Bestselling author and researcher Tom Rath explores a deceptively simple question: What's the point? Drawing from his latest book, What's the Point? Turning Purpose Into Your Daily Superpower, Tom reframes purpose as something that can be created in small, meaningful moments every day.

We discuss how L&D professionals and leaders can move beyond productivity and efficiency to help people see the real impact of their work. From redefining the role of managers in connecting employees to contribution, to challenging the myth of passion and viewing purpose as an outward, others‑focused practice, this conversation offers practical ways to make purpose part of everyday work.

Whether you're developing others or navigating your own career, this episode will help you rethink purpose and how to act on it.

Resources:

• Tom on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trath/
• Tom's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Whats-Point-Tom-Rath/dp/1939714281?tag=tomrath-wtp-20
• Tom's Website: https://tomrath.org/

Marcus Buckingham, New York Times bestselling author, joins the podcast to make a bold case from his new book, Design Love In. Love is the most powerful driver of business outcomes, and modern workplaces have engineered it out.

What does "love" actually mean at work? Why do people wear armor on the job, and how do everyday systems help them take it off? Marcus introduces a blueprint for creating loving experiences built on five sequential emotions, and reveals what happens when organizations try to skip ahead. He also addresses the pressures of the current moment and how AI can either support human flourishing or quietly push love out of work.

Most importantly, Marcus offers concrete ways anyone can begin designing love back into work, leadership, learning, and culture with intention, starting now.

Resources:

• Marcus on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-buckingham/
• Marcus' book: https://www.designlovein.com/
• Marcus' company: https://www.lovethat.com/

Register for ATD Intensive: https://atdintensive.td.org/

Frontline employees represent 70–80% of the global workforce, yet they're often the least supported. In this episode of ATD's Accidental Trainer, JD Dillon, author of The Frontline Enablement Playbook, and Shannon Davis, Talent Development Manager at MAREK, unpack what organizations consistently misunderstand about frontline work and what it really takes to enable performance across industries.

From retail and healthcare to construction and hospitality, the conversation explores commonalities across frontline workforces, creating learning programs for deskless workers, and how AI fits into the picture. JD shares insights from his work across movie theaters, Walt Disney theme parks, higher education, and global logistics, while Shannon brings a frontline-first mindset from her work in construction and talent development leadership.

Resources:

• JD's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jddillon/
• JD's website: https://jddillon.com/
• Shannon's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-davis1938/
• Intensive Website: https://atdintensive.td.org/

Lori Niles-Hoffmann, senior learning strategist, co-founder of 8Levers, and longtime voice in the L&D space, explores the trends shaping talent development this year. Her 2026 predictions focus on the future of learning: the decline of one-size-fits-all courses, the rise of AI tutors and performance support, and how personalized, contextual learning will reshape the learner experience.

In this episode, Lori challenges the hype around generative AI, highlights the growing importance of agents and workflow redesign, and explains why L&D must prepare now to stay strategically relevant. The conversation also tackles ethics, data privacy, and employee trust, along with the emotional reality many professionals feel amid rapid change. Lori reminds us that while technology evolves, human skills, classroom connection, and empathy remain essential.

Resources:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorinileshofmann/
• Website: https://www.loriniles.com/
• Business Website: https://www.8levers.com/

Rebecca Hinds holds a PhD from Stanford University and is the author of Your Best Meeting Ever. She is a leading expert on organizational behavior and joins the podcast to explore why meetings are hurting your organization more than helping.

Rebecca explains how, in their current format, meetings lead to wasted time and money. The solution, she argues, is treating meetings as if they were products – designed intentionally, measured regularly, and continuously improved. In this episode, Rebecca provides the "4D-CEO Test" for deciding whether a meeting should exist, explains how organizational culture influences "meeting debt," and gives tips for measuring return on time invested.

Resources:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-hinds/
• Website: https://www.rebeccahinds.com/
• Book: https://www.rebeccahinds.com/book

Learning is hard – but that's a good thing. In this episode of the ATD's Accidental Trainer podcast, learning scientist and co-founder of To Eleven, Julia Phelan, dives into why effective learning should feel challenging and how trainers can bring out the most growth in a learner amidst that challenge.

Drawing from examples in music and sports, Julia emphasizes that struggle, practice, feedback, and time are essential for meaningful learning to occur. The conversation provides advice for setting realistic expectations, designing with intention, and adapting strategies as learners move from novice to expert. Rather than chasing "silver bullet" techniques, Julia urges L&D professionals to anchor their work in how learning actually happens and to remain flexible as conditions change.

From playing guitar to onboarding, Julia lives by her mantra: learning is hard, and hard is learning.

Resources:

• Website: https://to11solutions.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliacphelan/
• ATD Content: https://www.td.org/p/julia-phelan
• Substack: https://juliaslearningstack.substack.com/p/welcome-to-julias-learning-stack?r=mwqc0&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=true

The key to higher performance isn't perks or programs, but genuine care for employees' well-being.

Mark C. Crowley joins the podcast to share insights from his book The Power of Employee Wellbeing. Drawing on both research and his experience as a manager, Crowley explains why traditional engagement programs often fall short, how to meaningfully measure well-being, and the link between productivity and authentic workplace relationships.

The conversation also explores how to build alignment between managers and employees, gather feedback on your leadership style, and support well-being in both remote and in-person settings. You'll leave this episode with evidence-based practices to elevate performance and strengthen employee satisfaction.

Resources:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markccrowley
• Website: https://markccrowley.com/
• Book: https://markccrowley.com/the_power_of_employee_well-being/
• Fast Company Articles: https://www.fastcompany.com/user/mark-c-crowley
• John Gottman's Website: https://www.gottman.com/