In a time of shrinking budgets, shifting priorities, and constant change, creativity can feel like a luxury. Josh Penzell, founder of Imagination Applied, argues it's exactly the opposite. Drawing on his background in theater, training, and AI, Josh explores why learning experiences should function more like rehearsal rooms than lectures, and why AI works best as a creative collaborator rather than simply a productivity tool.

This episode discusses artistic intelligence, the power of the "magic if," and what learning professionals can borrow from directors, actors, and performers. Along the way, Josh shares practical ideas for building teams where creativity can thrive, rethinking stakeholder conversations, and designing experiences that lead to meaningful behavior change.

If you've ever felt constrained by limited resources, uncertainty, or the pressure to do more with less, this conversation offers a fresh perspective on creativity, collaboration, and what's possible when we stop searching for the right answer and start asking better questions.

Resources:

• Josh's Website: https://www.joshpenzell.com/
• Josh's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-penzell

In this episode of ATD Accidental Trainer, Megan Torrence, founder of TorrenceLearning and author of AI Implementation Guide for Learning and Development, explores why learning professionals are uniquely positioned to lead AI adoption across their organizations.

Megan explains the three AI impact zones every learning professional should understand during AI adoption and how L&D can influence technology initatives through trust, strategy, and thoughtful design. She also introduces her W.I.S.E.A.T.A.I. framework for responsible AI use, explains how her AI Implementation Canvas helps cross-functional teams ask the right questions before rolling out new technology, and teases what else listeners can expect from her new book.

Resources:

• Megan's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megantorrance
• Megan's Website: https://www.torrancelearning.com/
• Megan's Book: https://www.td.org/product/book--the-ai-implementation-guide-for-ld/112609
• ATD AI Intensive: https://atdintensive.td.org/

Tonya Tucker Collins, Head of Talent and Growth at Intersect, joins the podcast live from ATD26 in Los Angeles. Tonya shares what it truly means to think and design like a strategist, tackling one very important question: What separates a training program that checks a box from one that drives real business impact?

The conversation explores why great learning design alone isn't enough to gain buy-in and how L&D professionals can increase strategic impact by reading the signals from the organization's culture, program data, and your stakeholder relationships. You'll also learn practical tips for using prototypes and pilots to improve learning solutions, identifying the right champions to help your strategy, and determining whether an existing program should be maintained, enhanced, or completely redesigned.

Resources:

• Tonya's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tonya-t-tucker-collins-shrm-scp

In this episode of ATD Accidental Trainer, learning expert, facilitator, and coach Moe Poirier explores the power of bringing your authentic facilitation strengths into the training room. Moe shares why facilitation isn't just a skill, but an expression of who you are and the gifts you bring to learners.

The conversation dives into Moe's five facilitator personas model (the Sensei, Drill Sergeant, Superhero, Confidant, and Jester) and explains how understanding your natural strengths can help you adapt to the learners and create more meaningful learning experiences. Moe also shares practical insights on reading the room, balancing structure with play, and designing training that creates connection and transformation.

Resources:

• Moe's Website: https://shiftfacilitation.com/
• Order Moe's Book: https://www.td.org/product/book--the-five-personas-of-facilitation/112610
• Moe's LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/moepoirier
• Discover ATD26: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvUGjRiQsE45OPmr64Tvt-XYTfnP7wnSL

Bestselling author and researcher Tom Rath explores a deceptively simple question: What's the point? Drawing from his latest book, What's the Point? Turning Purpose Into Your Daily Superpower, Tom reframes purpose as something that can be created in small, meaningful moments every day.

We discuss how L&D professionals and leaders can move beyond productivity and efficiency to help people see the real impact of their work. From redefining the role of managers in connecting employees to contribution, to challenging the myth of passion and viewing purpose as an outward, others‑focused practice, this conversation offers practical ways to make purpose part of everyday work.

Whether you're developing others or navigating your own career, this episode will help you rethink purpose and how to act on it.

