Harald’s Curious Corner

By Harald Overaa

Harald’s Curious Corner is where curiosity meets connection.

Harald chases that question with a guest, gathers perspectives from voices across the industry, and then steps back to reflect on what it ... more

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How many episodes does Harald’s Curious Corner have?

The podcast currently has 25 episodes available.

Harald’s Curious Corner episodes:

May 14, 2026From Sugar Pills to Strategy: L&D's AI Wake-Up Call
Most L&D teams are using AI to go faster. The best ones are using it to ask harder questions.
Egle Vinauskaite joins me for a conversation that sits at the intersection of AI, performance, and the evolving identity of Learning & Development. Fresh from the keynote stage at Docebo Inspire, she brings both an evidence-based and practical lens to what separates high-performing L&D functions from the rest.
That perspective comes through in everything we discuss. In this episode, we look at why so many L&D teams are still treating AI as a small tweak rather than a wholesale shift in how work gets done. Egle reflects on why performance is a systems problem, not a content problem, why the highest-performing L&D leaders think like business leaders first, and what it means for our field when organisations start rolling out AI strategies without us in the room.
Some curious takeaways:
AI is changing the work L&D supports, not just the tools L&D uses
The highest-performing L&D leaders think like business leaders, not learning leaders
Solving the obvious problem is often solving the wrong one

Episode highlights:
(00:00) Welcome to Harald’s Curious Corner
(00:47) What genuinely excites Egle about L&D right now
(02:25) How AI tools are enabling deliberate practice
(04:41) Moving from course builder to learning architect
(05:28) What the organization actually expects from L&D
(07:42) The danger of treating AI as just a small tweak
(09:36) L&D as investigative journalist and problem solver
(10:23) The diagnostic mindset and holistic performance
(11:29) What separates high-impact L&D teas in 2-3 years
(14:23) The pharmacist vs doctor approach to L&D

Connect with the guest:
Egle Vinauskaite on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vinauskaite/
Explore Nodes: https://www.nodes.works/

Follow me on the following sites:
Harald Overaa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haraldovera/
Subscribe to Harald’s Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901795950403186688/
...more
17min
May 07, 2026The New Role of L&D Leaders Architects of Experience and Knowledge
How can L&D leaders use technology to drive real business impact?
In this wrap-up, I summarize what went down in Docebo Inspire 2026 and discuss what truly stood out during the conference. Time and again, the focus was on how learning and development can go beyond just creating programs to becoming architects of impactful experiences. The conversation constantly returned to the need for L&D to embrace AI and technology not as shiny new tools but as strategic partners that help solve real business problems. The most successful L&D teams are those that stay grounded in the needs of the business, use data to drive decisions, and remember that human connection remains at the heart of learning.

I’m also evolving the direction here. Instead of just focusing on a series of conversations, I’ll be diving into more standalone insights, giving me the flexibility to explore the latest trends and most exciting developments in L&D, customer education, and enablement.
Some curious takeaways:
Focus on architecting meaningful learning experiences, not just programs
AI is most effective when used strategically to solve real business problems
True L&D leadership lies in aligning technology with human connection

Episode highlights:
(00:00) Welcome to Harald’s Curious Corner
(01:10) The evolution of L&D from facilitators to experience architects
(03:00) The importance of staying close to business problems
(05:20) Leveraging AI to solve real problems, not just speed up tasks
(08:00) How L&D can use data to drive meaningful change
(10:15) Moving from building programs to designing impactful experiences
(13:10) The role of human connection in a tech-driven world
(16:05) Reflecting on the future of L&D and what comes next

Follow me on the following sites:
Harald Overaa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haraldovera/
Subscribe to Harald’s Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901795950403186688/
...more
21min
April 23, 2026How L&D Can Drive Real Behaviour Change
The real challenge for L&D is not delivering content. It is helping people change how they work.
Jon Harald Espolin joins me for a conversation that sits at the intersection of leadership, learning, and change. Before moving into consultancy, and later becoming SVP of Learning & Development at XXL Sport & Villmark, he spent a decade in the army, where he became fascinated by a simple question: what actually helps people grow?

