Hungry for fresh L&D insights but stuck in a time crunch? Tired of side-eyeing that ever-growing stack of unread L&D books? We know the feeling. Luckily, we’ve got the antidote: 20 top L&D podcasts that fit neatly into your daily routine.
We’ve curated the ultimate audio arsenal, ready for you whether you happen to be sprinting through your commute, crushing kettlebell swings, or nailing your household chores. These podcasts offer a fantastic way to learn and grow, fitting seamlessly into your busy life.
With so many great shows clamouring for your attention, it can be difficult to know where to begin. That’s why we created this list of the 20 top L&D podcasts for 2025. This ear candy is guaranteed to inspire, inform, and entertain.
Note: All the podcasts listed below are currently running and have released an episode within the last three months, unless otherwise noted.
Ready? Then plug in and press play!
Essential L&D Podcasts
These podcasts deliver L&D excellence straight to your ears, wherever you happen to be in the world. Packed with actionable tips, expert interviews, and inspiring stories, they’ll empower you to become a true L&D superstar.
The Business of Learning
Hosted by Michelle Eggleston Schwartz and Sarah Gallo
Produced by the fine folks at Training Industry, this podcast explores the intersection of learning and business strategy. After all, both elements should go hand-in-hand. The podcast attracts a wide-range of guests, including practitioners and thought leaders.
Recent topics covered include managing change, fostering human-centred leaders, and supporting employee well-being. This makes it a must-listen for L&D professionals seeking to understand their role within the broader scope of their business.
Start here: Episode 77 – Elevate Employee Engagement with L&D
The Talented Learning Show
Hosted by John Leh
John Leh, is the founder and lead analyst at Talented Learning. He brings over 25-years and $100m of front-line experience buying and selling complex learning solutions to The Talented Learning Show. He knows this space and its many vendors like nobody else.
As a result, he’s able to get nerdy and specific about learning management systems, video skills assessment tools, customer education, and provide in-depth insights you won’t find elsewhere. If you’re tech-savvy, or in the market for a new learning solution, this podcast is a valuable resource.
Start here: Episode 76 – The Power of AI in Microlearning
Learning Uncut
Hosted by Michelle Ockers
Learning Uncut lives up to its name, offering an unfiltered look at the realities of learning and development. Through honest conversations with practitioners, Michelle explores the real-world challenges L&D professionals face, while offering invaluable insights and practical advice.
Recent topics covered include social learning at scale, psychological safety in learning, and skills portfolio management. The focus is always on strategy and tactics, ensuring you’ll walk away from each episode feeling inspired and armed with actionable takeaways.
Start here: Playbook – Artificial Intelligence in L&D (20th January 2025)
The Mind Tools Podcast
Hosted by Ross Garner
The Mind Tools Podcast (fka. The GoodPractice Podcast) offers a unique blend of expert insights and engaging humour. Each episode provides practical tips and techniques you can immediately apply to improve your performance and achieve your professional goals.
Since 2016, host Ross Garner and team have tackled a diverse range of topics on a weekly basis. This includes serious subjects such as hybrid work and toxic productivity, alongside fun-focused episodes such as ‘Star Trek Special: The future of AI’ or ‘Burn your bullsh*t’.
Start here: Christmas Special – L&D Actually (17th December 2024)
The Learning Culture Podcast
Hosted by Andrew Barry
Josh Bersin once said, ‘the single biggest driver of business impact is the strength of an organisation’s learning culture’. That underscores the importance of The Learning Culture Podcast, which provides insights and strategies for achieving this critical goal.
Hosted by Andrew Barry, this podcast features interviews from an impressive range of learning leaders, who are all on their own mission to build a thriving learning culture within their organisation. Listening to their stories, you can’t help but feel inspired.
Start here: Episode 91 – Learning Culture and Game Design
The Learning Hack Podcast
Hosted by John Helmer
Since 2019, The Learning Hack has provided a much-needed forward-thinking perspective on the world of learning and development. Host John Helmer engages in insightful conversations, covering topics like podcasts in learning and moving beyond simple applications of AI.
Guests include a range of learning leaders alongside experts like Charles Jennings, Donald H. Taylor, and Kevin M. Yates. Fans of John’s inimitable style can also enjoy his other podcast, Great Minds on Learning, co-hosted with fellow L&D thought leader Donald Clark.
