Top 10 L&D Podcasts in 2022

In recent years, podcasts have exploded in popularity – and it’s easy to see why. They’re accessible, convenient, and engrossing. Plus, you can listen to them anytime throughout the day, such as during your morning commute, at the gym, or while cooking dinner. 

Although there are so many advantages to listening to podcasts, there is one downside – the sheer number of options. With the millions of podcasts out there, it can quickly get overwhelming to find podcasts that meet your listening objectives.

This is why we’ve done the legwork for you and compiled a list of the top 10 L&D podcasts out there. This way, you can spend less time searching for a podcast and more time listening. 

So if you’re looking for podcasts to help you navigate your career, upskill, increase your industry knowledge and learn about the latest L&D insights, keep reading.  

If you’re on the search for an L&D podcast that will inspire you, then look no further than The Learning Hack. Hosted by John Helmer, an expert in emerging technologies and digital learning, this podcast will give you the opportunity to listen to some of the most imaginative, visionary and innovative leaders in the space. John Helm invites digital learning leaders from a wide range of industries and specialties to speak about their contributions, experiences and ideas. This is a great podcast for anyone wanting to gain a spark of inspiration. 

Connie Malamed started her podcast, The eLearning Coach, in 2013 – and she’s still going strong today. As a learning experience design consultant, author and speaker, Malamed is an industry veteran. And in her podcast, listeners can learn about all her ideas, tips and tricks. Covering topics, such as instructional design, cognitive psychology, visual communication and mLearning, The eLearning Coach is a rich and insightful podcast for professionals at any stage of their career.

For anyone just starting out in digital learning, The Overnight Trainer is an indispensable podcast. Hosted by Sarah Cannistra, the podcast aims to help both aspiring and experienced L&D professionals navigate their careers. As the self-described ‘Original Overnight Trainer’, Sarah Cannistra kicks off the first episode of the podcast by sharing her story of transitioning from Subject Matter Expert to L&D professional. Although you’re listening to a podcast, The Overnight Trainer feels like you have your own personal career coach in your ear.

The Mind Tools is an L&D toolkit provider that hosts a weekly podcast, called the The Mind Tools L&D Podcast. It has been airing for over five years – and you don’t have to listen long to see why this podcast has been such a success. The dynamism and humour between the four hosts ensures that this podcast is always lively and entertaining. And the best aspect is the wide range of topics discussed. From the lens of L&D professionals, everything from the metaverse, to remote working, to DEI is covered in this podcast. 

The Learning and Development Podcast is hosted by David James, an L&D expert with over 20 years of experience in the field. As former Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company and current Chief Learning Officer at 360Learning, David James has gained a wealth of knowledge that he generously shares with listeners of his podcast. However, he also invites practitioners and leaders from all areas of L&D to share their insights and knowledge as well. So if you’re looking for a podcast that will keep you abreast of what’s going on in the field at the moment, this fortnightly podcast is for you.

The Learning While Working podcast is produced by Sprout Labs, a learning management and experience platform. So when it comes to developing digital learning experiences, they know what they’re talking about. You can expect the topics covered in the podcast to be both theoretical and practical. For example, one episode covers practical tips to create a storyboard. In another episode, you can listen to an interview on augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality in L&D. The great aspect about the Learning While Working podcast is that it is tailored to digital learning professionals at all stages of their careers.

Host of the Learning Uncut podcast, Michelle Ockers, has nearly 30 years of experience in learning and development, and even founded a successful L&D consultancy. So when it comes to L&D, Michelle Ockers has some serious knowledge and wisdom to impart. The best aspect of the podcast is the focus on ‘keeping it real’. So you can expect to hear stories from real practitioners and leaders in the field. You’ll also learn actionable strategies, tips, and solutions that you can take away and use in your career.  

The Learning Xchange podcast is hosted by Matthew Brown, Chief People & Culture Officer at Schoox, a talent development platform. If you’re looking for a podcast that covers L&D topics as well as more general HR topics, this podcast may be of interest to you. The Learning Xchange is all about exploring and discussing ideas, insights and innovations within the L&D and HR space. You’ll learn about a wide range of topics, such as workplace learning trends, boosting employee engagement, and maintaining your learning system. If you want to learn from an experienced L&D professional who has been in the trenches, this is the podcast for you.   

The Learning at Large podcast is hosted by Simon Greany, Chief Learning Officer and Co-Founder of the authoring platform, Elucidat. The podcast includes a diverse mix of guests, who each have expertise in varying subtopics within L&D. However, the guest line up doesn’t only include digital learning professionals, but some industry outsiders as well. For example, Greany has also invited executives on the podcast so that digital learning professionals can learn about the perspectives of business leaders from outside the field of L&D.

Naturally, we couldn’t compile a list of the top L&D podcasts without including our own. If you’re looking to hear stories from real digital learning professionals, the Digital Learning Podcast is just for you. In this podcast, we let DLI students take the mic to tell their stories of how they transitioned into or accelerated their digital learning careers. So if you’re hoping to get inspired and learn from digital learning professionals at various stages of their careers, we’d recommend the Digital Learning Podcast – (although we may be a little biassed).

Whether you’re looking for industry knowledge, inspiration, or career advice, podcasts can be a beneficial resource for digital learning professionals. However, it’s important to choose ones that are aligned with your individual goals.

This is why we’ve narrowed down the top 10 L&D podcasts that suit digital learning professionals at various career stages and with varying interests. These podcasts are tried and tested, so they’re a great place to start. All you have to do is pick a podcast, press play, and start listening to instantly level up in L&D.