The eLearning Champion Pod

Most L&D teams run a training supply chain without managing it like one. Requests arrive unplanned, reviews stall, quality is checked only at the end, and results go unmeasured. The outcome is bottlenecks, quality failures, and a team that's always reacting. In this episode of Execution Capacity, the Truth Nobody Budgets For, Sushmitha Kolagani of CommLab India walks through the learning o...

Most L&D teams ask the same people to handle needs analysis, content development, stakeholder communication, and measurement, all at once. As a result, strategy and execution crowd each other out, and neither gets done well at scale. In this episode of Execution Capacity, the Truth Nobody Budgets For, Sushmitha Kolagani of CommLab India covers what internal L&D should own, what should beco...

How can organizations build leadership capability that lasts beyond a workshop or coaching session? Dr. RK Prasad , CEO and Co-founder of CommLab India, speaks with executive coach Stuart Andrews about leadership development, psychological safety, emotional intelligence, and Capability Architecture. Discover how alignment, execution, capability pathways, and cultural reinforcement can help organiz...

When L&D teams need more capacity, the right learning partner can be the difference between hitting deadlines and constantly firefighting. But how do you decide what to outsource, which capabilities actually matter, and when a specialized partner makes more sense than building everything in‑house? In this episode of the eLearning Champion Podcast, Dr. RK Prasad , CEO of CommLab India , sits do...

The average enterprise eLearning module takes 100 to 150 hours to build but reaching a trained workforce often takes four to six months, and nobody's ever put a number on what that gap actually costs. In this episode of Execution Capacity, the Truth Nobody Budgets For, Sushmitha Kolagani of CommLab India breaks down training velocity: what it is, where it gets lost, and a practical framework f...

Learning debt is the gap between what your workforce actually needs to know and what it's actually been trained for — and like technical debt, it compounds until it surfaces as a lost deal, a compliance failure, or a bad hire. Employees who fall behind on skill development are nearly 6x more likely to repeat preventable mistakes than those who keep up, and 62% resort to workarounds when traini...

41% of employees say their role changed faster than their company could train them for it . That's not a training gap — it's an execution gap, and most organizations are living it without knowing what to call it. In this opening episode, Sushmitha Kolagani introduces the idea of learning execution capacity, the ability to actually turn learning priorities into finished, governed training t...

Behavior Change is about much more than sharing knowledge. So how can organizations encourage people to adopt new technologies, new practices, and new ways of working? In this episode of the eLearning Champion Podcast, RK Prasad speaks with Fabricio Peres Founder of Faperes and an agribusiness advisor with about 20 years of experience working with farmers across Brazil, Latin America, Africa, Asia...

In this episode of the eLearning Champions Podcast , AI workflow strategist and instructional design expert Ben Kanspedos, with RK Prasad, CEO and Co-founder of CommLab India, explores what AI can and cannot do for workplace learning. While AI can dramatically accelerate content creation, Ben explains why meaningful learning still depends on human judgment, instructional design, and performance-fo...

What can business leaders learn from one of the biggest transformations in automotive history? In this episode, RK Prasad, CEO and Co-founder of CommLab India, speaks with Akli Aggoune , Vice President of Global Sales and Strategy for PowerDrive Systems at BorgWarner. The conversation is about how successful leaders balance long-term innovation with short-term business realities, create alignment...

What happens when artificial intelligence transforms Learning & Development—but people remain at the center of learning? In this episode of the eLearning Champion Podcast , RK Prasad, CEO and Co-founder of CommLab India sits down with Jeff Hrusko , Learning & Development leader and founder of Compliance Creed, to explore how organizations can embrace AI without losing sight of what makes l...

What does it take to build skills at scale across thousands of employees, multiple countries, and diverse manufacturing environments?   In this episode of the eLearning Champions Podcast , RK Prasad , CEO and Co-founder, CommLab India , sits down with Luz Lozano , HR Director, Americas – Talent & Development at Albéa Group , to explore the realities of learning and talent development on the ma...

What happens when Learning &Development stops acting like a course factory and starts operating like a business transformation engine? In this episode of the eLearning Champion Podcast , we sit down with Matt Haag, Senior Organizational Effectiveness and Learning Leader, to explore how enterprise learning is evolving in the age of AI, rapid change, and business disruption. Matt shares why trad...

