Offbeat On Air

Lavinia Mehedintu & Milica Sapic

We are on a mission to break our L&D bubble! We want to connect to people trying to achieve similar goals to ours, but in other circumstances, with different skills, and tools. We’ll learn how scientists solve problems, how professional athletes think of performance, and how surgeons approach the learning process. All of this to infuse new perspectives into our lives as learning professionals. read less
EducationEducation

Episodes

What can L&Ds learn from product management?
29-10-2024
What can L&Ds learn from product management?
We've heard it quite often lately: there's a lot L&D can learn from product management. But what is that exactly? Thanks to Lucia Collarà who brought years of experience to the table, we got to explore: A framework for building products looking at viability, feasibility, and desirability;The difference between product management and product ownership;How just like L&Ds, PMs are informal leaders, and need to influence change without authority;How the discipline of prioritization helps product managers in being impactful business partners;Why the OKR framework can fail without enough resources & psychological safety. Get ready for lots of insights, and a thoughtful conversation about product management, teaching product management, and the lessons we can learn as L&Ds from the product world. Our sponsor This new season of Offbeat On Air is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sana⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sana⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is an AI-powered learning platform that empowers organizations to find, share, and harness the knowledge they need to achieve their missions. Backed by some of the world’s leading investors, operators, and founders, Sana has raised $54M to date. The company's headquarters are in Stockholm, Sweden, with offices in London and New York. Your hosts We’re Lavinia & Mili, and we hope this episode brings you at least one idea you can use in your own practice. If you want to share it with us, feel free to reach out on our LinkedIn profiles, which you can find below. Lavinia: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/laviniamehedintu/⁠Milica: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/milicasapic/
The anatomy of a Chief People Officer
24-09-2024
The anatomy of a Chief People Officer
Join us in exploring the world of a Chief People & Culture Officer together with ⁠Anna Gullstrand⁠ from Mentimeter. In this episode, we learn about: Anna's career path, and the importance of being intentional in choosing your journeyAnna's vision for the Chief People Officer role, with its responsibilities, and skillsMentimeter's unique ways of looking at learning as a day-to-day activity and how the organization embraces this principleAnna's views about how the Chief People Officer works with L&D to support business development Get ready for an inspiring episode, where the future is not HR, but People, where learning is not only L&Ds responsibility, and buckle up to start your exploration of the Chief People Officer role! Our sponsorThis new season of Offbeat On Air is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sana⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sana⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is an AI-powered learning platform that empowers organizations to find, share, and harness the knowledge they need to achieve their missions. Backed by some of the world’s leading investors, operators, and founders, Sana has raised $54M to date. The company's headquarters are in Stockholm, Sweden, with offices in London and New York. Your hostsWe’re Lavinia & Mili, and we hope this episode brings you at least one idea you can use in your own practice. If you want to share it with us, feel free to reach out on our LinkedIn profiles, which you can find below. Lavinia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laviniamehedintu/Milica: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milicasapic/
Exploring future possibilities in L&D and beyond
23-08-2024
Exploring future possibilities in L&D and beyond
Join us in learning the ins and outs of foresight together with our awesome guest, Steph Clarke, Futurist, Facilitator, and Speaker at 28 Thursdays. In this episode, Steph tells us all about: What foresight is, why it's an important, yet not easy discipline;Where & when foresight experts are brought on board to help;The 6-step process she follows when going through a project and a detailed explanation of each step;Why, for her, facilitation is a key aspect of the foresight work she does;What she thinks the future of learning and L&D might look like, and advice on how L&Ds can broaden their views. Get ready for a strategic, fun, and insightful episode, and buckle up to start your journey of exploring foresight! 💜 Our sponsor This new season of Offbeat On Air is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sana⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sana⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is an AI-powered learning platform that empowers organizations to find, share, and harness the knowledge they need to achieve their missions. Backed by some of the world’s leading investors, operators, and founders, Sana has raised $54M to date. The company's headquarters are in Stockholm, Sweden, with offices in London and New York. Your hosts We’re Lavinia & Mili, and we hope this episode brings you at least one idea you can use in your own practice. If you want to share it with us, feel free to reach out on our LinkedIn profiles, which you can find below. Lavinia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laviniamehedintu/ Milica: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milicasapic/
