You’re 20 minutes into your commute, scrolling through podcast options, and everything feels like the same recycled advice. “Five ways to improve engagement.” “Why culture matters.” You’ve heard it. You know it. You need something that goes deeper.
Good learning and development podcasts do something articles can’t. They give you the tone, the pauses, the moments where a practitioner admits “honestly, we got that wrong.” That honesty is where the real learning happens.
We’ve put together seven learning and development podcasts that consistently deliver insights worth your time. Each one takes a slightly different angle, so you can mix and match based on what you’re working on right now.
How to actually learn from a podcast (not just listen)
Before the list, a quick coaching tip that changes everything: pick one idea per episode and try it within seven days.
Most of us treat podcasts like background noise. We nod along, think “that’s interesting,” and forget it by the time we park the car. The L&D professionals who get the most from podcasts treat them like micro-learning. One takeaway, one experiment, one week. That’s it.
Keep a running note on your phone. After each episode, write down the single idea you want to test. Review the list monthly. You’ll be surprised how much compounds.
Now, the podcasts.
1. RiseUp Radio
Host: Ashish Manchanda (Risely)
What you’ll learn: Practitioner stories and expert perspectives on leadership development, L&D strategy, and building programs that actually change behavior. Episodes come in two formats: topical deep dives on specific L&D challenges and career journey conversations with leaders who’ve been where you are.
Why it’s worth your time: The conversations go beyond theory. When Kelli Dragovich talks about “cautious optimism” in L&D, she’s speaking from lived experience in building people functions through uncertainty. When Harjeet Khanduja, SVP of HR at Reliance Jio, walks through his leadership journey, you’re getting the unfiltered version that conference talks rarely offer.
Start with: The episode on developing leaders with Kelli Dragovich, which blends personal narrative with practical advice for shaping your L&D direction.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiTkxO3R8Za78CmlucGHXapycmtzOCC2y&feature=shared
2. L&D Plus
Host: David James (360Learning)
What you’ll learn: How L&D connects to growth, employee enablement, operations, and areas most people don’t associate with a traditional training function. This podcast pushes you to think about L&D as a business function, not a support function.
Why it’s worth your time: David James doesn’t let guests stay in the comfort zone of “here’s what we did and it worked.” He asks the uncomfortable questions about what failed, what surprised them, and what they’d do differently. The cross-functional focus (L&D plus talent, L&D plus marketing, L&D plus operations) will change how you see your role.
Start with: L&D Plus Talent, which breaks down how L&D and talent teams can build collaboration that actually produces results.
https://open.spotify.com/show/3n7on4GRXjiJW864eUt36r
3. The Overnight Trainer
Host: Sarah Cannistra
What you’ll learn: Practical guidance for building your L&D career, staying relevant as the field changes, and managing the reality of upskilling yourself while upskilling everyone else.
Why it’s worth your time: If you’ve ever felt like you’re supposed to help everyone else grow while nobody’s investing in your growth, this podcast gets it. Sarah speaks directly to the L&D professional’s experience of juggling career ambitions with a role that’s often under-resourced and under-recognized.
Start with: The episode on upskilling for the L&D of the future, which maps out what the skill requirements for L&D roles actually look like going forward.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/65gOePkIcTDVl2mXcSqbwF?si=CFJIN9-XTKeqO2XMPPO8tw
4. Coaching Real Leaders
Host: Muriel Wilkins (HBR)
What you’ll learn: What executive coaching actually sounds like in practice. Real sessions with real leaders working through real challenges, from career plateaus to imposter syndrome to organizational politics.
Why it’s worth your time: Most of us have never witnessed a coaching conversation. We’ve read about coaching frameworks and maybe attended a workshop, but hearing an experienced coach work through a problem with someone in real time is a different kind of education. If you’re building coaching programs or just want to get better at coaching conversations yourself, this is essential listening.
Start with: “How do I avoid a career plateau in mid life,” which tackles a challenge that resonates across every level of an organization.
https://open.spotify.com/show/3Yi8vsyNA9eKT1y1srnIiX?si=a7b6906a15d844a4
5. All Hands
Host: Katelin Holloway (Lattice)
What you’ll learn: How successful people leaders build their functions from the ground up. Four seasons of guests sharing their playbooks for connecting people strategy to business outcomes.
Why it’s worth your time: The “people success is business success” mantra could sound cliche, but the guests back it up with specific examples. Topics range from building CEO-CPO relationships to adopting an intersectional lens in people work, giving you both the strategic framework and the tactical details.
Start with: Building strong CEO-CPO relationships with Melanie Naranjo, because the relationship between people leadership and executive leadership determines what you can accomplish.
https://open.spotify.com/show/52TQQFegRDrHclAl2bZoEA?si=f373dbfc4cd84866
6. Learning at Large
Host: Kirstie Greany
What you’ll learn: How organizations with 10,000+ employees deliver learning that works at scale. Practical stories about building online learning practices, fighting for budgets, and implementing AI meaningfully (not just for the sake of it).
Why it’s worth your time: Scale changes everything. What works for a 200-person company falls apart at 20,000. Kirstie’s guests have solved problems at that scale, and they’re specific about what worked and what didn’t. If you’re growing your L&D function or managing a distributed team, the lessons translate directly.
Start with: Delivering Decentralized Learning with Geraldine Murphy, who shares how to reach 90,000+ people without losing quality or relevance.
https://open.spotify.com/show/1D9yQ6NUY70fu5472EMmk0?si=36f054ccc1084f99
7. HR Happy Hour
Hosts: Steve Boese and Trish McFarlane
What you’ll learn: The broadest view of what’s happening across HR, L&D, and people technology. Running since 2009, this is the longest-running HR podcast in America, and it’s earned that longevity by consistently evolving with the field.
Why it’s worth your time: Sometimes you need to zoom out from L&D-specific content and see how your work connects to the larger HR and business picture. HR Happy Hour covers leadership development, HR technology, management trends, and workplace culture with guests who bring real operational experience.
Start with: The ROI of kindness at work, which makes a surprisingly compelling business case for something most organizations treat as optional.
https://open.spotify.com/show/0ApR8QVGL8PnTmZkbSm8TJ?si=303c163465a94a6b
Building your podcast rotation
You don’t need to subscribe to all seven. Pick two or three that match where you are right now:
- Growing your L&D career? The Overnight Trainer + L&D Plus
- Building coaching programs? Coaching Real Leaders + RiseUp Radio
- Scaling L&D at a growing org? Learning at Large + All Hands
- Staying current on trends? HR Happy Hour + RiseUp Radio
Remember the rule: one idea per episode, tested within a week. That’s how passive listening turns into active development.
More resources for L&D professionals: