What does inclusive learning design look like for a culture change journey? In this 1AM Talks trailer, we share with you what’s in Episode 3, where we join Aurora Arista and Luna Ali from Spiral Learning — an organisation supporting young adults from underrepresented backgrounds.

They discuss how a Coaching and Culture-Change Programme was created to strengthen communication, accountability and wellbeing, support staff's work with young adults, while staying true to the charity’s values of inclusion and safeguarding.

Hear how leadership, embedding diversity and values alignment,  are driving themes in an organisational  journey, that aims to support both staff and impact on the young people they work with.

#LearningAndDevelopment #CultureChange #InclusiveLeadership #YouthDevelopment #Safeguarding #OrganisationalDevelopment #EDIB #WorkplaceWellbeing #qualityatwork

🤔How do you help busy staff engage, grow and make confident career decisions when they’re stretched  and not yet ready to focus? In this episode of 1AM talks, we explore that practical challenge  - something nearly every  for every Head of L&D, OD, organisational  coach and facilitator faces. 

At South London NHS  Mental Health Trust , Amanda Cummins and Karen Nelson and other staff  took part in a coaching programme and a  communication skills workshop — that led to real workplace impact: clearer career direction, renewed confidence, several  promotions, study choices and role changes across the team.

Hosts Andry McFarlane and Rachael Palmer join Amanda and Karen for a 360° look at impact and learning journeys; simple grounding practices that helped staff be focused and resourceful, managers taking part in the same learning as everyone else, and thoughtful workshop preparation that ensured everyone came more ready to learn.

Karen, a woman of colour with lived experience of mental health, describes how being genuinely understood by her coach gave her the skills to ground herself daily — and gave others the confidence to speak up, take initiative and influence colleagues at work. Amanda reflects on seeing every team member make a decisive move in their professional journey — proof of how presence  and confidence translate directly into career growth and talent development.

For internal coaches and trainers, this episode offers practical insights into how to make learning stick in pressured environments by:

It’s a reminder that when any learning begins with a good foundation, people don’t just learn better — they also act differently, in ways that have a positive impact on their work and careers.

🎧 We’d love to know your thoughts: What helps you create the right conditions for staff to focus and grow when they are not yet ready for learning?

⏱ Episode guide

🎧 For coaches and facilitators who want to see visible impact — from confidence to career growth.

Guest Details: 

Amanda Cummins and Karen Nelson at South London NHS  Mental Health Trusthttps://www.linkedin.com/company/south-west-london-and-st-george's-mental-health-nhs-trust/?originalSubdomain=uk

#WorkplaceCoaching #LearningAndDevelopment #CareerDevelopment #CoachingCulture #PsychologicalSafety #SpeakingUp #Grounding #LeadershipDevelopment #WellbeingAtWork #1AMtalks

Trailer Episode 2: Discover how staff grounded themselves through somatic techniques, built confidence to communicate and grew their careers within a dynamic, lived-experience workplace culture — through co-design, inclusive coaching, and communication programmes.

1AM Talks hosts speak with Karen Nelson and Amanda Cummins about somatic learning and all things L&D impact — an insightful chat about a real L&D project at South West London & St George’s Mental Health Trust, and how we all made it happen.

Plus — what is 1AM Talks, anyway? At 2 mins 36 secs, it’s our longest trailer yet… we’re learning — next time, even shorter!

#LearningAndDevelopment

#TalentDevelopment

#CoachingCulture

#WorkplaceWellbeing

#CommunicationAtWork

#PsychologicalSafety

#CareerGrowth

#OrganisationalDevelopment

#InclusiveLeadership

#HealthcareLeadership

#LivedExperience

🎙 Episode 1 - Getting a Team on Board: Coaching, Confidence and Psychological Safety

In this 20 minute episode we speak with Amanda Cummins and Karen Nelson from South London NHS  Mental Health Trust,  about how a team with lived experience of mental health commissioned and co-designed a wellbeing- and communication focused coaching and workshop programme.

This conversation offers a personal look at how collaborative commissioning, psychological safety and staff involvement came together to create a programme that really engaged staff. It met people where they were — acknowledging the realities of lived experience, imposter syndrome and identity — and worked because it followed an emergent, adaptive approach rather than a rigidly fixed plan.

There’s a lovely humour and warmth running through this episode. It’s filled with ideas on how to commission collaboratively, insights into whether one coach working with people from the same team can be effective, and tips for those wanting greater return on investment from coaching by partnering closely with their coach.

You’ll hear how the Trust’s challenge was to help staff build the confidence to speak up, reflect on their wellbeing and identity, and invest in learning that was both personal and systemic — connecting individual growth to wider organisational change.

Tight L&D budgets, big ambitions, constant pressure? 1AM talks shares what really works in L&D.

⏱ Episode guide

00:00 – Introduction: meet hosts Andry McFarlane and Rachael Palmer; how 1AM Talks brings 360° views from L&D commissioners, facilitators and participants.

01:05 – Imposter syndrome & confidence: Amanda Cummins and Karen Nelson share how coaching supported promotion and wellbeing.

04:50 – The commissioning challenge: designing L&D for staff with mental health and carer lived experience.

07:20 – Designing for emergence: how the programme evolved through reflection and feedback.

10:40 – Creating psychological safety: linking lived experience and anti-racism objectives to Trust strategy.

14:05 – Systemic and relational coaching: building learning that extends from individual to organisation.