hard work of building a practice around work that actually matters to her, especially supporting neurodivergent adult learners.

We talk about:

* How she found her niche

* Why networking is really relationship-building

* How to make peace with imposter syndrome

* Why volunteering and community involvement can open real doors

* How to say no to work that does not fit your mission

* What it takes to build a sustainable consulting practice without losing your integrity

This is a practical conversation for trainers, facilitators, and L&D professionals who have wondered whether consulting might be their next move.

Amy does not sell a fantasy. She tells the truth. The leap is hard. It requires grit, clarity, relationships, and a willingness to keep learning.

But if you are tired of feeling stuck and wondering what it might look like to build something of your own, this episode is worth your time.

In this episode of Lessons from Learning Leaders, we chat with Katrina Kennedy—consultant, facilitator, and author of the new book, Learning That Lasts: Reflection Activities for Trainers and Designers.

Katrina shares her accidental start in L&D, which began when her manager at the District Attorney’s office needed someone to train new staff for a reorganization: “Katrina, you can talk,” she was told. Over the past 28 years on her own, she discovered her passion for helping new trainers and subject matter experts (SMEs) design and facilitate powerful learning experiences.

The Monumental Shift: It’s Not About You

Katrina reflects on her journey from unknowingly “telling” to intentionally facilitating. Like many trainers, she initially had the mindset of an empty vessel ready to be filled. The monumental shift came during a conference session where she witnessed participants deeply interacting. She realized, “This is about them”.

She reinforces that the number one rule of training is “It’s not about you”. This realization is freeing for SMEs, reducing their nervousness because they know the focus isn’t entirely on their performance. Instead, the goal is to impress the participants with their own discoveries.

The Critical Failure Point: Learning Transfer

Katrina joins the host in preaching the absolute importance of learning transfer. The host notes that training often fails after the classroom because the trainer considers their job done, and the manager assumes the training worked. If the training isn’t transferred to the field, performance isn’t improved.

Katrina emphasizes that transfer success begins before the training, by ensuring the learning is aligned with organizational needs and securing buy-in from managers and participants.

Common Transfer Failures:

* Running Out of Time: Trainers pack too much content and neglect the vital time needed for reflection.

* No Support: Pushing people out the door without follow-up, supportive nudges, or an accountability partner.

The Phlebotomist Test: Practice Over Content

To shake the mental model that training is only about the transfer of information, Katrina uses a memorable story:

If you are going to have blood drawn, do you want the phlebotomist to have a lot of content knowledge, or do you want them to have practiced and reflected on what they’re doing?

The clear answer (practice!) reinforces the need to give people time to practice and receive feedback.

Katrina’s book, Learning That Lasts, is a practical reference guide with research-backed reflection activities that help ensure learning transfers to the workplace.

Key Takeaways

* Rule #1: It’s not about you: The most profound shift for a trainer is realizing the job is to facilitate their learning, not show off your knowledge.

* Transfer is a Trainer’s Responsibility: If you slack on the transfer strategy, the entire training fails because you haven’t improved performance.

* Reflection is Not an Afterthought: Time must be intentionally designed into the session for practice and reflection.

* Practice is Paramount: Use the phlebotomist test to prove that practice and reflection are superior to content volume.

Katrina Kennedy’s Book and Contact:

* Book: Learning That Lasts: Reflection Activities for Trainers and Designers

* Contact: Connect on LinkedIn or visit katrinakennedy.com.