NovoEDTalks

On this episode of NovoEDTalks, Melissa sits down with Brandon Springle to explore what it takes to build high-performing, human-centered cultures in a world defined by rapid change and accelerating AI. Drawing on neuroscience, behavioral science, and his work in leadership development and succession planning, Brandon shares why psychological safety, accountability, critical thinking, and learning agility are becoming essential capabilities for both individuals and organizations. The conversation dives into the future of work, the risks of over-relying on AI, and why talent leaders must focus less on managing programs and more on activating human capability.

On this episode of NovoEDTalks, Melissa sits down with Yulia Barnakova to explore how AI is fundamentally reshaping learning, workforce transformation, and professional growth. Drawing from her experience leading AI adoption initiatives and executive learning programs, Yulia shares practical strategies for embedding AI into everyday work, redesigning learning experiences, and helping organizations prepare for rapidly evolving roles and skills. The conversation covers AI-powered learning assistants, process reinvention, content strategy, hyper-collaboration, and why curiosity and continuous experimentation have become essential career advantages.

On this episode of NovoEDTalks, Melissa sits down with Audrey Witters to explore what truly transformational learning looks like in today's rapidly evolving workplace. Drawing on her experience launching Stanford LEAD and advising organizations on scalable learning strategy, Audrey shares why curiosity, community, applied practice, and continuous reinforcement are far more powerful than completion rates and content consumption alone. The conversation dives into behavior change, social learning, AI-enabled feedback, and why organizations must start treating learning as an ongoing journey instead of a transactional event.

On this episode of NovoEDTalks, Melissa sits down with Sonya Overstreet to explore how learning and development teams can evolve from support functions into true business drivers. Sonya shares how Leadec is approaching workforce development across manufacturing environments by reducing barriers to learning, aligning training directly to business outcomes, and embedding performance improvement into every initiative. The conversation also dives into AI, durable skills, subject matter expert enablement, operational learning strategies, and why L&D leaders must think like business leaders to create measurable organizational impact.

On this episode of NovoEDTalks, Melissa sits down with David Posluszny to explore what it takes to build learning experiences that truly drive behavior change and business impact in today’s rapidly evolving workplace. David shares how Air Products is approaching leadership development, workforce capability building, AI adoption, and skills development while balancing the realities of lean teams, operational pressure, and accelerating change. The conversation dives into experiential learning, measurable business outcomes, ethical AI implementation, and why learning leaders must stay deeply connected to organizational strategy to remain effective.

On this episode of NovoEDTalks, Melissa sits down with Monica Anderton to explore the realities of talent development inside a rapidly evolving manufacturing environment. Monica shares how DS Smith is navigating workforce shortages, leadership development, generational knowledge transfer, and large-scale organizational change following a major acquisition. The conversation also dives into leadership personas, learning experiences that actually stick, and why organizations must balance AI adoption with human intuition and connection.

On this episode of NovoEDTalks, Melissa sits down with Todd Harrison, Vice President of Global Leadership Development at GE Healthcare, to explore how leadership development is evolving in an increasingly AI-driven and uncertain world. Todd shares how his team is developing more adaptable, human-centered leaders through coaching, experiential learning, and scalable leadership programs designed for over 8,000 leaders globally. The conversation dives into balancing technical expertise with durable human capabilities, why coaching acts as a force multiplier, and how organizations can use AI to enhance leadership development without losing the critical human context that drives trust, judgment, and connection.

On this episode of NovoEDTalks, Melissa Fiske sits down with Chris Chappell, Director of Learning and Development at Weis Markets, to explore how organizations can build learning cultures that prioritize curiosity, continuous improvement, and real-world application. Chris shares how his team approaches leadership development, durable “meta skills,” AI adoption, and learning measurement across a complex workforce of 23,000 employees — while balancing operational execution with long-term capability building. The conversation dives into why application matters more than content consumption, how AI should function as a “thought partner,” and why the future of work will depend on organizations developing more human-centered leadership capabilities.

On this episode of NovoEDTalks, we sit down with Sarah Remijan, Director of Learning and Development at Rotary International, to explore what it takes to drive meaningful learning across a truly global nonprofit organization. Supporting over 1.2 million volunteer leaders across cultures, languages, and regions, Sarah shares how her team designs learning experiences that engage, stick, and translate into real-world impact—despite limited time and no formal incentives. From participant-centered design to facilitation and applied learning, this conversation unpacks how Rotary is redefining global L&D at scale in one of the most complex learning environments imaginable.

On this episode of NovoEDTalks, Melissa sits down with Melanie Lepine, Global Head of Talent and E-Learning at a global real estate services firm, to explore how such a large, global organization is rethinking learning at scale. They unpack the shift from role-based development to skills-based agility, the growing importance of IQ, EQ, and TQ, and how organizations can balance global consistency with local relevance. Mel also shares practical insights on what actually drives learning impact—from experiential design to psychological safety and real-world application.