The Secrets of Learning & Development

If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! In this bonus episode of The Secrets of Learning and Development, Valerie Merrill is joined by co-host Julia Bend, Executive Career Transition Coach and founder of Premier Coaching, to explore the kind of career crossroads that doesn’t look like a crisis from the outside. For many senior professionals, the title, salary, reputation and p...

If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! In this episode of The Secrets of Learning and Development, Julia and Valerie are joined by David Horne, award-winning businessman, CFO, author and advocate for fairer funding for female founders. David shares the pivotal moments that shaped his career, from learning German as a teenager in Vancouver to moving to Zurich with one-way tick...

If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! In this bonus episode of The Secrets of Learning and Development, Valerie leads a timely conversation with Julia on critical thinking in the age of AI and everyday decision-making. Together, they explore why it is no longer enough to accept information at face value, especially when AI tools can produce answers that sound confident but m...

If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! In this episode of the award-winning Secrets of Learning and Development, we speak with Dr Samantha Hiew, founder of ADHD Girls, speaker, writer and advocate. Sam’s story is one of reinvention, self-discovery and purpose. From a career in cancer research and science communication to becoming a powerful voice for neurodivergent women, she...

If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! In this bonus episode of The Secrets of Learning & Development, Julia and Valerie explore Mark Granovetter’s influential idea, The Strength of Weak Ties, and why the people we know less closely can often lead us to fresh ideas, unexpected opportunities and valuable new perspectives. The conversation looks at why strong ties offer tru...

If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! S5:E In this episode, we’re joined by Abi Rogers, founder of The Better Brain Company and solution-focused hypnotherapist, for a thoughtful conversation on the hidden cost of high performance. Abi reflects on her journey from running two optical practices while quietly struggling with anxiety, panic and relentless mental overload, to dis...

If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! In this bonus episode of The Secrets of Learning and Development, Valerie and Julia explore the powerful idea of borrowed belief: those moments when someone sees a strength, quality or possibility in us before we can fully see it ourselves. Julia reflects on why this can be so significant at career crossroads, especially when confidence,...

If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! Jacqueline Rogers didn’t set out to build a networking organisation. She simply noticed that the rooms she was being told to walk into were not working for her, or for many other women. In this episode of The Secrets of Learning and Development, we speak with Jacqueline Rogers, CEO and founder of The Athena Network, about the experiences...

If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you!  A look back at some of the most memorable moments from Season 4, as Julia and Valerie revisit the guest insights, standout quotes and thought-provoking reflections that stayed with them. From leadership and confidence to identity, resilience and growth, this round-up offers a rich snapshot of the conversations that shaped the season.  S...

If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! Sarah Clay is the kind of guest who makes you laugh, think, and then quietly reassess the way you have been doing your own career. She began in law, chasing approval and a “proper” path, until her body started telling the truth before her mouth could. What followed was not a neat plan, but a series of bold moves that only make sense when...

If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! Most of us rely on our strengths every day without naming them. But what happens when a strength goes into overdrive? In this bonus episode, Valerie interviews Julia on how character strengths shape the way leaders make decisions, handle pressure and respond to change. They explore what it really means to ask, “What are you leading with?...

If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! In this bonus episode, Julia Bend explores why coaching still matters in a world where AI can offer ideas, prompts and polished answers in seconds. Together with Valerie Merrill, she unpacks the difference between information and insight, showing why career crossroads are rarely just about options and far more often about identity, value...

If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! Nigel Lowe’s career did not begin with a fast track or a perfect plan. It began with starting where he could, learning quickly and saying yes to opportunities that stretched him. In this episode, Nigel Lowe, Partner at PA Consulting, reflects on returning to the UK at 22 after being raised in Jamaica, building resilience early and then w...

If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! In this episode of The Secrets of Learning and Development, we’re joined by Charlie Warshawski — coach, trainer, mentor, speaker, YouTuber, and founder of Love Your Coaching. Charlie’s known for his warmth, clarity and straight-talking insights on what it really takes to become a confident coach, supervisor or mindset practitioner. You’l...

If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! In this bonus episode, Julia and Valerie explore why strategy alone isn’t enough and how building from self-worth changes everything. Julia reflects on what happens when your confidence is tied to job titles, outcomes or external validation. She shares her own experience of launching a coaching practice without guarantees, and how believ...

If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! What if the life you never planned for turns out to be exactly the one you needed? In this powerful episode, we sit down with Louise Pengilley, a business growth and mindset mentor whose journey from global corporate leadership to running her own business was sparked by a single, unexpected question: “Can you teach me everything you know...

If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! Social capital is the invisible force that shapes how work really gets done, especially in hybrid teams, fast-moving organisations and a world increasingly influenced by AI. In this bonus episode, Julia and Valerie unpack what social capital actually is, how to spot it in action and why it has become a strategic advantage rather than a ‘...

If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! In this episode of The Secrets of Learning and Development, we meet Lavinia Mehedintu, co-founder of Offbeat, whose journey from disengaged student to learning architect has reshaped how we think about professional growth. What began as a single LinkedIn post during lockdown has grown into a global newsletter, thriving membership hub and...

If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! In this bonus episode of The Secrets of Learning & Development, Julia Bend and Valerie Merrill explore what it really means to lead without emotional armour. When leaders are always composed and always capable, it can unintentionally create distance. Julia reflects on how the performance of strength, while often rewarded, can leave l...

If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! S4 E In this episode of The Secrets of Learning and Development, Julia and Valerie are joined by Lucy Wooldridge, accredited master coach and founder of Resilience with Lucy, whose work focuses on mindset, emotional literacy and redefining what it means to be resilient. Lucy shares her early experiences working in addiction and mental he...

If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! What happens when learning is no longer an event, but a natural part of everyday work? In this bonus episode, Julia sits down with Valerie to explore the concept of learning in the flow of work what it means, why it’s gaining momentum, and how organisations can make it more than just a buzzword. Valerie draws on years of experience in L&...

If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! In this episode of Secrets of Learning and Development , hosts Julia and Valerie sit down with Sarah Armstrong Smith, former Chief Security Advisor at Microsoft and author of Effective Crisis Management and Understanding the Cyber Attacker . Sarah’s career spans fraud investigation, crisis response and cybersecurity, with frontline exper...

If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! Why do some ideas land effortlessly while others get rejected, even when they promise progress? In this bonus episode of The Secrets of Learning & Development, Julia and Valerie explore the MAYA Principle, a design concept coined by Raymond Loewy that holds surprising relevance for business development, learning strategy and organisa...

If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! In this episode of Secrets of Learning and Development, we’re joined by Sam Isaacson, coach, author and founder of an AI-powered coaching platform that is currently being piloted within the NHS and explored by several large organisations. With a background in technology risk consultancy, Sam brings a unique lens to the evolving conversat...

If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! In this bonus episode, Julia and Valerie unpack why so many high-performing professionals delay their own development waiting for things to calm down, for space to appear, or for the perfect time that never quite arrives. Julia reflects on the hidden resistance that often sits behind busyness, over-delivering and perfectionism. She share...