1AM talks

Educational Coaching 
How did a Manager as Coach programme grow from one cohort into a wider leadership coaching community?
🎙️In this mini trailer for 1AM Talks, your hosts introduce a conversation with Rebecca Henry-Litteck and Kieren McIntosh about how Manager as Coach, peer coaching and coaching communities help managers support staff, strengthen organisations, and ultimately make a difference for reducing silos and for students.
Starting with one cohort of Manager of Coach at St George’s, the programme became four cohorts over four years. It  built momentum through word of mouth, senior leader role modelling and a growing appetite for coaching in  daily practice. 
Rebecca reflects on how that led to the development of a coaching community of practice — shaped with staff, supported by senior sponsorship, and designed to help  the coaching culture continue to grow in conversations with staff and learners. 
⏰This short trailer gives you a flavour of full episode’s focus on how coaching is grew in Higher Education and Further Education, from one cohort as Rebecca Henry-Litteck and Kieren McIntosh reflect on how Managers as Coach, peer coaching and coaching communities impact on them, on trust and on staff careers.
🎧 You’ll hear about:
How Manager as Coach  grew through multiple  practise based cohorts
Why a consultative approach and senior support mattered for  developing coaching communities in a university  
How a coaching community of practice emerged from a MAC programme and staff wanted the coaching community to look and feel like
How coaching cultures can grow across organisations in Higher education and Further education
Beginning the chat about…What one  Student Services manager experienced as he began his  coaching learning journey (more in Episode 10)
 
Connect and meet us
To find out more about Andry McFarlane and 1AM Talks:
https://linktr.ee/andryam
Learning and development work in the UK:
https://thelearningmoment.org
For global work connect with Andry McFarlane on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrymcfarlane
 
Guests
Rebecca Henry-LitteckRebecca Henry-Litteck has more than  14 years’ experience leading learning, leadership and organisational development initiatives across Higher Education and Further Education. 
Previously Head of Learning and Organisational Development at St George’s, University of London, she is now Head of Learning and ODI for the School of Health and Medical Sciences at City St George’s.
Kieren McIntoshKieren McIntosh is Vice Principal at Lewisham College, part of NCG. He has worked in the Further Education sector for 18 years also previously at New City College before returning to Lewisham College.
At  Lewisham College, Kieren is the operational lead for Curriculum and Quality, overseeing the implementation of curriculum strategy, quality assurance processes, and performance improvement across all programme areas. 
His role focuses on ensuring that teaching, learning, and assessment are well supported, that teams have the clarity and tools needed to deliver consistently, and that learners experience a well‑structured and supportive environment.
 
Hosts
To find out more about your hosts, Andry, Miranda, and Rachael:https://linktr.ee/andryam
To find out more about the team’s workshops, coaching, and consultancy work with UK organisations for your staff:https://thelearningmoment.org
Part 1, the full 20 minute episode drops later this week.
#LeadershipDevelopment
#qualityeducation
#HigherEducation#studentinclusion
#inclusion
#FurtherEducation
#ManagersAsCoach#PeerCoaching#CoachingCommunities#CommunitiesOfPractice#LearningAndDevelopment#OrganisationalDevelopment#HigherEducation#FurtherEducation#1AMTalks

