The BLOC Podcast Dr Heidi Kirby

In this episode, I sit down with my brilliant friend and colleague, Mallori Steele, to talk about how she landed in L&D and how she uses her strengths as a connector to create spaces for marginalized people to network, learn, and grow.

Mallori is a multi-passionate and multi-talented Leader, Strategist, Solutionist, Entrepreneur, and Mom of 2. She is the CEO of Growductive Consulting, an L&D Consulting Agency, the Founder of the non-profit Black in L&D, and the visionary of the virtual conference, The Learning Exchange. Mallori is a connector! She strongly believes in the power of community and collaboration. She has a passion for helping people reach their full potential and has a unique skill set that allows her to communicate effectively with people from all walks of life. A California native, Mallori lived 10+ years abroad in Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, and Turkey. She currently resides in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area.

Mallori is launching her latest passion project, celebrating moms for Mother's Day. So, if you're a Bad-A$$ Mom, have a Bad-A$$ Mom, or know a Bad-A$$ Mom, register for the Bad-A$$ Mom event on May 9th: https://www.airmeet.com/e/3967c820-f793-11ee-84ef-3d68ce1df13c

Connect with Mallori on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/malloristeele/

Mallori's advice if you want to start something (a community, event, business, etc.):
Focus on YOUDon't overthink itCollect your thoughts and resources in OneNote (or a similar notetaking app)Think about what you want and your capacityRealize that other people's advice is just that -- adviceThanks for listening to the BLOC!

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidiekirby/

Or check out what I'm working on over at https://www.getusefulstuff.com/

In this episode I answer your questions about inspiration, adding value, skills development, L&D tools, and the L&D job search! 

Here are some of the resources mentioned in the show:
Bloc Podcast Episode 75: Why is There SO Much Bad Training?Bloc Podcast Episode 3: Positive Organizational Change with LaToya SmithIntro to Copyright for L&DThanks for listening to the BLOC!

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidiekirby/

Or check out what I'm working on over at https://www.getusefulstuff.com/

In this episode, I explain 5 helpful tips for making your training (and I'm talking ANY kind of training - job aids, virtual sessions, instructor-led, and even eLearning) more engaging. And if you know me, you know that I believe the best way to make training engaging is to make it useful. 

So, forget all the bells and whistles and gimmicks, and let's talk making training highly effective. 
Thanks for listening to the BLOC!

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidiekirby/

Or check out what I'm working on over at https://www.getusefulstuff.com/

In this episode, I chat with my new friend, Yen Tan. We chat about why they founded Kona and how they've built a product that uses AI to help coach remote managers. We talk about why you shouldn't "slap AI on everything" and how we can take a more deliberate approach to using AI in L&D. We also explore some use cases where it can really help teams and managers be their best.

Yen is co-founder of Kona, the AI-powered coach for remote managers. Yen's work on people-first leadership and employee happiness has been featured by The Guardian, Fortune, Yahoo, TechCrunch, Entrepreneur, Harvard Business School, Forbes, and more. They've led remote management, employee well-being, and feedback workshops at Mercury, Mailchimp, Circle, and more. In their free time, Yen likes exploring LA's bookstores and boba shops and convincing their partner that they could use another plant.

Yen's suggestion for folks who want an intro to practical AI use:
HBR's Guide to AI Basics for Managers ToolkitThanks for listening to the BLOC!

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidiekirby/

Or check out what I'm working on over at https://www.getusefulstuff.com/

In this episode, I talk about how I moved from an individual contributor role as an instructional designer to an L&D leadership role and give you tips if you're interested in doing the same. 

I talk about how to break it to your manager, how to create a plan to upskill, weighing the risks of staying at your current organization or trying to branch out to a new one, and how to get people leadership experience outside your full-time day job. 
Thanks for listening to the BLOC!

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidiekirby/

Or check out what I'm working on over at https://www.getusefulstuff.com/

In this episode, I bring Tim Slade back to talk about building your reputation on LinkedIn. We use it to look for work... We use it to find new clients... We use it to connect and learn about each other... But there's so much noise! How do we know what's real?

Tim's suggestion for folks who are getting into instructional design? 
Read a BOOK - you're more likely to get expertise because of the time and effort it takes to write and publish a book than what FURUs can accomplish in brief social media postsTim's suggestion for people as they begin to post on LinkedIn?
Be yourselfDon't try to create something that you're notWrite what comes to mindInclude what you LEARNED when you share a certificateThanks for listening to the BLOC!

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidiekirby/

Or check out what I'm working on over at https://www.getusefulstuff.com/