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

Learning is hard – but that's a good thing. In this episode of the ATD's Accidental Trainer podcast, learning scientist and co-founder of To Eleven, Julia Phelan, dives into why effective learning should feel challenging and how trainers can bring out the most growth in a learner amidst that challenge.

Drawing from examples in music and sports, Julia emphasizes that struggle, practice, feedback, and time are essential for meaningful learning to occur. The conversation provides advice for setting realistic expectations, designing with intention, and adapting strategies as learners move from novice to expert. Rather than chasing "silver bullet" techniques, Julia urges L&D professionals to anchor their work in how learning actually happens and to remain flexible as conditions change.

From playing guitar to onboarding, Julia lives by her mantra: learning is hard, and hard is learning.

Resources:

• Website: https://to11solutions.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliacphelan/
• ATD Content: https://www.td.org/p/julia-phelan
• Substack: https://juliaslearningstack.substack.com/p/welcome-to-julias-learning-stack?r=mwqc0&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=true

The key to higher performance isn't perks or programs, but genuine care for employees' well-being.

Mark C. Crowley joins the podcast to share insights from his book The Power of Employee Wellbeing. Drawing on both research and his experience as a manager, Crowley explains why traditional engagement programs often fall short, how to meaningfully measure well-being, and the link between productivity and authentic workplace relationships.

The conversation also explores how to build alignment between managers and employees, gather feedback on your leadership style, and support well-being in both remote and in-person settings. You'll leave this episode with evidence-based practices to elevate performance and strengthen employee satisfaction.

Resources:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markccrowley
• Website: https://markccrowley.com/
• Book: https://markccrowley.com/the_power_of_employee_well-being/
• Fast Company Articles: https://www.fastcompany.com/user/mark-c-crowley
• John Gottman's Website: https://www.gottman.com/

Marty Dubin, a clinical psychologist and author of Blindspotting: How to See What's Holding You Back as a Leader, joins us to explore six leadership blind spots that may be affecting your work: identity, intellect, emotion, motive, traits, and behavior.

These areas offer L&D professionals a framework for strengthening self-awareness and managing the many roles they take on. Marty explains the "why" behind analyzing blind spots, shares actionable steps for adopting new behaviors, and provides strategies to prevent strengths ("gifts") from becoming weaknesses ("gaps"). Drawing on his experience as both entrepreneur and business coach, Marty also discusses the value of emotional agility, the four types of intelligence, and how to align your identity with your role—even amid rapid change.

Resources:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-dubin/
• Website: https://www.martindubin.com/
• Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DRZFK8J6?tag=bk00010a-20&th=1&psc=1&geniuslink=true

When it comes to tackling the bias around age, is the juice worth the squeeze? Our guest, Tonya Wilson, says absolutely.

Tonya, organizational strategist and founder of AFC Consulting Group, joins the podcast to discuss the hidden costs of age discrimination—an issue that drains more than $850 billion from the U.S. economy each year. Tonya debunks myths about older generations, reframes age bias as a change management challenge, and offers suggestions for creating systems that provide growth opportunities for all employers.

Building an ageless workplace begins with auditing processes that may favor younger employees—whether in job descriptions, promotion practices, or workplace culture. From fostering psychological safety to implementing reverse mentorships, Tonya shares research-backed insights on training older generations and reveals how to develop agility as a mindset first.

Reources:

• Website: https://www.afcconsultinggroup.com/
• Blog: https://www.td.org/content/atd-blog/designing-ageless-workplaces-a-strategic-imperative-for-the-future
• TD article: https://www.td.org/content/td-magazine/the-future-of-work-is-ageless
• Resource Package: https://resources.afcconsultinggroup.com/unmaskingageism
• ATD25 Education Session: https://www.td.org/content/conference-recording/unmasking-ageism-raising-awareness-and-shaping-inclusive-talent-development

Ryan Lufkin, Vice President of Global Academic Strategy at Instructure, joins the podcast to cut through the noise around AI-enabled skill building and explore how this technology can truly support a thriving learning culture.

AI is an accelerator, a disruptor, and a powerful tool—but it's not replacing educators any time soon. Ryan shares how AI can work hand-in-hand with human oversight, expand accessibility, and take tedious tasks off your plate. He also offers practical, budget-friendly tools that L&D teams can put to work today.

Resources:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanlufkin/
• Website: https://www.instructure.com/

Sabina Nawaz is a global CEO coach, leadership keynote speaker, author, and advisor to C-level executives in Fortune 500 corporations, government agencies, non-profits, and academic institutions. She joins the podcast to discuss themes of leadership from her book, You're the Boss: Become the Manager You Want to Be (and Others Need).

As leaders navigate expanding power, increasing pressure to perform, and the impact of their decisions, Sabina offers tools to help mitigate the tension that builds. Whether you're a first-time manager or a seasoned leader, this episode will help you avoid the common pitfalls that can turn even your superpowers into setbacks.

Resources:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabinanawaz/
• Website: https://sabinanawaz.com/
• Book: https://sabinanawaz.com/book/