Brigid sits down with Toluwa Hughes, behavioural scientist, two-times TEDx speaker, and founder of Zoah Consultancy, to explore why the manager layer is so often the most overlooked group in any organisation and what L&D can do about it right now.

Toluwa has coached over 4,000 leaders across the UN in East Africa, tech scale-ups, and global enterprises including HSBC, Dell, and Alzheimer's Society. 

Her work sits at the intersection of behavioural science and real-world leadership pressure - helping managers stay steady through growth, change, and AI adoption.

In this episode, she breaks down the hidden cost of ignoring middle managers from the two things their role actually demands (translation and emotional regulation) to why high performers are the ones most quietly burning out. She also challenges L&D teams to stop asking managers what training they need, and start asking better questions entirely.

If you work with or support managers, this episode will sharpen how you think about development, wellbeing, and where L&D can have the most impact.

What you'll learn:

1. Why middle managers carry more than any job description acknowledges and why they rarely say so
2. The two types of managerial silence, and how to tell them apart
3. Why 82% of managers step into leadership with no formal training and what that actually costs
4. How mindset, not skills, determines behaviour under pressure
5. The three things L&D already has that are more valuable than budget permission, proximity, and trust
6. Why leadership development and wellbeing must be the same conversation
7. The questions that surface what managers are really carrying

🔗 Connect with Toluwa: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toluwa-oyeleye/

Zoah Consultancy: https://www.zoahconsultancy.co.uk

📬 The Assembly Debrief A short, practical email unpacking the best ideas from each episode, designed for modern learning leaders who want insight without the noise. https://www.assembleyou.com/the-assembly/newsletter

👋 Come and connect with us We're always keen to hear what's resonating or what you're seeing in your world. Adam Lacey - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamlacey/ Richard Ward - https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardpward/

More from The Assembly & Assemble You Learning that feels more like great content than training. Explore podcast-style lessons, video shorts, and series designed for real work. https://www.assembleyou.com

This podcast is hosted by Transistor. For privacy information visit: https://www.transistor.fm/privacy

In this episode, Adam sits down with Liggy Webb to explore how L&D leaders can equip their people with the human skills that matter most - cutting through noise, thinking clearly, and performing in a complex environment.

Liggy, a behavioural skills specialist and author, shares practical ways to develop an “inquiring mind” - from building self-awareness and asking better questions, to strengthening curiosity and critical thinking.

Together, they unpack how learning can move beyond information and focus on how people think, decide, and act - offering simple, actionable ways to navigate today’s fast-changing world.

If you’re looking to future-proof your workforce or build stronger thinking skills, this episode will give you practical ways to move forward.

Episode breakdown:

(00:00) Introduction to Inquiring Minds

(02:00) Why critical thinking matters more than ever

(04:00) The nine skills of an inquiring mind

(05:00) Self-awareness and feedback

(09:00) Cultivating curiosity

(12:00) Lifelong learning in a changing world

(16:00) The power of human conversations

(21:00) Asking better questions

(26:00) Critical thinking vs emotional reactions

(31:00) Distilling complexity

(34:00) Problem solving and decision making

🔗 Connect with Liggy

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/liggyw/

📮 The Assembly Debrief

A short, practical email unpacking the best ideas from each episode, designed for modern learning leaders who want insight without the noise.

👋 Come and connect with us

We’re always keen to hear what’s resonating or what you’re seeing in your world.

Adam Lacey - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamlacey/

Richard Ward - https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardpward/

More from The Assembly

Learning that feels more like great content than training. Explore podcast-style lessons, video shorts, and series designed for real work. https://www.assembleyou.com

Privacy & Data

This podcast is hosted by Transistor. For more information on how your data is handled, please visit: https://transistor.fm/privacy/

In this episode, Brigid sits down with Jade Rogers to unpack how learning and development leaders can build influence, demonstrate impact, and secure a more strategic role within their organisations.

Jade, an L&D professional in a tech consultancy, describes her role as “the bridge between potential and performance” - but like many in the field, she’s had to navigate the challenge of making that value visible.

Together, they explore practical ways to reposition L&D - from using storytelling to demonstrate ROI, to speaking the language of senior leaders and aligning more closely with business goals.