That question stayed with him as he moved into corporate learning. In this episode, we look at why so much workplace learning still struggles to shift behaviour, especially when the realities of the job get in the way. Jon Harald reflects on what retail reveals about motivation, why most development efforts ask too little of practice, and what L&D can borrow from elite sport when the goal is lasting change.
Some curious takeaways:
Stop telling people what to do and create the conditions for reflection instead
In retail, learning only gets prioritised when managers are measured on it
Leadership change needs practice in the real world, not inspiration in a meeting room

Episode highlights:
(00:00) Welcome to Harald’s Curious Corner
(01:50) How the army shaped his view of leadership
(04:59) Moving from presentation to real learning
(07:02) Better questions create better learning
(11:47) Moving in-house at XXL Sport & Villmark
(13:27) Rethinking training in a retail business
(14:55) Choosing an LMS in the real world
(18:00) When implementation gets difficult
(24:50) Managers decide what gets prioritised
(27:06) The deeper challenge of behaviour change
(28:50) Lessons leaders can take from top athletes
(31:33) Practice and feedback build culture
(36:05) Why so much training still fails

Connect with the guest:
Jon Harald Espolin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-harald-espolin-johnson-43aaa334/
Explore XXL Sport & Villmark: https://www.xxl.no/

Follow me on the following sites:
Harald Overaa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haraldovera/
Subscribe to Harald’s Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901795950403186688/
...more
43min
April 16, 2026Why Shiny Solutions Don’t Hold Up
Across these conversations with Dave Derington, John Leh, Debbie Smith, Courtney Sembler, Kristine Kukich, Dan Braithwaite, Melissa Kruminas, Clea Mahoney, and Vicky Kennedy, one question kept resurfacing for me: what actually makes customer education matter?

In this wrap-up, I’m reflecting on where the season kept landing. Again and again, the conversation drifted back to the same tension: customer education is full of things that look promising on the surface yet leave the real problem untouched. What stayed with me is the gap between motion and meaningful change. The teams making a genuine difference are not the ones chasing more for the sake of more. They are the ones staying close to the business problem, taking foundations seriously, paying attention to what changes in practice, and treating AI as something that needs judgement rather than blind enthusiasm.

I’m also taking the podcast in a slightly different direction from here. Instead of building around longer story arcs, Harald’s Curious Corner will open up to more standalone conversations, which gives me more room to follow the most interesting people and ideas across learning, enablement, and customer education.
Some curious takeaways:
Start with the business problem, not the surface-level fix
AI adds value when the foundations are already strong
Real progress shows up in outcomes, not activity

Episode highlights:
(00:00) Welcome to Harald’s Curious Corner
(00:55) The tension between activity and real progress
(02:15) Solving the real problem before reaching for more
(04:22) AI as a tool, not a rescue plan
(07:57) Measurement that reaches business impact
(12:04) Building customer education around what actually works
(14:28) Speed, clarity, and the pressure to do more
(19:46) Looking back on the season and looking ahead

A look back at this arc:
Dave Derington’s Journey From Music to Customer Education: https://youtu.be/K8WSyVmuug4
How to Tie Learning to Revenue: https://youtu.be/hNfQW7G_4XM
What Great Customer Education Looks Like at Scale: https://youtu.be/7G5GZkCH_EM
How HubSpot Academy Revolutionized Customer Education: https://youtu.be/Jau6asUxEKY
Customer Education Metrics That Actually Impact Revenue: https://youtu.be/I39ghnpdTkw
Why Customer Education Needs Strategy First: https://youtu.be/7zALcAUrzvw