Exploring AI in L&D through curiosity and experimentation
05-04-2024
Exploring AI in L&D through curiosity and experimentation
It feels like AI is everywhere and nowhere. It's everywhere because everybody is talking about it. For many of us, it's nowhere because we're not yet using it at full capacity. Ross, Aki, and Rita bring us three different perspectives in this episode: external L&D consultant, internal L&D, and product. Together with them, we explore: Is the hype real, or is AI just another bubble?Are there any organizations or L&D teams already using AI? Spoiler alert, yep, there are!What stands in the way of experimenting and adopting AI? Fear of failure and inaccurate expectations;What will the role of L&D Professional be in the future? Will anything change?What do we need to do, as L&Ds, if we want to be involved in AI adoption and digital transformation in our organizations? We spent more than an hour dissecting all these points and had an honest, bold, and tough conversation about the intersection between L&D and AI. Our sponsor This new season of Offbeat On Air is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sana⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sana⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is an AI-powered learning platform that empowers organizations to find, share, and harness the knowledge they need to achieve their missions. Backed by some of the world’s leading investors, operators, and founders, Sana has raised $54M to date. The company's headquarters are in Stockholm, Sweden, with offices in London and New York. Your hosts We’re Lavinia & Mili, and we hope this episode brings you at least one idea you can use in your own practice. If you want to share it with us, feel free to reach out on our LinkedIn profiles, which you can find below. Lavinia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laviniamehedintu/ Milica: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milicasapic/
Improving L&D’s impact through Service Design
29-02-2024
Improving L&D’s impact through Service Design
Join us as we explore how integrating Service Design principles into our L&D work can improve the way we cater to our internal customers. Together with Simone Anne Slaviero we discussed: The definition of Service Design as a way to view the entire customer journey and evaluate all backstage processes, systems, and teams that make a service successful. The role and importance of a Service Designer, with aspects such as their involvement in business, project or product management, and UX.The challenge of customer research and user access as a critical part of the process.A step-by-step process of service design, describing issues such as problem definition, stakeholder engagement, and prototyping. If you're curious about how to best serve your internal customers, you will find this conversation useful and filled with practical tips. Our sponsor This new season of Offbeat On Air is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Sana⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Sana⁠⁠⁠⁠ is an AI-powered learning platform that empowers organizations to find, share, and harness the knowledge they need to achieve their missions. Backed by some of the world’s leading investors, operators, and founders, Sana has raised $54M to date. The company's headquarters are in Stockholm, Sweden, with offices in London and New York. Your hosts We’re Lavinia & Mili, and we hope this episode brings you at least one idea you can use in your own practice. If you want to share it with us, feel free to reach out on our LinkedIn profiles, which you can find below. Lavinia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laviniamehedintu/ Milica: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milicasapic/
From Full-Time to Freelance: Tales from the L&D & People Space
01-02-2024
From Full-Time to Freelance: Tales from the L&D & People Space
We're seeing a wave of L&D Professionals thinking about freelancing or just starting their freelance journeys. So we decided to speak to those who've done it and see what wisdom they have to share. We were joined by: Sarah Cannistra, L&D Career, Executive & Business Coach and Fractional Chief Learning Officer & Head of LearningLuke O'Mahoney, Founder @ SapienˣLiam Moore, Executive Coach, Supervisor & Facilitator We explored A LOT, but here's a summary of what you can expect: How did they decide on going solo? What drove them? What questions did they ask? What would they advise others?What drove their decisions about their services and offerings? Spoiler alert: it's about doing what gives you energy!What are the hurdles of running your own show? How do they navigate all the feelings that come with the role?What's a flywheel and how does Luke use it to drive growth?What did Liam learn from his father, an entrepreneur himself?How does Sarah look at her business through the lens of her life stages? Prepare for a rich discussion, full of nudgets of wisdom! If you're considering running your own company, being a solopreneur, or freelancing in the L&D and People Space, or just want to hear the exciting adventures of those who do, join us! Our sponsor This new season of Offbeat On Air is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠Sana⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠Sana⁠⁠⁠ is an AI-powered learning platform that empowers organizations to find, share, and harness the knowledge they need to achieve their missions. Backed by some of the world’s leading investors, operators, and founders, Sana has raised $54M to date. The company's headquarters are in Stockholm, Sweden, with offices in London and New York. Your hosts We’re Lavinia & Mili, and we hope this episode brings you at least one idea you can use in your own practice. If you want to share it with us, feel free to reach out on our LinkedIn profiles, which you can find below. Lavinia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laviniamehedintu/ Milica: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milicasapic/
