The Secrets of Learning & Development

Valerie & Julia
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Our podcast is designed for business leaders, managers, consultants, industry experts, and individuals who are passionate about driving change and promoting growth in their organisations or personal development. Each episode will delve into crucial topics such as mindset recalibration, visibility, and strategic planning. We will have insightful conversations about change management and innovative initiatives that can transform your approach to learning and development.  Our aim is to equip you with valuable insights and practical strategies to enhance your leadership skills, business acumen, and personal growth.  We are focusing on our leaders and professional guests' unique journeys and the key moments that have shaped their careers.   We are passionate about sharing stories that inspire, educate, and ignite a spark within our listenersJoin us on this journey as we unlock the secrets to success in the dynamic world of learning and development. Stay tuned and get ready to be inspired!Host Information:Julia BendExecutive Career Coachhttps://www.premier-coaching.co.ukhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-bend-premier-coachingValerie MerrillLearning & Development Trainer & Advisorhttps://www.merrillconsultants.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/merrillvalerie/

  1. 4d ago

    Sarah Burrell: What Psychological Safety Really Requires

    If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! In this episode of The Secrets of Learning and Development, Julia Bend and Valerie Merrill are joined by inclusion and psychological safety specialist Sarah Burrell for an honest conversation about disability, communication and what it really takes to help people feel seen and heard at work. Sarah reflects on experiences that shaped her own career, including the impact of being underestimated, overlooked and faced with assumptions about what she could contribute because of her speech impairment. She also shares how those experiences now influence the way she works with leaders and organisations. At the heart of the conversation is a simple but powerful idea: apprehension can exist on both sides. People may worry about saying the wrong thing, while the person on the receiving end may be wondering whether they will be understood, listened to or valued. When that tension goes unspoken, meaningful communication can become much harder. Sarah explains why naming that discomfort can be the beginning of a better conversation, how humour can help people relax and why psychological safety is about much more than using the right language. The discussion also looks at the difference between having diverse people in the room and creating an environment where they are genuinely able to contribute, influence and be heard. A thoughtful episode about the conversations we often avoid, the assumptions we do not always notice and what leaders can do differently when they move beyond good intentions. Key Learnings Psychological safety is created through real conversations, not good intentions. People need to feel able to speak honestly, raise what is difficult and contribute without worrying that they will be dismissed or misunderstood. Sarah makes the point that this cannot be achieved through one-off statements or broad inclusion policies. It develops through ongoing conversations, trust and leaders being willing to address what might otherwise remain unspoken. Representation only matters when people are genuinely heard. Having different people in the room is not the same as inclusion. Sarah challenges leaders to think about whose voice is missing, who may be present but unheard and whether people are given meaningful space to contribute. Inclusion requires leaders to understand different communication preferences, individual needs and the conditions that allow people to participate  Guest Information http://www.sarahburrell.co.uk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahjburrell/ https://www.subscribepage.com/sarahburrell_newsletter https://calendly.com/sarahburrell Sarah Burrell Inclusion Support the show Support the Show Help us continue making great content and get a shout-out on the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2389736/support

    Sarah Burrell: What Psychological Safety Really Requires

  2. Sep 24

    From a One-Way Ticket to Deputy Mayor: Rajesh Agrawal on Belief, Resilience and Opportunity

    If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! A one-way ticket. Very little money. No certainty about what would happen next. Just an unshakeable belief that he would find a way. When Rajesh Agrawal arrived in London from India in his early twenties, he could not have known that his journey would take him from building a successful financial technology business to serving for almost eight years as Deputy Mayor of London for Business. What he did have was confidence in his ability to adapt, act on opportunity and keep going when circumstances changed. In this thoughtful and wide-ranging conversation, Rajesh shares what he has learned about staying persistent without becoming rigid, why genuine curiosity matters more than strategic networking and how his philosophy of focusing on his actions rather than becoming attached to the outcome has shaped the way he approaches ambition, success and failure. He also reflects on a belief instilled in him from childhood: that success is not simply about what you achieve for yourself, but what you are able to make possible for others. From supporting entrepreneurs and young people to his work today through Fair Growth, service has remained a defining thread throughout his career. At its heart, this is a conversation about resilience, opportunity and choosing to look forward. Rajesh reminds us that setbacks do not have to define what happens next, that asking for help can open unexpected doors and that Britain has far more potential than we sometimes give it credit for. Key Learnings Be persistent, but not rigid. Rajesh’s experience of having to change direction during the financial crisis shows that belief in the wider ambition does not mean clinging to the original plan. The ability to adapt while continuing to move forward can be just as important as determination itself.  Focus on what you can control, not only on the outcome. Rajesh speaks about putting your energy into your actions, intentions and effort while accepting that the result is not always in your hands. That mindset can make failure easier to learn from and success less dependent on everything going exactly as planned. Guest Information: rajesh@fairgrowth.group https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajeshagrawaluk https://www.fairgrowth.group/ Support the show Support the Show Help us continue making great content and get a shout-out on the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2389736/support

