
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

Jun 24, 2023 • 12min
Disrupt Shorts #3 | The Current State Of L&D: Skills, Trends And More | Helen Marshall
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
In this short-form conversation, Gary speaks with Helen Marshall, Chief Learning Officer at Thrive and host of the Diary of a CLO podcast, about skills gaps, L&D trends and how she approaches new projects like launching the WomenIn community and podcast hosting.
Connect with Helen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helearning/
Check out Diary of a CLO: https://diaryofaclo.podbean.com/
Learn more about HowNow: https://gethownow.com

Jun 20, 2023 • 53min
Webinar | 2023 L&D Data Revealed: Lessons From High-Performing Teams
Join us for an exclusive deep dive into our latest L&D data!
We analysed top-performing HowNow customers and hundreds of learning resources to identify the secret sauces for engagement and impact.
Join Gary Stringer (Senior Content Marketing Manager) and Lulu Dermeche (Head of Customer Success) for:
🚀 The exclusive first-look at 2023 L&D data.
🚀 Analysis of 6 common trends across high-performing L&D teams and content.
🚀 Advice on putting these into practice.
🚀 Use cases: Learn from the L&D experts doing it right.
See how an LMS would look if it was built today (+ HowNow product tour): https://try.gethownow.com/see-hownow-weekly
Download your free Death of the LMS guide: https://try.gethownow.com/death-of-lms-guide

Jun 19, 2023 • 47min
The Skills Every Winning CPO And HR Leader Needs | Path To CPO | Episode 3
In this episode, Nelson is joined by Tatjana Tasan, Chief People & Sustainability Officer at Viridium.
They discuss how Tatjana worked out which skills she’d need and how to build them, how people leaders can be more proactive, HR business partnering, and much more.
Book a demo of HowNow: https://hubs.la/Q01RWy9P0
Download your FREE Death of the LMS guide: https://hubs.la/Q01RWyMr0
Running order
0:00 Intro to Tatjana and her HR background.
4:48 What you wish you knew/the skills you realised you needed.
7:38 How Tatjana built those skills.
9:20 Being reactive vs. proactive and getting a seat at the table.
13:22 Does HR need HR expertise to lead?
15:56 HR business partnering
21:48 Vulnerability about what you don’t know
27:28 Realising I was ready for a CPO role.
32:15 Starting my own business.
38:28 Quickfire questions
Find Tatjana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tatjanatasan/
Find Nelson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nelsonsivalingam/

Jun 17, 2023 • 17min
Disrupt Shorts #2 | LX Design Principles For Engaging Learners And Building Skills | Ally Jones
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
In this conversation, Gary speaks with Ally Jones, Leadership Development Expert, Learning Experience Designer and Co-Founder of Coachable, about how we can build better learning experiences.
From considering moments of need to answering what’s in it for me?, this episode will help you diagnose problems better and deliver learning experiences that solve them.
Connect with Ally on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisonjonescoach/
Learn more about Coachable: https://www.wearecoachable.com/
Learn more about HowNow: https://gethownow.com

Jun 15, 2023 • 48min
L&D Lessons From The Banking World: Skills, Community & Purpose | L&D Disrupt Live | Episode 44
Banking’s a fast-changing industry, full of large organisations where lots of people need support to learn, grow and build relevant skills.
So, how do L&D teams spin all those plates, manage many stakeholders, support individuals and build a sense of purpose?
NatWest Group’s Roganna Ranjan (Learning Strategy Manager) and Sean McGovern (Head of Customer & Community Learning) join us live to explain how L&D works in banking and share lessons you can apply - regardless of which space you’re in.
Running order
0:00 Who are Roganna and Sean?
4:37 Managing various stakeholders at NatWest
13:26 Dealing with growing digitisation
22:58 The role of volunteering and community initiatives
28:59 A more holistic view of L&D
32:17 Connecting people to purpose
40:08 Supporting short and long-term goals
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 Sean on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-mcgovern-67580415b/
Find Roganna on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roganna-ranjan-b9300010a/
Find Gary on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-stringer-copywriter/

