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Episodes
The Learning Experience Ops Show is a series of real conversations with the people building and running the systems that make learning work—across higher education, K–12, healthcare, clean energy, corporate L&D, and beyond.
Each episode explores how learning teams are adapting to massive change: what’s working, what’s breaking, and what’s next. Guests share their strategies, tools, and stories from the front lines of Learning Experience Operations (LX Ops)—the evolving discipline where design, technology, and organizational systems meet.
At its core, the show is about one big idea: learning gets better when it’s built on a clear, repeatable process that’s ready for whatever comes next.
Episodes
Jul 23, 2026
Jul 23, 2026
40 min
Summary
In this conversation, Jason Gorman talks with Anand Shekhar and Ram Iyer, co-founders of ClaraLearn, a workforce intelligence platform built on a thesis that runs against the grain: the global talent crisis is not a skills shortage but a clarity shortage. Anand and Ram explain how AI is collapsing both the skills and scarcity that have historically determined professional value. They walk through their model for helping professionals discover their identity beyond job titles, explore adjacent career paths without starting from scratch, and retain what they learn rather than just consuming content. The conversation also covers why learning must be treated as infrastructure rather than a cost center, how critical thinking and domain knowledge are becoming the real differentiators, and why governments and institutions need to step in as the pace of disruption accelerates.
Takeaways
- The talent crisis is a clarity problem, not a skills shortage.
- Professional value has always been a function of skills and scarcity, and AI is collapsing both.
- Your professional identity is a spectrum of capabilities, not a job title.
- Critical thinking and domain knowledge are the skills AI cannot replicate.
- Retention of learning matters more than consumption of content.
- Exploration should build on existing skills rather than starting from scratch.
- Learning must be treated as organizational infrastructure, not a cost line.
- Personalization is the missing layer in most learning experiences today.
- Governments, enterprises, and institutions must collaborate to reduce professional anxiety.
- Realizing your human potential is the most durable response to any disruption.
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Jul 3, 2026
Jul 3, 2026
51 min
DOWNLOAD THE JLX FUTURE SKILLS SURVEY REPORT: https://jackrabbitlx.com/fss_report/
Summary
In this conversation, Jason Gorman and James Altman unpack the findings of the JLX Future Skills Survey, which asked 197 learning professionals across six regions and multiple sectors to rate nine skills on how important they believe each will be in the next three years. The results revealed three statistically distinct tiers, with learning strategy and design thinking at the top alongside AI tools and stakeholder influence, while traditional staples like LMS authoring tools and content development landed at the bottom. James walks through the methodology, the debates around the term "learning professional," and the surprising gaps between what practitioners value and what they believe their employers value, particularly around storytelling and data analysis. They also discuss the wide spectrum of AI adoption in the field, the qualitative responses that read as a general indictment of a profession without a roadmap, and the early vision for a cross-sector skills roadmap for learning professionals.
Takeaways
- Durable skills dominated the top tier over purely technical ones.
- Learning strategy and design thinking rated highest across all respondents.
- AI tools ranked high but couldn't be statistically separated from durable skills.
- LMS authoring tools and content development fell to the bottom tier.
- Professionals value storytelling far more than they believe their employers do.
- Employers are perceived to prioritize data analysis and reporting over narrative.
- 44% named something AI-related as the top competency, but that number hides enormous variation.
- Judgment appeared constantly in open responses alongside AI.
- The qualitative data reads as a profession-wide indictment of having no clear roadmap.
- Cross-sector collaboration is essential to building a shared skills framework.
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Jun 25, 2026
Jun 25, 2026
48 min
Summary:
In this conversation, Jason Gorman and Heather Xu dig into the human side of AI transformation and the growing pace gap between technology, people, and organizations. Heather is the founder of Design for Flow and a former director at KPMG. They explore why learning teams must shift from being course creators to business-aligned capability builders, how to design workflows that preserve human thinking rather than surrendering it to AI, and why human connection is increasing in value, not decreasing. Heather introduces two practical frameworks: one for mapping AI relationships across a workflow (coach, thought partner, accelerator, automator) and another for personal AI value (amplify, unblock, stretch, free). The conversation closes with a discussion on human agency as the foundational skill for navigating an uncertain future.
Takeaways:
- Technology, people, and organizations are moving at three different speeds.
- Your strengths are what make you feel strong, not just what you're good at.
- L&D teams must start with business strategy, not their own curriculum.
- If a learning program isn't adding value, it's actively reducing it.
- Design for human plus human plus AI, not just human plus AI.
- The real value of AI comes from strategic questions, not automated outputs.
- AI left on its own misses things that human judgment catches.
- Agency looks different for everyone: builders, explorers, sense makers, collaborators, creators.
- Organizations must account for cognitive burden as work intensifies.
- Human connection is becoming more valuable, not less, because of AI.
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Jun 8, 2026
Jun 8, 2026
39 min
Summary
In this conversation, Jason Gorman and Adarsh Lathika explore what happens to human capability when AI starts doing more of the thinking. Adarsh, a strategy and learning systems practitioner, introduces concepts like the shadow curriculum, cognitive debt, and the Anatomy of Work framework to explain how learners and employees are increasingly bypassing formal learning systems and building their own AI-powered solutions. They discuss why institutions and employers are losing relevance as learning providers, how prioritizing speed and output over depth is eroding foundational skills, and why human biology, judgment, and context are becoming the true competitive advantages in an AI-first world. Adarsh also unpacks three major shifts reshaping the field: from institutions to individuals, from courses to systems, and from knowledge to judgment.
Takeaways
- Learners are building their own AI-powered learning tools outside formal systems.