The benefits of yoga for the mind. A journey into calm and inner discovery
06-11-2023
The benefits of yoga for the mind. A journey into calm and inner discovery
Yoga is more than just a practice; it's a journey into the self, a discipline that synchronizes the body, mind, and spirit. In our latest podcast episode, we were happy to listen to the insights of Editha Satara, a PowerYoga Teacher, who guided us through the transformative powers of yoga on mental wellbeing. Here's a glimpse into the discussion we had: Unveiling the layers: Editha shared how yoga transcends physical benefits, acting as a balm for the mind, easing stress, and fostering a sanctuary of calm within.The grounding force: We delve into practices and routines that help maintain a connection to the present moment, highlighting how being grounded can enhance our daily lives.The art of balance in teaching: Editha discussed the delicate equilibrium between meticulous preparation and the intuitive ability to read and respond to the energy of a yoga class.The synergy of wellness: The conversation took us through the complementary relationship between yoga and other pillars of health, such as breathwork and nutrition, underscoring the holistic nature of this ancient practice. Join us as we navigate the serene paths of yoga with Editha Satara, understanding how this age-old discipline can cultivate an enduring sense of peace and self-discovery. Tune in to this soulful exchange and perhaps find a key to unlock your own journey into inner tranquility. We hope you find inspiration and a moment of peace in this episode. Our sponsor This new season of Offbeat On Air is sponsored by ⁠⁠Sana⁠⁠. ⁠⁠Sana⁠⁠ is an AI-powered learning platform that empowers organizations to find, share, and harness the knowledge they need to achieve their missions. Backed by some of the world’s leading investors, operators, and founders, Sana has raised $54M to date. The company's headquarters are in Stockholm, Sweden, with offices in London and New York. Your hosts We’re Lavinia & Mili, and we hope this episode brings you at least one idea you can use in your own practice. If you want to share it with us, feel free to reach out on our LinkedIn profiles, which you can find below. Lavinia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laviniamehedintu/ Milica: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milicasapic/ Editha: https://www.poweryogainstitute.de/ueber-uns/lehrer/edita-satara/
Can storytelling be a learning tool? Cristian Lupșa’s explorations of journalism
20-10-2023
Can storytelling be a learning tool? Cristian Lupșa’s explorations of journalism
We have all encountered journalism in one way or another. It might have been print, it might have been digital, it might have been for the good, or with the purpose of persuasion. But oftentimes we don't hear the stories behind the written piece. Cristian Lupșa took us on a ride of a lifetime and opened up about his early beginnings with journalism, how his craft was polished in time, and the intersections he sees between learning & storytelling. We explored: The difference between opinion pieces and telling stories about people;Why empathy and trust-building are important in crafting the best stories;How we can use storytelling to promote learning within organizations;How can we intentionally design gatherings to reach our purpose-and how he did it with The Power of Storytelling. It was an amazing, honest conversation. We wandered outside of L&D, into acting, to learn from a practice that might be almost mystical to us, but can provide so much inspiration. Hope you'll enjoy it! Our sponsor This new season of Offbeat On Air is sponsored by ⁠Sana⁠. ⁠Sana⁠ is an AI-powered learning platform that empowers organizations to find, share, and harness the knowledge they need to achieve their missions. Backed by some of the world’s leading investors, operators, and founders, Sana has raised $54M to date. The company's headquarters are in Stockholm, Sweden, with offices in London and New York. Your hosts We’re Lavinia & Mili, and we hope this episode brings you at least one idea you can use in your own practice. If you want to share it with us, feel free to reach out on our LinkedIn profiles, which you can find below. Lavinia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laviniamehedintu/ Milica: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milicasapic/ Cristian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/syruslowe/
Drama-Based Learning -how Syrus Lowe feeds his facilitation practice from his acting career
04-10-2023
Drama-Based Learning -how Syrus Lowe feeds his facilitation practice from his acting career
