What if L&D has been optimizing all the wrong things? Jess sits down with Brad Batesole, founder of Madecraft and former LinkedIn Learning leader, to explore why learning often feels harder than it should. They discuss designing learning that matches how people actually consume content, advocating for resources in budget-conscious organizations, using AI to personalize rather than replace learning, and setting realistic stakeholder expectations that move L&D beyond checking boxes toward creating meaningful business impact.

Jess and Brad Discuss

• Why L&D often optimizes for cost, completion, and volume instead of learning effectiveness.
• How poor learner experiences create compliance instead of engagement.
• Why workplace learning should mirror how people naturally consume content outside of work.
• Designing for "interstitial time" with short, meaningful learning experiences.
• Layering just-in-time, durable, and long-tail learning to support real skill development.
• How L&D can advocate more effectively for budget by connecting learning to business outcomes.
• Setting realistic expectations with stakeholders when resources limit what's possible.
• The role of AI in personalization, practice, and learner support without replacing human expertise.
• Why experimentation should be treated as a necessary investment for L&D teams.
• Small changes L&D teams can make today to create learning people actually want to use.

About Brad Batesole

Brad Batesole co-founded Madecraft in 2018 after two decades at the forefront of online learning. At Lynda.com and LinkedIn Learning, he created top-performing marketing courses that amassed over 20 million views and built a LinkedIn following of 96,000 professionals. An internationally recognized speaker and storyteller, Brad advocates for learning strategies that match how people consume content today.

Find and Connect with Brad Batesole

• LinkedIn
• Madecraft

Find and Connect with Jess Almlie

• LinkedIn
• Website: www.jessalmlie.com
• Book: L&D Order Taker No More! Become a Strategic Business Partner
• L&D Strategic Business Partner Team Assessment and Team Development Roadmap
• Contact Jess

Does the pace of new technology have you in a bit of a spiral? If the amount of tech and learning about tech coming at you these days is making you question your skills, your role, and the value of your expertise, or if you simply feel like you cannot possibly keep up, you are not alone. In this conversation with Betty Dannewitz of "If You Ask Betty," we dig into what Betty calls tech-induced imposter syndrome: the spiral that happens when a new tool makes you question your own value. You will walk away with practical, research-backed strategies to tame your inner critic, build confidence through action, and rethink how you design learning experiences so your learners can do the same.

Jess and Betty Discuss

• Why tech adoption is a confidence problem just as much as a skills problem, and what L&D needs to do differently as a result
• What tech-induced imposter syndrome actually is and why even experienced L&D pros are not immune
• Betty's story of a 3-day ChatGPT spiral that had her searching for jobs at Target (and what snapped her out of it)
• Practical tools to tame your inner critic when it's activated by technology
• Why confidence comes from action, not before it, and how to build "receipts" of your own capability
• How to stop losing the comparison game on LinkedIn and take control of your digital presence
• How to design learning experiences that build learner confidence early, before the fear takes hold
• Why measuring your value by speed is a losing game against AI, and how to reframe your human strengths around judgment, context, ethics, and relationships
• What it really looks like to be "in cahoots" with AI rather than in competition with it

About Betty Dannewitz

Betty Dannewitz is a speaker, learning innovator, and the founder of "If You Ask Betty" and host of the podcast by the same name. She has spent more than two decades helping organizations create better learning experiences through leadership development, immersive technologies, and innovative learning strategies. She's also a sought-after voice on topics like imposter syndrome, human-centered leadership, and the future of workplace learning.

Find and Connect with Betty Dannewitz

• LinkedIn
• Website: https://ifyouaskbetty.com/

Find and Connect with Jess Almlie

• LinkedIn
• Website: www.jessalmlie.com
• Book: L&D Order Taker No More! Become a Strategic Business Partner
• L&D Strategic Business Partner Team Assessment and Team Development Roadmap
• Contact Jess

If your SME projects keep stalling, it's possible the SME isn't the problem. Recorded LIVE at the ATD 2026 International Conference and Expo in Los Angeles, this special episode brings together influence strategist Tami Reiss and Sr. L&D Manager Jeff Daigle to tackle what can be one of the most universal frustrations in our field: working with subject matter experts. Together, Jess, Tami, and Jeff dig into why content overload kills clarity, how to position L&D as a true business partner, and what it actually looks like to stop persuading SMEs and start aligning with them. Plus, hear Jeff's rare perspective as someone who has sat in the SME seat himself.