- Knowledge is now abundant and instant; judgment is the real differentiator.
- AI is shortcutting the repetitive work that historically built domain expertise.
- Junior professionals are losing the chance to develop intuition through experience.
- Prioritizing speed and output creates only superficial skill development.
- Employees no longer trust that organizations are invested in their growth.
- L&D must shift from curating courses to building self-sustaining learning systems.
- Human biology, discipline, and habits outside work directly affect workplace performance.
- Transparency between employers and employees is essential to navigating this transition.
- Institutions must become places where cognitive and behavioral skills are built, not just credentials earned.
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May 20, 2026
May 20, 2026
42 min
Summary
In this conversation, Jason Gorman and Simon Greenwold discuss the power of storytelling as a strategic tool for organizations, particularly in higher education. Simon, co-founder and CEO of Story as a Service and Jason's business partner, draws on over 25 years of experience at Northwestern University and EdTech company 2U to explain how organizations can clarify their core story and communicate it effectively, both internally and externally. They explore real client work at Princeton and Excelsior University, the current state of higher education under political and economic pressure, and why storytelling is a practical superpower for faculty, learning designers, and institutional leaders.
Takeaways
- Internal communications are the most important and least understood part of organizational health.
- Every organization has a core story that must be clarified before strategy can be built.
- Storytelling translates academic jargon into language anyone can understand.
- People remember three things, so be concise and intentional.
- Stakeholders hold stakes; understand what they care about before you communicate.
- Higher ed is being disrupted by AI, politics, and economics all at once.
- Most workplace turbulence feels severe but is usually mild.
- An organization's core story is like a Shakespeare play: same story, new forms over time.
- AI will disrupt learning design but will not replace the humanity it requires.
- Storytelling is a learnable skill that can become a professional superpower.
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The Story Is the Strategy: Simon Greenwold on Why Higher Ed Cannot Afford to Get This Wrong
May 11, 2026
May 11, 2026
44 min
Summary
In this conversation, Jason Gorman and Fadia Rostom explore the deeply human side of AI adoption in education. Fadia, founder of Vision Scholar and a former school principal with over 30 years in education and technology, shares how her journey as a Syrian immigrant shaped her passion for helping teachers rediscover the joy of teaching through AI. They discuss the layers of fear that hold educators back, from the intimidating name "artificial intelligence" to the broader resistance to change, and why teachers need the same permission to experiment and make mistakes that they give their students.
Takeaways
- AI can help teachers rediscover the joy of teaching.
- The name "artificial intelligence" itself creates fear and resistance.
- Teachers need permission to experiment and make mistakes.
- AI policies should be built from each community's unique context.
- AI works best in education through interdisciplinary approaches.
- How we measure success in education needs to be rethought.
- Change in education is slow and requires brave leadership.
- Celebrating what we share as humans matters now more than ever.
- Education needs to bring back life skills and critical thinking.
- Fear is real, but we owe it to students to move through it.
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What Broke Her Heart Three Times: Fadia Rostom on Fear, Joy, and the Human Side of AI in Education
May 1, 2026
May 1, 2026
50 min
Summary
In this conversation, Jason Gorman and Dr. Jeff Bergen discuss the evolving landscape of learning, the importance of self-regulation, and the impact of AI on education. They explore the challenges learning professionals face, including fear and misconceptions, and emphasize the need for effective measurement of learning outcomes. Dr. Bergen shares insights from his book 'Already Smarter' and highlights the significance of actionable strategies for learners. The discussion also touches on the future of learning design and the essential skills needed for lifelong learning.
Takeaways
- The pace of change in learning is accelerating.
- Self-regulation is crucial for effective learning.
- Fear and misconceptions often hinder learning.
- AI can enhance the measurement of learning impact.
- Learning happens in various forms every day.
- The role of learning designers is evolving with AI.
- Effective learning requires actionable strategies.
- Lifelong learning is becoming a necessity.
- Coaching and mentoring are vital for skill development.
- Understanding learner needs is essential for success.
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Beliefs That Block Learning: Jeff Begin On What Happens When We Finally Get Past Them
Apr 24, 2026
Apr 24, 2026
46 min
Summary:
In this episode of the Learning Experience Operations Show, Jason Gorman interviews Louis NeJame, co-founder and CEO of Bevel, an AI-powered platform built for higher ed instructional design teams. They explore what happens when instructional designers spend 60 to 70 percent of their time on operational tasks like course audits, accessibility fixes, and content maintenance instead of actual learning design. Louis shares how his background in strategy consulting at Titan Partners and AI product development at McGraw-Hill led him to build Bevel, and how conducting over 200 interviews with higher ed instructional designers revealed a massive misallocation of talent. The conversation covers the tension between what AI can do and what it should do in education, how automating tedious quality checks is already unlocking demand for the relational and strategic work that matters most, and why the entry-level job market disruption from AI will reshape higher education itself. Louis also reflects on the philosophical difference between finite and infinite games and how that shapes his approach to building in ed tech.
Takeaways:
- 60 to 70 percent of instructional designers' time goes to operational tasks, not learning design
- Just because AI can do something doesn't mean it should
- Change management is the hard part, not building course materials
- Automating audits increases demand for designers rather than replacing them
- Baseline AI literacy is a prerequisite for productive strategy conversations
- Quality checks now cost near zero, shifting evaluation from summative to formative
- AI job market disruption will ripple directly through higher education
- Existing courses need competency mapping too, not just new programs
- Instructional designers are positioned to be change agents during this disruption
- The pace of AI change is outrunning society's adaptive systems