Facilitation is probably one of the most popular skills in L&D right now. We had the amazing opportunity to discuss with Syrus Lowe, CEO of The Communication Practice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Trainer, and Corporate Role Play Actor about his acting studies, his acting career, and all the things he's learned that feed his facilitation practice. We explored: What it takes to become an actor - from tough studies to overcoming the impostor syndrome;Career development outside of the corporate world - the importance of having a strong internal locus of control;How being a leader and being a theatre director are similar - the importance of psychological safety in effective teams;Why role plays can be powerful if done right. It was an amazing, honest conversation. We wandered outside of L&D, into acting, to learn from a practice that might be almost mystical to us, but can provide so much inspiration. Hope you'll enjoy it! Our sponsor This new season of Offbeat On Air is sponsored by Sana. Sana is an AI-powered learning platform that empowers organizations to find, share, and harness the knowledge they need to achieve their missions. Backed by some of the world’s leading investors, operators, and founders, Sana has raised $54M to date. The company's headquarters are in Stockholm, Sweden, with offices in London and New York. Your hosts We’re Lavinia & Mili, and we hope this episode brings you at least one idea you can use in your own practice. If you want to share it with us, feel free to reach out on our LinkedIn profiles, which you can find below. Lavinia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laviniamehedintu/ Milica: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milicasapic/ Syrus: https://www.linkedin.com/in/syruslowe/
Stand-Up Comedy Secrets for L&D Professionals
14-06-2023
Stand-Up Comedy Secrets for L&D Professionals
We're closing Season 2 in style. Or better said - in laughter. We had the awesome opportunity of talking to Tom Kozacinski, whose passion for comedy turned into an exciting career. But you might think, what the heck does stand-up have to do with Learning & Development? We thought the same at first, and then it all made sense. Tom explored with us: Behind the scenes of writing a comedy act, performing it, and iterating based on audience feedback;The importance of practice in polishing your craft;Managing audiences of all kinds with both kindness and assertiveness;Managing your own career development when you have multiple streams running at once. Our sponsor This new season of Offbeat On Air is sponsored by Sana. Sana is an AI-powered learning platform that empowers organizations to find, share, and harness the knowledge they need to achieve their missions. Backed by some of the world’s leading investors, operators, and founders, Sana has raised $54M to date. The company's headquarters are in Stockholm, Sweden, with offices in London and New York. Your hosts We’re Lavinia & Mili, and we hope this episode brings you at least one idea you can use in your own practice. If you want to share it with us, feel free to reach out on our LinkedIn profiles, which you can find below. Lavinia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laviniamehedintu/ Milica: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milicasapic/ Tom: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomislav-kozacinski/
Navigating Squiggly Careers & The Future of Learning
15-05-2023
Navigating Squiggly Careers & The Future of Learning
Ever since we founded Offbeat, we were on the lookout for new, exciting technology that could add value to our work & organizations. That's how we discovered Sana, a close friend and sponsor of ours. But it's in our nature to dig deeper. We were curious and wanted to learn more about who's beyond the product - that's how we met Jon, President of Sana. We spent some time getting to know him and we're bringing to you: The story of his squiggly career and the red thread he found between various roles he held over time;His views about leadership & team development;Why he thinks being strategic will be very important for L&Ds in the future of learning. Our sponsor This new season of Offbeat On Air is sponsored by Sana. Sana is an AI-powered learning platform that empowers organizations to find, share, and harness the knowledge they need to achieve their missions. Backed by some of the world’s leading investors, operators, and founders, Sana has raised $54M to date. The company's headquarters are in Stockholm, Sweden, with offices in London and New York. Your hosts We’re Lavinia & Mili, and we hope this episode brings you at least one idea you can use in your own practice. If you want to share it with us, feel free to reach out on our LinkedIn profiles, which you can find below. Lavinia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laviniamehedintu/ Milica: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milicasapic/ Jon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonlexa/
A Chef's Recipe for Career Progression and Collaboration
27-04-2023
A Chef's Recipe for Career Progression and Collaboration
No matter how far away we go from L&D, we still find things to inspire us. In this episode, we talked to Ed Leach, Well-Being Specialist and Head Chef at La Cantina @Blinkist, someone whose career journey could be an inspiration to anyone. We explored: Ed's squiggly career journey: from engineering to designing, plumbing, and finally cooking;The way he has an impact on people's lives, our planet's health, and Blinkist's productivity thank to La Cantina's planet-based concept;How he gathers feedback through all his senses to inform what's on the menu every day;The similarities he sees between working with renowned Head Chefs and a corporate manager. Our sponsor This new season of Offbeat On Air is sponsored by Sana. Sana is an AI-powered learning platform that empowers organizations to find, share, and harness the knowledge they need to achieve their missions. Backed by some of the world’s leading investors, operators, and founders, Sana has raised $54M to date. The company's headquarters are in Stockholm, Sweden, with offices in London and New York. Your hosts We’re Lavinia & Mili, and we hope this episode brings you at least one idea you can use in your own practice. If you want to share it with us, feel free to reach out on our LinkedIn profiles, which you can find below. Lavinia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laviniamehedintu/ Milica: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milicasapic/ Ed: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ed-leach-0343461a/