They also go deeper into the realities of organisational change. Jade shares her experience navigating multiple rounds of redundancies—what it does to culture, trust, and morale - and how L&D professionals can support others while managing their own resilience.

If you’re trying to increase your influence, communicate your value more effectively, or navigate uncertainty in your organisation, this episode will give you practical ways to move forward.

Episode breakdown:

(00:00) From youth work to L&D

(02:30) Why L&D is misunderstood

(04:30) Storytelling as ROI

(06:30) The link between L&D and culture

(08:00) Why L&D is at risk during redundancies

(10:00) Speaking the language of leadership

(12:00) Progress over perfection

(14:00) The emotional impact of change

(17:00) Rebuilding trust and culture

(20:00) Meeting people where they are

(22:00) Turning insight into action

(25:00) Building resilience at work

(28:00) Communicating your value

🔗 Connect with Jade

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaderogers/

📮 The Assembly Debrief

A short, practical email unpacking the best ideas from each episode—designed for modern learning leaders who want insight without the noise.

https://www.assembleyou.com/newsletter

👋 Come and connect with us

We’re always keen to hear what’s resonating or what you’re seeing in your world.

Adam Lacey – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamlacey/

Richard Ward – https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardpward/

More from The Assembly

Learning that feels more like great content than training—explore podcast-style lessons, video shorts, and series designed for real work.

https://www.assembleyou.com/

Privacy & Data

This podcast is hosted by Transistor. For more information on how your data is handled, please visit: https://transistor.fm/privacy/

Adam sits down with Gary Clarke, former Group Head of Learning & Development at Qatar Airways, for a candid conversation spanning 20+ years of global L&D leadership - from starting in the British Army at 16 to leading functions at BlackRock, Capita, and Qatar Airways.

Gary delivers a masterclass on managing a complex, geographically dispersed L&D function. He shares the real work behind building a high-performing, award-winning team - uniting a fragmented function post-COVID, running internal learning conferences with 270 attendees, and creating a culture where cleaners and café staff get recognised alongside senior leaders. He also gives sharp, practical advice on what it means to truly understand your business - and why that skill separates good L&D professionals from great ones.

He takes us through:

1. Managing Global Complexity: Leading an 80-person L&D team responsible for the capability strategy of 65,000 employees. Overseeing learning technology, digital content, leadership pipelines, and highly regulated operational training across 170 international stations.
2. Rebuilding Team Culture: The impact that fostering a culture of trust and psychological safety can have, and how in enabled people to innovate.
3. Fostering Connection: To build community, Gary introduced cross-departmental "Lunch and Learns" , "potluck" meals and internal learning conferences. 
4. Inclusive Recognition: Gary highlights the importance of recognising the entire workforce. He implemented peer-nominated awards, including a "Pay It Forward" trophy for acts of kindness outside the workplace.

Connect with Gary LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/garyclarke21/

The Assembly Debrief
A short, practical email unpacking the best ideas from each episode, designed for modern learning leaders who want insight without the noise.

Come and connect with us
We’re always keen to hear what’s resonating or what you’re seeing in your world.
Adam Lacey - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamlacey/
Richard Ward - https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardpward/

More from The Assembly & Assemble You
Learning that feels more like great content than training. Explore podcast-style lessons, video shorts, and series designed for real work. https://www.assembleyou.com

Privacy & Data
This podcast is hosted by Transistor. For more information on how your data is handled, please visit: https://www.transistor.fm/privacy/

 In this episode, Brigid sits down with Yousaf Khan, an AI strategy and business transformation consultant, to explore how learning and development leaders can shift from knowledge delivery to measurable impact, and stay relevant as work evolves.

Starting his career in L&D, Yousaf quickly recognised the gap between learning and real performance. Now working across strategy, performance, and AI, he helps organisations rethink how work actually gets done and where L&D can add the most value.

Together, they unpack what it takes to reposition L&D as a driver of performance, from diagnosing the real problem to focusing on workflows over skills and using AI to enhance how work happens day-to-day.

They also explore how AI is reshaping the workplace, and how L&D leaders can use it as a performance multiplier - boosting speed, capacity, and efficiency - without jumping to solutions before fully understanding the challenge.

If you’re looking to move beyond traditional training, show real business impact, or better understand how AI is changing the role of L&D, this episode offers practical, thoughtful ways to rethink your approach.

