The Talent Development Hot Seat

In this episode of The Talent Development Hot Seat, Andy welcomes Orieji Iroha-Agwu to the show. As the Director of Career Development Strategy and Programs on the People team at Red Hat, she’s responsible for defining the strategic direction of careers as well as leading the implementation of career development solutions in alignment with their organizational priorities. Orieji has also led the Americas Learning Delivery and Global Learning Delivery teams for Red Hat University.Before joining Red Hat in 2018, Orieji worked at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina for 13 years, leading the implementation of large, complex enterprise learning and development initiatives. She also designed, developed, and managed leadership and strategic talent development programs. In 2015, she was the recipient of the CEO Award, a recognition of outstanding employees who have significantly contributed to the company’s results, and embody BCBSNC’s commitment to its culture, values, ethics, and compliance.In this bonus e

In this episode of The Talent Development Hot Seat, Andy welcomes Orieji Iroha-Agwu to the show. As the Director of Career Development Strategy and Programs on the People team at Red Hat, she’s responsible for defining the strategic direction of careers as well as leading the implementation of career development solutions in alignment with their organizational priorities. Orieji has also led the Americas Learning Delivery and Global Learning Delivery teams for Red Hat University.Before joining Red Hat in 2018, Orieji worked at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina for 13 years, leading the implementation of large, complex enterprise learning and development initiatives. She also designed, developed, and managed leadership and strategic talent development programs. In 2015, she was the recipient of the CEO Award, a recognition of outstanding employees who have significantly contributed to the company’s results, and embody BCBSNC’s commitment to its culture, values, ethics, and compliance.In this episode

In this episode of The Talent Development Hot Seat, Andy welcomes Dr. Lisa Toppin to the show. Lisa is the Chief Diversity Officer for Illumina, a biotechnology research firm with more than 10,000 employees. She’s held leadership positions in HR with firms nationwide, including LPL where she served as Chief Diversity Officer, and Charles Schwab, where she led their diversity and inclusion and learning and development programming in addition to the executive recruiting function.Dr. Lisa Toppin has also served in HR business partner roles with Phillips Petroleum, Sherwin Williams, and Montell USA. She’s a member of the Forbes HR Council and is a world-renowned leader when it comes to engaging D&I change in a manner that makes it both meaningful and sustainable. She has a B.S. in Speech Pathology from Howard University, an M.S. in Human Resources from Rutgers University, and obtained her Ed.D. in Human Resources from The George Washington University.In this bonus interview, you’ll hear:7. Dr. Lisa Toppin’s g

In this episode of The Talent Development Hot Seat, Andy welcomes Dr. Lisa Toppin to the show. Lisa is the Chief Diversity Officer for Illumina, a biotechnology research firm with more than 10,000 employees. She’s held leadership positions in HR with firms nationwide, including LPL where she served as Chief Diversity Officer, and Charles Schwab, where she led their diversity and inclusion and learning and development programming in addition to the executive recruiting function.Dr. Lisa Toppin has also served in HR business partner roles with Phillips Petroleum, Sherwin Williams, and Montell USA. She’s a member of the Forbes HR Council and is a world-renowned leader when it comes to engaging D&I change in a manner that makes it both meaningful and sustainable. She has a B.S. in Speech Pathology from Howard University, an M.S. in Human Resources from Rutgers University, and obtained her Ed.D. in Human Resources from The George Washington University.In this episode, you’ll hear:How Dr. Lisa Toppin landed in

In this episode of The Talent Development Hot Seat, Andy’s guest is Dr. Mechelle Roberthon, a certified professional in talent development with a background that includes training delivery, performance improvement, managing learning programs, and interpersonal and business skills. She’s taught more than 500 corporate courses with her evaluations consistently rating above average. Her dynamic teaching style has become a favorite amongst learners.Dr. Mechelle Roberthon holds a Master’s in Education with a specialization in training and performance improvement. In May 2022, she successfully defended her dissertation, “Getting to the Room Where It Happens: A Transformative Qualitative Collective Case Study of Black Women Holding and Pursuing Senior and Executive Leadership Roles,” and earned her Doctor of Education in learning and organizational change from Baylor University. She is currently the Vice President and Director of Talent Development at Home Bank in Lafayette, Louisiana, where she leads talent develop