Leading through growth
🎙️Educational leadership, learning design and organisational growth.
What do learning leaders in growing educational organisations really need to help teams and learners thrive? 
In this episode of 1AM Talks, Andry McFarlane and Rachael Palmer are joined by David West and Kirsty Fyfe from Brunel Academies Trust  (a MAT) to explore what learning leaders in growing educational organisations really need. 
We discuss how a coaching and one-to-one masterclass programme was designed to support managers and leaders in education,  through challenge, growth and change, and how that was shaped around the real context of the organisation,  rather than a one-size-fits-all model.
This is also a conversation about courageous leadership in education: being willing to learn, adapt, reflect and take others with you on the journey. David brings the organisational and programme lead perspective, while Kirsty reflects as a participant on growth, leadership and what it means to develop in role. Together they offer a deep discussion about supporting staff -  and the impact on  learners -  through a whole-organisational approach to development.
For HR, OD and L&D practitioners, this episode shows:
how to design  leadership learning around the real needs of an educational organisation
how coaching and masterclasses can support leaders, staff and impact on learners during growth and change
The impact of gender on leadership in MAT 
how courage, reflection and adaptation  enable strong leadership development programmes
We’d appreciate your ideas
What do learning leaders need most when a MAT  organisation is growing and changing?How is your organisation supporting managers and leaders to learn while they lead?
Find out more
To find out more about your hosts Andry, Miranda, and Rachael:https://linktr.ee/andryam
Our learning and development services  in the UKhttps://thelearningmoment.org
For Global L&D /OD support,   connect with Andry Anastasis McFarlane on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/andry-anastasis-mcfarlane-00617313
Follow the podcast on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/pod1amtalks
⭐ If you found this episode useful, consider sharing it with colleagues, rating the podcast and subscribing to help others discover these conversations on learning, leadership and organisational development.
Podcast recording and production team: https://www.artifactfilms.co.uk/
Guest details
Kirsty Fyfe and David West – Brunel Academies Trust
David West — Guest Bio
David West is Director of People & Culture at Brunel Academies Trust.
He has worked for the NHS in employment law,  in an FE & HE College as a HR Business Partner, in the Motor Industry as HR Manager and currently, now back  in Education at Brunel Academies Trust.
He speaks in this episode from the perspective of leading the programme and supporting organisational growth through learning and development.
Kirsty Fyfe — Guest Bio
Kirsty is Head of Resourcing Services
at Brunel Academies Trust. In this episode Kirsty shares her personal participant perspective on her leadership development, growth and learning in practice at Brunel Academies Trust.
A bit about Kirsty’s career journey:“I studied for my MREC and moved into internal Education recruitment because although the idea of being a teacher was great, I knew I was better placed to work behind the scenes to find and place the right people in the right roles. So, I headed up Recruitment for a large Multi Academy Trust with 33 schools at the time and Central Office for seven years before joining Brunel Academies Trust.” 
Find out more:
https://www.brunel.org.uk
 
#1AMTalks #EducationalLeadership #MAT #FEleadership #LeadershipDevelopment #LearningAndDevelopment #OrganisationalDevelopment #Coaching #Masterclasses #BrunelAcademiesTrust #LeadingThroughGrowth #PeopleAndCulture

Leading in MAT and SEND
🎉 New Season, New Episode
When the education sector is under pressure, how do you support leaders, staff and students?
🎙️In this mini trailer for 1AM Talks, your hosts introduce a conversation with David West and Kirsty Fyfe from Brunel Academies Trust about leadership development in a demanding education environment. The discussion explores how coaching and masterclasses can support leaders and managers to grow, adapt and lead well — not only for their own development, but in ways that ripple outward to colleagues, classrooms and students.
As David reflects, leadership development needs to be fit for purpose in a sector where roles are demanding and retention matters. Kirsty speaks about the importance of being open to change and challenging ourselves to adapt so that we can become better versions of ourselves. Together, they offer a glimpse into an episode about leadership, learning and development across the education and SEND sector.
⏰This short 1AM Talks trailer gives you a flavour of the upcoming episode, where leaders from Brunel Academies Trust reflect on how coaching and masterclasses supported leadership development, mentoring, and practice across the organisation.
🎧 You’ll hear about:
Why leadership development needs to be fit for purpose in a demanding education sector
How coaching and mentoring can influence practice beyond leaders themselves
The value of being open to change, challenge and adaptation
How leadership learning can shape support for staff, teaching assistants and students
What programme leads and participants would advise others developing staff through coaching and masterclasses
Guests
David West — Director of People & Culture, Brunel Academies TrustDavid West is Director of People & Culture and a member of the Executive Leadership Team at Brunel Academies Trust. A CIPD Level 7 HR professional, he leads people strategy across recruitment, learning and development, employee relations, and organisational change.https://www.brunel.org.uk
Kirsty Fyfe — Brunel Academies TrustKirsty Fyfe works in recruitment and resourcing within the education sector and has previously led recruitment for a large multi-academy trust. At Brunel Academies Trust, she focuses on strategic recruitment and the wider people journey for staff.https://www.brunel.org.uk
Hosts
To find out more about your hosts, Andry, Miranda, and Rachael:https://linktr.ee/andryam
To find out more about the team’s workshops, coaching, and consultancy work with UK organisations for your staff:https://thelearningmoment.org
 
For Global work connect with Andry Anastasis McFarlane on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/andry-anastasis-mcfarlane-00617313
 