Jun 12, 2023 • 37min
Sales Lessons For CPOs: Feedback, Resilience & Values, Gemma Atkinson | Path To CPO | Episode 2
In this episode, Nelson is joined by Gemma Atkinson, Global Chief People Officer at Active International.
They discuss how Gemma’s values shaped her decision to step into a CPO role, her sales background, the best ways to give and receive feedback, and much more.
Book a demo of HowNow: https://hubs.la/Q01RWy9P0
Download your FREE Death of the LMS guide: https://hubs.la/Q01RWyMr0
Running order
0:00 Intro to Gemma and her sales background.
7:34 Best ways to give/receive feedback.
16:20 How your values shape your approach.
24:02 The impact of values on decision making.
26:08 How Gemma became a CPO
32:09 Quickfire questions
Find Gemma on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gemmaatkinson1/
Find Nelson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nelsonsivalingam/

Jun 10, 2023 • 20min
Disrupt Shorts #1 | Marketing Principles For Engaging L&D Audiences | Hannah Waddams
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
In this short-form conversation, Gary speaks with Hannah Waddams, Marketing Director at MAAS Marketing, about marketing principles L&D teams can leverage. From communicating value to putting the audience first, this is packed with great advice you can apply today.
Connect with Hannah on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannahwaddams/
Learn more about MAAS Marketing: https://www.maas-marketing.co.uk/
Learn more about HowNow: https://gethownow.com/

Jun 5, 2023 • 30min
From Sales Trainer To VP Of People, Ash Rama | Path To CPO | Episode 1
In this episode, Nelson is joined by Ash Rama, VP People at Mention Me, to discuss his background in psychology, how he entered the people space, whether his view of L&D has changed since, how he deals with impostor syndrome, and so much more.
Book a demo of HowNow: https://hubs.la/Q01RWy9P0
Download your FREE Death of the LMS guide: https://hubs.la/Q01RWyMr0
Running order:
0:00 Intro to Ash and his background in music, sales and tech.
6:06 What helped Ash make a big career decision?
8:17 An understanding of psychology and self-awareness
11:58 Stepping into the people space.
15:00 Has your L&D perspective changed?
19:40 Mentoring vs. coaching
21:57 Handling impostor syndrome
23:27 What do you wish you knew when you started?
24:25 Advice to others CPOs.
Find Ash on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashrama/
Find Nelson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nelsonsivalingam/

Jun 1, 2023 • 58min
How To Build A Learning Ecosystem | L&D Disrupt Live | Episode 43
A message to all L&D teams: People are learning with or without us… but that doesn’t mean we’re out of a job.
In fact, we’ve got a more important role than ever: 🔥 The builder of the learning ecosystem 🔥
Bringing all the ways and places people already learn together, from podcasts to TikTok videos, webinars to articles, and much more.
Katja Schipperheijn, author of Learning Ecosystems and Founder of Habit Of Improvement joined Nelson and Gary to discuss how we build a learning ecosystem and why it’s never been more important.
Running order:
0:00 Introduction to Katja and defining an ecosystem
4:03 Building an ecosystem that evolves over time
10:04 Curation, informal learning and L&D’s role
16:54 Why now?
23:13 Ecosystem logistics/structure
29:45 The tech stack and tools
34:20 The Layers Of Your Learning Ecosystem
37:37 Using all your data and tools together
44:32 Lessons from working with 15,000 Children48:15 Auditing your current ecosystem
54:46 Katja’s book - Learning Ecosystems
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 Katja on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katjaschipperheijn/
Get your copy of Learning Ecosystems: https://www.koganpage.com/product/learning-ecosystems-9781398607408
Find Gary on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-stringer-copywriter/
Find Nelson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nelsonsivalingam/
Find HowNow on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hownowhq/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hownowteam
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hownowhq/
Our Website: https://gethownow.com/

May 25, 2023 • 1min
Path To CPO Trailer | NEW PODCAST SERIES | Launching Monday, 5 June
Welcome to Path To CPO, the new podcast series powered by HowNow.
Where we peel back the layers of success and delve into the journeys of the most dynamic chief people officers.
Join us every Monday as we explore the trials, triumphs and insights of these people, culture and HR trailblazers at some of the fastest growing companies in the world.
Launching on Monday, 5 June, you can find the first (and every) episode on the L&D Disrupt podcast feed and HowNow's YouTube channel.