In this special book club episode, I’m joined by Kamye Hugley and Laura Goldstone, two incredible members of our L&D Collective book club, to reflect on Talk to the Elephant by Julie Dirksen. We dive into key takeaways from the book, share how we’ve applied its insights to our work, and discuss what we learned from our fireside chat with Julie herself.

We also talk about:

✅ The role of emotional intelligence in learning design
✅ How to balance the "elephant" (emotional brain) and the "rider" (logical brain) in behavior change
✅ Why change is a process, not an event—and what that means for L&D
✅ The power of book clubs and community learning
✅ Real-world examples of applying Talk to the Elephant principles in corporate and nonprofit settings

Since recording this episode, we’ve kicked off our Q1 2025 book club read: Design to Engage by Beth Cougler Blom! It’s not too late to join—our next fireside chat is on March 11, and in April, Beth will be joining us for a special session. Come be part of the discussion!

📌 Join the L&D Collective: https://360learning.com/the-l-and-d-collective/

🔗 Kamye Hugley – LinkedIn
🔗 Laura Goldstone – LinkedIn | YourStoryHaven.com

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to:

🎙 Subscribe to Talk Learning With Me
⭐ Leave a review and let me know what you think!
📢 Share this episode with your fellow learning professionals

Thanks for tuning in—and we’ll talk soon!

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction to the Book Club and Participants

06:04 Diverse Backgrounds and Perspectives

08:23 Emotional Intelligence in Learning and Development

12:46 Understanding Change as a Process

16:01 Value and Perception in Learning

20:01 Collaboration and Community in Professional Development

24:35 The Importance of Community in Professional Development

26:02 Embracing Vulnerability and Learning Together

28:07 Applying Insights from Julie Dirksen

28:36 Facilitating Change in Corporate Environments

35:46 Honoring Experience and Feedback in Learning

39:50 Creating a Feedback Loop for Continuous Improvement