Connect with the guests:
Dave Derington on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derington/
John Leh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnleh/
Debbie Smith on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbiecareysmith/
Courtney Sembler on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtney-sembler/
Kristine Kukich on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinekukich/
Dan Braithwaite on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danjamesbraithwaite/
Melissa Kruminas on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-kruminas/
Clea Mahoney on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cleamahoney/
Vicky Kennedy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vickykennedy/

Follow me on the following sites:
Harald Overaa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haraldovera/
Subscribe to Harald’s Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901795950403186688/
...more
22min
April 09, 2026Why Customer Education Needs Strategy First
Customer education fails when teams rush to buy technology before looking at the problem they’re trying to solve.
In this episode, I sit down with Vicky Kennedy, Founder and Chief Education Architect of Echtus, to explore why so many customer education programmes look impressive on the surface but fail to drive meaningful business outcomes. Vicky brings a rare blend of experience across higher education, tech, product, and strategy and makes the case that education should be treated as a strategic lever, not a content factory or a box-ticking exercise.

We explore the gap between programmes that look good and programmes that truly shift behaviour, and why that gap usually starts much earlier than teams think. We also get into AI, enterprise education architecture, and why messy foundations only lead to faster mess when automation enters the picture. If you are trying to connect education to adoption, retention, or growth, this conversation is full of practical perspectives.
Some curious takeaways:
Start with the business problem, not the platform
Build learning experiences that change behaviour, not just content that looks polished
Get your strategy and data right before asking AI to scale anything

Episode highlights:
(00:00) Welcome to Harald’s Curious Corner
(01:34) From higher education to customer education strategy
(04:14) Why Vicky started Echtus
(06:56) Why outcomes should come before courses
(09:07) How org design creates silos around education
(13:42) Why enterprise education architecture matters
(18:07) The gap between polished and effective programmes
(20:39) What real learning needs to change behaviour
(23:25) Why strategy should come before platforms
(27:35) The mistakes teams make when selecting platforms
(36:29) Vicky’s vision for agentic personalisation
(39:43) What education strategy needs more of and less of

Connect with the guest:
Vicky Kennedy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vickykennedy/
Explore Echtus: https://www.echtus.com/

Follow me on the following sites:
Harald Overaa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haraldovera/
Subscribe to Harald’s Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901795950403186688/
...more
45min
April 02, 2026How Customer Education Drives Growth: A Panel Discussion
Customer education is a growth engine. If you can’t tie education to retention, revenue, and product adoption, you’re leaving real impact on the table.
In this episode, I sit down with our Customer Educational Panel, Kristine Kukich, Dan Braithwaite, Melissa Kruminas, and Clea Mahoney, for a deep dive into what’s actually happening in customer education today. From reducing support tickets by up to 50% to driving expansion through certification programs, we explore how leading teams are proving the business value of education and where it fits inside modern organizations.

We explore how customer education teams are tying learning to real business outcomes, using cohort analysis to better understand its impact on retention, revenue, and adoption, before turning to a practical conversation about AI, in-app education, and personalization and which of those trends are actually delivering value.

If you’re building or scaling a customer education program, this conversation will push you to think beyond content creation and start driving measurable business outcomes.
Some curious takeaways:
Customer education should support real customer outcomes, not just training activity
Strong metrics come from comparing educated and non-educated customer cohorts
AI can improve learning experiences, but strategy still matters more than tools

Episode highlights:
(00:00) Welcome to Harald’s Curious Corner
(01:30) Meet the panelists
(04:10) Where does customer education live in organizations?
(09:10) Measuring customer education success
(11:13) Proving ROI with the Kirkpatrick model
(13:21) Cohort analysis and the three buckets of value
(18:47) Monetizing customer education programs
(22:03) Tech trends and experiments for 2026
(23:05) Frictionless learning and AI learning assistants
(31:58) Tips for someone starting in customer education
(42:29) Stop selling sugar pills

Connect with the guest:
Kristine Kukich on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinekukich/
Dan Braithwaite on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danjamesbraithwaite/
Melissa Kruminas on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-kruminas/
Clea Mahoney on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cleamahoney/
Explore CEdMA: https://www.cedma.org/
Explore Mediaocean: https://www.mediaocean.com/
Explore Docebo: https://www.docebo.com/
Explore Rewst: https://rewst.io/

