What happens when military discipline meets Hollywood creativity and Silicon Valley innovation? Naphtali Bryant brings this unique perspective to our conversation about leadership in times of unprecedented change.

Drawing from his diverse background as a Marine Corps veteran and former HR executive at Netflix and Warner Brothers, Naphtali shares powerful insights about navigating uncertainty with both strength and humanity. His journey from growing up without a father to becoming one himself parallels his professional evolution—learning to guide others through what you haven't experienced yourself.

"Change gets easier when you lead with truth and trust," Naphtali explains, unpacking how our brains process transitions. He illuminates why people resist change even when they intellectually understand its necessity. The conversation explores practical frameworks like the Bridges Model of Transition and delves into the neuroscience of habit formation, revealing why "awareness without practice doesn't rewire anything."

As AI transforms the workplace, Naphtali describes his role as "builder, storyteller and translator," helping leaders cut through complexity to create meaningful change. He shares candid advice for talent development professionals considering the leap from internal to external consulting, emphasizing intentionality and differentiation as keys to success.

Throughout our discussion, Naphtali's warmth and wisdom shine through as he articulates a vision of leadership that balances high performance with human connection. Whether you're navigating organizational change, personal transformation, or the shifting landscape of AI, this conversation offers practical strategies for leading with both clarity and compassion.

Join us to discover how the principles of human-centered leadership can help you and your team not just survive change, but thrive through it. Connect with Naphtali on LinkedIn or through his newsletter "Lift the Room" to continue learning from his unique perspective.

What if your AI learning assistant woke you up to tell you about an urgent client cybersecurity breach, prepared personalized training materials, helped you practice key conversations, and joined you on the call to take notes? According to Bob Gerard, who leads Learning Ingenuity at Accenture, this vision of learning might arrive by 2026 rather than the distant 2035 future they originally imagined.

Bob's remarkable 27-year journey at Accenture reveals the evolution of corporate learning from traditional classrooms to today's AI-powered experiences. He shares the story of pioneering virtual classrooms using Lotus Notes without video or audio capabilities, laying the groundwork for future innovations. His theater background proved surprisingly valuable - as he puts it, learning and development became "the job that failed theater people do" where they "can still have a stage and add business value by performing."

The conversation takes a compelling turn when Bob explains the fundamental shift happening in corporate learning: "We are in the change business. Our job is behavior change." Rather than focusing solely on creating learning experiences, effective L&D professionals now concentrate on changing workplace behaviors to improve business outcomes. Through Accenture's SKY framework, they've transformed how they measure learning impact, aligning every initiative with specific business metrics.

Bob illustrates this approach with a fascinating case study where they addressed new hires "ghosting" the company in India and the Philippines. By creating an engaging interactive experience candidates could share with family members who mistakenly viewed Accenture as merely a call center company, they significantly reduced their renege rate and achieved measurable ROI within one month. This perfectly demonstrates how learning initiatives must solve the real barriers preventing desired behaviors rather than simply delivering information.

The future of learning promises hyper-personalization through AI that knows what you need, when you need it, and how you prefer to receive it. As Bob explores this exciting frontier, he remains equally passionate about his "sideline career" hosting two podcasts, including "Short for a Stormtrooper" - a 15-minute Star Wars podcast designed specifically for busy fans.

Ready to transform how your organization approaches learning? Connect with Bob on LinkedIn or check out the Learning Geeks podcast to continue exploring the fascinating intersection of learning, behavior change, and business impact.

JD Dillon takes us on a fascinating journey from Disney theme park manager to learning and development leader, sharing powerful insights about enabling frontline workers and navigating workplace change. Drawing from his 25 years of experience "being a frontline worker, managing frontline teams, or enabling support for frontline employees," JD offers a refreshingly practical perspective on organizational transformation.

The conversation explores a pivotal moment in JD's career when his L&D position was eliminated during recession cuts, forcing him to return to operations management literally overnight. Rather than asserting authority, he built trust by working alongside his new team members, creating relationships that proved invaluable when operational challenges arose. This experience shaped his philosophy that "the best way to manage change is to help others do the same."

JD shares three fundamental strategies that guide his approach to workplace transformation: providing meaningful context that connects to daily realities, over-communicating while keeping messages simple, and practicing genuine transparency that treats employees as trustworthy adults. He advocates for L&D professionals to think of themselves as "organizational plumbers," focusing on creating adaptive infrastructure rather than just producing content.

The conversation takes a particularly powerful turn when JD reveals his ongoing struggle with public speaking anxiety - something you'd never guess from his polished presentation skills. Rather than eliminating fear, he learned to channel that energy productively - a metaphor for how we might approach organizational change more effectively.

Looking toward the future, JD discusses his upcoming book, "The Frontline Enablement Playbook," which aims to elevate conversations about the 70-80% of global workers on the frontlines. His message throughout is clear: by understanding the day-to-day realities of frontline workers and creating systems that support them through change, organizations can build more resilient, adaptive workforces ready for whatever comes next.