Start here: Episode 20 – What Are We Playing At? With Juliette Denny
The L&D Career Club Podcast
Hosted by Sarah Cannistra
The L&D Career Club Podcast (formerly The Overnight Trainer) offers a unique perspective on navigating the learning and development world. After all, host Sarah Cannistra became a learning professional overnight, without any background or prior experience.
As such, she’s well positioned to help you find, land, and grow in the ‘L&D career of your dreams’. Unfortunately, new episodes haven’t been released since June 2024. Thankfully, Sarah has expressed her intention to return to the project after settling into a new role.
Start here: How to Practically Apply Neuroscience in L&D (12th December 2023)
The Learning Leader Show
Hosted by Ryan Hawk
Learning and leadership are forever intertwined. As host Ryan Hawk says, ‘the best leaders never stop working to make themselves better’. And now you too can learn from the very best and level up your leadership skills thanks to The Learning Leader Show.
With conversations from entrepreneurs, CEO’s, world-class athletes, best-selling authors, and high profile coaches, this is appointment listening. In fact, according to Forbes, this is ‘the most dynamic leadership podcast out there’ — high praise indeed.
Start here: Episode 615 – The Art & Science of Storytelling
The Learning Geeks Podcast
Hosted by Bob Gerard, Dana Koch and Jake Gittleson
Ready to embrace your inner learning geek? The Learning Geeks Podcast, hosted by three passionate learning professionals, explores the science of effective learning. You should also expect a healthy dose of humour and a truckload of pop culture references.
As you’d expect from self-professed geeks, this podcast dives deep into the details and revels in the brain science behind learning. Recent episodes have tackled the future of L&D, building learning communities, and the challenge of change fatigue.
Start here: S7 E5 – Your Brain Chemistry When Learning
The HR L&D Podcast
Hosted by Nick Day
The HR L&D Podcast focuses on helping both HR and learning and development professionals to get the best out of their workforce through expert guidance and advice. Host Nick Day has a knack for uncovering gems of wisdom during his interviews with top HR professionals.
The podcast covers a range of subjects including talent acquisition, building high-performing teams, using data-driven insights, and much more. This is a comprehensive source for transformative HR strategies that unleash real business impact.
Start here: How to Build High-Performing Teams (15th October 2024)
Mind the Skills Gap
Hosted by Stella Collins
With 6 out of 10 employees requiring retraining by the end of 2027, the skills gap isn’t getting any smaller. Drastic action is needed. Thankfully, podcasts like Mind The Skills Gap exist. Better still, this podcast is hosted by a genuine neuroscience expert.
Stella Collins and her guests explore the obstacles to skill transfer and how to overcome them. Recent episodes include a look at the 5 Moments of Need and our brain’s neuroplasticity. Though currently on pause, Stella plans to restart the podcast in the future.
Start here: Attention and Cognitive Overload (2nd August 2023)
Bring Out The Talent
Hosted by Maria Melfa and Jocelyn Allen
In today’s fast-paced business world, prioritising talent and unlocking potential creates a real competitive edge. That’s the driving force behind Bring Out The Talent, an engaging podcast hosted by The Training Associates’ Maria Melfa and Jocelyn Allen.
This dynamic duo explores topics like workplace mental wellness, navigating change management, and instructional design strategy. A recent episode even tackled harnessing technology for continuous learning and development, a topic we’re particularly passionate about.
Start here: Harnessing Technology for Continuous L&D (12th October 2024)
Become an IDOL
Hosted by Robin Sargent
Dreaming of an illustrious career in instructional design and online learning (IDOL)? Then Dr. Robin Sargent can help. Her podcast offers a wellspring of valuable guidance and support for aspiring and experienced instructional designers alike.
Recent episodes explore topics like the role of generative AI in content creation, project management skills for IDOLs, and gamification frameworks. Whatever the subject, expect plenty of practical advice and strategies designed to elevate your learning experiences.
Start here: Learning Measurement on a Shoestring (7th February 2025)
The eLearning Coach Podcast
Hosted by Connie Malamed
Connie Malamed has been hosting The eLearning Coach Podcast since 2013, making this one of the longest running shows on our list. This is also evidence of Connie’s extensive experience and expertise in the area of instructional design and visual design.
This podcast features insightful conversations with experts such as Julie Dirksen, Cammy Bean, and Brandon Carson. Regardless of who’s being interviewed, each episode will leave you with a deeper understanding of the field and prepare you to enhance your own eLearning experiences.
