In this insightful interview, Brigid sits down with Caroline Freeman of Grey Space Consulting.

Caroline is a leadership and learning consultant and the founder of Grey Space Consulting. Her career began at Nordstrom in 2008 , where she learned the value of promoting from within and prioritizing people development. Today, she focuses on bridging the gap between ambition and reality , helping organisations move beyond simple "we need training" requests to instead diagnose real capability gaps and misaligned systems.

In this episode, Caroline discusses how L&D professionals can adopt a commercial mindset to better align with business objectives , including:

1. L&D as the Glue: Caroline describes L&D as the essential "glue" that connects an organisation's commercial strategy with its people strategy.
2. Start with the Problem, Not the Program: Caroline emphasises working backward from the desired business outcome rather than simply taking orders for a new training course. She advocates for acting as a diagnostician to find the root of the problem.
3. Transparency and Trust: Caroline advises on how to handle situations where business goals, like reducing headcount, conflict with L&D goals, like employee retention. She advocates for transparency with leadership and teams to build trust and ensure everyone understands the true mission.
4. Thinking Outside the Box: L&D solutions do not always require a two-hour workshop with a slide deck. Caroline shares how unconventional approaches, like a simple 25-minute chat or a quarterly morning recognition meeting for support staff, can drive engagement and solve systemic issues . She also suggests pulling established tools like a nine-box grid out of the archives to quickly identify and develop high-potential employees.
5. Flipping the Script on Delivery: Caroline discusses the power of shifting from a traditional subject matter expert model to facilitating peer-to-peer learning. She encourages bringing learners into the process and giving them a seat at the table to help design solutions.

Caroline offers a highly practical perspective on elevating the L&D function. If you want to learn how to secure a seat at the table and prove the commercial value of your training initiatives, this is a must-listen-to episode.

Connect with Caroline on LinkedIn: Caroline Alderman (Freeman)

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In this insightful interview, Adam sits down with Kelly Rodrigues. Kelly is a multi-award-winning learning specialist currently at WebPros, with a diverse background spanning the arts, non-profits, and commercial sectors. She shares her unique journey from professional dancer to global L&D leader and discusses the transition from community-focused roles to the fast-paced corporate tech world.

In this episode, Kelly discusses how to disrupt traditional corporate training methods and build a strategic learning function, including:

1. Lessons from the Charity Sector: Kelly shares three key principles she brought from community work to the corporate sector: getting truly familiar with the problem, removing constraints to be resourceful ("there is no box"), and measuring impact through storytelling.
2. Building an L&D Brand: Despite L&D sitting within HR at WebPros, Kelly emphasises the importance of creating a distinct brand and vision to move the team from order-takers to strategic business partners.
3. Challenging the E-Learning Default: Kelly reveals she placed a "light ban" on e-learning to force her team to find the right solution rather than the easy one, citing examples where simple checklists or video workflows were far more effective.
4. Upskilling Technical Trainers: How she is transforming a team of technical trainers into true learning designers by grounding them in adult learning principles and learning science.
5. Measuring Real Impact: Kelly discusses moving beyond "happy sheets" to use the LTEM framework for evaluation, combining data with qualitative narratives to prove that L&D is not just a cost centre.

Kelly offers a refreshing, candid look at the realities of modern L&D leadership. If you want to learn how to build a learning brand from scratch and challenge the status quo of "default" training solutions, this is a must-listen-to episode.

Connect with Kelly on LinkedIn: Kelly Rodrigues (Brown) CMgr MCMI

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In this inspiring episode, Brigid speaks with Kate Jenkinson, an HR Director turned Business Poet and Creative Executive Coach.

With over 25 years of experience in HR within engineering and science sectors, Kate now runs her own business, Next Step HR. She is a sought-after neurodiversity coach, spoken-word artist, and founder of the Poetry in Business Conference. Kate uniquely bridges the gap between the corporate world and the creative arts, using poetry as a tool for leadership development and organisational change.

In this interview, Kate discusses how poetry and spoken word can transform the workplace, offering a fresh perspective on learning and engagement. She covers:

1. Poetry as the Language of Learning: Kate explains that our brains are wired for poetry, referencing how we first learn through rhyme and rhythm in childhood. Spoken word has historically been a primary method of passing on information, making it naturally memorable and engaging.
2. Emotional Literacy in Leadership: Kate argues that emotional literacy and the ability to name and recognise emotions are precursors to emotional intelligence. Poetry helps leaders tap into nuance and empathy, allowing them to understand complex people dynamics that logic alone cannot resolve.
3. The "Spoken Word Finale": Kate shares her unique service, summarising entire conferences or events into a 5-8-minute spoken-word performance. This creative summary bypasses cognitive overload, anchors learning through emotion, and leaves a lasting impact on attendees.
4. Creativity as a Business Asset: In an age of efficiency and AI, Kate emphasises that creativity is essential for resilience and innovation. She describes poetry as the "language of the messy middle"—the ambiguous space between where we are and where we want to be—helping people navigate change and uncertainty.
5. Neurodiversity and Divergent Thinking: Reading and writing poetry develops divergent thinking, a key skill for problem-solving and leadership. It trains the brain to be comfortable with paradox and multiple possibilities.

Kate invites us to reclaim creativity in the corporate world, proving that beauty and truth have a powerful place alongside efficiency. If you are looking for innovative ways to engage your workforce and develop more empathetic, resilient leaders, this is a must-listen-to episode.

Connect with Kate on LinkedIn: Kate Jenkinson PhD, FCIPD | LinkedIn

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