    From a One-Way Ticket to Deputy Mayor: Rajesh Agrawal on Belief, Resilience and Opportunity

  3. Sep 17 ·  Bonus

    Bonus Beyond Learning Styles: What Actually Helps People Learn?

    If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! For years, people have described themselves as visual, auditory or kinaesthetic learners. The idea shaped workshops, training programmes and even educational policy. But what if matching learning to a preferred style does not actually improve how well someone learns? In this bonus episode, Julia and Valerie look at why learning styles became so popular, what they changed for the better and why the evidence has led many L&D professionals to think differently. They explore the risks of labelling learners, the distinction between preferences and how learning actually happens and what should influence learning design instead. From motivation and prior knowledge to retrieval practice, feedback, accessibility and reinforcement, this conversation considers how we can recognise individual differences without placing people into boxes. Support the show Support the Show Help us continue making great content and get a shout-out on the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2389736/support

    Bonus Beyond Learning Styles: What Actually Helps People Learn?

  4. Sep 10

    Jo Tocher: When You Lose the Life You Expected: Grief, Healing and What Comes Next

    If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! Some experiences do not simply change the direction of your life. They change the person you are. For wellbeing practitioner, retreat host and author Jo Tocher, the loss of her first baby was one of those experiences. In this deeply personal episode, Jo shares how that loss changed her from the inside out and ultimately led her away from the corporate world towards a life and career centred on wellbeing. Jo explains why she first needed to work through her own grief, how training as an aromatherapist opened the door to other forms of healing and the moment she recognised that her lived experience could help other women feel less alone. She also discusses writing Life After Miscarriage, bringing together the stories of other women and giving a voice to an experience that is still too often left unspoken. The conversation explores the importance of listening for what is not being said, why meaningful support can never be one size fits all and how stepping away from the demands of everyday life can give us a different perspective on what needs to change. Jo also shares her thoughts on connection, midlife and taking better care of ourselves after years spent looking after everyone else. Above all, she challenges the idea that age should determine what we can still do, become or experience. This is an honest and moving conversation about living with loss, finding meaning without diminishing what happened and allowing personal experience to inform work that genuinely helps others. Key Learnings Our own healing must come before helping others Jo’s experience shows that lived experience can bring a depth of understanding, but she first needed time to process her own grief before using what she had learnt to support other women. Wellbeing requires deliberate attention Creating space, maintaining meaningful connections and caring for our sleep, movement and mindset are essential, particularly in midlife. Age should not decide what remains possible for us. Guest Information: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jotocher/ https://jotocher.com/ https://www.instagram.com/jo_tocher_holistics/ https://www.facebook.com/joy.holistics.9 Support the show Support the Show Help us continue making great content and get a shout-out on the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2389736/support

    Jo Tocher: When You Lose the Life You Expected: Grief, Healing and What Comes Next

  5. Sep 4 ·  Bonus

    Bonus: When Competence Hides the support you need

    If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! Competence earns trust, responsibility and respect. It can also create the impression that you never need support. In this bonus episode, Julia and Valerie explore what happens when being known as the capable one means carrying more of the thinking alone. They consider why experience doesn’t remove uncertainty, how independence can quietly become isolation and why seeking another perspective strengthens rather than undermines your judgement. Because the people trusted to make the difficult decisions still need somewhere to think before they make them. Support the show Support the Show Help us continue making great content and get a shout-out on the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2389736/support