Jess, Tami, and Jeff Discuss

• Why SME projects stall when L&D focuses on collecting content instead of defining clear learner outcomes
• The critical difference between persuasion and alignment, and why alignment gets SMEs to actually show up, engage, and champion your work
• How Jeff, as a former field SME, felt pressure to share everything, and what good L&D partnership looked like from that side of the table
• Practical strategies for earning and keeping SME time, including doing your homework before meetings and following through on every promise, even small ones
• The "need-to-know vs. nice-to-know" framework and why nothing the SME shares should ever get thrown away
• How to use AI tools like ChatGPT and Copilot to build draft structures before meeting with SMEs, shifting their role from content creator to expert editor and reviewer
• Where SME partnerships are headed in the future

About Tami Reiss

Tami Reiss is a global speaker and trainer specializing in strategic influence and leadership communication. She has worked with professionals across industries to help them gain buy-in, lead without authority, and communicate with clarity. Tami is the creator of Just Not Sorry, author of a book on management, a respected authority on communication, and the voice behind the Confident Communicator GPT, a tool for leaders building executive presence and strategic influence.

Find and Connect with Tami Reiss

• LinkedIn
• Website: https://tamireiss.com/

About Jeff Daigle

Jeff Daigle is a Senior Learning & Development Manager based in Kenner, Louisiana. He bridges big‑picture strategy and real‑world execution, helping organizations turn complex goals into clear, practical learning that drives performance. Jeff specializes in competency‑based talent development, organizational frameworks, and technical training, with a knack for making complex concepts easy to understand. Known for his approachable style, he supports people while thoughtfully challenging them to grow, believing the best development happens when clarity, trust, and high expectations come together.

Find and Connect with Jeff Daigle

• LinkedIn

Find and Connect with the host, Jess Almlie

• LinkedIn
• Website: www.jessalmlie.com
• Book: L&D Order Taker No More! Become a Strategic Business Partner
• L&D Strategic Business Partner Team Assessment and Team Development Roadmap
• Contact Jess

Most L&D teams are using AI to write content faster, but the business doesn't care. Megan Torrance, founder of Torrance Learning and author of the upcoming AI Implementation Guide for L&D, joins Jess to make the case that L&D professionals are sitting on a goldmine of untapped superpowers, and it's time to use them where it matters most: inside the business's core AI strategy. From the AI Implementation Canvas to the WISE at AI framework, this episode will change how you see your role in your organization's AI future.

Jess and Megan Discuss

• Why L&D's current AI conversation (content generation, authoring tools) is largely invisible and irrelevant to the rest of the business
• The unique "superpowers" L&D brings to organizational AI strategy: workflow analysis, broad internal networks, and skilled questioning
• The AI Implementation Canvas: a 14-dimension framework across 4 categories that gives L&D a structured way to start strategic AI conversations
• How an empty dimension on the Canvas is actually data, and why silence signals a potential blind spot
• The three AI impact zones (L&D productivity, learner experience, and organizational transformation) and why L&D needs to push into zone three
• Why relationship power, not hierarchy, is L&D's path to being called upstream on AI initiatives
• Practical strategies for building those relationships: proactive curiosity, attending town halls, and asking "what else is going on in your world?"
• The WISE at AI framework (Wisdom, Inclusivity, Safe and Secure, Equitable, Accountable, Transparent) and how to operationalize it inside your organization

About Megan Torrance

Megan Torrance is the CEO and founder of TorranceLearning, where she leads a team of learning experience designers and engineers in reimagining workplace learning. Her firm has served Fortune 1000 companies, major research universities, global professional associations, and federal agencies for more than two decades. Megan brings a strategic vision that helps TorranceLearning bridge vision with execution—delivering innovative, data-informed, and learner-centered solutions.

Megan is active in the L&D community, frequently speaking at conferences and writing many articles. She has also written 3 books: Agile for Instructional Designers (2019), Data and Analytics for Instructional Designers (2023), and her newest book which comes out at the beginning of June 2026, The AI Implementation Guide for L&D.

