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Ep. 11 - From Learning Designer to Change Agent: The Shift That Makes L&D Strategic - with Heather Burright

Ep. 11 - From Learning Designer to Change Agent: The Shift That Makes L&D Strategic - with Heather Burright

The best L&D leaders don’t simply build training when a request comes in. They ask what’s driving the request.

Heather Burright, Founder of Skill Masters Market and host of the Learning for Good podcast, joins James Weier to discuss what separates strategic L&D from transactional L&D. Heather has spent two decades in Learning & Development, and argues that a training request rarely describes the actual problem. It has usually passed through several people first, each one restating it a little more simply, until it arrives as “we need training.” Heather shares how a nonprofit’s doula and midwife training was rebuilt around diagnosing the real problem first, a redesign that, in one case, led a mother to seek medical care that saved her life.

You'll learn:
1. Why “we need training” is rarely the real problem, and what to ask instead
2. How to diagnose the pain point driving a request before committing to a solution
3. Why knowledge and behavior change are two separate design problems
4. The habits that mark an L&D team as a strategic partner, not an order-taker
5. How to design training around a learner’s day-to-day environment

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Heather is open to connecting about strategic L&D. If you’d like to exchange perspectives, reach out on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-burright/

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Heather’s book recommendation:
Atomic Habits by James Clear | Link not provided

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About the host James Weier:
James is Director, US at EGYM Wellpass and President of the Denver chapter of the Level Up HR Community. With 10 years of HR experience, James brings a collaborative, community-focused approach to his work. When he’s not elevating employee experience or strengthening HR leadership, James enjoys spending time with his wife and their two young boys in Colorado’s great outdoors.

Get in touch with James on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesweier/

More episodes and insights: https://www.level-up-hr.com/en

About

In conversations with decision-makers and thought leaders from people, organization, and new ways of work, we explore the topics shaping HR today and defining it for tomorrow, including:

  • How employer branding works and what matters beyond campaigns
  • How talent can be attracted, developed, and retained over the long term
  • What defines a healthy organizational culture and how it is translated into everyday practice
  • How organizations can build resilience and navigate pressure and stress responsibly

The podcast is driven by personal insights, real-world experience, and conversations with leading voices in the HR space - for those who don’t just work in HR, but are actively in shaping its future.

Hosted by

James Weier, Director US at EGYM Wellpass