AI shockwaves and human resilience in L&D

At the Learning Technologies Conference 2025, John Helmer speaks with leading voices in learning and AI—including Josh Bersin, Daniel Hulme, David Kelly, Jerome Pereira, Sophie Costin, Tadelayo Sodipe, and Donald H. Taylor—about disruption, ethics, innovation, and the changing role of L&D.

• 00:03:08 - Intro
• 00:05:08 - Josh Bersin
• 00:41:44 - Daniel Hulme
• 01:01:39 - David Kelly
• 01:26:57 - Prof. Jerome Pereira
• 01:58:09 - Sophie Costin
• 02:12:23 - Tadelayo Sodipe
• 02:33:39 - Donald H. Taylor
• 03:01:44 - End

Connect with John Helmer

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnhelmer
• X: @johnhelmer
• Bluesky: @johnhelmer.bsky.social
• Website: learninghackpodcast.com

Leading Through Culture, Teams, and AI-driven Change

John Helmer discusses organizational culture, collective leadership, and AI's impact on future workplaces with Kevin Oakes (CEO, i4cp), Kim McMurdo (Global Head of OD, Standard Chartered), and Terry Jones (International Head of Talent Development, ex-PaloAlto Networks). Key themes include culture renovation, developing team-centric leadership capabilities, and leveraging AI for enhanced human productivity in rapidly evolving organizations.

The McKinsey paper mentioned in Kim's interview:

• De Smet, A., D’Auria, G., Meijknecht, L., Albaharna, M., & Fifer, A. (2024, October 31). Go, teams: When teams get healthier, the whole organization benefits. McKinsey & Company. This article is available online at https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/go-teams-when-teams-get-healthier-the-whole-organization-benefits. (Please note that access to the full text may require a subscription or purchase.)

Timestamps:

• 00:00:00 – Start

• 00:01:09 – Intro

• 00:03:31 – Kevin Oakes on culture renovation vs. culture change

• 00:27:58 – Kim McMurdo on collective leadership and hybrid teams

• 00:48:41 – Terry Jones on innovation, disruption, and practical AI use

• 01:14:59 – End

Contact:

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnhelmer

• X: @johnhelmer

• Bluesky: @johnhelmer.bsky.social

• Website: learninghackpodcast.com

The Battle To Keep Inclusion on the Organizational Agenda.

Is Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (D.E.I.) under existential threat? With political shifts and corporate cutbacks, is this the end of D.E.I. as we know it—or just a moment of transformation?

In this episode, John Helmer speaks with Amri B. Johnson, author of Reconstructing Inclusion and CEO of Inclusion Wins, about the evolving landscape of D.E.I. in the workplace. They discuss whether D.E.I. is fundamentally flawed, if it will persist under different branding, and how organizations should adapt to changing times.

Amri's links:

• Dr. Jonathan Ashong-Lamptey https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjonathan/
• Dr. Lauran Star https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauranstar/
• Dr. David Livermore https://davidlivermore.com/
• Dr. R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr. https://sdms360.com/2017/11/30/the-shamming-of-diversity/
• Frederick G. Falker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ajf1iMlwi_o
• Peter Mousaferiadis https://www.linkedin.com/in/petermousaferiadis/
• Aubrey Blanche-Sarellano https://www.linkedin.com/in/adblanche/

TIMESTAMPS:

• 00:00 – Start

• 01:09 – Intro

• 04:36 – Does he still have a job?

• 11:30 – Is the language of D.E.I. one of the problems with it?

• 22:19 – Will D.E.I. persist, but change its name and go underground?

• 25:40 – How does he respond to the studies that show D.E.I. training doesn’t work?

• 30:26 – Is D.E.I. just ‘woke capital’ at work?

• 51:41 – End

Connect with Amri B. Johnson:

• Website: Inclusion Wins

• LinkedIn: Amri B. Johnson’s Profile

• Twitter: @amribjohnson

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