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. Jul 16

    Why It’s Never Too Late to Say Yes: Christine Marsh on Learning, Leadership and Reinvention

    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 Christine Marsh, transformation catalyst, global keynote speaker, author and working model. At 85, Christine continues to speak, write, create and model, with two active contracts and a career that challenges many assumptions about age, leadership and what is possible later in life. Christine shares how her early experiences, including returning from India unable to read and often being the new person, shaped her ability to observe, listen and understand people. She reflects on her work in learning and development, conflict resolution and organisational change, including her time supporting thousands of people across the UK and her decision to found Prime Objective at the age of 50. The conversation explores what gets in the way of real change in organisations, why leadership is about developing others rather than ego, and how Christine’s SELF model helps people bring clarity to complex situations by separating the situation, emotion, logic and forward movement. Christine also talks openly about grief, reinvention, writing her book Flashpoint Transformation: Life’s Choices: Ready to Jump or Waiting to Be Pushed, and the importance of saying yes before we talk ourselves out of what might be possible. This is a powerful and uplifting conversation about change, courage, learning, leadership and continuing to grow at every stage of life. Key Learnings Real change requires honesty, not just procedures. Christine makes a powerful point that organisations often create mission statements, training schedules and procedures, then stop revisiting them. Her view is that change has to stay relevant, fresh and connected to the real world, otherwise it becomes a tick-box exercise rather than something that truly helps people or the organisation move forward. Growth does not stop at a certain age or stage of life. Christine’s story challenges the idea that there is a natural point where we should slow down, step back or stop saying yes. At 85, she is still speaking, writing, creating and modelling, and her message is very clear: keep learning, keep trying and do not rule yourself out before you  Guest information: https://thechristinemarsh.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/thechristinemarsh/ 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

    Why It’s Never Too Late to Say Yes: Christine Marsh on Learning, Leadership and Reinvention

  2. Jul 11 ·  Bonus

    The Career Crossroads that doesn't feel like a crisis

    If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! In this bonus episode of The Secrets of Learning and Development, Valerie Merrill is joined by co-host Julia Bend, Executive Career Transition Coach and founder of Premier Coaching, to explore the kind of career crossroads that doesn’t look like a crisis from the outside. For many senior professionals, the title, salary, reputation and performance may still be there. Nothing may have obviously gone wrong. Yet privately, a question keeps returning: “Is this still right for me?” Julia discusses why career transition is not always triggered by redundancy, burnout or major disruption. Sometimes it begins much more quietly, through a loss of connection, a flatness around achievement or the sense that an old version of success no longer fits. This conversation explores the guilt that can come with questioning a successful career, the identity shift that often sits beneath the surface and why reflection doesn’t have to mean making a sudden decision. It may simply mean paying proper attention to what has changed. If you’re outwardly doing well but privately wondering whether the next chapter of your career needs to feel different, this episode offers a thoughtful place to begin. 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

    The Career Crossroads that doesn't feel like a crisis

  3. Jul 2

    From CFO to Female Founder Champion: David Horne’s Story

    If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! In this episode of The Secrets of Learning and Development, Julia and Valerie are joined by David Horne, award-winning businessman, CFO, author and advocate for fairer funding for female founders. David shares the pivotal moments that shaped his career, from learning German as a teenager in Vancouver to moving to Zurich with one-way tickets, building a successful finance career and later facing the difficult reality of a business that did not work out as planned. With honesty, humour and energy, David reflects on redundancy, reinvention, personal loss, confidence, opportunity and the people who spoke his name in rooms he was not in. He also shares the passion behind his work with female founders, the shocking funding gap they still face and his ambition to create meaningful change in how women-led businesses are supported. This is a conversation about courage, career pivots, resilience, purpose and the moments that ask us to rethink what success really means. Key Learnings Career opportunities often come from skills you develop before you know why they matter. David’s decision to learn German began as curiosity, but it later became a defining thread in his career, opening doors to Pricewaterhouse in Zurich, senior finance roles and leadership development in a different language and culture. Setbacks can become turning points when they force honest reflection. David speaks openly about the wine business not working, losing savings and facing a difficult personal turning point after his father’s death. That period helped him reassess his direction, rebuild his confidence and move into work with greater purpose, including his focus on supporting female founders. Guest Information: LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-b-horne/ +44 (0) 771 774 2134  dbh@addthenmultiply.com www.addthenmultiply.com 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 CFO to Female Founder Champion: David Horne’s Story

  4. Jun 25 ·  Bonus

    Critical Thinking in the age of AI

    If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! In this bonus episode of The Secrets of Learning and Development, Valerie leads a timely conversation with Julia on critical thinking in the age of AI and everyday decision-making. Together, they explore why it is no longer enough to accept information at face value, especially when AI tools can produce answers that sound confident but may not always be accurate or relevant. The conversation highlights the importance of pausing, asking better questions, checking assumptions and looking for evidence before making decisions. Valerie and Julia also consider the challenges of critical thinking, from the extra time it can take to the discomfort of questioning established ways of working. They reflect on why phrases such as “we’ve always done it this way” can limit progress and how a more thoughtful approach can support better decisions, greater confidence and stronger outcomes. A practical and timely conversation for anyone who wants to think more clearly, question more carefully and make decisions with greater intention. 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