Follow me on the following sites:
Harald Overaa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haraldovera/
Subscribe to Harald’s Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901795950403186688/
...more
45min
March 26, 2026How HubSpot Academy Revolutionized Customer Education
Customer education is the key to long-term growth. If you can't connect education to customer success, you're missing out.
In this episode, I sit down with Courtney Sembler, former Senior Director at HubSpot Academy, and now Managing Partner and COO at AlignedCX, to explore how customer education has become a core driver of business success. We dive into the evolution of HubSpot Academy, how they scaled educational programs, and the importance of being customer-centric in every educational initiative.
We discuss how to build a passionate and effective customer education team, why aiming for something big can yield surprising results, and how education can impact retention and acquisition. If you’re working in customer education, this conversation will challenge you to think beyond just teaching and focus on true customer outcomes.
Some curious takeaways:
Connect customer education to business outcomes or risk missing the mark
Shift from focusing on course completions to driving real customer success
Build a passionate, customer-centric team to scale educational impact

Episode highlights:
(00:00) Welcome to Harald’s Curious Corner
(01:19) How Courtney got into conservation work
(03:23) Where Courtney grew up and found customer education
(05:40) When you move from support into the academy
(09:46) How education became a lead generation engine
(12:52) The freemium model meets customer education
(15:36) Pioneering the micro-credentialing category
(17:53) Lessons for new customer education leaders
(21:53) How to prove value with triangles up communication
(27:16) Building internal relationships before you need them
(30:22) AI content versus human trust in education
(34:12) Stakeholder management and proving ROI
(36:18) What Courtney is most proud of at HubSpot Academy
(38:27) Lessons from moving to the consulting side

Connect with the guest:
Courtney Sembler on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtney-sembler/
Explore Hubspot Academy: https://academy.hubspot.com/
Explore AlignedCX: https://www.alignedcx.com/
Email The Forever Wild Fund: [email protected]

Follow me on the following sites:
Harald Overaa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haraldovera/
Subscribe to Harald’s Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901795950403186688/
...more
45min
March 19, 2026What Great Customer Education Looks Like at Scale
Customer education can’t just focus on clicks. It has to focus on the jobs to be done.
That is the big question at the heart of this episode. What is customer education really for, and how do you prove it matters? To explore that, I spoke with Debbie Smith, a long-time customer education leader and current President of TSIA’s Customer Education Management Association (CEdMA). Debbie has spent years helping organisations connect education to adoption, retention, certification, and measurable commercial impact.

We discuss why customer education should be built around what users are trying to achieve, not just where they should click. Debbie also breaks down the difference between badging and real certification, why forcing learning rarely works, and how strong integrations and clean data make it easier to prove value across the business.
Some curious takeaways:
Build customer education around user goals and jobs to be done, not content completions
Start with badging, prove impact, then scale into certification
Tie learning data to CRM and business metrics or risk losing strategic influence

Episode highlights:
(00:00) Welcome to Harald’s Curious Corner
(01:16) How Debbie found proof that learning drives revenue
(03:53) Where customer education sits and why that matters
(06:11) Why customer education should focus on jobs to be done
(07:07) Why forced learning rarely works for customers
(08:28) How to design learning for different customer audiences
(13:40) What real certification means and why it matters
(18:28) Why credentials are becoming more valuable over time
(19:31) What a strong certification tech stack needs
(24:16) The integrations customer education teams cannot ignore
(25:14) How to build a certification programme that holds up
(29:30) How AI can support smarter exam creation
(31:03) Why new teams should start with badges first
(35:12) Why partners need certification that actually means something
(40:48) How to manage up by speaking the language of metrics

Connect with the guest:
Debbie Smith on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbiecareysmith/
Explore CEdMA: https://www.cedma.org/

Follow me on the following sites:
Harald Overaa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haraldovera/
Subscribe to Harald’s Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901795950403186688/
...more
45min
March 11, 2026How to Tie Learning to Revenue
Data is power. If you can’t tie learning to revenue, you’re guessing.

