Development Reimagined

In honor of Canadian Thanksgiving, Anita and Chin want to take a moment to thank you for being a listener! While we take a short break, we invite you to revisit this episode on ROI. It’s especially timely as you put the finishing touches on your budget.

Are we measuring the wrong return when it comes to leadership development?

In this episode of Development Reimagined, Chin and Anita take a closer look at how organizations define and measure ROI in learning and development—and why tying impact strictly to short-term financial outcomes may be limiting the very growth we’re trying to create. Through everyday examples and real workplace dynamics, they explore how development programs influence collaboration, trust, communication, and retention in ways that don’t always show up on a quarterly report—but absolutely shape long-term performance. If you've ever struggled to justify leadership development because “the numbers” didn’t move fast enough, this conversation offers a more expansive and human-centered way to define value.

📝 Want the one-pager from this episode with key takeaways and reflection questions? Visit www.reimaginingwithus.com.

🎯 Sponsored by HIGHER A gamified leadership development program built for first-line managers and their teams—designed to build leadership character, develop practical skills, and unleash team brilliance in the flow of real work. www.takemyteamhigher.com.

What if some of the experiences you complained about at the time were actually preparing you for who you were becoming?

In this episode of Development Reimagined, Chin and Anita look back at the jobs, leaders, challenges, opportunities, and unexpected moments that shaped their professional evolution.From letting go of the pressure to be the expert, to realizing learning cannot fix a workplace system that does not support the desired behavior, this conversation explores what becomes visible when we take time to look back.And for HR, L&D, and people leaders, there is an important question underneath it all: Are we creating enough space for people to be exposed, gain experience, and evolve?

In this episode:

• Why exposure to work outside someone's normal role can become powerful development
• Why people need experience and practice, not just information, to grow
• How workplace systems can undermine even great learning
• Why professional growth sometimes requires letting go of an old version of yourself
• How Exposure, Experience, and Evolution can reshape the way we develop people

📝 Want the one-pager from this episode with key takeaways and reflection questions? Visit www.reimaginingwithus.com.

🎯 Sponsored by HIGHER A gamified leadership development program built for first-line managers and their teams—designed to build leadership character, develop practical skills, and unleash team brilliance in the flow of real work. www.takemyteamhigher.com.

What if some of the most powerful learning experiences don’t look like training at all?

In this episode of Development Reimagined, Anita and Chin challenge the traditional idea of workplace learning and explore what becomes possible when organizations move beyond PowerPoint, case studies, and one-time training events. From improv and silent retreats to escape rooms, cooking challenges, walking tours, art, job exchanges, and even everyday observation, they explore how unconventional experiences can surface behaviors, strengthen skills, and create insights that traditional instruction may never uncover. The conversation also challenges L&D and HR professionals to reconsider a fundamental question:


Are we designing training, or are we creating opportunities for people to actually learn?

In this episode:

• Why exposure to information does not automatically equal learning
• How experiential learning can reveal real workplace behavior patterns
• Why unconventional modalities can develop multiple skills at once
• How to gain buy-in for learning experiences that may initially look like “just fun”
• Why reinforcement and application must continue long after the experience ends

📝 Want the one-pager from this episode with key takeaways and reflection questions?
Visit www.reimaginingwithus.com.

🎯 Sponsored by HIGHER A gamified leadership development program built for first-line managers and their teams—designed to build leadership character, develop practical skills, and unleash team brilliance in the flow of real work. www.takemyteamhigher.com.

What if the most important part of an in-person learning experience is no longer the content?

In this episode of Development Reimagined, Chin and Anita explore what professional sports can teach L&D about creating learning experiences people actually remember.From music and play to shared experiences, reflection, connection, and application, they challenge the traditional belief that more content automatically means more learning. In a world where information is instantly available through AI, the real value of bringing people together may be what happens beyond the slides.They also explore the difference between engagement and true experiential learning, why facilitators may need a different skill set than trainers, and why meaningful behavior change cannot be achieved through a one-and-done workshop.

In this episode:

• Why content-heavy learning experiences are often forgettable
• The difference between participation, engagement, and experiential learning
• Why connection may be one of the most valuable outcomes of in-person learning
• How facilitators can use play, reflection, and shared experiences to surface real workplace behaviors
• Why organizations should design learning around application and behavior change, not simply content coverage

📝 Want the one-pager from this episode with key takeaways and
reflection questions? Visit www.reimaginingwithus.com.

