Learning Uncut

Eight years. Nearly 200 episodes. One consistent heartbeat. In this special Elevate episode, Michelle Parry-Slater sits down with Learning Uncut founder Michelle Ockers to reflect on eight lessons from eight years of the podcast. From community as the engine that started it all, to the quiet discipline of showing up and being of service without knowing where it leads...

Transcript and related resources: learninguncut.global/podcast/elevate-48

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The brief was simple: we need an L&D function. Go and start one. In this episode, Michelle Parry-Slater speaks with Elyse Toomey, Head of Learning and Development at Ironbark Financial Group, about what it really takes to build an L&D department from nothing in a fast-moving financial services business, from coaching coaches to become trainers and launching peer-to-peer onboarding at scale, to doubling LMS engagement, growing a team of six, and learning to lead with a strategy that bends with the business. A story for anyone who has ever been handed a blank page and told to get on with it.

Transcript and related resources: learninguncut.global/podcast/186/ Podcast information and more episodes: learninguncut.global/podcast/

Most leadership programs start with the how; the workshop, the elearning, the coach. The business case often comes later, if at all.

In this episode, Michelle Parry-Slater speaks with Tina Robinson, founder of WorkJoy and author of Developing Your Business Leaders, and her client, LaTanya Foster, VP of People at global travel accessories brand BÉIS, about what happens when you start with the why instead.

Together they share the story of Altitude, a director-level leadership development program built for a fast-moving, disruption-hit business and make a compelling case for why treating learning as a business investment, not a budget line, changes mindsets.

Transcript and related resources: learninguncut.global/podcast/185/

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We rarely stop to look back. One achievement blurs into the next, and before long we've accumulated years of practice without ever taking stock of what we've actually learned.

In this episode, Michelle Parry-Slater invites Greg Wilton - a St. Louis-based L&D practitioner with a career spanning darkroom photography, web publishing, global e-learning, and generative AI - to do exactly that. Together they trace the experiences, pivots, and hard-won insights that shaped his thinking: from a process safety briefing that reframed the entire purpose of intake, to a human-centred questioning methodology that quietly became a masterclass in performance consulting, to his current thinking on wisdom management and a proposed update to Bloom's Taxonomy for the age of AI.

A reflective conversation that will send you back to your own career with fresh eyes.

Host: Michelle Parry-Slater Transcript and related resources: https://learninguncut.global/podcast/184/

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Most conference chairs open with applause and slip off stage. At Learning Technologies, chairing starts two months before anyone sets foot in the room.

In this Elevate episode, Michelle Parry-Slater speaks with three Learning Technologies 2026 chairs: Niall Gavin, Helen Palmer, and Anit Mahay. Join our range of Chairs, both new and experienced, as we discuss what it really takes to prepare speakers for the stage. From reviewing slide decks and managing nerves to handling off-topic questions and being the voice of the audience, this is a masterclass in why the chair role matters far more than most events realize.

Whether you organize events, speak at them, or attend them, this one is for you.

Host: Michelle Parry-Slater

Transcript and related resources: https://learninguncut.global/podcast/elevate-47/

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Hearing loss is more common than most workplaces acknowledge. Around one in six Australians, one in eight Americans, and one in five UK adults lives with some form of hearing loss, tinnitus or D/deafness. Yet at HSBC UK, only a handful of colleagues had formally disclosed a hearing loss before this project launched.

In this episode, Michelle Parry-Slater speaks with Georgie Cooke from Lima Delta and Louise Bassiri from HSBC UK about their award-shortlisted hearing loss awareness programme, created with the RNID and learning partner Jam Pan.

Rather than telling colleagues about hearing loss, they simulated it, placing learners inside first-person video scenarios in real HSBC locations, with audio shaped by RNID audiologists to recreate common hearing loss experiences.

The results: over 4,000 voluntary completions, a 400% increase in colleague disclosures, nearly 2,000 hearing checks taken, and for some, a life-changing diagnosis.

Arnika Knight and Michelle Parry-Slater share the decade-long journey of modernising L&D for 80,000 volunteers at Girlguiding UK. From navigating change resistance to building a multi-modal learning ecosystem, their story is packed with practical lessons for any L&D professional working at scale. The conversation explores respecting volunteers' time, supporting motivation and using a clear learning strategy to modernise learning while maintaining strong human connections.

Host: Michelle Ockers

Transcript and related resources: https://learninguncut.global/podcast/182/

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Sydney Trains frontline staff face customer aggression daily. They knew the de-escalation models. Applying them under real pressure was another matter entirely. And they'd made one thing clear: no more role play.

In this episode, The Two Michelles speak with Ryan Byrne from Sydney Trains and Dr Nathan Moore from Frameless Interactive about Project CIVIL: Customer Initiated Violence Interactive Learning. Winner of the AITD Excellence Award for Best Use of Learning Technology 2025, Project CIVIL uses AI-driven simulation to build genuine capability under pressure, without a script, without an actor, without the awkwardness of traditional role play. A masterclass in choosing the right tool for the right problem.

Host: Michelle Ockers & Michelle Parry-Slater

Transcript and related resources: https://learninguncut.global/podcast/181/

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Matthew Peade from TFE Hotels discusses their award-winning People Leaders Program, a 12-month leadership development initiative that's seen 300 graduates and an impressive 86% promotion rate. Matthew shares how the program weaves together a blend of three learning streams of on-the-job experience through business change projects, peer learning with dedicated mentors, and formal sessions led by leaders across the business, all used to build a steady pipeline of capable leaders in Australia's fast-paced hospitality industry. Our conversation explores how Matthew selects participants, engages managers as coaches and facilitators, uses reflection to deepen learning, and creates a culture where leaders actively develop the next generation of leaders.

Host: Michelle Ockers & Michelle Parry-Slater

Transcript and related resources: https://learninguncut.global/podcast/180/

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Michelle Ockers speaks with Learning Uncut co-host, and author, Michelle Parry-Slater about her book, The Learning and Development Handbook, A Learning Practitioner's Toolkit. Sharing ideas from within the book, Michelle talks through why practitioners "…must be advocates of the right solution, for the right problem, for the right people, at the right time, for the right reason, delivered in the right way." (P176, 2nd Edition 2024, The Learning and Development Handbook)

Transcript and related resources: https://learninguncut.global/podcast/elevate-46/

Podcast information and more episodes: https://learninguncut.global/podcast/