Start here: Episode 85 – Generating AI Podcasts for Learning
Bonus Listening
These podcasts, while not explicitly about L&D, offer valuable insights for learning professionals. They’ll challenge your assumptions, broaden your perspectives, and inspire you to reimagine your approach to learning and development.
Squiggly Careers Podcast
Hosted by Sarah Ellis and Helen Tupper
With over 4 million listeners and 700+ 5-star reviews, the Squiggly Careers Podcast is a trusted resource for navigating the complexities of modern career paths. Hosts Sarah and Helen are the perfect career development guides for a world where linear progression is increasingly rare.
This focus on ‘squiggly careers’ is particularly relevant for L&D professionals. After all, you’ll learn how you can best support employees in changing career paths and developing the skills needed for future success. Armed with this podcast, you’ll be ready for whatever comes your way.
Start here: Episode 452 – Influence with Robert Cialdini
HR Happy Hour
Hosted by Steve Boese and Trish Steed
Launched back in the halcyon days of 2009, HR Happy Hour is the longest continuously running show dedicated to the world of HR and HCM. Its engaging format and dynamic guests offer valuable perspectives on the challenges and opportunities facing HR professionals today.
Many of the topics covered, such as talent development, employee engagement, and organisational culture, are highly relevant to L&D professionals. By staying informed about HR trends, you’ll be able to anticipate future needs and align your training programmes accordingly.
Start here: HR’s Role in Supporting Employees (24th January 2025)
Hidden Brain
Hosted by Shankar Vedantam
Stuck in a creative rut? Hidden Brain, hosted by Shankar Vedantam, explores the unconscious patterns that drive human behaviour, offering insights that can unlock new perspectives. It explores the motivations and social influences that shape our choices and actions.
At its core, L&D is about facilitating learning and behaviour change. To ease this process, you’ll need to know more about the psychological and social factors that influence how people learn, make decisions, and adopt new behaviours. Hidden Brain provides a fascinating starting point for this exploration.
Start here: Wellness 2.0 – The Art of the Unknown (27th January 2025)
WorkLife
Hosted by Adam Grant
We spend a quarter of our lives at work, so it’s important we make the most of it. WorkLife with Adam Grant, a TED original podcast, explores the ‘science of making work not suck’. Of course, we as learning professionals have a role to play in achieving this goal.
Organisational psychologist Adam Grant interviews a fascinating array of guests, including luminaries such as Sam Altman, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Jane Goodall. Their insights can help L&D professionals contribute to creating a positive and supportive learning environment.
Start here: The Dark Side of Charisma (15th October 2024)
Freakonomics Radio
Hosted by Stephen Dubner
Expanding on the 2006 book, Freakonomics Radio seeks to uncover ‘the hidden side of everything’. Hosted by journalist Stephen J. Dubner, it explores a wide range of topics, from economics and social issues to the intricacies of human motivation and behaviour.
This knowledge can help L&D professionals design learning programmes that tap into intrinsic motivation to encourage engagement and knowledge retention. Failing that, you can tune in to learn about the benefits of napping or the impact of pollution on cognitive function.
Start here: Episode 619 – How to Poison the A.I. Machine
Unlocking Us
Hosted by Brené Brown
Dr Brené Brown is a research professor, the author of six bestsellers, and the host of two award-winning podcasts. Not bad going, right? There’s a good chance you know Brené from her popular TED talk, but her podcasts are worthy of your time in their own right.
Unlocking Us explores the complexities of human emotions offering listeners a deeper understanding of themselves and their connections with others. This focus on emotional intelligence can only support L&D professionals in creating more empathetic and impactful learning experiences.
Start here: Kamala Harris on Courageous Leadership (28th October 2024)
Final Words
That’s a wrap! We’ve explored the top 20 L&D podcasts that are guaranteed to elevate your learning game in 2025. With this audio treasure trove ringing in your ears, you’ll be well on your way to becoming an L&D expert.
Fresh insights are only a download away. We hope this list inspires you to explore the wonderful world of podcasts and discover new voices and perspectives that will enrich your work and motivate personal growth.
Perhaps they’ll even encourage you to incorporate podcasts and audio content within your structured workplace learning programmes.
For the meantime, however, happy listening and happy learning!
Thank you for reading. Looking for more L&D guidance and support? Download ‘The L&D Professional’s Handbook’ now and unlock 165 tips for success!