In this episode of The Talent Development Hot Seat, Andy’s guest is Dr. Mechelle Roberthon, a certified professional in talent development with a background that includes training delivery, performance improvement, managing learning programs, and interpersonal and business skills. She’s taught more than 500 corporate courses with her evaluations consistently rating above average. Her dynamic teaching style has become a favorite amongst learners.Dr. Mechelle Roberthon holds a Master’s in Education with a specialization in training and performance improvement. In May 2022, she successfully defended her dissertation, “Getting to the Room Where It Happens: A Transformative Qualitative Collective Case Study of Black Women Holding and Pursuing Senior and Executive Leadership Roles,” and earned her Doctor of Education in learning and organizational change from Baylor University. She is currently the Vice President and Director of Talent Development at Home Bank in Lafayette, Louisiana, where she leads talent develop

In this episode of The Talent Development Hot Seat, Andy’s guest is Professor Sarah Townsend. This interview is part of a series Andy did for the USC Marshall School of Business Executive Education Program called The Lifelong Learning Series. Sarah Townsend is an associate professor of Management and Organization and interim Assistant Vice Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at USC Marshall School of Business.In this episode, you’ll hear:What Sarah Townsend’s research has revealed about some of the biggest challenges we have in the workplace today surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion.How she defines DEI and why it means more than just doing what is best for the company.Why inclusion is so important for innovation and what it means to have an inclusive company culture.The reason your organization needs to be aware of unconscious bias, how we can help solve the problem as individuals, and how you can recognize it when it occurs.The role leaders play in achieving better diversity, equity, and inclus

In this solo episode of The Talent Development Hot Seat, Andy is sharing the three pillars that he believes are essential for successful career development and growth in your organization. As the author of the book Own Your Career, Own Your Life, Andy’s work has shifted into the career development space. His book is highly rated on Amazon, and he wants you to know the three pillars you should be focused on as you develop and grow your career.In this episode, you’ll hear:The two biggest factors affecting organizations today and how you can begin to address those in your workplace.Why people are looking for growth and what that can mean for your career.How growth and feeling like your work matters can affect your career trajectory.Andy’s three pillars of successful career development and growth.What implementing these three pillars can do for both your employees and your company.I also mentioned my LinkedIn post about the three pillars of career growth Connect with Andy Storch here:WebsiteLinkedInJoin us i

In this episode of The Talent Development Hot Seat, Andy welcomes guest Aarti Talwar to the show. Aarti Talwar is a collaborative, adaptive, and passionate talent development professional with 10+ years of experience launching strategic corporate learning initiatives for global employee and manager development. She is the senior program manager for learning and development at Enjoy Technology, which is a technology company that’s reinventing commerce at home by partnering with consumer brands to provide personalized, high-touch retail experiences at home.In this bonus episode, you’ll hear:6. Aarti Talwar’s biggest career accomplishment and why it stands out.7. Her biggest failure and the lesson she learned from that misstep.8. The biggest challenge she sees in talent development right now and how it could be addressed.9. A trend she’s following in talent development and why it has her attention.10. Why Brene Brown is an author she continues to recommend.11. How retaining your curiosity can help accelerate you

In this episode of The Talent Development Hot Seat, Andy welcomes guest Aarti Talwar to the show. Aarti Talwar is a collaborative, adaptive, and passionate talent development professional with 10+ years of experience launching strategic corporate learning initiatives for global employee and manager development. She is the senior program manager for learning and development at Enjoy Technology, which is a technology company that’s reinventing commerce at home by partnering with consumer brands to provide personalized, high-touch retail experiences at home.In this episode, you’ll hear:Aarti Talwar’s background as an instructional designer and content writer and how she eventually pivoted into talent development.Some questions you should be asking in your organization when it comes to technology and why having one system in place for all of your learning and development needs is so beneficial.What lessons were learned through implementing the new system at her company and the lessons she learned through this pro