Resources:

• Tom on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trath/
• Tom's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Whats-Point-Tom-Rath/dp/1939714281?tag=tomrath-wtp-20
• Tom's Website: https://tomrath.org/

Marcus Buckingham, New York Times bestselling author, joins the podcast to make a bold case from his new book, Design Love In. Love is the most powerful driver of business outcomes, and modern workplaces have engineered it out.

What does "love" actually mean at work? Why do people wear armor on the job, and how do everyday systems help them take it off? Marcus introduces a blueprint for creating loving experiences built on five sequential emotions, and reveals what happens when organizations try to skip ahead. He also addresses the pressures of the current moment and how AI can either support human flourishing or quietly push love out of work.

Most importantly, Marcus offers concrete ways anyone can begin designing love back into work, leadership, learning, and culture with intention, starting now.

Resources:

• Marcus on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-buckingham/
• Marcus' book: https://www.designlovein.com/
• Marcus' company: https://www.lovethat.com/

Tina Robinson is the CEO of WorkJoy, a firm dedicated to helping leaders at all levels unleash their potential, and author of the newly released book, Developing Your Business Leaders A Guide to Investing at all Levels. In this episode, Tina challenges conventional thinking around how organizations develop their leaders and shares why leadership development should be treated as a strategic investment and not a one-off training program.

Using strategies from her book, Tina provides tactics for moving past vague requests from stakeholders to uncover the real business needs underneath. One practical tool is her "one-to-one, one-to-many, and one-to-all" framework, which helps talent development professionals choose the right approach to leadership development. We also cover navigating stakeholder conversations with confidence, why not every problem should be solved with training, and how to measure impact in meaningful ways.

Resources:

• Tina on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tinarobinsonspeaks/
• WorkJoy website: https://www.workjoycoaching.com/
• Tina's book: https://www.amazon.com/Developing-Your-Business-Leaders-Investing/dp/1960231766

Register for ATD Intensive: https://atdintensive.td.org/

Frontline employees represent 70–80% of the global workforce, yet they're often the least supported. In this episode of ATD's Accidental Trainer, JD Dillon, author of The Frontline Enablement Playbook, and Shannon Davis, Talent Development Manager at MAREK, unpack what organizations consistently misunderstand about frontline work and what it really takes to enable performance across industries.

From retail and healthcare to construction and hospitality, the conversation explores commonalities across frontline workforces, creating learning programs for deskless workers, and how AI fits into the picture. JD shares insights from his work across movie theaters, Walt Disney theme parks, higher education, and global logistics, while Shannon brings a frontline-first mindset from her work in construction and talent development leadership.

Resources:

• JD's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jddillon/
• JD's website: https://jddillon.com/
• Shannon's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-davis1938/
• Intensive Website: https://atdintensive.td.org/

Lori Niles-Hoffmann, senior learning strategist, co-founder of 8Levers, and longtime voice in the L&D space, explores the trends shaping talent development this year. Her 2026 predictions focus on the future of learning: the decline of one-size-fits-all courses, the rise of AI tutors and performance support, and how personalized, contextual learning will reshape the learner experience.

In this episode, Lori challenges the hype around generative AI, highlights the growing importance of agents and workflow redesign, and explains why L&D must prepare now to stay strategically relevant. The conversation also tackles ethics, data privacy, and employee trust, along with the emotional reality many professionals feel amid rapid change. Lori reminds us that while technology evolves, human skills, classroom connection, and empathy remain essential.

Resources:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorinileshofmann/
• Website: https://www.loriniles.com/
• Business Website: https://www.8levers.com/

Rebecca Hinds holds a PhD from Stanford University and is the author of Your Best Meeting Ever. She is a leading expert on organizational behavior and joins the podcast to explore why meetings are hurting your organization more than helping.

Rebecca explains how, in their current format, meetings lead to wasted time and money. The solution, she argues, is treating meetings as if they were products – designed intentionally, measured regularly, and continuously improved. In this episode, Rebecca provides the "4D-CEO Test" for deciding whether a meeting should exist, explains how organizational culture influences "meeting debt," and gives tips for measuring return on time invested.

Resources:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-hinds/
• Website: https://www.rebeccahinds.com/
• Book: https://www.rebeccahinds.com/book