Lessons Learned about Community Building
05-04-2023
Lessons Learned about Community Building
How much can we talk about community building? All day long! Well, this episode took a lot less to record, but we could have gone for hours on end exploring our guests' journey. We were joined by Alex Hilleary, Community Lead at ChartHop, and Former Co-Founder at Gather, to explore all things community building. And so we did! We've talked about: the emergence of community-based marketinghis journey from intern to co-founder, and now community manager at Charthopthe importance of having the right people in your community and weaving that into every step of the members’ experienceusing the community space to sense-check user needs and decide the future of the communityhow over-designing can work against you Our sponsor This new season of Offbeat On Air is sponsored by Sana. Sana is an AI-powered learning platform that empowers organizations to find, share, and harness the knowledge they need to achieve their missions. Backed by some of the world’s leading investors, operators, and founders, Sana has raised $54M to date. The company's headquarters are in Stockholm, Sweden, with offices in London and New York. Your hosts We’re Lavinia & Mili, and we hope this episode brings you at least one idea you can use in your own practice. If you want to share it with us, feel free to reach out on our LinkedIn profiles, which you can find below. Lavinia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laviniamehedintu/ Milica: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milicasapic/ Alex: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-hilleary/
What we've learned from Season 1 of Offbeat On Air?
13-03-2023
What we've learned from Season 1 of Offbeat On Air?
Reflection is part of everything we do at Offbeat! So naturally, we took some time to what we've learned from Season 1 of Offbeat On Air before jumping into Season 2. Lavinia and Milica discuss where the idea of the podcast came from and some of the lessons they took from meeting Erica, Jamie, Nurit, Miruna, Anne, and Moein. After years of building her L&D network, Milica felt that's all she was seeing in her feed. L&D-related problems, solutions, people. While she knew the power of being surrounded by her tribe, she kept on wondering if there are others facing similar challenges, working with people, but using different frameworks, and just thinking differently. She brought this idea to Lavinia and that's how Offbeat On Air was born;In their first season, they explored addiction & recovery, leadership development in the Australian Army, behavior change & nudges, growth marketing, coaching in lacrosse, and architecture and they learned a lot;In this next season, they want to keep on exploring the world, talking to people from different professions and shining a light on the similarities between L&D's challenges and other completely unrelated professions. This new season of Offbeat On Air is sponsored by Sana. Sana is an AI-powered learning platform that empowers organizations to find, share, and harness the knowledge they need to achieve their missions. Backed by some of the world’s leading investors, operators, and founders, Sana has raised $54M to date. The company's headquarters are in Stockholm, Sweden, with offices in London and New York.
What do L&D and architecture have in common?
15-12-2022
What do L&D and architecture have in common?
For this episode, we decided to venture way outside our comfort zone, into the world of architecture and construction. Little did we know how much we had in common and how many things we'd learned, all courtesy of our guest, Moein Nodehi. Moein is the Founder & CEO of Biotonomy, a holistic & nature-based approach for buildings & cities to address the climate and biodiversity emergency. He walked us through his journey, and what feasibility studies mean, we talked about educating our customers as early as the research phase and pitching them the benefits that relate most to who they are, among others. Our sponsor Joining us for this episode as a sponsor is Innential. Innential makes it easy for HR and L&D teams to automate their talent development workflows like onboarding, personal development plans, and leadership development. They do so through their platform’s flexible learning path system, a diverse content library curated uniquely to your company’s needs, and the ability to upload internal company content like PDFs and videos. Dozens of companies are already using them to level up their talent development workflows, so if that’s something you’re interested in, book a call with them from their website, mention Offbeat On Air, and their founders will happily get in touch with you. Your hosts We’re Lavinia & Mili, and we hope this episode brings you at least one idea you can use in your own practice. If you want to share it with us, feel free to reach out on our LinkedIn profiles, which you can find below. Lavinia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laviniamehedintu/ Milica: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milicasapic/ Moein: https://www.linkedin.com/in/moein-nodehi-a5a3a9143/