🎯 Sponsored by HIGHER A gamified leadership development program built
for first-line managers and their teams—designed to build leadership character,
develop practical skills, and unleash team brilliance in the flow of real work.
www.takemyteamhigher.com.

What happens when someone on your team faces an obstacle or begins to struggle? Do you see an opportunity to build resilience and character, or does your instinct push you to step in, take the work away, and protect them from discomfort?

In this episode, Chin and Anita explore what cultivating resilience really looks like in the workplace.
From the unintended consequences of “everyone gets a trophy” mindsets to the common mistake of treating resilience like an e-learning module or a wellness webinar, they unpack why true grit cannot be taught in a classroom.

They also challenge HR, L&D, and people leaders to examine whether their organizations are genuinely building capable people—or simply expecting exhausted employees to endure broken systems
.
In this episode, we explore:

• Why resilience cannot be taught through lectures or wellness days, but must be cultivated through lived experience and productive tension.
• How well-meaning leaders stunt employee growth when they step in and remove obstacles instead of helping people navigate them.
• Why two people can experience the exact same setback and have entirely different outcomes based on the presence of an intentional debrief.
• How organizations unfairly use “resilience” as a scapegoat to ignore constant churn, poor communication, and broken work environments.
• What business leaders can learn from professional sports about treating recovery, walkthroughs, and reflection as essential parts of high performance.

Cultivating resilience is not about asking people to absorb endless dysfunction. It is about developing leaders who know how to introduce healthy challenge, facilitate meaningful reflection, and create the space for sustainable growth.

📝 Want the one-pager from this episode with key takeaways and reflection questions? Visit www.reimaginingwithus.com.

🎯 Sponsored by HIGHER A gamified leadership development program built for first-line managers and their teams—designed to build leadership character, develop practical skills, and unleash team brilliance in the flow of real work. www.takemyteamhigher.com.

What happens when someone on your team makes a mistake? Do you see a moment to learn and grow, or does that one moment permanently change how you see them?

In this episode, Chin and Anita explore what second chances really look like in the workplace. From the stories leaders tell themselves about team members to the pressure of protecting results and their own reputations, they unpack why extending trust again can feel risky.They also challenge HR, L&D, and people leaders to consider whether their organization’s stated values around learning, growth, and development actually show up when someone gets it wrong.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why two employees can make the same mistake and receive very different responses
• How a leader’s own identity, reputation, and fear of risk can influence who gets another chance
• Why leaders should examine their own contribution when something goes wrong
• How patterns, context, and clear expectations can lead to better decisions about second chances
• Why rebuilding trust may happen through smaller opportunities, new agreements, and course correction rather than simply “trying again”

Second chances are not about lowering the bar. They are about developing leaders who can assess what happened, determine what needs to change, and create room for people to grow.

📝 Want the one-pager from this episode with key takeaways and reflection questions? Visit www.reimaginingwithus.com.

🎯 Sponsored by HIGHER A gamified leadership development program built for first-line managers and their teams—designed to build leadership character, develop practical skills, and unleash team brilliance in the flow of real work. www.takemyteamhigher.com.

Anita and Chin are off again in celebration of the upcoming holidays in Canada and the USA. While they’re away, they invite you to revisit one of their earlier episodes, where they discuss one of their favorite topics: culture.  

In this episode of Development Reimagined, we dive into one of the most talked-about topics in the workplace: culture. But we’re not talking about inspirational posters or fun perks. We’re talking about the everyday signals, habits, decisions, and behaviors that shape what it really feels like to work somewhere. Chinwe Grace Jones and Anita Gouveia explore what it means to reimagine culture as something we do, not just something we define. They ask bold questions like:

• What culture are we actually creating with our current systems and behaviors?
• Where does culture truly live—HR? Leadership? Or in every interaction?
• And what does it take to create a culture that isn’t just talked about at retreats, but reinforced in the day-to-day flow of work?

You’ll hear insights on the cost of culture misalignment, the power of micro-behaviors, and why culture should be treated less like a project and more like a living, breathing ecosystem. Whether you’re an HR leader, a people manager, or a CEO trying to make sense of where culture lives and how to shift it—this episode is packed with human-centered, practical insights.

