Shows
Development Nerds with Candice MitchellLavinia Mehedințu: From Quiet Teen in a Romanian Village to L&D’s Loudest CheerleaderLavinia Mehedințu: From Quiet Teen in a Romanian Village to L&D’s Loudest Cheerleader: A Story of Saying No, Leading Anyway, and Building What Didn’t ExistShe said no to people management. Dropped out of university. Burned out building Offbeat. And still? She built one of the boldest L&D communities on the planet.She said no to people management. Dropped out of university. Burned out building Offbeat. And still? She built one of the boldest L&D communities on the planet.In this episode, I’m joined by Lavinia Mehedin...2025-05-1656 min
L&D Must Change21. Should L&D be Adding, Subtracting, or Changing? with Lavinia MehedintuIt's time for L&D to both amp up our toolbox and become a tad more critical of our own work. Instead of adding content, we need to think about subtracting it or better yet, make changes that enable performance. Too often we prioritize activities over goals. Lavinia Mehedintu is known for this type of progressive thinking about the work of L&D, but she also believes in the necessity and power of supporting each other through changes in our profession that may feel risky. Join us in this conversation where we discuss some of the challenges L...2025-01-2253 min
Offbeat On AirThe common ground between L&D and InnovationWhat is innovation exactly? Does it have anything to do with L&D? What's the difference between improvement and innovation? You might be wondering as well. If so, enjoy our latest episode, where, together with our guest, Cori Moore, we peeled innovation in an effort to better understand what it is, how it happens, and how it's connected to L&D. We explored:
－ The common ground between L&D and innovation;－ The rigorous methodology needed to foster innovation, including the process of experimentation and dealing with setbacks;－ How L&D can support innovation by creating a cult...2024-12-0348 min
Video Learning LabEp. 27 - Where is the actual value for AI in L&D? – Lavinia MehedintuIn this episode Lavinia and Kevin discuss what's actually the value of AI tools for L&D. The surprising part? It's not about LLMs and AI-enabled tools, but rather it's about automation and freeing up your time for higher value tasks.
Highlights:
1:24 - What is actually different about NOW with AI?
6:09 - L&D teams acquire these very complex LMSes
11:31 - L&D teams is that they're stuck with operational tasks
17:15 - Looking for automation opportunities at OffBeat
22:34 - Lavinia's process looking for opportunities2024-11-2535 min
Offbeat On AirWhat 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 r...2024-10-2947 min
Offbeat On AirThe anatomy of a Chief People OfficerJoin 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 journey
Anna's vision for the Chief People Officer role, with its responsibilities, and skills
Mentimeter's unique ways of looking at learning as a day-to-day activity and how the organization embraces this principle
Anna'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...2024-09-2444 min
Offbeat On AirExploring future possibilities in L&D and beyondJoin 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...2024-08-2352 min
Offbeat On AirApplying Experience Design in L&DJoin us for an insightful discussion on experience design with Tim Logan, facilitator at Kaospilot. In this episode we:
We break down the essentials of experience design;
Discuss the differences between learning experience design and broader experience design;
Explore practical applications and frameworks like the 5E Model;
Tim shares valuable insights on designing for emotion, prototyping effectively, and engaging stakeholders
This episode is perfect for everyone creating learning experiences and looking to broaden their box of tools with some meaningful knowledge. 💪🏻
Our sponsor
This new season of Offbeat On Air is spo...2024-07-2450 min
Offbeat On AirGuiding change in organizationsSeason 4 of Offbeat On Air is out! 💃 🪄
Join us as we chat with change management expert Paula Anastasiade. In this episode:
We break down the nuts and bolts of change management;
Talk about the essential role of sponsors in driving change;
Discuss how to effectively handle transformations in an organization.
Paula shares her personal journey, and key strategies, and offers valuable tips for L&D pros stepping into the world of change management. Tune in for a lively and insightful conversation that's packed with practical advice and real-world examples!
Our sponso...2024-06-2448 min
Offbeat On AirExploring AI in L&D through curiosity and experimentationIt 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...2024-04-051h 10
Offbeat On AirImproving L&D’s impact through Service DesignJoin 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...2024-02-2937 min
Offbeat On AirFrom Full-Time to Freelance: Tales from the L&D & People SpaceWe'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 Learning
Luke O'Mahoney, Founder @ Sapienˣ
Liam 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 a...2024-02-011h 23
Innovators Can LaughL&D Strategies for Remote TeamsSend us a textJoin Lavinia Mehedintu, founder of Offbeat, as she shares valuable strategies for remote team learning, social learning, and overcoming leadership development challenges. Discover why L&D is a game-changer for companies worldwide. Explore key takeaways, practical tips, and success stories that will elevate your understanding of L&D's crucial role in today's dynamic workplace. In this conversion you will learn:effective learning and development approaches for remote teams, with a focus on asynchronous knowledge sharing and mentoring programs to enhance collaboration and professional growth.2024-01-0424 min
Offbeat On AirThe benefits of yoga for the mind. A journey into calm and inner discoveryYoga 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...2023-11-0649 min
Offbeat On AirCan storytelling be a learning tool? Cristian Lupșa’s explorations of journalismWe 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 c...2023-10-2047 min
Offbeat On AirDrama-Based Learning －how Syrus Lowe feeds his facilitation practice from his acting careerFacilitation 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 dire...2023-10-0439 min
Offbeat On AirWhat we've learned from Season 2? A reflection.From chefs and neuroscientists, to community builders and art directors, season 2 was a rollercoaster. Before jumping straight into season 3, we wanted to take a couple of minutes to reflect on the lessons learned provided by our wonderful guests. If you're also curious about what's coming next in season 3, tune in, we promise to give some juicy spoilers!
