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The Assembly

The Assembly

Assemble You 113 Episodes Jun 16, 2026

The Assembly is a podcast about workplace learning and development (L&D). Hosted by Adam Lacey, co-founder of Assemble You, and Brigid McCormack, it features conversations with experts and leaders in the L&D field. Each episode provides insights, research, and practical strategies for building skills like leadership and communication. The show aims to go beyond surface-level tips to explore what really works in learning today.

Episodes

The Messy Middle: Why Your Managers Are Flying Blind With John Gregg Jun 16, 2026 2372 Your senior leaders get coaching. Your early careers get apprenticeships. But the managers actually running your organisation day-to-day? They're on their own.John Gregg has spent over 20 years in L&D and OD across commercial, regulated and nonprofit sectors - most recently as Head of Learning and OD at Alzheimer's Research UK. With a small team and a tight budget, he built a manageme
Why Your EDI and L&D Functions Are Fighting the Same Battle, Separately? With Shannon Rivers Jun 9, 2026 2697 You've run the awareness session. The feedback was strong. People were nodding. And then... nothing changed. If that sounds familiar, it's not because your programme was wrong. It's because awareness alone doesn't change behaviour. Conditions do.Brigid sits down with Shannon Rivers, organisational development strategist, consultant and Director of Social Enterprise, Social Responsibility
Building the L&D Team of the Future with Simon Gibson of Center Parcs Jun 2, 2026 2591 Adam sits down with Simon Gibson, the Talent Director at Center Parcs and former Group Head of L&D at M&S, to get brutally honest about what's holding L&D back and what high-performing teams do differently.With a career spanning banking, retail, nuclear decommissioning and hospitality, Simon has a rare cross-industry perspective: if you don't understand how your business makes
If They Can't See It, They Can't Do It: Scaffolded Learning That Actually Sticks. With Stephanie Alayyoubi-Trattles May 26, 2026 2214 Most people don't fail because they're incapable. They fail because the support disappears too early.Brigid sits down with  Stephanie Alayyoubi-Trattles, founder of Kyoshi Consulting, to explore what it actually takes to build learning that drives measurable change.Stephanie has spent over a decade leading learning strategy and design across EdTech unicorn Multiverse, London Business Scho
Most manager development programmes are well-designed. They just weren't built for how humans actually behave. With Farley Thomas May 19, 2026 1826 Adam sits down with Farley Thomas, CEO of Manageable, the global manager development platform he co-founded in 2020, to explore why manager development so often falls short and what it takes to build something that sticks.After a decade in investment banking at HSBC, Farley trained as a coach and spent years advising CEOs before spotting that managers were one of the most underserved popu
Your middle managers are not underperforming. They are under-resourced. With Toluwa Hughes May 12, 2026 2967 Brigid sits down with Toluwa Hughes, behavioural scientist, two-times TEDx speaker, and founder of Zoah Consultancy, to explore why the manager layer is so often the most overlooked group in any organisation and what L&D can do about it right now.Toluwa has coached over 4,000 leaders across the UN in East Africa, tech scale-ups, and global enterprises including HSBC, Dell, and Alzheim
How Do You Build Critical Thinking, Curiosity, and Better Decision-Making in an AI-Driven World? With Liggy Webb May 5, 2026 2721 In this episode, Adam sits down with Liggy Webb to explore how L&D leaders can equip their people with the human skills that matter most - cutting through noise, thinking clearly, and performing in a complex environment.Liggy, a behavioural skills specialist and author, shares practical ways to develop an “inquiring mind” - from building self-awareness and asking better questions, to
How do you prove the value of L&D in a business that sees it as a cost, not a driver of performance? With Jade Rogers Apr 28, 2026 1857 In this episode, Brigid sits down with Jade Rogers to unpack how learning and development leaders can build influence, demonstrate impact, and secure a more strategic role within their organisations.Jade, an L&D professional in a tech consultancy, describes her role as “the bridge between potential and performance” - but like many in the field, she’s had to navigate the challenge of m
Award-Winning L&D at Qatar Airways: Gary Clarke's Blueprint for Success Apr 21, 2026 1987 Adam sits down with Gary Clarke, former Group Head of Learning & Development at Qatar Airways, for a candid conversation spanning 20+ years of global L&D leadership - from starting in the British Army at 16 to leading functions at BlackRock, Capita, and Qatar Airways.Gary delivers a masterclass on managing a complex, geographically dispersed L&D function. He shares the real wo
How do you move L&D from delivering training to driving real performance in an AI-powered world? with Yousaf Khan Apr 14, 2026 2851  In this episode, Brigid sits down with Yousaf Khan, an AI strategy and business transformation consultant, to explore how learning and development leaders can shift from knowledge delivery to measurable impact, and stay relevant as work evolves.Starting his career in L&D, Yousaf quickly recognised the gap between learning and real performance. Now working across strategy, performance
The Human Side of Change Management: Navigating Uncertainty at Work with Ket Patel Apr 7, 2026 1620 In this excellent interview, Adam sits down with Ket Patel, the founder of Change Agitators and Assemble You Expert.Ket is a master change practitioner with over 20 years of experience, specialising in helping organisations navigate the uncertainty of scaling and modernising. Transitioning away from traditional, purely process-driven change management, Ket focuses deeply on the human and
Are your inclusion efforts driving real impact or just ticking boxes with Chris Shearer-Wright Mar 31, 2026 2204 Are your inclusion efforts driving real impact or just ticking boxes?In this episode, Brigid sits down with Chris Shearer-Wright, Senior EDI and Community Partnerships Manager at Oliver Bonas, to explore how L&D and EDI can work together to create more inclusive, effective workplaces.Starting his career on the shop floor in 2012, Chris has grown with Oliver Bonas through every stage o

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