What does it take to move B2B sales beyond price conversations and toward real customer value? In this episode of the eLearning Champion Podcast , Marianne Portmann — Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Sales Officer at IGP Powder Coatings — shares how modern sales teams can build trust, strengthen commercial capability, and use AI to become more consultative and customer-centric. From value-based s...

The Power of Curious Conversations at Work What if the biggest barrier to better teamwork, trust, and innovation isn’t a lack of skill—but a lack of curiosity? In this episode, RK Prasad speaks with Kirsten Siggins about the power of curious conversations at work and why listening, asking better questions, and reducing judgment can transform the way teams collaborate. They explore how curiosity st...

Episode 66 | The eLearning Champion Pod | Conversations with a Learning LeaderHow AI empowers and Elevates the Work of Instructional DesignersIn this episode of The eLearning Champion Podcast, Sherna Varayath sits down with Gerry White, Dean of Academic Technology at ECPI University, to explore how AI is transforming instructional design and learning experiences. Gerry shares insights on: How AI e...

What does human-centered learning really mean in today’s AI-driven world? 🤔In this episode of the eLearning Champion Podcast, host Sherna Varayath speaks with Dave Stevens, CLO and Founder of Advanced Learning Strategies, to explore how L&D leaders can balance automation with authenticity. Dave shares:🔵 Why human-centered learning isn’t about efficiency but transformation🔵 The key differenc...

CEO Mindset 10 Questions on World-Class LeadershipWhat makes a world-class leader? In this episode of the E-Learning Champion Podcast, Andrea Petrone — trusted advisor to Fortune 500 companies and host of The World Class Leaders Show — joins us to explore the CEO mindset and what separates good leaders from great ones. Discover insights on:✅ Building clarity and a legacy-driven vision✅ Driving e...

Building your L&D Team for Business ImpactHow can L&D teams move from being order-takers to true business partners? In this episode of the eLearning Champion Podcast, host Sherna talks to Mary Rappaport, Learning Strategist and creator of The Strategic Playground, about how L&D teams can elevate their role and drive measurable business outcomes.👉 What you’ll learn: How to transform L&...

In this episode of the eLearning Champion Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Karl Kapp — professor, author, gamification pioneer, and LinkedIn Learning instructor — to explore the power of Action First Learning.🔹 Why starting with doing flips traditional learning on its head🔹 How Action First Learning builds on gamification🔹 Practical, low-cost ways L&D teams can apply this approach🔹 Balancing...

In this episode of the eLearning Champion Podcast, we chat with Bret Wardle — game designer turned product and experience strategist, TEDx speaker, and author of Gamification for Product Excellence.🔹 What gamification really means (beyond leaderboards & badges)🔹 Why studying gaming history is essential for L&D professionals🔹 Practical design lessons from game mechanics and psychology🔹...

How can organizations better support frontline workers and managers in today’s fast-changing workplace? In this episode of the eLearning Champion Podcast, Sherna Varayath speaks with JD Dillon, Chief Learning Architect at Axonify and author of The Modern Learning Ecosystem. With over 25 years of experience at companies like Disney, AMC, and Kaplan, JD shares practical insights on: Why frontline en...

In this episode of the eLearning Champion Podcast, host Sherna Varayath talks with Mike Taylor — learning strategist, author, and instructional design expert — about why L&D needs a marketing mindset to truly make an impact. Mike Taylor shares: The $350 billion problem in corporate training How marketing principles can revolutionize learning outcomes The "SURE" framework for writing...

In this episode of The E-learning Champion Podcast, host Sherna Varayath sits down with Violet Zillman — an AI strategist, global workforce leader, and lifelong learner — to discuss the real-world applications of AI in Learning & Development (L&D).🎙️ Topics Covered: How AI enhances onboarding and team performance The role of digital avatars in knowledge transfer Custom GPTs for knowledge a...

In this episode of the eLearning Champion Podcast, Sherna sits down with Lucy Hutchinson and Anna Shildrick, Co-Founders of The AI Connective and educators with 30+ years of experience. 🌍They explore powerful ideas like: Making learning truly meaningful for employees Why productive struggle fuels deep learning How AI can amplify (not replace) thinking Measuring cognitive growth beyond completion...