What You’ll Learn
•     Why “skills” alone aren’t enough and why behaviour in context is the real measure of performance
•     How to reposition L&D as a driver of performance by starting with workflows, not training briefs
•     What the Fix, Enhance, Reimagine framework looks like in practice across different business functions
•     How AI can augment work - speeding up research, proposals, follow-ups, and content - without replacing human judgment
•     Why most organisations aren’t ready to use AI effectively yet, and what “fixing the foundations” actually means
•     Practical questions L&D leaders can ask themselves this week to start identifying where AI could have real impact
•     How the role of L&D shifts as AI takes on more of the diagnostic and data-gathering work 

🔗 Connect with Yousaf

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/yousaf-khan-b36a0591/?originalSubdomain=ae
Performance Intelligence AI - www.performanceintelligence.co

📮 The Assembly Debrief

A short, practical email unpacking the best ideas from each episode, designed for modern learning leaders who want insight without the noise.
https://www.assembleyou.com/newsletter

👋 Come and connect with us

We’re always keen to hear what’s resonating or what you’re seeing in your world.
Adam Lacey - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamlacey/
Richard Ward - https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardpward/

More from The Assembly

Learning that feels more like great content than training—explore podcast-style lessons, video shorts, and series designed for real work.
https://www.assembleyou.com/

Privacy & Data

 his podcast is hosted by Transistor. For more information on how your data is handled, please visit: https://transistor.fm/privacy/

In this excellent interview, Adam sits down with Ket Patel, the founder of Change Agitators and Assemble You Expert.

Ket is a master change practitioner with over 20 years of experience, specialising in helping organisations navigate the uncertainty of scaling and modernising. Transitioning away from traditional, purely process-driven change management, Ket focuses deeply on the human and relational dynamics that dictate how groups respond to new organisational directions. 

He's worked with Assemble You on two series that support organisations, leaders, and individuals in managing change more effectively.

In this episode, Ket unpacks the emotional reality of workplace transformations and shares practical frameworks to help leaders and teams navigate ambiguity, including:

1. Combating "Ambient Fatigue": Ket explains that the most common reaction to a new corporate initiative is an eye roll, stemming from the "ambient fatigue" of being asked to adopt the next big thing before the previous change has even settled.
2. Transferring Personal Resilience: While corporate change can feel frustrating because it is uninvited, Ket reminds listeners that every individual already possesses coping skills developed through personal life changes, like moving house or facing adversity. 
3. The Art of Honest Feedback: Creating a safe space does not mean a manager must action every piece of feedback they hear. It is about listening fairly, validating the employee's voice, and being honest that leadership must ultimately choose which feedback to implement.
4. The Four Mindsets of Change: Ket shares his personal mental toolkit for enduring complex projects: Visionary Pragmatism, Sceptical Optimism, Belligerent Humility, and Persistent Humour.
5. Cultivating Group Resilience: Resilience is highly effective as a collective trait, allowing the group to pick up an individual when they are struggling. Ket recommends having teams openly share their individual experiences with change to build empathy and shared strength.

Connect with Ket
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ketpatel-changeagitator/

The Assembly Debrief
A short, practical email unpacking the best ideas from each episode, designed for modern learning leaders who want insight without the noise. https://www.assembleyou.com/the-assembly/newsletter

Come and Connect with Us
We’re always keen to hear what’s resonating or what you’re seeing in your world.
Adam Lacey - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamlacey/
Richard Ward - https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardpward/

More from The Assembly & Assemble You
Learning that feels more like great content than training. Explore podcast-style lessons, video shorts, and series designed for real work. https://www.assembleyou.com

Privacy & Data
This podcast is hosted by Transistor. For more information on how your data is handled, please visit: https://www.transistor.fm/privacy/

Are your inclusion efforts driving real impact or just ticking boxes?

In this episode, Brigid sits down with Chris Shearer-Wright, Senior EDI and Community Partnerships Manager at Oliver Bonas, to explore how L&D and EDI can work together to create more inclusive, effective workplaces.

Starting his career on the shop floor in 2012, Chris has grown with Oliver Bonas through every stage of the business - from store manager to people team to leading EDI strategy. That ground-level experience gives him a distinctive lens on how inclusion shows up (or doesn’t) across both customer experience and internal culture. He describes inclusion as a “golden thread” that should run through everything — from hiring and store design to supplier relationships and product decisions.

