AXIOM Insights Learning and Development Podcast

In this episode of the AXIOM Insights Learning and Development Podcast, we speak with Dr. Tessa Forshaw of the Harvard Graduate School of Education about what learning and development can learn from cognitive science. The conversation explores why employee learning often falls short when it is treated primarily as content delivery, course completion, or a one-time event. Dr. Forshaw explains why l...

What happens after a learning ecosystem goes live? In the final episode of this three-part AXIOM Insights Podcast series, Scott Rutherford and Tom Decker discuss launch, adoption, stakeholder management, and the future of learning technology strategy. Tom shares lessons learned from managing enterprise rollout and user adoption, including how to keep leadership engaged, how to support decentralize...

How do you actually build a learning ecosystem once the strategy is defined? In part two of this AXIOM Insights Podcast series, Scott Rutherford continues the conversation with Tom Decker, focusing on the practical and technical realities of building a modern learning experience. Tom explains how his team approached the learner experience, structured the platform architecture, and developed a modu...

What does a modern learning ecosystem actually look like, and how do L&D leaders begin building one inside a real organization? In part one of this three-part AXIOM Insights Podcast series, Scott Rutherford speaks with Tom Decker about the strategy behind building an integrated learning ecosystem for employee training and workforce development. The conversation explores how organizations move...

Generations of technical communicators, engineers, and technical trainers have passed along versions of the famous Encabulator spoofs. In this special episode of the podcast, we take a look at the history of this meme as it has evolved over more than eight decades since the first version was published in a British technical journal in 1944. For AXIOM's take on the spoof - our Strategic Learning En...

In many organizations, conversations about workplace culture and employee engagement are often framed as “soft” issues. But what if investing in people is actually one of the most direct paths to stronger business performance? In this episode of the AXIOM Insights Learning & Development Podcast, Scott Rutherford speaks with Dr. Angela Jackson, lecturer at Harvard University and research direct...

In this episode, we share findings and observations based on the Pulse of the L&D Practice research. Based on data gathered from learning and development professionals in the second half of 2025, this report explores the profession's view on the business and economic outlook affecting organizational learning in 2026. To download the complete report, visit the episode page for this podcast at h...

The Human Side of Platform Rollouts How to turn large-scale system rollouts into lasting performance improvement.   When an organization decides to implement a new enterprise system—an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) tool, a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform, or a claims and billing solution—the technology itself is rarely the hardest part. The true challenge lies in adoption: get...

On this episode of the AXIOM Insights Learning and Development Podcast, host Scott Rutherford speaks with Jenessa Dowe Jacobs about what it takes to build an L&D function from scratch. Jenessa shares her framework of the “three Ps” (People, Process, Products) plus a crucial fourth—Politics—along with strategies for securing early wins and stakeholder alignment. She also explains how to turn gr...

In this episode of the podcast, we're joined by Rick At Lee, senior vice president and director of enterprise learning at Truist. The discussion explores Truist's experience navigating its creation through the merger of BB&T and SunTrust Bank in 2019, including how learning was marketed and communicated throughout the organization, with a specific focus on the combination of leadership support...

In this bonus episode of the podcast, we are resharing a recording from a live stream discussion. This is a discussion with Dr. Guido Minaya (CEO and Chief Learning Officer at Minaya Learning Global Solutions) and Susan Nabonne Beck (Vice President of Learning Design and Strategy at AXIOM Learning Solutions). We cover the current experience using AI tools in L&D, and the pros and cons of how A...

Managing the capacity of a learning team is a core task of the learning and development leader. In this episode, we are joined by three experienced L&D leaders: Pam Moyer, Jay Letourneau, and Jason Ruff. Together, they explore how staff augmentation can be used to align the capacity of a learning team with business demand. In this conversation, they explore how learning teams can stay agile by...

This episode explores the dynamics of gender, age, and experience in the workplace. We are joined by Laurie Johnson, a senior level learning consultant with the Boulder Crest Foundation, a nonprofit that supports combat veterans and their families; before this work, she was a senior leader of Accenture Federal with more than three decades experience in corporate learning; and Pamela Johnson, a sen...

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Guido Minaya, CEO and Chief Learning Officer at Minaya Learning Global Solutions, about the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and human intelligence (HI) in workplace learning. The discussion highlights AI's growing role in corporate training, particularly in automating instructional design, enhancing personalized learning experiences, and improving pro...

In this episode of the AXIOM Insights Learning and Development Podcast, we're joined by technologist and technical training expert John Kidd to discuss the evolving role of artificial intelligence (AI) in learning and development (L&D). The discussion explores the capabilities of large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok, exploring how these tools can enhance performance by a...

Communication is a critical skill in every organization. At the same time, presentations and other public speaking make many people uncomfortable. On this episode of the AXIOM Insights Learning and Development Podcast, we speak with Neil Thompson, a former engineer who, after identifying his own need to advance his presentation skills, is the founder of Teach the Geek, which includes learning reso...

Managing change is a cyclical and ongoing challenge for organizations, and it can come in many forms: mergers/acquisitions, economic shifts, and regulatory change, to name a few. During times of change, learning and development can play an important role in navigating the change and creating the groundwork of success. In this episode, we're joined by Nina Hollon, founder and CEO of Catalyst Learni...

In the development of learning programs, there is no more important element than the learner! In this epsiode of the AXIOM Insights Learning & Development Podcast, we are joined by two learning strategists and instructional design experts, Susan Nabonne Beck (Vice President of Learning Design and Strategy at AXIOM Learning Solutions) and Vanessa Alzate (CEO of Anchored Training and owner of Ki...

Grant funding to support skills training for the workforce is available from most U.S. states and a number of local governments. How can you navigate the sources of funding for training, and what do you need to know? In this episode, we're joined by Krysta Van Ranst, the founder of BuildingPPL, an organization which specializes on assisting businesses to apply for workforce development grant fundi...

As organizations of all types and sizes respond to changes in business conditions and markets, there is an increase in usage of "fractional leadership" across multiple functions to provide expertise and leadership abilities to the organization but at a reduced cost compared to a full-time executive leadership position. The "fractional" movement has created opportunities for businesses to consider...

Effective learning relies on the effective use of language. In order to ensure the learning experiences you develop are effective, they must be understood and experienced by the learners as intended. That's why translating and localizing learning content is a critical element of creating effective learning. In this episode of the AXIOM Insights Learning and Development Podcast, host Scott Rutherfo...

Organizations that focus on the mental well-being and mental health of their workforce can improve productivity, decrease turnover and control costs; it may also make a company a more attractive workplace to prospective employees. In data shared by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 81% of workers said they will be looking for workplaces in the future which support mental health. Cr...

In this episode of the podcast, we explore the process of using e-learning to support the growth of professional development learning, through the experience of education non-profit HILL for Literacy. In the most recently completed school year, HILL for Literacy has supported the professional development of more than 8,500 teachers and school administrators, with learning content which helps teach...

In this episode, we discuss artificial intelligence (AI) and its implications for learning and development. Tools like ChatGPT and other large language model (LLM) and generative AI tools can be a transformative element of workflows, including in the creation of text and visual learning content. But the adoption of AI goes deeper than learning content, and as AI is integrated across the enterprise...