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. Bac...2023-09-2825 min
PX Espresso☕with Luke O'Mahoney012 - Lavinia Mehedintu - How to Design Impactful & Lasting Learning ExperiencesSend us a textBooom 💥Another AWESOME conversation, this week with pioneer of modern L&D and an inspirational solopreneur turned entrepreneur 🤘🏻The main focus of our conversation was exploring "learning" as a concept and unpacking how to go about designing learning experiences which actually land and lead to meaningful change.Some of the general themes we touched on include:Creating a culture of curiosityFollowing passions and life-long learningEmbracing your inner "geek"The role of psychological safety in creating the conditions for learningLimitations of traditional education systems and approachesSelf-awareness and providing...2023-09-201h 02
The Recursive PodcastHow We Learn With Lavinia Mehedintu From OffbeatNext stop for The Recursive Podcast - Bucharest, where we meet with Lavinia Mehedintu.
She has dipped her toes in different educational programs as a student before embarking on an entrepreneurial journey of her own, in the learning and developing pool with the social learning platform Offbeat.
With a diverse background in HR and communications, Lavinia aims to provide a fresh, actionable twist to the learning industry's ongoing transformation.
In her conversation with Elena Vrabie, Lavinia shares how her desire for freedom and autonomy in solving problems eventually led her on the entrepreneurial pa...2023-07-0552 min
Offbeat On AirStand-Up Comedy Secrets for L&D ProfessionalsWe'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 de...2023-06-1442 min
Offbeat On AirNeuroscience and Learning & DevelopmentOur work has SO MUCH to do with our beautiful, yet intricate brains. So it was such a pleasure to discuss with Elliott Jardin, Assistant Professor at Miami University - Brain Health/Cognitive Neuroscience of Aging about his journey and some of the lessons he learned about learning by studying and teaching cognitive neuroscience. We explored:
The role of memory & attention in learning;
How technology is impacting the learning process and our roles as L&Ds;
Ways to keep in touch with research and learn about our brains as L&D pros.
Our sponsor
This...2023-05-2433 min
Offbeat On AirNavigating Squiggly Careers & The Future of LearningEver 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 le...2023-05-1541 min
Offbeat On AirA Chef's Recipe for Career Progression and CollaborationNo 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...2023-04-2732 min
Offbeat On AirLessons Learned about Community BuildingHow 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 marketing
his journey from intern to co-founder, and now community manager at Charthop
the importance of having the right people in your community and weaving that into every step of the members’ experience
us...2023-04-0537 min
Offbeat On AirAn Art Director’s take on Creativity & LearningWe're on air again, for the second season of our podcast! For our first episode of this new era, we're diving right into the creative space, together with Miia Goodwin, a multi-discipline hands-on designer and design lead. Together we explore:
the parallels between being an art director and an L&D professional;
how to add constraints to the brainstorming process to nudge even more creativity;
why bringing in all your stakeholders right from the start will help you in the later stages of a project;
why social learning is the go-to learning method for our guest.
Our...2023-03-2231 min
Offbeat On AirWhat 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...2023-03-1312 min
Offbeat On AirWhat 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...2022-12-1552 min
Offbeat On AirCoaching Practices from the world of LacrosseThe world of sports is often referenced in organizations. So it seemed natural to have as a guest someone who’s been fully immersed in it and can tell us the story of how coaches nurture player development, but also how they receive support in growing themselves. In this episode, we’re talking to Anne Pedersen, Coaching Coordinator for the European Lacrosse Federation, among others, about the athlete development model, feedback loops, and different units of the coaching development program she facilitates.
Our sponsor
Joining us for this episode as a sponsor is Innential. Innential make...2022-12-0150 min
Offbeat On AirExploring Growth MarketingWe've been curious about marketing in L&D for so long! Exploring personas, and learning as much as we can about our audience, among others. But there's more that we can borrow from marketing! In this episode, our guest, Miruna Dragomir, CMO at Planable, walks us through the AARRR growth funnel, how we should go about creating campaigns, and also works with us for a particular use case, sharing how she would approach marketing a leadership development program.
