Talent Development Leader
Sponsored by We Are, The Association for Talent Development (ATD)'s Talent Development Leader podcast features monthly conversations with the greatest influencers in the talent development field. Tune in for the latest trends, hot topics, and future-focused ideas that current and aspiring TD leaders need to know. Learn more at www.td.org/talent-development-leader-podcast.
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From Learning & Development to Talent Development: The Shift That Changes Everything
<p>What separates organizations that treat learning as an expense from those that see talent as a competitive advantage? In this episode of Talent Development Leader podcast, learning strategist, author, and Tractus Learning founder Becky Willis explains why the profession must evolve from Learning & Development to Talent Development to remain relevant and drive business results. Becky explores why L&D often struggles to earn strategic influence, how leading organizations align talent initiatives with business goals, the metrics that matter, and the most common reasons transformation efforts fail. She also shares insights from her book, 7 Steps to Better Learning Engagement, and...
The Capability Blueprint: Connecting Skills, Performance, and Strategy
<p>What sits between a company's strategy and the skills of its workforce? According to Ben Satchwell, Head of Capabilities at Acorn PLMS, the answer is capability. In this episode of Talent Development Leader podcast, Ben breaks down the layered relationship between skills, competencies, capabilities, job design, and performance. He explains why many competency frameworks become shelfware, and offers actionable guidance for talent development leaders who want to build systems that create real value. Listen and learn how to begin designing capability frameworks that will help your organization move beyond training activities and toward meaningful business outcomes. </p>
Leading from Within: The Power of Personal Vision with Kimberly Currier
<p>A clear personal vision can be the difference between reacting to life and intentionally leading it. In this episode of ATD's Talent Development Leader podcast, Kimberly Currier, global talent and leadership development executive, explores why personal vision is a foundational leadership capability. She shares how such a purpose can guide decisions, build resilience, and help leaders stay grounded through change. Learn how to develop your own personal vision; integrate it into your organization's leadership development initiatives; and use it to foster an organizational culture rooted in clarity, authenticity, and shared purpose.</p>
From Cost Center to Strategic Driver: Reframing Talent Development in Tough Times
<p>When budgets shrink, talent development leaders must do more than defend their programs—they must demonstrate their value through communication and influence. In this episode of the Talent Development Leader podcast, Amii Barnard-Bahn, former Fortune 5 executive and top leadership coach, breaks down a strategic communication model for elevating TD's role in the business. Learn how to communicate with clarity, strengthen your team's value proposition, and guide your organization through layoffs and disruption. Become a leader who re-engages and "re-recruits" the people who stay, and turns tough moments into opportunities to rebuild trust and commitment.</p> <p>Amii's Resources: https://ww...
The Future CLO: Leading Learning as a Strategic Business Enabler
<p>The role of the Chief Learning Officer is at an inflection point. In this episode of Talent Development Leader podcast, Tracie Cantu, Chief Learning Strategist at Your CLO and author of Running L&D Like a Business, breaks down how and why the CLO role has evolved beyond managing training and into enabling enterprise performance.</p> <p>Listen and learn what's keeping L&D stuck in reactive modes, where CLOs struggle most when juggling operational excellence with business agility, and why reframing learning as performance enablement can dramatically change how the business engages with L&D. </p> <p>Finally, h...
Preparing Leaders and Learners for Human‑AI Collaboration with Patrick Lynch
<p>AI is transforming work—but not in the ways many leaders fear. In this episode of Talent Development Leader podcast, Patrick D. Lynch, 2026 Thinkers50 Radar thought leader, AI Faculty Lead at Hult International Business School, and one of the world's leading voices on human‑AI collaboration, explores why the future of work is less about job loss and more about job transformation.</p> <p>Patrick brings a rare blend of Fortune 500 executive experience, behavioral science rigor, and real-world insight to the creation of his THRIVE framework, which is helping leaders worldwide design AI adoption as elevation, not replacement.</p> <p>Li...
Stories That Inspire: Leading with Influence, Clarity, and Joy with Julie Lancaster
<p>Storytelling isn't a soft skill—it's a serious leadership advantage. In this episode of Talent Development Leader podcast, Julie Lancaster, CEO of Lancaster Leadership and author of Beyond Words: How Our Stories & Strategies Inspire Action, shares why storytelling is the missing link between great ideas and real impact. She explains what reseach says about storytelling and influence, the ingredients of a story that actually moves people to action, and how to lead with clarity and confidence during uncertain times. Listen for practical frameworks and real-world examples from Julie's work with 75,000 leaders that will help you tap into the stories al...
The Business-Minded TD Leader With Tina Robinson
<p>In this episode of Talent Development Leader podcast, Tina Robinson, executive coach and author of the ATD Press book, Developing Your Business Leaders, explains why many TD leaders get stuck reacting to requests instead of driving the business forward, and how to break the cycle. Tina shares the common pitfalls talent professionals face, how to build credibility with executives, and why defining the WHO, WHAT, and WHY of learning strategy always matters more than the HOW. If you're ready to elevate your TD function from "nice-to-have" to business-critical, this episode is your playbook.</p>
Development for Everyone: AI Coaching in Action with Kirsten Moorefield
<p>As organizations move beyond high-potential-only development models, AI coaching is emerging as a powerful enabler of personalized growth at scale. In this episode of Talent Development Leader podcast, Kirsten Moorefield, cofounder of Cloverleaf, describes how AI coaching is leveling the playing field for people development. Learn what to look for and watch out for when it comes to AI coaching tools, plus practical use cases in the workplace. And discover how you can responsibly use AI to support learning, true behavior change, and performance across your organization.</p> <p> </p>
When Work Becomes Learning: Redesigning the Employee Experience with Samantha Murray
<p>What if the most powerful learning initiative isn't a program, but the way work itself is designed? In this episode of Talent Development Leader podcast, Sam Murray, Founder and CEO of AlignedCX, challenges traditional approaches to learning and enablement and makes the case for merging work and learning to drive real business outcomes. She describes how TD leaders can identify high-value work, decide what belongs with humans versus AI, and design employee experiences that fuel both growth and performance. Listen and explore new ways of thinking about data, performance measurement, and operating models for learning in a world where w...
