What happens when you go from squeegeeing a locker room floor for $3.85 an hour to leading Learning & Development strategy at a Fortune 500 company? Jess Almie knows firsthand. Her journey from babysitting her nine younger siblings to shaking up the L&D industry is nothing short of fascinating. In this episode, Jess gets real about the pivotal moments, career detours, and hard-won insights that took her from being an "order taker" to a true business partner. Whether you're feeling stuck in your career or looking to drive real impact in L&D, this conversation is a must-listen.

Key Takeaways:

1. The Power of Paying Attention – How Jess developed her L&D mindset long before she knew the field existed.
2. Stepping Back to Step Forward – Why taking a perceived “demotion” was actually her smartest career move.
3. Breaking Free from the Order-Taker Trap – What holds L&D professionals back and how to shift into a strategic role.
4. The Self-Sabotage of L&D – Why we unintentionally keep ourselves stuck—and how to stop.
5. The Book Every L&D Professional Needs – A sneak peek into L&D Order Taker No More! launching September 2, 2025.

Guest Bio

Jess Almie is a former Vice President of Learning and a dynamic leader in the learning and development field. She is passionate about empowering L&D to increase our impact by evolving from order takers to strategic business partners. With three decades of experience and a proven track record of driving strategic initiatives, Jess helps organizations solve talent challenges and improve performance. Jess also hosts a podcast called, L&D Must Change. Her book, L&D Order Taker No More! Become a Strategic Business Partner will be available on September 2, 2025.

Connect with Jess:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessalmlie/

Website: https://www.jessalmlie.com/

Podcast: https://www.jessalmlie.com/podcast

Meet your host, Candice Mitchell

Candice Mitchell is a Talent Development Strategist, CEO of Talent Collective, and USA Today bestselling author of Choose You: For the People Who Refuse to Disappear. With nearly two decades of experience building and leading capability functions inside global and Fortune 500 organizations, she founded Talent Collective, a premium capability-building firm for L&D, HR, Change, and People leaders in high-growth companies.

Your host, Candice Mitchell, can be found online at:

Website: https://talentcollective.org/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/candicemitchelltc/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/candice_mitchell_msc/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@candice_mitchell_msc

Talent Development Academy: https://courses.talentcollective.org/bundles/talent-development-academy

Choose You book: https://chooseyoubook.com/

Original music composed by: Paul DeHaven

pauldehavenmusic.com

Website: https://talentdevelopmentnerds.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/candicemitchelltdnerd/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talent_development_nerd/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@candicemitchell.TDNerd

Talent Development Academy: https://talentdevelopmentnerds.com/tda

Original music composed by: Paul DeHaven

pauldehavenmusic.com