Customer education has moved from a support function to a growth strategy. In this episode, I sit down with John Leh, CEO and Lead Analyst at Talented Learning, to explore how external learning is evolving into a true revenue driver.

We unpack what maturity really looks like in customer education, why integration is the only way to prove impact, and how AI and in-the-flow learning are reshaping the ecosystem. If you are responsible for training customers, partners, or sales teams, this conversation challenges you to think beyond completions and towards commercial outcomes.
Some curious takeaways:
Tie learning data to business data or risk becoming invisible
Move from tracking engagement metrics to measuring revenue impact
Use AI intentionally to reduce admin and elevate strategic work

Episode highlights:
(00:00) Welcome to Harald’s Curious Corner
(02:06) When customer education starts driving revenue
(03:54) What real maturity in customer education looks like
(05:42) Why cost savings are not enough
(13:29) How to choose the right LMS for your context
(17:40) From 16 vendors to over 1000
(21:52) Why disciplined buying prevents regret
(22:52) AI hype versus measurable value
(25:39) What headless learning actually means
(30:07) Learning in the flow of work in practice
(34:08) AI inside sales and customer support
(36:39) Why specialists innovate first
(38:09) Mapping the customer education ecosystem
(40:13) Integration as the proof of business impact
(45:25) Three changes learning technology needs

Connect with the guest:
John Leh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnleh/
Explore Talented Learning: https://talentedlearning.com/

Follow me on the following sites:
Harald Overaa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haraldovera/
Subscribe to Harald’s Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901795950403186688/
...more
46min
March 05, 2026Dave Derington’s Journey From Music to Customer Education
Customer education shouldn’t stop at “You’re trained.” It’s just the start. What truly matters is whether a scientific approach to learning drives real outcomes, transforming how customers engage with your product and the results they achieve.
In this episode, I get curious with Dave Derington, former scientist turned expert in customer education and Co-founder and Co-host of CELab. Dave’s journey began with science, veered to customer support, and ultimately led to becoming a key player in educational transformation. With his background in physics, chemistry, and even game design, Dave's unique blend of analytical thinking and creative problem-solving has made him a standout in customer education.

We explore how Dave’s diverse background shaped his customer education approach, focusing on data-driven, hypothesis-based learning. He discusses how traditional training methods often fail to create lasting impact and stresses the need to understand the entire customer journey and build resonant educational experiences.

At the core of this conversation is a simple idea: The future of customer education sits at the intersection of rigor and creativity, learning that’s experimental, engaging, and drives real impact.
Some curious takeaways:
AI can speed things up, but without judgment and QA it quickly turns into content noise
Prioritise outcomes over completion by using hypotheses, data, and experimentation
Ship minimal viable learning quickly and keep content up-to-date with “zero-day” updates alongside product releases

Episode highlights:
(00:00) Welcome to Harald’s Curious Corner
(04:55) Why customer education needs more than just training
(07:47) Customer education is about understanding the whole picture
(11:14) The future of SaaS education lies in fluid roles
(15:13) Good customer education balances speed, relevance, and flexibility
(18:00) When to aim for certification or credentialling
(20:14) Why AI needs a human navigator in customer education
(23:26) AI handles the science, humans bring the art
(30:32) The future of customer education is defined by context and care
(33:47) What we want to let go of and keep in customer education

Connect with the guest:
Dave Derington on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derington/
Explore CELab: https://customer.education/

Follow me on the following sites:
Harald Overaa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haraldovera/
Subscribe to Harald’s Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901795950403186688/
...more
43min

FAQs about Harald’s Curious Corner:

How many episodes does Harald’s Curious Corner have?

The podcast currently has 25 episodes available.