
L&D Disrupt
The world and the L&D space are changing faster than ever, but are you evolving with it?
L&D Disrupt brings you tactical advice, proven tactics and honest experiences from people in the industry, helping you drive more impact every day.
Every week, join Gary Stringer and Nelson Sivalingam for the podcast that's powered by HowNow, to empower every L&D professional.
Latest episodes

Oct 11, 2023 • 56min
Webinar | From Pressure To Progress: Redefining Performance In 2023
The world is changing fast, and we need to help people build the right skills and knowledge at pace.
At the same time, we need to strike the balance with wellbeing and prevent employees from feeling overwhelmed.
And, ultimately, we need to do that while making sure our efforts are geared toward performance and impact.
Today’s session is all about giving you advice and lessons from doing this in practice, with HowNow CEO and Co-Founder, Nelson Sivalingam, and Lattice’s Head of Sales, Jon Chemouny.
Learn more about HowNow: https://www.gethownow.com/
Learn more about Lattice: https://lattice.com/

Oct 6, 2023 • 57min
The Brain And L&D: A No BS Chat About Learning Science | L&D Disrupt Live | Episode 51
Lauren Waldman, Learning Pirate, talks about learning science in practice, understanding behavior change, the brain's role in upskilling, and the challenges of getting buy-in. She emphasizes the importance of L&D pros understanding the brain, designing learning for the brain, and considering stress and emotions in learning. Good examples and the importance of being kind to yourself are also discussed.

Sep 7, 2023 • 25min
13 Lessons From L&D, HR & Leadership Experts | L&D Disrupt | Episode 49.5
As we approach episode 50 of L&D Disrupt Live (woohoo), Gary shares 13 of his favourite tips, tactics and lessons from hosting the show.🎙️ Join us live for episode 50: AI In L&D: How To Move Beyond The Gimmicks with Egle Vinauskaite:
https://lu.ma/AI-and-learning
🏆 Download your free copy of 37 Lessons For A Winning L&D Strategy:
https://www.gethownow.com/disrupt
🤝 Connect with Gary and share your thoughts and feedback:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-stringer-copywriter/
Running order
0:00 Intro
2:17 Leadership is a behaviour, not a title
3:53 We spend too much time focusing on the what and not enough on the how
5:13 AI will only scale your problems if you don't have the basics in place
7.09 You don't need to be in the thing to do the thing
8:38 When you collect feedback matters?
10:12 Build purpose sessions into onboarding
11:19 Validate your ideas early
12:43 Allow people to spend learning budgets collectively
14:45 Turn why questions into what and how questions
16:08 Including focus and alertness exercises into learning experience
17:48 Where to start with building a central brain
20:02 It’s not about building learning ecosystems but taking the friction out of them
21:55 Everyday actions = better workplaces for everyone
24:01 End of the show

Aug 24, 2023 • 56min
L&D Life Hacks 2: 9 Lessons On Collaboration, Storytelling And Strategy | L&D Disrupt Live | Episode 49
Give us one hour, and we’ll give you insights from decades of L&D experience!
L&D Life Hacks are back!
Taking the proven lessons from our expert panel and framing them in a way you can apply every day.
From the reframing you need to collaborate effectively, to how you manage the short and long-term L&D vision, and much more.
Meet our experts
👋 Lauren Scholtz, Learning and Development Manager at Humanforce.
👋 Neil John Cunningham, Founder and Learning & Development Solutions Director at Align Learn Do
👋 Sam Allen, Head of Learning and Performance at Insightful People.
Running order
0:00 Intro to the show
1:00 1. Reframe learning requests as hypotheses to test
6:05 2. Bring stakeholders into Learning Experience Design
10:32 3. Let people teach you what they know - then steal it
18:31 4. Accept that going slow is sometimes how you will go fast
20:00 5. Start small and go large
31:47 6. Talk to your stakeholders about their business, not about learning/training
39:38 7. Get comfortable with business data
44:45 8. Become a good data storyteller
49:56 9. Think medium
How to connect
Download your FREE Death of the LMS guide: https://try.gethownow.com/death-of-lms-guide
Find Lauren on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenscholtz/
Find Neil on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neiljohncunningham/
Find Sam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samallenlearning/
Find Gary on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-stringer-copywriter/

Aug 14, 2023 • 37min
Leading With Empathy And The Power Of Facilitation | Path To CPO | Episode 11
Join Chris Chesterman (Head of Sales, HowNow) as he speaks to Aki Friedrich, Director of Learning Experience at Superside.
They discuss the importance of following your curiosity and creativity, the facilitation skills he picked up from teaching German, lessons from stepping into internal leadership roles, and much more.
Book a demo of HowNow: https://hubs.la/Q01RWy9P0Download your FREE Death of the LMS guide: https://hubs.la/Q01RWyMr0
See HowNow in action! Sign up for a live walkthrough: https://hubs.la/Q01RWzht0
Running order
0:00 Intro to Aki and his career journey
5:56 Confidence from performing experiences
7:29 Lessons from teaching German
11:52 Skills from high-growth period
15:03 Lessons from a career win
17:14 Leading with empathy
20:48 The influence of learning experiences
23:11 Understanding business context
25:25 Lessons from things that didn’t go as planned
28:32 Advice to new leaders
31:18 Quickfire questions
Find Aki on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akifriedrich/
Find Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-chesterman/

Aug 10, 2023 • 59min
How To Build An Agile L&D Approach | L&D Disrupt Live | Episode 48
Natal Dank, Author of Agile HR, discusses the importance of Agile L&D approaches in a fast-changing world. Topics include the agile mindset, problem-solving over solutions, multi-skilled teamwork, celebrating small wins, design principles, scaling efforts, and other agile tactics for L&D.