Find and Connect with Megan Torrance

• Website: https://www.torrancelearning.com/
• LinkedIn
• Newest Book: The AI Implementation Guide for L&D (June 2026)
• Book: Data and Analytics for Instructional Designers (2023)
• Book: Agile for Instructional Designers (2019)

Find and Connect with Jess Almlie

• LinkedIn
• Website: www.jessalmlie.com
• Book: L&D Order Taker No More! Become a Strategic Business Partner
• L&D Strategic Business Partner Team Assessment and Team Development Roadmap
• Contact Jess

Most L&D teams are not struggling because they lack talent or effort. They are struggling because of the system they are operating in. In this episode, Jess sits down with L&D strategist Tracie Cantu to talk about why L&D's credibility problem is really an operating model problem, and what it looks like to fix it. They cover everything from governance and portfolio management to getting involved in strategic conversations, empowering others to create content, and the three-pillar Learning Operations Blueprint that can help any L&D team operate with the same rigor and intention as the business it serves.

Jess and Tracie Discuss

• Why L&D's traditional operating model is now a liability, not just a limitation
• What "running L&D like a business" actually means (and what it does not mean)
• Reframing governance and operational rigor as a superpower, not bureaucracy
• The difference between the business as your customer and employees as your consumers
• Portfolio management for L&D: making data-driven decisions about where to invest resources
• The Learning Operations Blueprint and its three pillars: people, process, and technology
• Why standardizing your intake process is the highest-leverage first step
• Becoming a connector and problem-solver across the organization
• Why over-indexing on content creation keeps L&D teams stuck
• Empowering SMEs to create content so L&D can focus on higher-impact work
• A simple first step any team can take: mapping current processes together

About Tracie Cantu

Tracie Cantu, MHRM, CPTD is an enterprise L&D strategist with 20+ years of experience building and transforming learning operations at scale. She has led learning functions across aviation, government, retail, and tech, including Director of Learning Technology at Whole Foods Market (Amazon) and Head of Learning Ecosystems at Meta, before stepping into fractional executive work and advising global organizations across financial services, legal, healthcare, and beyond. Her work is grounded in a single premise: L&D's credibility problem is an operating model problem.

As Chief Learning Strategist of Your CLO, she works with senior L&D leaders and the executives they report to on the infrastructure, technology strategy, and measurement systems that make learning functions perform like the business units they serve. Tracie is an international speaker and a regular presence at Learning, HR, and EdTech conferences. Her writing has appeared in publications such as TD Magazine, Federal News Network, and Training Magazine. Her book, Running L&D Like a Business: Drive Value with Learning Operations, published through ATD Press.

Find and Connect with Tracie Cantu

• LinkedIn
• Book: Running L&D Like a Business: Drive Value With Learning Operations
• Website: yourclo.net

Find and Connect with Jess Almlie

• LinkedIn
• Website: www.jessalmlie.com
• Book: L&D Order Taker No More! Become a Strategic Business Partner
• L&D Strategic Business Partner Team Assessment and Team Development Roadmap
• Contact Jess

Many L&D teams are being asked to "train the business on AI"… but what does that really mean? In this episode, Jess and Timothy Frost unpack the tension shaping AI in Learning and Talent Development: overreliance, resistance, and exuberance. They explore how these mindsets show up in your daily work, impact learning quality, and influence how you use AI. They also tackle the growing pressure on L&D teams to lead company-wide AI training and share a more strategic approach grounded in clear goals, data, and real use cases. If you are trying to figure out how to use AI without overdoing it or falling behind, this conversation will help you find your footing.

Jess and Timothy Discuss

• The "tri-linked crossroads" of AI in L&D: exuberance, resistance, and overreliance
• Why AI should be treated as a tool that enhances work, not replaces people
• The real reason behind resistance: fear, overwhelm, and reluctance to learn new tech
• How overreliance on AI can reduce learning quality and critical thinking
• The risk of turning L&D into a "churn and burn" content factory with AI
• Practical ways AI improves efficiency like brainstorming, email triage, and idea generation
• Why not all AI tools are equal and how to choose the right one for the job
• How to push back on executive pressure for cost savings without rejecting AI
• A simple framework for leading AI adoption: define the why, analyze data, design learning
• How to get started with AI through small, practical experiments
• The shift toward in-the-moment, personalized learning powered by AI
• Why L&D must focus on working with AI, not just using it

About Timothy Frost

Tim Frost is a digital learning and performance consultant who partners with organizations to solve real business problems, not just build training. With a background in education and enterprise healthcare, he specializes in transforming complex systems into intuitive, high-impact learning experiences. His work sits at the intersection of strategy, technology, and design, helping organizations modernize their learning ecosystems, improve adoption, and create experiences people actually want to engage with.

