Jonny Thomson isn’t an L&D professional. He’s someone who’s spent years figuring out how to earn learners’ attention.

After teaching philosophy in Oxford, Jonny shifted to short-form educational content, building an audience of over two million people across social platforms. He’s spent years capturing attention, encouraging curiosity, and making learning content that resonates with his audience and followers of Mini Philosophy.

In this conversation, he talks about microlearning as less of a format, and more of an activation tool. A tool that can capture attention and curiosity, and points learners toward deeper exploration.

If you’re responsible for designing, enabling, or influencing learning at scale, this episode will provide practical ways to use microlearning more deliberately.

Things to listen for:
(00:00) Introducing Jonny Thomson
(03:04) How to capture attention in 90 seconds
(05:31) Why learning remains human
(06:56) How to make microlearning feel natural and not forced
(07:49) Everyday moments that create authentic learning
(08:19) Three things to make microlearning succeed
(12:15) The three virtues of a successful leader

About Jonny Thomson:
Jonny Thomson taught philosophy in Oxford for more than a decade before turning to writing full-time. He’s a columnist at Big Think and is the award-winning, bestselling author of three books that have been translated into 22 languages.

Jonny is also the founder of Mini Philosophy, a social network of around two million curious, intelligent minds. He's known all over the world for making philosophy accessible, relatable, and fun.

To learn more about Jonny, check out Mini Philosophy on Substack or Instagram.

YouTube Content ID: MV0ZLFAMVUI3WWRB

Most leadership development programs look good on paper but fall short in practice. Leaders often miss the real support, core skills, and clear metrics they need to succeed.

Over the last few months, Lavinia Mehedințu, co-founder of Offbeat, spoke with over 150 L&D professionals to understand what’s working, what’s not, and how people feel about leadership development heading into 2026.

In this episode, she breaks down the findings and shares five recommendations for improving your leadership development programs. Her insights focus on what leaders truly need: practical support, clearer measures of success, and more opportunities to learn from one another.

You’ll learn:

• What’s missing from our leadership development programs
• Program cocreation and the “IKEA effect”
• The most effective learning modality (hint: it’s peer learning)
• How to measure leadership performance with confidence

Things to listen for:
(00:00) Introducing Lavinia Mehedințu
(01:17) What 158 L&D professionals revealed about the state of leadership development
(03:52) Clear performance metrics: the challenge
(07:42) The gaps in how leaders use AI
(10:54) Creating systems that support collaboration
(13:32) Co‑creation and the ‘IKEA effect’
(18:11) Why peer learning remains a powerful tool
(20:13) How delivery and communication shape adoption
(25:03) A simple first step for measuring leadership performance
(29:06) Where L&D teams should focus next year
(30:50) Leadership advice and book recommendations

To learn more about Lavinia, check out her LinkedIn and Offbeat’s website. Check out their upcoming conference, Offbeat Fest in London in May 2026.

Want to learn more about getting Big Think+ for your business? Schedule a call with us at https://www2.bigthink.com/request-a-demo-big-think-plus

About Lavinia Mehedintu:

Lavinia Mehedintu has been designing learning experiences and career development programs for the past 11 years both in the corporate world and in higher education. As a Co-Founder and Learning Architect at Offbeat, she’s applying adult learning principles so that learning & people professionals can connect, collaborate, and grow. She’s passionate about social learning, behavior change, and technology and constantly puts in the work to bring these three together to drive innovation in the learning & development space.

Content ID: MV0ZLFAMVUI3WWRB

Every great learning culture starts with one thing: a clear philosophy of how people grow.

Dwayne Britton has spent his career shaping culture and capability at Apple, Lululemon, Adidas, Zalando, and On. Across each, he’s learned that lasting impact comes when learning is guided by philosophy, not just programming.

In this episode, Dwayne shares how L&D teams can redefine their role from content creators to cultural amplifiers, by building a learning philosophy that connects business strategy, brand identity, and human growth.

You’ll learn:

• The difference between a learning culture and a learning philosophy
• How a learning philosophy positions L&D as a strategic partner
• The SPARK framework Dwayne used at On to connect learning to culture
• How to align brand, business, and learning goals
• How to identify your organization’s learning beliefs

Things to listen for:

(00:00) Introducing Dwayne Britton

(02:19) Dwayne’s path from musical theater to L&D

(04:36) What defines a learning culture vs. philosophy

(06:47) Three realms every L&D program should serve

(10:03) The question that defines your learning philosophy

(12:20) The SPARK method for scaling learning

(15:06) How to get leadership buy-in for new L&D initiatives

(19:36) Advice for L&D teams to increase cultural impact

To learn more about Dwayne, check out his LinkedIn, his website, and his musical background.

Want to learn more about getting Big Think+ for your business? Schedule a call with us at https://www2.bigthink.com/request-a-demo-big-think-plus

About Dwayne Britton:
Dwayne Britton brings 15+ years at the intersection of learning, culture and brand. He’s shaped programs at Apple, Adidas, Zalando and Lululemon, and led Global Learning & Development at On. Through his Berlin-based consultancy, DAY|WON, Dwayne provides fractional L&D leadership for startups, scale-ups and internal teams, with a focus on brand-led onboarding, culture building and collaboration. He partners with leaders to design clear, practical programs and workshops that align teams, clarify decisions and build momentum.Dwayne also serves as an L&D Strategic Advisor to Manageable, a UK startup helping managers build the confidence and habits to lead well.