In this episode of The Science of Excellence, I sat down with Laura Bartus, Head of Learning and Development at Humana, a Fortune 50 healthcare company.We talked about how change is emotional before it's organizational, why cohort-based learning with accountability partners drives results, and how to measure impact with metrics leaders care about.These 4 insights stood out:-Address the Emotional Change First-Build Accountability Into the Design-Lead with Stakeholder Wins, Not Your Program-Reinforce Until It SticksTune into the full episode to learn more!

In this episode of The Science of Excellence, I sat down with Michael Trinder, Director of Workforce Solutions & Capability Architecture at AlixPartners, a global consulting firm. We talked about why L&D struggles with credibility, how validation-seeking creates transactional relationships, and why inaccessible language alienates the business.

Michael shared his S.E.A.T.S. framework that helps L&D professionals win credibility:

Spot the opportunity

Earn credibility

Architect for impact

Tell the story

Sustain the Seat

As we spoke about ways to practice S.E.A.T.S. in real life, these 5 insights stood out:

-Stop Seeking Validation from Delivery

-Fall in Love with the Problem

-Prototype Lo-Fi First

-Ask What They'll See Differently

-You Start the Year as a Cost

Tune into the full episode to learn more!

In this episode of The Science of Excellence, I sat down with Heather Balcerek, Sr. Manager of Corporate L&D at Maximus, a government contractor with over 250 contracts across federal and state health and human services.We talked about why their contracts operating like individual companies forced Maximus towards a skills-based model, how they justify ROI beyond pure dollars, and why adoption is harder than implementation. Heather shared insights on meeting learners where they are across different levels and why helping people see themselves as more than a title matters.These 5 insights stood out:-Use Skills as the Common Language Across Silos-Calculate ROI Beyond Just Dollars-Design Learning for Each Level's Reality-Solve for Adoption, Not Just Implementation-Help People See Beyond Their Title

In this episode of The Science of Excellence, I sat down with Kelly Stuart-Johnson and Jamie Forman from global learning and development at VML, one of the world's largest creative agencies. Kelly and her team of five support 26,000 employees, delivering outsized impact through creative approaches to learning.We talked about how they moved VML from 9% to number one in adopting WPP Open, their network's proprietary AI platform, across all agencies. Kelly and Jamie shared why they listen for behavior change instead of accepting proposed solutions, how they build simulated environments that drove 8,000 practice sessions, and why being surprised by your data matters.These 5 insights stood out from our conversation:-Build a Team of Owners to Run Like a Bigger, More Agile L&D Team-Find Clever, Low-Effort Ways to Measure Behavior-Listen for the Desired Change, Not the Proposed Solution-Be Hyper Respectful of People's Time-Be Surprised by Your DataTune into the full episode to learn more!

In this episode of The Science of Excellence, I sat down with Florence Evina-Ze Baez, EVP at Bain Capital, where she partners with portfolio company executives to drive strategy and performance. Florence brings experience from leading distributed teams at Ipsy and consulting at McKinsey.We talked about what unlocks human potential, how simple goals create alignment at scale, why getting people into the right roles matters more than vertical talent assessments, and the mechanisms that make middle managers effective. Florence shared insights on building culture across distributed teams and why listening to your frontline through formal surveys drives real change.These 4 insights stood out from our conversation:-Rally Everyone Around One Simple Goal-Build Culture Through Shared Rituals-Invest in Middle Managers as Your Lynchpin Layer-Find the Role That Turns Work Into a CallingTune into the full episode to learn more!

In this episode of The Science of Excellence, I sat down with Kevin Bishop, Director of Talent Development at LinkedIn. He shared their workplace research on how careers are becoming increasingly non-linear and why organizations need to rethink how they develop and deploy talent.We talked about their finding that 70% of skills will change by 2030, why pods and squads are replacing traditional team structures, and the challenge of keeping people engaged when you can't promise linear career progression. Kevin shared practical insights on talent marketplaces, skills assessment, and why human skills are becoming more critical than technical expertise.These 5 insights stood out from our conversation:-Focus on Skills, Not Titles-Help People Redefine Their Identity Beyond Job Titles-Organize for Change Work, Not Just BAU-Build Talent Marketplaces to Enable Skills-Based Mobility-Paint the Vision for Non-Linear Career GrowthTune into the full episode to learn more!

In this episode of The Science of Excellence, I sat down with Dr. Grace Chang at EY, who brings a neuroscience and behavioral science background to learning design. She's spent years translating brain research into practical principles that L&D teams can use to create learning that actually sticks.We talked about what separates exceptional learning from ordinary training, the gap between knowing learning science and actually designing with it, and why social learning activates reward systems in the brain. Grace shared insights on what's happening at the neural level during learning and why most corporate training misses the mark.These 5 insights stood out from our conversation:-Create Psychological Safety Before Anything Else-Design for Active Processing, Not Passive Consumption-Close the Gap Between Knowing Science and Designing With It-Leverage Social Learning to Activate Reward Systems-Pause Regularly to Question What You're BuildingTune into the full episode to learn more!

In this episode of The Science of Excellence, I sat down with Arkesh Mishra, who leads skills-based transformation for Walmart's 12,000-person tech organization. He's spent years building a capability framework that connects skills to hiring, rewards, promotions, and learning—and now he's refreshing it for AI.Our conversation explored why skills have become essential for AI adoption. Arkesh shared how his team is using frameworks like Stanford's Human Agency Scale to map which AI tools help with which tasks, how work is shifting from creation to review, and why clarity about higher-order work determines whether people embrace or resist AI.These 5 insights stood out from our conversation:-Connect AI to Jobs via Skills-Break Work Into Three Parts-Use the Human Agency Scale to Map Tasks-Lead AI Adoption with Specific Examples-Show People the Higher-Order Work That AI UnlocksTune into the full episode to learn more!

In this episode of The Science of Excellence, I sat down with Jenn Nicks, who leads L&D for CBRE's property management division. She's done something most L&D leaders only dream about—turned her team into a revenue-generating function by creating customer experience training that they sell to clients.We talked about how she built credibility through internal work first, why the market opportunity was sitting right in front of her, and how serving paying customers raises the quality bar across all her team's work. Jenn shared practical lessons on building trust, knowing when to say no, and balancing innovation with strategy.These 5 insights stood out from our conversation:-Build Internal Credibility Before Going External-Look for Existing Demand-Set Standards of Excellence and Defend Them-Balance Capacity with Growth-Let Paying Customers Raise Your Internal L&D Standards Too Tune into the full episode to learn more!

In this episode of The Science of Excellence, I sat down with Caro Paduch, Global People Programs Lead at GlobalLogic, where she specializes in career growth and talent strategy. Caro brings a global perspective to her work helping leaders navigate complexity across cultures and functions.Our conversation explored why collaborative leadership has become essential in today's rapidly changing world. We discussed how leaders must shift from being controllers to connectors, the role of AI in amplifying—not replacing—human collaboration, and the practical challenges of building trust across different leadership styles and cultures.These 4 insights stood out from our conversation:-Be a Connector, Not a Controller-Lead with Curiosity and Self-Awareness-Collaborate to Unlock AI’s Potential-Create Communities Around Shared ExperiencesTune into the full episode to learn more!