The Learning Hack podcast

"Agentic AI" is the buzzword of the moment. But how many people fully understand what it really means—or how it will change learning and work? Dr. Ashwin Mehta, Chief AI Strategist at the Learning & Performance Institute and founder of Mehtadology AI, joins John Helmer to unpack the hype and explore the practical realities of AI agents, workflow re-engineering, and the emerging skills ecosystem in learning and development.

00:00 - Start 01:51 - Intro 03:52 - AI strategist role with LPI 08:33 - What are AI agents? 12:41 - Is agentic AI tech widely available yet? 23:25 - What skills do L&D need to use Agentic AI? 29:25 - How Dr Mehta uses AI agents in his business 34:54 - Workflow re-engineering 40:14 - AI negatives Q&A: cost-cutting, slop, bias and AI armageddon 50:16 - How AI reshapes the L&D ecosystem 56:51 - End

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnhelmer

X (Twitter): @johnhelmer

Bluesky: @johnhelmer.bsky.social

Website: learninghackpodcast.com

From refugee to Russian pop star, startup founder to life coach and evangelist pastor — Christian Ray Flores's journey has spanned continents, ideologies, and careers. In this remarkable conversation, John explores how those experiences shaped Christian's views on creativity, entrepreneurship, AI, faith, and the American dream. Can such diverse identities truly fit together? The result is a thought-provoking dialogue across boundaries of culture, belief, and experience.

00:00 – Start

00:51 – Intro

03:00 – Christian's extraordinary backstory: refugee, pop star, entrepreneur

08:15 – Standing out by serving others

09:42 – Building a personal brand: the "outer game"

13:45 – How his program helps people flourish

18:35 – The role of "good fuel" and "bad fuel" in motivation

25:24 – AI and the future of coaching

35:46 – Faith and human potential

47:00 – Immigration and American values

54:31 – Go-to karaoke song?

55:21 – End

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnhelmer

X (Twitter): @johnhelmer

Bluesky: @johnhelmer.bsky.social

Website: learninghackpodcast.com

The human heart of learning in a digital age.

Jay Moore and Doug Scott look back on the legendary Crotonville leadership institute — and forward to what its ethos means for learning in the age of AI. They tell John Helmer how a culture built on humility, connection and trust continues to shape GE's learning legacy today. As training becomes more digital, how do we preserve those "human moments" that make real development possible?

Timestamps:

• 00:51 - Intro
• 03:00 - What is Crotonville?
• 07:44 - What is the ethos and culture of Crotonville?
• 13:11 - How much learning is now digital at GE?
• 18:43 - Is Crotonville an ivory tower?
• 24:19 - How is the division into 3 business units affecting learning at GE?
• 40:44 - How do we keep humans in the loop – and in charge?
• 49:07 - Go-to karaoke song?
• 54:19 - End

Connect with John Helmer

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnhelmer

🐦 X: @johnhelmer

🦋 Bluesky: @johnhelmer.bsky.social

🌐 Website: learninghackpodcast.com

The Human Side of AI at Work

Brian Murphy, Global Head of Learning & Development at NTT DATA, shares his perspective on how AI is reshaping work and productivity. Drawing on his experience at Microsoft, AstraZeneca, and Citi, Brian argues for a human-centric coalition between people and machines. He explores how L&D and HR can steer organizations through AI transformation, ensuring it's about value creation and capability — not just cost cutting.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Start

01:44 - Intro

03:45 - Challenges of redesigning work around AI

11:45 - Just a cost-cutting exercise?

16:08 - Role of people function in ensuring benefits, lessening friction

23:18 - An evolution of performance consulting

33:08 - Training AIs versus 'training' AIs

43:01 - How to be human-centric while deploying AI

51:01 - End

Contact:

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnhelmer

• X: @johnhelmer

• Bluesky: @johnhelmer.bsky.social

• Website: learninghackpodcast.com

Systems, skills and the eight levers of learning transformation.

Lori Niles-Hoffman, learning strategist and data evangelist, joins John to explore how L&D can escape legacy mindsets and regain strategic impact. Drawing on her new book, Lori outlines the eight key levers for enterprise learning transformation, why ecosystems matter more than platforms, and how AI is reshaping the role of the learning professional.

• 00:01:43 - Intro
• 00:03:46 - What brought her into the world of learning tech?
• 00:07:03 - What convinced her of the need for this book?
• 00:12:58 - What are 'the 8 Levers'?
• 00:24:06 - Stakeholder management
• 00:26:13 - Why is knowledge management lumped together with marketing?
• 00:33:03 - Ecosystems thinking
• 00:39:34 - Strategic alignment – a no-brainer?
• 00:40:17 - Why hasn't L&D tackled its long-standing challenges to date?
• 00:48:58 - Will AI make us all systems designers?
• 00:57:43 - Lori's interesting take on AI ethics

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnhelmer
• X: @johnhelmer
• Bluesky: @johnhelmer.bsky.social
• Website: learninghackpodcast.com

Stanford professor Jan Liphardt—founder of OpenMind—joins the podcast to explore the future of learning at the intersection of AI, robotics, and human development. He explains why robot dogs might be ideal math tutors, how Socratic dialogue can be scaled through machines, and what AI means for education, healthcare, and daily life. A bold vision of multi-agent learning ecosystems from a scientist who's seen both the lab and the startup world.

· 00:00 – Start

· 01:47 – Intro

· 04:34 – What is OpenMind's mission?

· 13:25 – What is Multi-Agent Endpoint and why does it matter?

· 18:53 – The learning potential of robots

· 24:50 – Robot dog tutors & socratic dialogue

· 28:36 – AI and Higher Ed

· 37:55 – AI & healthcare

· 46:03 – Is robotics developing slower than AI?

