Skilled

Growthspace
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Careers

Welcome to Skilled, the podcast where we sit down with remarkable L&D and HR leaders to uncover the stories, strategies, and skills behind their success.

  1. May 29

    The Fingerprint Philosophy: How Kelli Ezell thinks about HR leadership

    What does it mean to lead HR like a business driver, not an order taker? Kelli Ezell of BMI breaks down the three-legged stool of HR execution, AI adoption done right, and the career advice she wishes she'd heard earlier.

    33 min

  2. May 15

    AI-powered learning and the human edge: Insights from Julie Stone, CLO at TTEC

    Julie Stone, Chief Learning Officer at TTEC, leads AI-powered learning for 65,000+ employees across six continents. In this episode, she shares why she stopped a fully self-paced program from launching — and why it would have failed — and what that moment taught her about the role humans must play in AI-powered learning. She also breaks down why the most dangerous skill gap in organizations today isn't AI fluency, it's discernment: the ability to challenge what AI gives you and know whether the substance is actually there. If you're navigating AI transformation in L&D, this is the episode to listen to. Chapters: 0:00 — Introduction: Meet Julie Stone, CLO at TTEC3:00 — When L&D is the product: TTEC's dual mandate8:00 — The program that almost launched: why she pulled the human out and what happened14:00 — The Learning Wizards Suite and the Brandon Hall Gold Award20:00 — Running L&D like a software team: pilots, releases, and the cost of constant change26:00 — The speed of AI will always be constrained by the people32:00 — The skill gap nobody is naming: discernment in an AI-generated worldConnect with Julie on LinkedIn, and follow TTEC.

    32 min

  3. May 1

    Building a culture of creativity, candor, and courage with Gena Smith

    What does it actually take to walk into an iconic American brand as a new CHRO and build culture, values, and an HR strategy from scratch?In this episode of the Skilled Podcast by ‪Growthspace, Omer Glass and Samantha Thomas sit down with Gena Smith, CHRO of J.Crew, to talk about what she learned in 14 years at LVMH, why values mean nothing without accountability, and how she's thinking about AI adoption in a creativity-first organization.Gena shares her honest take on the difference between companies that talk about values and companies that actually live them — and what it takes to make that shift stick across every level of the business. What you'll learn: Why employee experience has to come before customer experience How to define values concretely enough that people can actually be held accountable to them The three pillars of successful AI adoption: mindset, skills, and tools — in that order Why "just start" is the most important message any leader can give their team right now What the paradox of AI really means for human skills and leadershipWhether you're a CHRO navigating transformation, an L&D leader trying to embed values into development programs, or a people leader figuring out how to bring your team along on the AI journey — this conversation is for you.

    38 min

  4. Apr 20

    Debunking HR myths and unlocking opportunity with Ron Storn

    In this episode, Ron Storn, CHRO, Truckstop, shares what 20 years of building people-first HR actually looks like: why engagement scores are a symptom, not a strategy; what Mark Zuckerberg taught him about hiring; and the one quality that predicts whether someone will grow or plateau. Plus: how TruckStop is approaching AI adoption without mandates, and why

    45 min

  5. Apr 6

    Rethinking learning and measuring the impact with Paul Tiesler

    How Moody's measures whether learning actually sticks — and why most L&D teams are tracking the wrong thing. Paul Tiesler, SVP, Talent Development, joins Skilled to talk about his unconventional career path into HR from Broadway as a professional actor, why culture matters more than you think, and how Moody's created a new measurement system to report on the impact of L&D at scale.

    37 min

  6. Mar 18

    Redefining leadership at HubSpot with Ben Putterman

    Ben Putterman, VP of Learning & Talent Development at HubSpot, has a bold claim: leadership development has actually gotten worse over the last 20 years. In this episode, he breaks down why. Ben also shares the "explorer vs. map reader" framework HubSpot uses to build leaders who can thrive without a roadmap.

    37 min

  7. Mar 9

    Scaling culture through hypergrowth at Valvoline with Jon Caldwell

    Jon Caldwell, CPO of Valvoline, on building "Vamily" culture through a massive corporate transformation, hypergrowth goals and the people strategy it'll take to get there, and why culture is the real competitive advantage in retail.

    37 min

  8. Jan 26

    Unlocking Potential: James Killian on coaching for performance excellence

    In this episode, we sit down with James Killian to explore the intersection of HR, learning, and performance. James shares practical insights on coaching, skills development, and building a growth mindset in the workplace. Whether you’re an HR leader, manager, or lifelong learner, you’ll discover actionable strategies to unlock potential and drive meaningful development across your team.

    34 min
See All (29)

Ratings & Reviews

About

Welcome to Skilled, the podcast where we sit down with remarkable L&D and HR leaders to uncover the stories, strategies, and skills behind their success.

Information

  • Creator
    Growthspace
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    29
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Growthspace
  • Show Website
    Skilled