Podcast recording and production team: https://www.artifactfilms.co.uk/
 
Part 1, the full 20 minute episode drops later this week.
#MATleadership
#SENDleadership
#LeadershipDevelopment#L&D#OrganisationalDevelopment#WorkplaceLearning#1AMtalks#podcasttrailer#podcastepisode#SEND#SpecialEducationalNeeds#SENDLeadership#MultiAcademyTrust#StaffDevelopment#EducationLeadership
 

📈As organisations grow, leadership needs to grow with them  - for both staff and students to thrive. How does L&D support that? 
🌱Growing Leaders During Organisational Expansion: Coaching and Masterclasses at Brunel Academies Trust
🎙️In this 1AM Talks 20 minute deep dive episode, we speak with David West and Kirsty Fyfe from Brunel Academies Trust about how a coaching and masterclass L&D programme supported leaders during a period of significant organisational expansion.
🌱As Brunel grew from around 375 staff to more than 1,100, senior leaders were stepping into new roles, navigating different leadership styles, and learning how to work collaboratively across a fast-growing organisation. The programme combined 1-to-1 coaching and focused masterclasses, giving senior leaders skills to reflect, strengthen their leadership practice, and apply learning directly in their day-to-day roles with staff that ultimately impact positively on learners.
🙋🏻‍♂️David West offers a People & Culture perspective on why investing in leadership development mattered during a time of rapid growth, and how strengthening leadership capability helps organisations stay focused on what matters most — supporting staff so they can do their best work with students, learners, children and young people.
🙋🏻‍♀️Kirsty Fyfe shares how her career journey from corporate recruitment into education was driven by a desire to help children and young people by ensuring the right practitioners, support teams and leaders are in place. She also reflects on how the learning helped her rethink how she approaches leadership challenges as a woman, navigating complex dynamics, and building resilience that she could then pass on to her own team.
🙋🏽‍♀️🙋🏽‍♂️🙋‍♀️For HR, OD and L&D practitioners, this 20 minute episode shows:
how L&D in Multi-Academy Trusts can support leaders as organisations expand
how leadership development strengthens staff resilience, which ripples through teams and learning environments for students and learners
how FE and school leadership benefits from coaching conversations and structured reflection
how coaching and masterclasses create practical strategic learning for growing organisations
how investing in people/HR staff development ultimately supports students,  strategy development and also supports resilient leadership
 A thoughtful episode for anyone interested in Multi-Academy Trust leadership, staff resilience, organisational growth, and learning cultures in education.
➡️ In the next episode, David and Kirsty return to discuss the impact of the programme on them personally and across the organisation.
🔗 Find out more
Connect and meet us:
https://linktr.ee/andryam
Learning and development work in the UK:
https://thelearningmoment.org
For global work connect with Andry McFarlane on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrymcfarlane
 
⭐ If you found this episode useful, consider sharing it with colleagues, rating the podcast and subscribing to help others discover these conversations on learning, leadership and organisational development.
Podcast recording and production team: https://www.artifactfilms.co.uk/
Guest details
Kirsty Fyfe and David West – Brunel Academies Trusthttps://www.brunel.org.uk
David West — Guest Bio
David West is Director of People & Culture at Brunel Academies Trust and a member of the Executive Leadership Team. He leads recruitment, learning and development, employee relations and organisational change to support  staff experience and effectiveness and untimately better outcomes for children and young people.
Kirsty Fyfe — Guest Bio
Kirsty Fyfe leads recruitment at Brunel Academies Trust, helping schools attract and appoint the right people to support children and young people with SEND. She brings experience from agency and MAT recruitment, with a focus on strategic resourcing and candidate experience.
⏱️ Episode Timeline
00:06 – 🎙️ IntroductionIntroduction to 1AM Talks and the focus on real learning and organisational development projects.
00:43 – 🧭 Episode contextOverview of the coaching and masterclass programme supporting senior leaders at Brunel Academies Trust.
01:34 – 👥 Guest introductionsKirsty Fyfe and David West introduce their roles and backgrounds.
04:16 – 📈 David WestThe leadership challenge of supporting newly appointed leaders during rapid organisational growth.
07:10 – 👤 Kirsty FyfeLeadership pressures and navigating complex leadership dynamics.
10:15 – 🛠️ Kirsty FyfePersonal experience of the coaching and masterclass programme and the role of reflection in leadership practice.
15:15 – 🔚 ClosingClosing reflections and preview of the next episode on programme impact.
#MATLeadership#EducationLeadership#FELearning#SchoolsLeadership#LearningAndDevelopment#OrganisationalLearning#LearningForGrowth#SystemLeadership#EducationSector
 
We’d appreciate your ideas:
What do you want to hear on future episodes?
How is your organisation supporting leaders and staff while it grows and evolves?