Together, Brigid and Chris unpack how to design inclusive learning that drives real impact, from acting as a “critical friend” to L&D, to building bespoke workshops rooted in genuine business challenges. They also explore the nuances of balancing a strong brand identity with the need for true inclusivity, and how EDI can be woven into an organisation’s culture from the very first conversation rather than bolted on at the end.

In this episode, Chris shares practical insights on how EDI and L&D can work together, including:

1. EDI as a Critical Friend to L&D: At Oliver Bonas

EDI works alongside L&D to challenge whether learning is truly accessible, inclusive, and designed for everyone - turning inclusion from intention into practice.

2. Bespoke Over Generic: Tailored workshops rooted in real business conversations outperform off-the-shelf training. Chris highlights sessions on Culture Add vs. Fit, Equitable Decision Making, and Leading Multi-Generational Teams.
3. Measuring Real Impact: The true success of EDI learning shows up in behaviour change - like managers applying lessons weeks later in difficult conversations - alongside formal metrics.

4. Diversity Drives Performance: Diverse perspectives improve creativity, problem-solving, and productivity. For a design-led business like Oliver Bonas inclusion is a commercial advantage, not just a value.

5. Start with Inclusion Early: Inclusion works best when embedded from the beginning of a process, not added at the final review stage - making outcomes stronger, faster, and more effective.

🔗 Connect with Chris

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-shearer-wright-087698118/

📮 The Assembly Debrief

A short, practical email unpacking the best ideas from each episode, designed for modern learning leaders who want insight without the noise.

https://www.assembleyou.com/newsletter

👋 Come and connect with us

We’re always keen to hear what’s resonating or what you’re seeing in your world.

Adam Lacey - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamlacey/

Richard Ward - https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardpward/

More from The Assembly

Learning that feels more like great content than training—explore podcast-style lessons, video shorts, and series designed for real work.

https://www.assembleyou.com/

Privacy & Data

This podcast is hosted by Transistor. For more information on how your data is handled, please visit: https://transistor.fm/privacy/

In this special live episode recorded at the Podcast Learning Festival, Adam speaks with Stephen Holderness, Learning and Development Lead for Digital Strategy and Growth at AO.com.

Stephen shares his journey of transforming the digital learning offering at AO, a rapidly growing electrical retailer known for owning every part of its customer journey—from in-house legal teams to logistics networks and a massive fridge recycling plant. Recognising that traditional e-learning was not meeting the needs of this diverse, 3,000-strong workforce, Stephen pioneered the introduction of audio learning to the business.

In this interview, Stephen offers a candid look at the successes, mistakes, and lessons learned from launching an audio learning initiative. He discusses:

1. Listening to the Learner: Stephen's first step was to stop looking at what other companies were doing and instead ask AO employees what they actually wanted. A company-wide roadshow revealed a strong preference for audio formats and podcast-style learning, especially among neurodivergent staff who struggled with text-heavy e-learning.
2. The Power of the Expert Voice: AO employees specifically requested to hear from verifiable experts rather than faceless, authorless e-learning modules. Knowing the source of the information added immediate credibility and trust to the content.
3. Unlocking the "Commute Commute": By offering learning via a mobile app, AO inadvertently transformed its 9-to-5 learning culture into a 24/7 operation. 
4. The L&D Professional as Marketer: Stephen emphasises that simply having a content library is not enough; L&D must act like marketers. He advocates for relentless, multi-channel promotion, integrating audio into existing leadership programs, aligning content with internal awareness days, and leaning heavily on word-of-mouth advocacy from peers.
5. Measuring Impact Through Stories: While AO uses quantitative data, Stephen argues that the most powerful ROI metric is qualitative storytelling. The fact that operational staff (who previously only completed mandatory compliance) are now voluntarily learning on their own time is a massive win that proves the "cost of inaction" was too high.

Stephen offers a highly practical roadmap for any organisation considering audio learning. If you want to understand how to align your training formats with your employees' daily realities, this is a must-listen episode.

Connect with Stephen on LinkedIn: Stephen Holderness

Looking for a content library to help your team develop their productivity, communication, leadership skills and more? Check out assembleyou.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

In this engaging episode, Brigid sits down with Charlie Manthorp.