In this episode of The Talent Development Hot Seat, Andy’s guest is Jen Long. She is a certified master coach and the CEO of Management Possible, a leadership development company providing coaching for leaders and managers across various disciplines. For nearly four decades, she’s worked with leaders of every strip--from newly minted managers to the seasoned vets of the C-suite.Jen Long is big on personal accountability, and she pushes the leaders she works with to be great and accountable for their actions. As a certified master coach and master trainer, she’s helped countless leaders master essential skills, earn the respect of their employees, and perform at a higher level. The methodology behind Management Possible elevates the idea that conversation and relationships are the prime movers of impact and culture. Jen Long is also the author of the new book Own Up! How to Hold People Accountable Without All the Drama and co-host of the podcast Organization Transformation Kung Fu.In this bonus episode, you’ll

In this episode of The Talent Development Hot Seat, Andy’s guest is Jen Long. She is a certified master coach and the CEO of Management Possible, a leadership development company providing coaching for leaders and managers across various disciplines. For nearly four decades, she’s worked with leaders of every strip--from newly minted managers to the seasoned vets of the C-suite.Jen Long is big on personal accountability, and she pushes the leaders she works with to be great and accountable for their actions. As a certified master coach and master trainer, she’s helped countless leaders master essential skills, earn the respect of their employees, and perform at a higher level. The methodology behind Management Possible elevates the idea that conversation and relationships are the prime movers of impact and culture. Jen Long is also the author of the new book Own Up! How to Hold People Accountable Without All the Drama and co-host of the podcast Organization Transformation Kung Fu.In this episode, you’ll hear:

In this episode of The Talent Development Hot Seat, Andy welcomes Will Mahon to the show. He is a self-described training nerd, people developer, and a happy human. Will Mahon’s passion is in helping people unlock their personal and professional potential. He’s worked in L&D for more than 15 years and has a background in the retail and technology industries., working with companies like Clarks Footwear and Draft Kings. Will Mahon is currently the senior training manager at Index Exchange, an ad tech company that works with publishers and media companies to monetize the internet.In this bonus episode, you’ll hear:7. Will Mahon’s proudest career accomplishment and why it stands out to him.8. His biggest career mistake and what he learned from that experience.9. What he views as the biggest challenge in talent development today.10. The biggest trend Will Mahon is following and why gamification could change learning and development.11. Why he recommends reading The Top Five Regrets of the Dying and his takeaw

In this episode of The Talent Development Hot Seat, Andy welcomes Will Mahon to the show. He is a self-described training nerd, people developer, and a happy human. Will Mahon’s passion is in helping people unlock their personal and professional potential. He’s worked in L&D for more than 15 years and has a background in the retail and technology industries., working with companies like Clarks Footwear and Draft Kings. Will Mahon is currently the senior training manager at Index Exchange, an ad tech company that works with publishers and media companies to monetize the internet.In this episode, you’ll hear:How Will Mahon landed a career in learning and development and why this particular path was a great fit for him.His philosophy surrounding motivation and why it’s different than employee engagement.How to discover what motivates people in your organization and why employee engagement is so low.What leadership can do to discover what motivates their employees and the 7 types of motivation based on the fr

In this episode of The Talent Development Hot Seat, Andy welcomes Liz Heathwood to the show. She is a talent and HR expert and a global people strategy lead at EY, formerly known as Ernst & Young, the global professional services firm. Liz is based in Brisbane, Australia, and leads strategic talent projects for the strategy and transaction service line of EY. She’s an expert in talent strategy, talent development, learning and development, transformation and change, as well as talent and change management. More recently, Liz Heathwood’s role straddles both talent and learning and development, working with the business to design, deploy, and then manage the global communications around new talent and learning initiatives.In this bonus episode, you’ll hear:7. Liz Heathwood’s proudest career accomplishment thus far.8. Her biggest career failure and what she learned from that experience.9. The biggest challenge she sees facing talent development today and how it can be addressed.10. Her favorite HR podcasts f