🎉New Season, New Episode How do you develop leaders while an organisation is growing and changing?
🎙️In this  mini trailer for 1AM Talks, your hosts introduce a conversation with leaders from Brunel Academies Trust about how a coaching and masterclass L&D programme supported leadership development, while the organisation was expanding.
As Brunel grew, leaders needed space to reflect, think strategically, and develop their own leadership practice. The L&D programme brought together coaching conversations and masterclasses to help leaders respond to new responsibilities, organisational priorities, and the realities of working in a complex education environment.
⏰This short 1AM talks trailer gives you a flavour of the upcoming episode, where leaders from Brunel Academies Trust reflect on how the learning supported them to respond to organisational growth while continuing to develop as leaders.
🎧You’ll hear about:
How coaching and masterclasses can work together in an L&D programme
Supporting leaders during organisational growth and change
Creating space for reflection while responding to strategic priorities
How leadership development connects with day-to-day practice
Supporting staff working with colleagues, partnerships, students, learners, children and young people — some with special educational needs
Connect and meet us
To find out more about Andry McFarlane and 1AM Talks:
https://linktr.ee/andryam
Learning and development work in the UK:
https://thelearningmoment.org
For global work connect with Andry McFarlane on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrymcfarlane
 
Guests
David West — Director of People & Culture, Brunel Academies TrustDavid West is Director of People & Culture and a member of the Executive Leadership Team at Brunel Academies Trust. A CIPD Level 7 HR professional, he leads people strategy across recruitment, learning and development, employee relations, and organisational change.https://www.brunel.org.uk
Kirsty Fyfe — Brunel Academies TrustKirsty Fyfe works in recruitment and resourcing within the education sector and has previously led recruitment for a large multi-academy trust. At Brunel Academies Trust, she focuses on strategic recruitment and the wider people journey for staff.https://www.brunel.org.uk
 
Follow 1AM talks on Instagram for early releases and early updateshttps://www.instagram.com/pod1amtalks
 
Podcast recording and production team: https://www.artifactfilms.co.uk/
#LeadershipDevelopment
#L&D#OrganisationalDevelopment#WorkplaceLearning#1AMtalks#podcasttrailer#podcastepisode
#SEND
#SpecialEducationalNeeds
#SENDLeadership
#MultiAcademyTrust
#StaffResilience
#EducationLeadership
 

What makes EDIB Global Majority leadership programmes effective in the workplace? Share your ideas here and listen to the stories and tips from our team of facilitation experts.
In part two of our Experts’ Masterclass episode, Andry, Rachael, and Miranda discuss what they have learnt about high quality design and delivery on effective EDIB (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging) leadership programmes. They focus on quality in Global Majority and Black leadership development programmes.
You will hear stories and gain insights into:
Collaborating with learning and development leads and commissioners to ensure your EDIB programme meets organisational needs and creates meaningful change
Encouraging leadership at all levels—how to help individuals step up, even without a formal title
The importance of lived experience in EDIB programme design, and why facilitators work best when they draw on their own stories to create authentic, relatable learning
Scaffolding for success—what needs to happen before, during, and after a programme to make it truly effective
With thanks to Rosie Grundy, who inspired our Global Majority Leadership Programme.
Connect and meet us
To find out more about Andry McFarlane and 1AM Talks:
https://linktr.ee/andryam
Learning and development work in the UK:
https://thelearningmoment.org
For global work connect with Andry McFarlane on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrymcfarlane
 