    Critical Thinking in the age of AI

  5. Jun 18

    From Cancer Research to ADHD Girls: Dr Samantha Hiew’s Remarkable Journey

    If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! In this episode of the award-winning Secrets of Learning and Development, we speak with Dr Samantha Hiew, founder of ADHD Girls, speaker, writer and advocate. Sam’s story is one of reinvention, self-discovery and purpose. From a career in cancer research and science communication to becoming a powerful voice for neurodivergent women, she shares the experiences that shaped her path and the moments that changed how she saw herself and her work. Following a late diagnosis of ADHD and autism, Sam began to make sense of years of feeling different, struggling to fit expected moulds and questioning her place in professional environments. What followed was not only greater self-understanding, but the creation of a platform that is helping other women feel recognised, informed and supported. In this conversation, we explore late diagnosis, identity, masking, burnout, workplace inclusion and the importance of creating spaces where people can work in ways that genuinely suit them. It is an honest and thought-provoking episode, full of insight for anyone interested in leadership, learning, wellbeing and what it means to live and work more truthfully. Key Learnings Late diagnosis can completely reframe a person’s life and work Samantha’s ADHD and autism diagnosis helped her make sense of years of feeling different, struggling in certain environments and questioning herself. A major learning from the episode is that self-understanding can shift shame into clarity and help people make choices that are far more suited to who they really are. Inclusion at work needs to go beyond surface-level awareness The episode highlights that many neurodivergent women may appear highly capable on the outside while quietly exhausting themselves through masking. A key takeaway is that organisations need to think more carefully about energy, flexibility, safety and individual ways of working rather than relying on one-size-fits-all support. Guest Information: Linkedin.com/in/samanthahiew https://linktr.ee/Samhiew https://hub.adhdgirls.co.uk/AuDHD-in-women-masterclass https://hub.adhdgirls.co.uk/AuDHD-Women-Intersectional-Scientific-Lens 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 Cancer Research to ADHD Girls: Dr Samantha Hiew’s Remarkable Journey

  6. Jun 11 ·  Bonus

    The strength of weak ties: Why your opportunity isn't where you think it is.

    If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! In this bonus episode of The Secrets of Learning & Development, Julia and Valerie explore Mark Granovetter’s influential idea, The Strength of Weak Ties, and why the people we know less closely can often lead us to fresh ideas, unexpected opportunities and valuable new perspectives. The conversation looks at why strong ties offer trust and depth, while weak ties can expand our thinking, connect us to different networks and help learning travel across organisations. From LinkedIn conversations to cross-team learning and brief breakout-room exchanges, this episode is a reminder that opportunity does not always come from the obvious places. Julia and Valerie also reflect on what this means for L&D, social learning, hybrid work and organisational connection, ending with a simple challenge: reach out to one weak tie and start a conversation. 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

    The strength of weak ties: Why your opportunity isn't where you think it is.

  7. Jun 4

    Abi Rogers on The Hidden Anxiety Behind High Performance

    If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd love to hear from you! S5:E In this episode, we’re joined by Abi Rogers, founder of The Better Brain Company and solution-focused hypnotherapist, for a thoughtful conversation on the hidden cost of high performance. Abi reflects on her journey from running two optical practices while quietly struggling with anxiety, panic and relentless mental overload, to discovering a different way of working and living.  Together, we explore confidence, identity, nervous system regulation and why so many capable people can appear fine on the outside while feeling very different underneath. Abi also shares practical insights for anyone caught in overthinking, along with the thinking behind her Leading Lighter programme and her book, 21 Days to a Better Brain. Key Learnings Outward success does not always mean inner ease. High performers can look capable while quietly carrying anxiety, pressure and mental overload. Confidence is not about becoming a different person. It often starts with calming the nervous system, reducing mental noise and creating space to think more clearly. Guest Information:  https://linkedin.com/in/AbiRogers http://www.betterbraincompany.com/ 21 Days to a Better Brain: How to be calm, confident & focused in a world that's losing its mind. Kindle Edition, https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0H22P1GT8 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

    Abi Rogers on The Hidden Anxiety Behind High Performance

  8. May 29 ·  Bonus

    Why Borrowed Belief Can Change a Career

    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 Julia explore the powerful idea of borrowed belief: those moments when someone sees a strength, quality or possibility in us before we can fully see it ourselves. Julia reflects on why this can be so significant at career crossroads, especially when confidence, self-trust or readiness are quietly holding someone back. The conversation explores how borrowed belief can shift what feels possible, how to recognise the patterns others may be reflecting back to us and why the real change begins when we start turning that belief into our own. A thoughtful episode for anyone who has ever been encouraged by someone else’s belief in them, and wondered whether it might be time to take that seriously. 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

    Why Borrowed Belief Can Change a Career
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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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