Find and Connect with Timothy Frost

• LinkedIn
• ATD Central Florida

Find and Connect with Jess Almlie

• LinkedIn
• Website: www.jessalmlie.com
• Book: L&D Order Taker No More! Become a Strategic Business Partner
• L&D Strategic Business Partner Team Assessment and Team Development Roadmap
• Contact Jess

Eighty percent of the global workforce is doing frontline work, yet, most L&D strategies are built from a corporate perspective. That's a mismatch. In this episode, Jess welcomes JD Dillon, author of "The Frontline Enablement Playbook," for a candid conversation about why the frontline workforce requires a fundamentally different enablement approach than the one designed for corporate employees. From rethinking leadership development to getting L&D professionals onto the floor alongside the people they support, this episode is a practical call to action for every talent professional ready to build strategies that actually fit how frontline work gets done.

Jess and JD Discuss

• Why L&D has historically overlooked the frontline workforce
• The gap between corporate learning strategies and frontline realities
• Moving from training to a broader enablement mindset
• Why frontline managers are the most critical leverage point
• The limits of traditional leadership development programs
• How peer connection drives real learning for managers
• Designing support based on the job, not L&D assumptions
• Why task focused support beats program based design
• The importance of getting on the floor and doing the work
• How to make learning content more authentic and useful
• Supporting people who train others but do not identify as L&D
• The opportunity to build stronger community in frontline environments

About JD Dillon

JD Dillon began his career on the frontline, gaining firsthand experience leading teams in theme parks, movie theaters, and contact centers. These roles shaped his understanding of how people learn, perform, and succeed in fast-paced business environments. Over the past 25 years, JD has become the leading voice in frontline enablement. He has held roles in operations, marketing, and talent development with global organizations, including Disney, AMC, Kaplan, and Axonify.

JD has shaped technology, content, and services used by millions of frontline workers around the world in industries like retail, grocery, food service, hospitality, logistics, financial services, and more. JD is a respected author, content creator, and keynote speaker with a passion for helping people do their best work every day. He advises organizations on frontline performance strategy, ecosystem architecture, and AI-enabled solutions. JD's first book, The Modern Learning Ecosystem, is a personal, practical, hilarious take on L&D's role in today's workplace. His latest book, The Frontline Enablement Playbook, is a blueprint for rethinking how organizations equip, engage, and empower their deskless workers.

Find and Connect with JD Dillon

• LinkedIn
• New Book: The Frontline Enablement Playbook
• First Book: The Modern Learning Ecosystem
• Website: jddillon.com

Find and Connect with Jess Almlie

• LinkedIn
• Website: www.jessalmlie.com
• Book: L&D Order Taker No More! Become a Strategic Business Partner
• L&D Strategic Business Partner Team Assessment and Team Development Roadmap
• Contact Jess

Microlearning sounds simple. It's not. In this episode, Jess sits down with Robyn Defelice to unpack why microlearning often fails and what L&D pros are getting wrong. They explore the critical shift from covering content to making intentional decisions, why misalignment derails projects, and how to actually use microlearning as part of a broader learning strategy. If you've ever been asked to "just make it shorter," this conversation will change how you think about design, stakeholders, and impact.

Jess and Robyn Discuss

• Why L&D must shift from content coverage to intentional decision making
• How microlearning exposes weak design and stakeholder habits
• The three different meanings of "microlearning" and why misalignment happens
• How to push back on stakeholders while staying learner focused
• Why microlearning is not just shrinking content
• The role of shared language in successful learning projects
• How the Microlearning Readiness Framework (MLR) helps teams assess capability
• When microlearning works best as pre-work, reinforcement, or extension
• Why microlearning should complement, not replace, other learning formats
• Practical first steps to start using microlearning more effectively

About Robyn A. Defelice

Robyn A. Defelice, PhD, is a learning strategist, consultant, and speaker who transforms how L&D professionals approach their craft. With 25 years spanning startups to Fortune 500s, manufacturing to healthcare, government to higher education, she helps practitioners integrate the art, science, and business of learning to become strategic partners in their organizations. She is the founder of RADLearning, co-author of "Microlearning: Short and Sweet" (ATD Press), and author of the newly released, "Maximizing the Power of Microlearning" (ATD Press). For over a decade, she has partnered with ATD on research into training development times, informing how organizations approach capacity and capability planning. Her favorite moments? When L&D teams discover their untapped potential and realize just how much impact they can have.