Full Timestamps 
00:00:06:06 – 00:00:41:02: Introduction to the episode; designing learning that is systemic, sustainable, and rooted in lived experience 
00:00:41:04 – 00:00:57:08: Exploring the most impactful leadership programmes designed for underrepresented groups 
00:00:57:10 – 00:01:53:21: The Authentic Leadership programme: origins, impact, and the importance of lived experience in facilitation 
00:01:53:23 – 00:02:40:09: Addressing imposter syndrome and creating spaces for underrepresented Global Majority leaders to thrive 
00:02:40:09 – 00:03:25:06: Evolving language: from "Ethnic Minority" to "Global Majority" leadership programmes 
00:03:25:06 – 00:03:47:24: Developing tailored programmes for Global Majority and Black staff 
00:04:30:22 – 00:05:19:14: Leadership without titles: encouraging individuals to step up and create their own opportunities 
00:05:19:14 – 00:06:09:08: The importance of preparation and follow-up: why one-off workshops are not enough 
00:06:09:08 – 00:07:15:05: Ethical considerations in programme design; ensuring participants are supported beyond the workshop 
00:07:15:07 – 00:07:55:02: Long-term impact: career progression and the value of action learning, coaching, and networks 
00:07:55:08 – 00:08:44:17: Face-to-face vs. online delivery: what works best for leadership development? 
00:08:44:19 – 00:09:34:07: Scaffolding for success: what organisations need to have in place for programmes to be effective 
00:09:34:13 – 00:09:55:19: Systemic change: working collectively and collaboratively for lasting impact 
00:09:55:21 – 00:10:16:16: Tips for co-creating learning programmes with participants and organisations 
00:10:16:18 – 00:11:17:13: Designing for engagement: moving beyond tick-box training to meaningful participation 
00:11:17:15 – 00:12:08:00: Sustainability and longevity: providing practical tools and follow-up support 
00:12:08:04 – 00:12:54:18: The power of consultation and authenticity in programme design 
00:12:54:18 – 00:13:34:24: Creating opportunities for collaboration and ongoing conversation 
00:13:35:01 – 00:14:52:24: Designing from lived experience, research, and flexibility; embracing both serious and joyful mindsets 
00:14:53:01 – 00:15:49:08: Beginner’s mind: staying open, curious, and adaptable as a facilitator 
00:15:49:08 – 00:16:09:23: Key takeaways: the importance of what happens before, during, and after a programme 
00:16:10:00 – 00:17:00:17: Episode closing and preview of the next episode: exploring a learning programme from three perspectives
This episode is for learning and development professionals, facilitators, and coaches who want to move beyond tick-box training and create programmes that empower leaders, foster inclusion, and drive real organisational change.
As you listen, you are invited to reflect on what resonates for you—and to share your own thoughts and experiences with us. Please add your reponses  here.
To find out more about your hosts, Andry, Miranda, and Rachael: linktr.ee/andryam . To find out more about the team’s workshops, coaching, and consultancy work with UK organisations for your staff: thelearningmoment.org .
#LeadershipDevelopment #EDIB #GlobalMajority #Facilitation #L&D #OrganisationalDevelopment #WorkplaceLearning #InclusiveLeadership

What if you don’t need a title to be a leader?
In this trailer for 1AM Talks, your hosts explore a powerful insight: leadership is not about the job title—it’s about how you show up. Many people wait for permission or a promotion to step into leadership, but sometimes leadership happens when you take ownership, create opportunities, and lead responsibly from where you are.
This mini 1AM Talks trailer gives you a flavour of the 20-minute leadership and EDIB-focused masterclass episode, where you’ll hear how experienced facilitators and coaches—Andry, Miranda, and Rachael—help participants recognise their own leadership potential, even without formal roles. You will also hear how they lead on EDIB Global Majority leadership programmes.
You’ll learn:
How to reframe leadership as something you do, not something you are given
Ideas for how to step up and create opportunities for yourself and others at work
How to lead on EDIB programmes focusing on race and ethnicity
What we’ve  learnt about the importance of language and EDIB
Why waiting for a leadership role can hold you back—and what to do instead
Whether you are a facilitator, coach, aspiring leader, or someone ready to make an impact at work, you’ll  discover tips to lead EDIB programmes effectively.
The full 20-minute episode is released later this week.
Connect and meet us
To find out more about Andry McFarlane and 1AM Talks:
https://linktr.ee/andryam
Learning and development work in the UK:
https://thelearningmoment.org
For global work connect with Andry McFarlane on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrymcfarlane
 
#1AMTalks #LeadershipWithoutATitle #StepUpAndLead #OwnYourLeadership #Facilitation #Coaching #WorkplaceLearning #CareerGrowth #LeadershipDevelopment #Empowerment