· 55:34 – End

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnhelmer
• X: @johnhelmer
• Bluesky: @johnhelmer.bsky.social
• Website: learninghackpodcast.com

AI shockwaves and human resilience in L&D

At the Learning Technologies Conference 2025, John Helmer speaks with leading voices in learning and AI—including Josh Bersin, Daniel Hulme, David Kelly, Jerome Pereira, Sophie Costin, Tadelayo Sodipe, and Donald H. Taylor—about disruption, ethics, innovation, and the changing role of L&D.

• 00:03:08 - Intro
• 00:05:08 - Josh Bersin
• 00:41:44 - Daniel Hulme
• 01:01:39 - David Kelly
• 01:26:57 - Prof. Jerome Pereira
• 01:58:09 - Sophie Costin
• 02:12:23 - Tadelayo Sodipe
• 02:33:39 - Donald H. Taylor
• 03:01:44 - End

Connect with John Helmer

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnhelmer
• X: @johnhelmer
• Bluesky: @johnhelmer.bsky.social
• Website: learninghackpodcast.com

Leading Through Culture, Teams, and AI-driven Change

John Helmer discusses organizational culture, collective leadership, and AI's impact on future workplaces with Kevin Oakes (CEO, i4cp), Kim McMurdo (Global Head of OD, Standard Chartered), and Terry Jones (International Head of Talent Development, ex-PaloAlto Networks). Key themes include culture renovation, developing team-centric leadership capabilities, and leveraging AI for enhanced human productivity in rapidly evolving organizations.

The McKinsey paper mentioned in Kim's interview:

• De Smet, A., D'Auria, G., Meijknecht, L., Albaharna, M., & Fifer, A. (2024, October 31). Go, teams: When teams get healthier, the whole organization benefits. McKinsey & Company. This article is available online at https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/go-teams-when-teams-get-healthier-the-whole-organization-benefits. (Please note that access to the full text may require a subscription or purchase.)

Timestamps:

• 00:00:00 – Start

• 00:01:09 – Intro

• 00:03:31 – Kevin Oakes on culture renovation vs. culture change

• 00:27:58 – Kim McMurdo on collective leadership and hybrid teams

• 00:48:41 – Terry Jones on innovation, disruption, and practical AI use

• 01:14:59 – End

Contact:

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnhelmer

• X: @johnhelmer

• Bluesky: @johnhelmer.bsky.social

• Website: learninghackpodcast.com

The Battle To Keep Inclusion on the Organizational Agenda.

Is Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (D.E.I.) under existential threat? With political shifts and corporate cutbacks, is this the end of D.E.I. as we know it—or just a moment of transformation?

In this episode, John Helmer speaks with Amri B. Johnson, author of Reconstructing Inclusion and CEO of Inclusion Wins, about the evolving landscape of D.E.I. in the workplace. They discuss whether D.E.I. is fundamentally flawed, if it will persist under different branding, and how organizations should adapt to changing times.

Amri's links:

• Dr. Jonathan Ashong-Lamptey https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjonathan/
• Dr. Lauran Star https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauranstar/
• Dr. David Livermore https://davidlivermore.com/
• Dr. R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr. https://sdms360.com/2017/11/30/the-shamming-of-diversity/
• Frederick G. Falker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ajf1iMlwi_o
• Peter Mousaferiadis https://www.linkedin.com/in/petermousaferiadis/
• Aubrey Blanche-Sarellano https://www.linkedin.com/in/adblanche/

TIMESTAMPS:

• 00:00 – Start

• 01:09 – Intro

• 04:36 – Does he still have a job?

• 11:30 – Is the language of D.E.I. one of the problems with it?

• 22:19 – Will D.E.I. persist, but change its name and go underground?

• 25:40 – How does he respond to the studies that show D.E.I. training doesn't work?

• 30:26 – Is D.E.I. just 'woke capital' at work?

• 51:41 – End

Connect with Amri B. Johnson:

• Website: Inclusion Wins

• LinkedIn: Amri B. Johnson's Profile

• Twitter: @amribjohnson

Follow The Learning Hack:

Website: learninghackpodcast.com

LinkedIn: John Helmer

X (Twitter): @johnhelmer

Bluesky: @johnhelmer.bsky.social

In this episode, John Helmer engages with UK-based artificial intelligence expert Robert Guidi to explore the potential impact of AI on Learning and Development (L&D). With a background in data science and technology policy, Robert has worked across industries to help organizations navigate the opportunities and risks of AI adoption, translating complex AI concepts into practical strategies. They discuss whether AI poses an existential threat to the L&D profession or offers new opportunities for growth and innovation. The conversation delves into practical applications of AI in L&D, the challenges of implementation, and the future landscape of learning technologies. They also discuss the book Robert is writing: 'ChatL&D: A Practical Guide to AI-Powered Performance Support'.

• Support the crowd funder for the book here (This link will be live from 4 March 2025)

Timestamps:

• 00:01:09 - Intro

• 00:03:36 - Does the world need another book about AI?

• 00:12:30 - Is AI an existential threat to L&D?

• 00:17:31 - An opportunity for 70/20/10 approaches?

• 00:25:27 - Generic versus specialized software tools

• 00:28:43 - The problem of 'model drift'

• 00:31:35 - Implementation challenges

• 00:43:23 - Change Management

• 00:45:31 - Agentic AI

• 00:55:29 - Small language models

• 01:05:41 - When will the book come out?

• 01:09:11 - End

Contact Robert Guidi:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertguidi

Connect with Us:

• Website: www.learninghackpodcast.com

• Twitter: @johnhelmer

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-learning-hack-podcast