Our sponsor
Joining us for this episode as a sponsor is Innential. Innential makes it easy for...2022-11-1745 min
Talaera Talks - Business English Communication72. Self-Directed Learning - Talaera Talks with Lavinia MehedintuSend us a textIs self-directed learning for everybody? What can organizations do to nurture learning autonomy? What can you do to implement successful self-study programs in your organizations?In this episode, we have a very special guest - L&D expert Lavinia Mehedintu. She's the mastermind behind Offbeat and she shared invaluable insights into self-directed learning with us. 🤩 Read the full post: https://blog.talaera.com/self-directed-learning✨ Business English training for career success.Sign up and start learning for free.2022-11-0844 min
Offbeat On AirIntroduction to Behavior Science & NudgesIn this new episode, we go back to exploring behavior change, from another angle. Our guest? Nurit Noble! We first learned about Nurit’s work when we stumbled upon her course: Designing Nudges. Together with her colleague, Christina Gravert, they walked us through what nudges are and the BOOST framework, a process they use in designing nudges to support behavior change in different setups.
We explore:
The different disciplines that are concerned with behavior science & behavior change;
What nudges are and the BOOST process Nurit uses in her work;
Different quantitative & qualitative research tools;
And using ra...2022-11-0349 min
Offbeat On AirLeadership Development in the Australian Army
Episode 2: Leadership Development in the Australian Army
How do other organizations prepare for the future of work? How do they look at leadership development? Why is this episode special you wonder? Because we are going to dive into a totally new space - the army. Joining us on this exploration is Jamie Martin, Director of the Centre for Australian Army Leadership.
Jamie has an incredible story! He has led teams of up to 2,000 as a Helicopter Force commander and pilot. As the Commanding Officer of the 5th Aviation Regiment in the...2022-10-2046 min
Offbeat On AirAddiction & RecoveryWhat is addiction? How do you get to recover from addictive behaviors? These are both very important, yet challenging questions.
What do they have in common with our work as L&Ds? The process of getting from one behavior you have today to another one that serves you in a more positive way. Or even more important, the process of supporting that transition.
In this episode, we spoke to best-selling author, Erica Spiegelman, about her journey of getting rid of an alcohol addiction, using communities, but also quiet time for self-reflection as tools to get...2022-10-0630 min
Offbeat On AirWelcome to Offbeat On AirThere are so many interesting professions out there. Behavior scientists, fitness instructors, performance coaches, surgeons, ballet performers, cinema directors, astronauts, and landscape architects just to name a few. At a first glance, it might seem they have nothing to do with L&D. But we beg to differ! We’ve found the connecting dots - and we would like to explore them further.
In conversations with professionals from the most diverse backgrounds, we will delve from an entirely new standpoint into key concepts that occupy the L&D world. In each episode, we will sit down wi...2022-09-2601 min
The BLOC Podcast57: Content Curation and Creation with Lavinia MehedintuOn this episode, I chat with co-founder of Offbeat, Lavinia Mehedintu, about creating a podcast, starting a business, and curating content. Lavinia Mehedintu has been designing learning experiences and career development programs for the past 9 years both in the corporate world and in higher education. As a Co-Founder and Learning Architect @Offbeat she’s applying adult learning principles so that learning & people professionals can connect, collaborate, and grow. She’s passionate about social learning, behavior change, and technology and constantly puts in the work to bring these three together to drive innovation in the learning & development space....2022-08-2327 min
L&D SpotlightCohort-Based Learning: Yes or No?In this episode, we talk about cohort-based learning: what it is, what situations it's most suitable for, and some of this method's shortcomings.Guest: Lavinia Mehedintu, People Experience Manager at eMAG and co-founder and curator of Offbeat.Highlights:* Cohorts are a method of offering knowledge to the same group of people synchronously, over a pre-defined amount of time, until the delivery goal has been reached. It's very similar to how formal education is currently offered to children and young adults.* This teaching style has become the default method since the Industrial Revolution, as...2022-01-1916 min
L&D SpotlightUsing Nudges in L&D to Support Behaviour ChangeIn this episode, we take a look at nudges in the context of L&D and see how an organization can put in place such a tool to enable positive behavior change.Guest: Lavinia Mehedintu, People Experience Manager at eMAG and co-founder and curator of Offbeat.Highlights:* Daniel Kahneman's book "Thinking, Fast and Slow" shows us that humans are irrational creatures who rely on two systems to make decisions. If adopting a new behavior requires too much cognitive power from the brain, it will default to the so-called fast system, which is biased and...2021-11-0415 min
L&D SpotlightManaging Up in L&DIn this episode, we look at how L&D can showcase its value in the business and speak to decision-making stakeholders.Guest: Lavinia Mehedintu, People Experience Manager at eMAG and co-founder and curator of Offbeat.Highlights:* The L&D team typically sits between two business environment extremes. One side is when L&D is entirely disconnected from the business's objectives and metrics. The other one is when L&D is a true business partner and actively contributes to improving these metrics.* L&D should take specific action to measure the impact and effectiveness...2021-10-0817 min