Aug 7, 2023 • 34min
Marketing, Coaching And Talent Skills That Transfer To CPO Roles | Path To CPO | Episode 10
Join Gary Stringer (Content Marketing Manager, HowNow) as he speaks to Deborah Hankin, Chief People Officer at Astound Commerce.
They discuss how her marketing background influences her CPO role, the importance of transparency, getting long-term buy-in for L&D, who new CPOs should collaborate with, and much more.
Book a demo of HowNow: https://hubs.la/Q01RWy9P0Download your FREE Death of the LMS guide: https://hubs.la/Q01RWyMr0
See HowNow in action! Sign up for a live walkthrough: https://hubs.la/Q01RWzht0
Running order
0:00 Intro to Deborah and her career journey
5:00 Deborah’s first CPO role and what inspired her switch
7:28 Spotting talent
8:25 How Deborah uses her marketing background
14:22 Being a people person and open as a CPO
16:11 Lessons from things that didn’t go as planned
20:44 First steps when entering a business as a CPO
25:40 The impact of leadership coaching
29:40 Qualities of a great CPO
Find Deborah on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hankin/
Find Gary on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-stringer-copywriter/

Aug 2, 2023 • 57min
Webinar | Empowering Employees To Grow In The Flow Of Work
Assemble You's Adam Lacey and Tap'd Solution Anthony Ryland joined us to discuss how you can empower your employees to grow in the flow of work.
From how we solve employee challenges at the point of need to the role of tech in creating fluid learning journey, this sessions will give you the tools to deliver the right content at the right moments for the right impact.
How to connect and relevant resources:
Book a demo of HowNow: https://hubs.la/Q01RWy9P0
Download your FREE Death of the LMS guide: https://hubs.la/Q01RWyMr0
See HowNow in action! Sign up for a live walkthrough: https://hubs.la/Q01RWzht0
Connect with Adam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamlacey/
Learn more about Assemble You: https://www.assembleyou.com
Download their FREE Playbook: 5 New Rules for Learning Engagement and Impact: https://www.assembleyou.com/learning-challenges
Connect with Anthony: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyryland/
Learn more about Tap'd Solutions: https://tapdsolutions.com/
Download their Engaging Hybrid Teams report: https://tapdsolutions.com/engaging-hybrid-virtual-and-dispersed-workers-and-teams/

Jul 31, 2023 • 38min
Adopting A Commercial Mindset As A CPO And HR Leader | Path To CPO | Episode 9
Join Chris Chesterman (Head of Sales, HowNow) as he speaks to Zarina Ward, Global Chief People Officer at Kantar Public.
They discuss lessons from Zarina’s recruitment experience, how the commercial mindset helps CPOs have better conversations, lessons from big career wins and things that didn’t pay off, and much more.
Book a demo of HowNow: https://hubs.la/Q01RWy9P0Download your FREE Death of the LMS guide: https://hubs.la/Q01RWyMr0
See HowNow in action! Sign up for a live walkthrough: https://hubs.la/Q01RWzht0
Running order
0:00 Intro to Zarina and her career journey
5:54 Lessons from the recruitment industry
9:08 Applying a commercial mindset as a CPO
17:19 Lessons from big career wins
21:32 Lessons from things that didn’t pay off
26:40 CPO qualities and coaching experiences
34:16 Quickfire questions
Find Zarina on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zarinaward/Find Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-chesterman/

Jul 27, 2023 • 59min
Neurodiversity And L&D: How Can We Better Support People? | L&D Disrupt Live | Episode 47
“Thinking, attention, memory and behaviour can all be different for someone who is neurodivergent.”
And with around 20% of the population being neurodivergent, it’s time for a conversation on how L&D can better support employees.
Hayley Brackley, Neurodiversity Specialist and founder of Great Minds Don’t, joined us to have that conversation.
From day-to-day actions we can all take to build a better culture to how we build live sessions and resources, this episode is packed with tangible lessons you can apply today.
Running order:
0:00 Hayley’s background, story and career
6:53 Defining neurodiversity in the L&D space
12:00 Everyday actions we can take
19:06 Collecting learner feedback
23:04 Providing meeting clarity
27:35 A neurodivergent-friendly space helps everyone
28:32 How do we understand neurodivergent needs?
32:24 Running better live sessions
41:10 Creating better resources
45:02 Audience Q&A
How to connect
Download your FREE Death of the LMS guide: https://try.gethownow.com/death-of-lms-guide
See HowNow in action! Sign up for a live walkthrough: https://try.gethownow.com/see-hownow-weekly
Find Hayley on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayley-brackley/
Learn more about Great Minds Don’t: https://www.greatmindsdont.co.uk/
Find Gary on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-stringer-copywriter/