Podcasts have been growing in popularity for the past several years. Be it hobbies, education, business, or news — someone is podcasting about it.

As one of the highly adaptable and rapidly evolving sectors, learning and development could not stay on the sidelines. Podcasts related to it usually feature industry experts and prominent figures in this field. They share their vision, talk about real case studies, and recommend tools and resources. In other words, it's a great source of inspiration and support from those who understand your pains and problems like nobody else — your peers.

We decide to compile the top of the most interesting training and development podcasts about different aspects of this industry. What's important is that all shows on the list keep delivering new episodes touching upon the latest and actively discussed trends.

So, what podcasts to listen to in 2021?

TrainingBusiness

The title of this show goes straight to the point. The host, Mark Garrett Hayes, and his guests talk about a wide range of problems from learning solutions to business aspects, like establishing your own training brand, designing a website for it, or getting leads from Facebook Ads.
Being a learning professional himself, Mark can often relate to the guests' stories and goes solo in some episodes. In the most recent solo episode, he gave recommendations about planning revenue for the year ahead.

Number of episodes (as of October, 1) - 159
Frequency - once a week
Approximate length of episodes - 30-50 minutes.

First Time Facilitator

This show is made by a facilitator for facilitators. For almost 3 years already, Leanne Hughes has been asking her guests to tell their recipes of success — how to stay confident and deliver engaging workshops. This show takes on all aspects of the training industry, inspiring and giving advice to those who are making their first steps in this field. For example, one of the latest episodes focuses on evaluating the financial risks of becoming an independent facilitator and making decisions on this path. Apart from traditional one-on-one interviews and solo episodes with Leanne, there are occasional group conversations.

Number of episodes (as of October, 1) - 204
Frequency - once a week
Approximate length of episodes - 25-45 minutes.

Workshops Work

Many podcasts do not have any visible plan or structure, relying on the natural flow of the conversation. But Myriam Hadnes brings some constant elements into her show without disrupting this flow. Each guest is asked to answer a certain set of questions at the beginning and the end of an episode like "When did you start calling yourself a facilitator?" or "What makes a workshop fail?". Workshops Work concentrates on the ways to make events engaging for a modern learner. Why mental fitness is important, how to create a winning company culture, what Taoism and Agile have in common — answers to this and many other questions is what can make your workshops really work for you and your audience.

Number of episodes (as of October, 1) - 138
Frequency - once a week
Approximate length of episodes - 50-60 minutes.

Leading Learning

The oldest training podcast on our list has been on air since 2015. That's plenty of time to talk about different topics on a weekly basis and move to experiments with the format. Recently two hosts, Jeff Cobb and Celisa Steele switched to a 7-episode podcast series related to one topic. This way, they can dig into the matter deeper and reach critical insights that are hardly possible within one episode. So far, four series have been completed.
Jeff and Celisa are founders of the Tagoras company, whose purpose is to help learning businesses succeed and thrive. Together with thought leaders from L&D industry, they explore current problems and future prospects of professional development and lifelong learning.

Number of episodes (as of October, 1) - 278
Frequency - once a week
Approximate length of episodes - 25-40 minutes.

The Business of Learning

This show is a part of Trainingindustry.com, a great source of information for L&D professionals. Apart from the podcast, it also has a blog, webinars, articles, courses, and research. That's a lot of materials, which are organized and supplement each other. In each podcast episode on the website, you can find a link to other information related to it.
The Business of Learning is hosted by Training Industry staff who discuss with their guests various approaches to employee training, ways to build a learning culture, and different learning experiences.

Number of episodes (as of October, 1) - 54
Frequency - one or several times a month
Approximate length of episodes - 30-40 minutes.

Mind Tools L&D

(previously Good Practice podcast)

This show attracts its listeners with a lively atmoshere where knowledge sharing and discussions are mixed with friendly banter. It's hosted by the staff of Mind Tools For Business, a company that delivers learning solutions for organizations. Together with their guests, they address a vast variety of topics: organizational learning strategies, recomemmendatons for employee engagement, business aspects of managing your own company in the learning industry, workplace culture, and career development in L&D.
And at the end of each episode, hosts add a pinch of fun and relaxation by sharing interesting things they have discovered during the previous week: books, comics, stories, YouTube channels, or fun facts. These discoveries might have no connection to learning at all, but be a good opportunity to expand your horizons in an unexpected direction.

Number of episodes (as of October, 1) - 268
Frequency - once a week
Approximate length of episodes - 30-40 minutes.

Powered by Learning

Powered By Learning is a podcast from d'Vinci Interactive, an eLearning platform that employs the latest technologies to provide modern learning solutions for its customers. The show is presented by d'Vinci Interactive staff who talk to experts about different learning experiences in various sectors — medical organizations, customer support, sales, and others.
d'Vinci Interactive employees themselves can also provide interesting insights about eLearning. Some episodes of the show feature company employees in both host and guest roles.

Number of episodes (as of October, 1) - 22
Frequency - one or two times a month
Approximate length of episodes - 20-30 minutes.

Learning Uncut

Let's return back from the podcasts hosted by learning companies to podcasts hosted by experienced facilitators. Every week Michelle Ockers asks her guests to tell how corporate learning is handled in their companies. Some of her guests have quite unique stories like the role of board games in truck drivers training in South Africa or leadership development in the expedition to Antarctica. And all of them provide listeners with useful recommendations and case studies. Some of the episodes are compiled into series with a common topic.

Number of episodes (as of October, 1) - 136
Frequency - once a week
Approximate length of episodes - 40-60 minutes.

Prosperous coach

This one is different from the previous shows in many aspects. The host, Rhonda Hess, helps coaches gain confidence and find their niche in the competitive market. But the recommendations she gives could be useful to other sectors as well. In each episode, Ronda brings up one tip on how to make your business profitable, attract clients, and manage your professional life without burning out. Most of the episodes are really short so even the busiest person can find the time to listen to one. And if you prefer to read, there is a text version as well.

Number of episodes (as of October, 1) - 147
Frequency - once a week
Approximate length of episodes - 5-20 minutes.

Training Business Anatomy

There are podcasts about learning methods and techniques, about approaches to learning in different companies, and about a little bit of everything in the industry. But recently started podcast, Training Business Anatomy concentrates solely on one aspect — how to build and scale a training company. The show is hosted by Sergey Kotlov, CEO of Workshop Butler, training management solution that automates administrative processes for events and workshops.
What does it take to establish a training company? What obstacles are waiting ahead and how to overcome them? How to choose the right moment to go full time?
Sergey asks these and other questions to the founders of training businesses. They reminisce on their professional journey and outline biggest challenges, turning points, and key factors that shaped their success. Learn about what stays behind the scenes of effective workshops and gain the courage to set off to your own journey with Training Business Anatomy.

Number of episodes (as of October, 1) - 4
Frequency - once a week
Approximate length of episodes - 40-50 minutes.