In this episode of The Talent Development Hot Seat, Andy welcomes Liz Heathwood to the show. She is a talent and HR expert and a global people strategy lead at EY, formerly known as Ernst & Young, the global professional services firm. Liz is based in Brisbane, Australia, and leads strategic talent projects for the strategy and transaction service line of EY. She’s an expert in talent strategy, talent development, learning and development, transformation and change, as well as talent and change management. More recently, Liz Heathwood’s role straddles both talent and learning and development, working with the business to design, deploy, and then manage the global communications around new talent and learning initiatives.In this episode, you’ll hear:How Liz Heathwood’s career began as a teacher, eventually shifted into human resources, and why it works so well for her family life.What “stay” interviews for leaders are and how they’re affecting career development and upscaling within the company.Why “stay”

In this episode of The Talent Development Hot Seat, Andy welcomes Al Dea to the show. Al Dea is the founder of Betterwork Labs, a talent advisory firm focused on helping companies create cultures where their people can thrive. He is a speaker, advisor, and researcher on talent development, corporate learning, and career and workplace trends. Al is passionate about helping individuals and organizations create diverse, inclusive,  and growth-oriented cultures that unlock individual purpose and potential to achieve high performance.Al Dea is the host of the MBA Insider podcast. He researches, writes, and speaks on corporate learning, workplace trends, and talent strategy. His thinking and insights have been published in outlets like Business Insider, Training Magazine, The World Economic Forum, Inc., and Time Magazine. Al previously worked at Salesforce.com as a product marketer, helping launch products that touch thousands of customers. He was also a management consultant at Deloitte Consulting, advising F

In this episode of The Talent Development Hot Seat, Andy welcomes Al Dea to the show. Al Dea is the founder of Betterwork Labs, a talent advisory firm focused on helping companies create cultures where their people can thrive. He is a speaker, advisor, and researcher on talent development, corporate learning, and career and workplace trends. Al is passionate about helping individuals and organizations create diverse, inclusive,  and growth-oriented cultures that unlock individual purpose and potential to achieve high performance.Al Dea is the host of the MBA Insider podcast. He researches, writes, and speaks on corporate learning, workplace trends, and talent strategy. His thinking and insights have been published in outlets like Business Insider, Training Magazine, The World Economic Forum, Inc., and Time Magazine. Al previously worked at Salesforce.com as a product marketer, helping launch products that touch thousands of customers. He was also a management consultant at Deloitte Consulting, advising F

In this episode of The Talent Development Hot Seat, Andy is joined by Karina Napuri, a strategic talent development leader with over 15 years of experience across diverse industries within Fortune 100 and 500 organizations. She has direct experience with revamping performance management in multiple organizations. Combining deep functional HR expertise with specializations in talent development, learning, and organizational effectiveness, Karina Napuri has spearheaded large initiatives that advance the talent strategy for organizations seeking growth and change.Karina Napuri authored and architected high-impact programs that accelerated development. She’s passionate about translating learning and OD solutions into practical, relevant, and compelling programs that stick.In this bonus episode, you’ll hear:7. Karina Napuri’s biggest career success and why she’s so proud of that accomplishment.8. The mistake she’s learned the most from and how it’s changed her approach.9. One of the biggest challenges she sees in

In this episode of The Talent Development Hot Seat, Andy is joined by Karina Napuri, a strategic talent development leader with over 15 years of experience across diverse industries within Fortune 100 and 500 organizations. She has direct experience with revamping performance management in multiple organizations. Combining deep functional HR expertise with specializations in talent development, learning, and organizational effectiveness, Karina Napuri has spearheaded large initiatives that advance the talent strategy for organizations seeking growth and change.Karina Napuri authored and architected high-impact programs that accelerated development. She’s passionate about translating learning and OD solutions into practical, relevant, and compelling programs that stick.In this episode, you’ll hear:Karina Napuri’s career background and how she shifted her career into the realm of talent development.Some reasons you may want to consider revamping performance reviews in your organization and how that can affect h