In today's episode, we have a special guest, Dr. Heidi Kirby, a renowned learning and development professional with a wide range of experience in various industries. Heidi is the co-founder of Useful Stuff, a website and newsletter dedicated to providing helpful resources for L&D professionals. She is also the host of the Block Podcast, focusing on building learning and organizational culture. Today, we dive into the topic of making training useful by utilizing metrics to ensure we are truly impacting the business. Join us as Heidi shares her insights and strategies for connecting learning and development initiatives to the overall goals of the organization.

If you want to hear more from Heidi, make sure to check out Useful Stuff as well.

In today's episode of the Making Better we talk with Eric Girard, the CEO of Girard Training Solutions. Eric has over 30 years of experience in improving the performance of managers and specializes in helping new managers successfully transition into their new role. In this episode, Eric shares his expertise on empathy, mindset shifts, and the challenges faced by new managers in the 2020s. Stay tuned as we dive into the importance of empathy, understanding personal challenges, and rethinking our identities as managers.

Learn more from Eric at www.girardtrainingsolutions.com and check out his new book Lead Like a Pro on Amazon.

Our guest today is Dr. Alaina Szlachta, an expert in data-enablement systems for small businesses to show outcomes and impact of their learning programs. She is the founder and creator of Measurement Made Easy, a community of practice which uses micro-learning, mentorship, and real case studies to create simpler solutions to common measurement and evaluation challenges. Alaina is also the author of the upcoming ATD Press book "Measurement and Evaluation on a Shoestring," a resource written to make Measurement and Evaluation easier and more accessible for anyone - regardless of their expertise.

Make sure to learn more about Dr. Szlachta's work at https://dralaina.com/mme.

Welcome to a bonus episode of the Making Better podcast! In this episode, we have the pleasure of continuing our conversation with Kristi Oliva, a program manager at Amazon. In our previous discussion, Kristi shared her inspiring journey of transitioning into learning development and the valuable insights she gained along the way. Today, we delve deeper into her story, exploring the challenges she faced and the personal growth she experienced to overcome them. We uncover how Kristi had to redefine her identity as a teacher and find the confidence to explore new opportunities. Join us as we uncover the non-technical skills and pivotal moments that shaped Kristi's path and discover what we can all learn from her remarkable journey. Get ready to make better with Kristi Oliva in this bonus episode.

In this bonus conversation with Russell Sweep, we dive into the challenges and growth of learning and development professionals. Russell reflects on his own career journey and shares how he overcame major obstacles, including the need for self-improvement and navigating a lack of support. Russell also discusses the importance of networking, giving back to the community, and finding a balance between personal growth and appreciating one's accomplishments. Join us as we explore the power of upskilling, the value of mentorship, and the road ahead for Russell's career. Get ready to be inspired and learn how to make yourself better on this engaging bonus episode of Making Better!

Garima Gupta is the Founder and CEO of Artha Learning. After our initial conversation a few weeks ago about integrating ChatGPT with Storyline, she stuck around to talk a bit about her journey from the software world into learning and where she is hoping to go from here. I hope you enjoy.

Our guest today is Kristi Oliva, Learning Program Manager at Amazon.. Kristi, like many in the L&D field, started as a teacher in formal education. She made the move over to corporate learning and development and is now a Program Manager at Amazon. Since many people in the talent development space come from education, I wanted to sit down and chat with her about how she made that transition and how she has been so successful.

Also make sure to check out Kristi's podcast, Leaving the Classroom, from IDOL Courses.

Keri is the Director of Talent Development at Mission Cloud. We talked to her a few weeks ago about how they launch learning initiatives faster at Mission. After that discussion, she stuck around a bit to talk about her career journey and how she approaches improvement in her own life.

Today I am talking to Russel Sweep, Content Development Manager for Goodwill Industries International. Russell made the move from higher education into corporate instructional design and has had to work with teams on merging learning theory with the practical realities of instructional design. That merger is always a big topic in our industry which is why I wanted to have him on today.

Today I am talking to Garima Gupta, the Founder and CEO of the award-winning Learning design firm Artha Learning. Garima brings over 18 years of diverse experience to the field of Learning & Development and is passionate about the intersection of technology and education. Currently, she is doing some amazing work integrating ChatGPT into Storyline courses which more people need to know about.

If you want to learn more, reach out to [email protected].