Find and Connect with Robyn A. Defelice

• LinkedIn
• Website: https://www.radlearning.com/
• 1st Book: Microlearning Short and Sweet
• New Book: Maximizing the Power of Microlearning

Find and Connect with Jess Almlie

• LinkedIn
• Website: www.jessalmlie.com
• Book: L&D Order Taker No More! Become a Strategic Business Partner
• L&D Strategic Business Partner Team Assessment and Team Development Roadmap
• Contact Jess

What if your real job in L&D isn't to build better courses, but to design better conditions for learning? In this episode, Mark Britz challenges us to step outside the L&D box and examine the larger ecosystem shaping performance every day. Through powerful stories and practical examples, Jess and Mark explore how control, efficiency, and legacy systems can unintentionally block learning. Instead of asking "What training should I create?" you'll be invited to ask, "What environment am I designing?" This conversation will stretch how you see your role and the impact you can truly have.

Jess and Mark Discuss

• The shift from controlling learning through courses to influencing learning through environment design.
• Why creating content can subtly reinforce control instead of capability.
• The power of organizational design in shaping behavior.
• How efficiency-driven systems can unintentionally create disconnection and limit learning.
• The case study that proves most performance problems are not training problems.
• How social tools like Slack and Teams can act as an MRI for your culture, revealing trust, power, and communication patterns.
• What learning in the flow of work really means.
• The learning that emerges when people are trusted to solve problems.
• Auditing your own L&D processes to identify where you may be reinforcing control.

About Mark Britz

Mark is the Director of Event Programming & Content at The Learning Guild and author of Social By Design: How to create and scale a collaborative company. Across roles in education, corporate, and start-up settings—as a teacher, instructional designer, social strategist, and performance consultant - his focus has been consistent: reshape systems to reduce friction, foster connection, and support learning through work, not around it.

Find and Connect with Mark Britz

• LinkedIn
• Website: www.markbritz.com
• Book: Social by Design: How to create and scale a collaborative company
• The Learning Guild
• Learning Leadership Conference
• DevLearn Conference & Expo

Find and Connect with Jess Almlie

• LinkedIn
• Website: www.jessalmlie.com
• Book: L&D Order Taker No More! Become a Strategic Business Partner
• L&D Strategic Business Partner Team Assessment and Team Development Roadmap
• Contact Jess

Is your L&D content closet getting a bit cluttered? When was the last time you cleaned it up? In this episode, Jess sits down with Ger Driesen, founder of World Learning Content Cleanup Day (#WLLCD), to challenge L&D's obsession with creation over maintenance. They explore why outdated learning erodes credibility, how to adopt a "retire by default" mindset, and how a simple annual cleanup can uncover powerful data insights. Let's reduce risk and increase the benefits of our content together with a cleanup celebration.

Jess and Ger Discuss

• Why L&D teams prioritize creation and neglect maintenance
• The concept behind World Learning Content Cleanup Day
• The idea of learning hygiene as a professional standard
• How to evaluate content using relevance, usage, accuracy, and risk
• Using LMS data to inform cleanup decisions
• The retire by default mindset shift
• Refreshing, rewriting, or retiring content strategically
• What heat illness training in Alaska can teach us about relevance
• How cleanup builds credibility with stakeholders
• Navigating resistance and "killing your darlings" conversations
• Turning a one day event into an ongoing process
• Simple ways any L&D pro can get started

About Ger Driesen

Ger Driesen started working in L&D in 1990 and has taken on almost every L&D role there is during his career. He's served as a L&D consultant, a learning designer, an L&D manager, a Trainer/facilitator, a teacher for L&D at a university of applied sciences, a writer, and speaker. As the Learning Innovation Leader at Newspring, Ger launched the World Learning Content Cleanup Day (#WLCCD) in 2023. He is the co-founder and independent learning and leadership consultant for Challenge Leadership Development Academy. Ger is based in the Netherlands and also known as the Dutch L&D trend catcher.

Find and Connect with Ger Driesen

• LinkedIn
• World Learning Content Cleanup Day Overview and Video

Find and Connect with Jess Almlie

• LinkedIn
• Website: www.jessalmlie.com
• Book: L&D Order Taker No More! Become a Strategic Business Partner
• L&D Strategic Business Partner Team Assessment and Team Development Roadmap
• Contact Jess