    Bonus: When Competence Hides the support you need

  6. Aug 27

    Sally Chapman From Playing Catch-Up to Leading From Within

    If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! For much of her life, Sally Chapman felt she was playing catch-up — reaching for the milestones others seemed to have already achieved and working harder whenever something didn’t feel right. Her career has been anything but conventional. From agricultural college and pig farming to running an award-winning pub, building a successful career in HR and becoming an executive and leadership coach, each chapter revealed something more about who she was and what mattered to her. In this honest and engaging conversation, Sally shares how childhood beliefs shaped her choices, why her need to fit in followed her into the workplace and how coaching helped her recognise the values misalignment she had been trying to outwork. She also explains why emotions are central to the way we live and lead, and how this thinking inspired her Lead From Within workbook and programme. This episode is a powerful exploration of identity, belonging and the patterns that quietly influence our decisions. It is also a reminder that meaningful work doesn’t always begin with a carefully constructed plan. Sometimes, it begins when we finally listen to the parts of ourselves we have spent years pushing aside. Key Learnings Working harder cannot fix work that conflicts with who you are. What appears to be a performance problem may actually be a clash between your role, values and emotional needs. The need to catch up or fit in can quietly shape an entire career. Understanding the beliefs behind our choices allows us to make decisions based on who we are now, rather than who we once thought we needed to be. Guest Information: Website - https://shinecoaching.org.uk/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sally-chapman-shine-coaching/ Instagram - @sallychapmanshinecoaching PDF Workbook  | Printed Workbook   Support the show Support the Show Help us continue making great content and get a shout-out on the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2389736/support

    Sally Chapman From Playing Catch-Up to Leading From Within

  7. Aug 21 ·  Bonus

    Bonus: Mindset Shift from Employee to Brand

    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 I explore the shift from employee to personal brand and what it really means to become “You Ltd”. For many capable professionals, being good at the work has always mattered more than talking about the work. But as careers become less linear, and more people move into consultancy, portfolio work, leadership visibility, advisory roles or self-employment, the ability to explain your value clearly becomes increasingly important. This conversation is not about polishing yourself into something artificial. It is about understanding what you bring, what you are known for and how people experience your work. At its heart, this episode is about moving from “this is my role” to “this is the value I bring” and learning how to describe your experience, credibility and difference with greater clarity, confidence and purpose. Support the show Support the Show Help us continue making great content and get a shout-out on the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2389736/support

    Bonus: Mindset Shift from Employee to Brand

  8. Aug 13

    Lynne Parker was Told Women Aren’t Funny. Then She Changed Comedy.

    If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! What happens when one dismissive comment becomes the catalyst for more than two decades of change? In this episode, Julia and Valerie are joined by Lynne Parker, founder of Funny Women, the award-winning platform that has championed female performers, writers and creators since 2002. Lynne shares how being told that women ‘aren’t funny’ led her to challenge a male-dominated comedy industry and create opportunities for emerging talent, including Funny Women Award winner Katherine Ryan. Lynne reflects candidly on her varied career in journalism, public relations and retail, the risks behind building Funny Women and the financial realities of sustaining work in an industry where comedy is still not officially recognised as an art form. She also explores how comedy can help women strengthen their confidence, communicate with greater impact and make themselves heard in business and beyond. This is an honest and spirited conversation about reinvention, visibility, collaboration and what it takes to keep backing an idea when the structures around you have yet to catch up. Key Learnings Your experience may prepare you for work you never planned to do. Lynne’s background in journalism, PR and business gave her the storytelling, commercial judgement and determination to build Funny Women. Lasting change requires more than personal success. It depends on opening doors, recognising new talent and working together so that opportunity extends beyond one person. Guest Information:  https://www.lynneparker.co.uk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynneparker/ https://funnywomen.com/ https://magazine.funnywomen.com/2025/12/11/the-glitter-project-how-a-spark-became-a-nationwide-creative-movement/ Comedy Advisor to CRAFT, the newly formed Comedy Representation and Artform Trust. https://thecraft.lol/ https://magazine.funnywomen.com/2026/04/30/born-out-of-misogyny-why-we-are-still-waiting-to-be-heard/ Support the show Support the Show Help us continue making great content and get a shout-out on the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2389736/support

    Lynne Parker was Told Women Aren’t Funny. Then She Changed Comedy.
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Our podcast is designed for business leaders, managers, consultants, industry experts, and individuals who are passionate about driving change and promoting growth in their organisations or personal development. Each episode will delve into crucial topics such as mindset recalibration, visibility, and strategic planning. We will have insightful conversations about change management and innovative initiatives that can transform your approach to learning and development.  Our aim is to equip you with valuable insights and practical strategies to enhance your leadership skills, business acumen, and personal growth.  We are focusing on our leaders and professional guests' unique journeys and the key moments that have shaped their careers.   We are passionate about sharing stories that inspire, educate, and ignite a spark within our listenersJoin us on this journey as we unlock the secrets to success in the dynamic world of learning and development. Stay tuned and get ready to be inspired!Host Information:Julia BendExecutive Career Coachhttps://www.premier-coaching.co.ukhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-bend-premier-coachingValerie MerrillLearning & Development Trainer & Advisorhttps://www.merrillconsultants.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/merrillvalerie/

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