What happens when a seasoned learning strategist and instructional designer with 20+ years of experience steps into the age of AI?

In this episode, we sit down with Melinda Medina — a respected voice in learning strategy and AI integration — to explore how artificial intelligence is beginning to reshape the profession she’s helped define. From instructional design to personalized development, Melinda shares her reflections on what’s changing, what’s at risk, and what still matters most in a world increasingly driven by algorithms and automation.

We discuss:

• How AI is challenging traditional learning roles
• What learning professionals must rethink — and what they should protect
• The tension between human-centered design and machine-generated systems
• Her vision for learning ecosystems that are not just scalable, but deeply impactful

Whether you’re a consultant, a learning leader, or someone navigating the shift from content to strategy — Melinda’s insights will help you think bigger, deeper, and more critically about where learning is headed.

🎧 Listen in as we connect the past, present, and future of learning — one system, one insight, and one consultant at a time.

In an age where organizations are racing to implement AI, few are asking the deeper questions: Are our systems ready? Are our people supported? Are we leading with soul?

In this powerful conversation, Dr. Reggie Padin sits down with Jessica Caresse, founder of J.Caresse & Company—a transformational consulting firm specializing in enterprise AI, cloud migration, and Project Management as a Service (PMaaS). As both a Microsoft and AWS Partner, her team bridges bold technology vision with seamless execution.

But Jessica’s impact goes far beyond frameworks and platforms.

As a systems thinker, strategist, and the voice behind the Connecting the Dots podcast, she brings a rare fusion of clarity, structure, and care—guiding organizations not only through technological shifts, but the human and cultural transformations required to make them stick.

Together, they explore:

• The evolving role of project managers in AI-powered transformation
• How to address the emotional undercurrents of change management
• Why organizations fail to operationalize strategy—and how to fix it
• The soul of systems design: building infrastructures that scale with depth
• What it means to lead with both precision and consciousness

Jessica’s mission is bold: to elevate humanity through technology and raise collective consciousness—one system, one strategy, one leader at a time.

Whether you’re an enterprise leader, L&D consultant, or AI advisor, this episode is a masterclass in what real transformation requires.

https://www.jcaresse.com/

www.ailcn.org

Nathan Espey, Founder & CEO of Farcelis AI Consulting, joins Dr. Reggie Padin to share how he’s bridging strategy and execution with custom GPT solutions, AI-powered learning systems, and leadership-grade consulting. With 25+ years of experience across military and corporate sectors, Nathan reveals why he pursued certification with the AI Learning Consultant Network—and how it’s shaped his growing practice. If you’ve been wondering what real AI consulting looks like in the field, this conversation delivers clarity, depth, and direction.

With more than 30 years of pioneering work in instructional technology—from the original PLATO system to AI-powered learning—Dr. Bob Elmore remains one of the most respected voices in the field. As a charter member of the AILCN Lifetime Founder’s Circle, he joins us to reflect on where we’ve been, where we’re going, and how today’s consultants can carry the torch forward with strategy, substance, and heart.

🔗 Learn more about Dr. Elmore at Elmore Consulting

🔗 Explore the AI Learning Consultant Network