📝 Want the one-pager from this episode with key takeaways and reflection questions?
Visit www.reimaginingwithus.com

🎯 Sponsored by HIGHER
A gamified leadership development program built for first-line managers and their teams—designed to build leadership character, develop practical skills, and unleash team brilliance in the flow of real work. - www.takemyteamhigher.com

What if some of the wisdom we require at work is not coming from our mind at all, but from our body?

In Part 2 of our conversation on Reimagining Body Intelligence, Cécile Raynor takes us beyond the concept and lets us experience it. Through a simple demonstration, we see how quickly greater body awareness can change what we notice about tension, movement and the habitual ways we use our bodies.From there, the conversation turns practical: What could body intelligence look like in meetings, learning experiences and moments of organizational change? And how can HR, L&D and leaders create more space for people to reset, move, process and pay attention to what their bodies may be communicating?

In this episode, we explore:

• Why body intelligence begins with expanded awareness, not perfection
• How small experiential moments can introduce body intelligence into the workplace
• Why leaders may want to pay attention to their own physical state before communicating change
• How movement, meaningful breaks, hydration and reset moments can improve the learning experience
• Why sometimes the most effective thing a leader can do is allow the energy in the room to settle before speaking

📝 Want the one-pager from this episode with key takeaways and reflection questions? Visit www.reimaginingwithus.com.

🎯 Sponsored by HIGHER A gamified leadership development program built for first-line managers and their teams—designed to build leadership character, develop practical skills, and unleash team brilliance in the flow of real work. www.takemyteamhigher.com.

What if some of the information leaders need most is not coming from the mind at all?

We spend a great deal of time developing emotional intelligence, critical thinking, communication, and other cognitive skills. But in this episode of Development Reimagined, we explore a dimension of development that receives far less attention: body intelligence.Chinwe and Anita are joined by Cecile Rayner, author, speaker, coach, and founder of Cecile’s Wise Ways, for a conversation about the information our bodies are constantly giving us and what we may be missing when leadership development stays primarily in the head.Together, they explore the distinction between body intelligence and body wisdom, how stress and emotion can show up physically, what happens when people continually push through tension and exhaustion, and why greater body awareness may help us rethink how people lead, work, and develop.In this episode, you’ll hear:

• The difference between body intelligence and body wisdom
• Why leadership development may rely too heavily on cognitive learning
• How unaddressed stress and emotion can show up in workplace behavior
• What “functioning burnout” can look like before someone reaches a breaking point
• Why awareness of the body may be an important next evolution of emotional intelligence

📝 Want the one-pager from this episode with key takeaways and reflection questions? Visit www.reimaginingwithus.com.

🎯 Sponsored by HIGHER A gamified leadership development program built for first-line managers and their teams—designed to build leadership character, develop practical skills, and unleash team brilliance in the flow of real work. www.takemyteamhigher.com.

We hope you’re having an amazing summer! Anita and Chin are still enjoying their summer break, but we wanted to invite you to revisit this episode on purpose. Sometimes a second listen meets you differently and reveals an insight you may not have caught the first time.

What if purpose is not something you discover someday… but something you live today? In this episode of Development Reimagined, Chin and Anita explore what it really means to reimagine purpose at work and in life. Inspired by Jane Goodall’s powerful message to a nine-year-old aspiring biologist, this conversation challenges leaders and organizations to stop postponing purpose and start nurturing it now. They unpack whether purpose is fixed or evolving, why so many adults feel disconnected from meaning, and how organizations can create space for employees to experiment, express, and connect their personal purpose to their professional roles. If organizations expect alignment with their mission, should they not also care about the individual purpose each person brings through the door? In this episode, we explore:

• Why purpose does not have to wait for a title, degree, or future milestone
• Whether purpose is fixed or simply shows up differently over time
• How leaders can help employees connect their deeper purpose to everyday work
• Why asking “What is your purpose?” may be a transformative interview question
• The role HR, L&D, and executives play in creating environments where purpose can shine

📝 Want the one-pager from this episode with key takeaways and reflection questions? Visit www.reimaginingwithus.com.

🎯 Sponsored by HIGHER
A gamified leadership development program built for first-line managers and their teams—designed to build leadership character, develop practical skills, and unleash team brilliance in the flow of real work. www.takemyteamhigher.com.