Charlie is a passionate workshop facilitator and the head of the talent development function at Wiser, where he focuses primarily on early talent and developing future leaders. With an unconventional career path that transitioned from management consultancy at Accenture to a coaching role at Multiverse (Europe's first EdTech unicorn), Charlie brings a highly adaptable and human-centric approach to learning and development .

In this interview, Charlie shares his philosophy on creating impactful, memorable workshops and navigating the unpredictable nature of live facilitation. He covers:

1. The "Rubik's Cube" of Facilitation: Charlie describes every workshop room as a Rubik's Cube, requiring constant mental agility and problem-solving to find the right combinations of interactions that work for the specific group. He advises facilitators to prepare thoroughly but remain willing to abandon the script and pivot transparently if an exercise is not landing.
2. Breaking the Ice and Building Trust: To establish an immediate connection, Charlie uses informal, wacky icebreakers. He then relies on the Trust Equation (credibility, reliability, intimacy, and focusing on the audience's needs rather than his own) to deepen relationships in the room.
3. Handling Dissent to Build Psychological Safety: When a participant openly challenges a workshop's premise, Charlie recommends thanking them, asking them to elaborate, and treating their viewpoint with respect. Handling pushback with curiosity signals to the entire room that diverse opinions are welcome, thereby modelling true psychological safety.
4. Measuring "Nebulous" Behavioural Skills: Acknowledging that human behavioural skills (such as resilience and adaptability) are notoriously difficult to measure directly, Charlie advocates using proxy measures from organisations like Gallup and Randstad. He emphasises that while granular metrics are helpful, leaders must also trust the well-documented link between human connection, employee retention, and overall productivity.

Charlie offers a refreshing, highly empathetic masterclass on holding space for learners. If you want to elevate your facilitation skills, build genuine trust with sceptical audiences, and inject strategic fun into your workshops, this is a must-listen-to episode.

Connect with Charlie on LinkedIn: Charlie Manthorp | LinkedIn

Looking for a content library to help your team develop their productivity, communication, leadership skills and more? Check out assembleyou.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

In this insightful episode, Adam is joined by Dr Lalith Wijedoru.

Dr Lalith is a social health champion, emotional well-being consultant, and a former NHS consultant paediatrician in emergency medicine. He is the founder of Behind Your Mask, a consultancy that uses the power of personal storytelling to improve human connection and trust within teams.

In this interview, Dr Lalith explores the often-overlooked concept of "social health" and how organisations can leverage storytelling to build resilience, empathy, and retention. He discusses:

1. Defining Social Health: Dr Lalith defines social health as the quality of our relationships and connections, distinct from physical health (the body) and mental health (the mind), yet equally critical.
2. The Risks of Disconnection: The severe consequences of poor social health, which include not just loneliness but tangible physical risks like heart attacks and strokes, as well as mental health struggles like depression.
3. Project, Reflect, Connect: How storytelling functions as a mechanism to bridge gaps between people. By projecting a story, both the teller and listener reflect on their experiences, moving from monologue to dialogue.
4. The Mask of Leadership: Why leaders should drop their "professional mask" and embrace vulnerability. Dr Lalith argues that being human and authentic gives others in the workforce permission to do the same, fostering psychological safety.
5. Amplifying Hidden Voices: The importance of looking within an organisation for inspiration. Dr Lalith advocates amplifying the "hidden voices"—often introverts or those in process roles—rather than relying solely on external speakers at events like International Men's Day.
6. Musical Storytelling: A practical and fun icebreaker for remote teams where colleagues share stories attached to specific song prompts (e.g., a guilty pleasure or a breakup song) to fast-track relationship building.
7. The Power of Uncomfortable Truths: Why we shouldn't shy away from "sad stories." Dr Lalith explains that hearing about tragedy or difficulty is often what inspires us to make the world—and our workplaces—a better place.

Dr Lalith offers a profound and human-centric approach to employee well-being. If you want to understand the "missing pillar" of health and how to truly connect your hybrid or remote teams, this is a must-listen-to episode.

Connect with Lalith on LinkedIn: Dr Lalith Wijedoru 

And check out Behind Your Mask

Looking for a content library to help your team develop their productivity, communication, leadership skills and more? Check out assembleyou.com and follow us on LinkedIn.