What keeps experienced facilitators and coaches curious, engaged and successful after years of practice?
In this Expert Tips Masterclass episode of 1AM Talks, three experienced facilitators and coaches reflect on  insights they have gleaned over the years, including what to do when things go wrong.
This episode looks at how learning happens not just through techniques, but through attention to what’s happening in the room, in our mindsets, between people, and within wider organisational systems — and how this shapes facilitation and coaching practice over time.
You’ll hear reflections on:
Working with discomfort in workshops and programmes
Holding a beginner’s mindset, alongside deep experience
How to set up a workshop with supportive guidelines
Systemic and relational ways of thinking about coaching
What long-term practice teaches you about motivation and failure
A thoughtful, experience-led episode for facilitators, coaches and L&D and OD practitioners who are  interested in reflective, successful learning.
As you listen, you’re invited to reflect on what resonates for you — and to share your own thoughts and experiences with us.
Connect and meet us
To find out more about Andry McFarlane and 1AM Talks:
https://linktr.ee/andryam
Learning and development work in the UK:
https://thelearningmoment.org
For global work connect with Andry McFarlane on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrymcfarlane
 
Full Timestamps
00:00:11:06 – 00:00:45:16 Introduction to the episode and hosts; learning journeys as designers, coaches, and facilitators
00:00:45:18 – 00:01:06:03 Experiences, challenges, resilience, and working relationally and systemically
00:01:06:05 – 00:01:45:12 Current work: delivering the BFFs – Black Female Founders programme
00:01:48:17 – 00:02:18:10 Current work: coaching managers, mergers, and culture change
00:02:23:12 – 00:03:47:22 Research for book two; learning from new coaches and mentors
00:03:47:22 – 00:04:14:22 Moving from research to models, tools, and community support
00:04:30:14 – 00:05:41:16 Systemic and relational coaching practice; mentoring within coaching
00:06:21:22 – 00:07:42:04 Facilitation practice: expertise in the room, collaboration, reflective questioning
00:07:42:06 – 00:08:40:00 Authenticity, continuous learning, and drawing on participant expertise
00:08:55:11 – 00:10:42:18 Early learning experiences; internal narratives and assumptions in facilitation
00:10:42:24 – 00:11:34:12 Reflection, mindfulness, and learning through practice
00:11:34:12 – 00:12:30:21 Resilience, refinement, iteration, and learning from experience
00:12:38:19 – 00:13:20:24 Giving yourself grace; unexpected learning moments
00:13:21:01 – 00:15:12:22 Tailoring sessions, working with resistance, organisational involvement
00:15:12:24 – 00:17:42:07 Being a learner as an expert; beginner’s mind and openness
00:17:42:09 – 00:18:32:05 Ground rules, psychological safety, and learning spaces
00:18:32:07 – 00:20:36:00 Learning contracts, guidelines, and inclusive programme design
00:20:36:00 – 00:21:20:00 Episode closing and next episode preview
00:21:20:02 – 00:21:47:19 Where to listen, follow, and connect
#1AMTalks
#Facilitation
#Coaching
#CoachingMasterclass
#FacilitationMasterclass
#ExpertTips
#OrganisationalDevelopment
#ReflectivePractice
#SystemicPractice
#RelationalPractice
#BeginnerMind
#WorkplaceLearning
#GlobalMajorityCoaches
#GlobalMajorityFacilitators
#FemaleFacilitators

What does 25 years of coaching and facilitating teach you?And what do you do when a workshop doesn’t land the way you hoped?
Introducing the Expert Tips Masterclass episode, where three experienced facilitators and coaches share practical insights from real life — including what helps when workshops feel challenging or don’t go to plan.
The full episode explores how practitioners stay resilient, keep refining their practice, and what they have learned from years of lived experience working in L&D and OD.
In the full episode you’ll hear:
Practical, experience-based tips from facilitators and coaches
What helps when L&D sessions are challenging
What is systemic and relational coaching 
How to set up a workshop with supportive  guidelines 
Honest, grounded, and full of takeaways you can use straight away.
Connect and meet us
To find out more about Andry McFarlane and 1AM Talks:
https://linktr.ee/andryam
Learning and development work in the UK:
https://thelearningmoment.org
For global work connect with Andry McFarlane on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrymcfarlane
 
#1AMTalks
#ExpertTips
#Facilitation
#Coaching
#OrganisationalDevelopment
#WorkplaceLearning
#ReflectivePractice
#LearningFromExperience
#ContinuousImprovement
#ResilientPractice
#Facilitators
#Coaches

How do you design for culture change using  a coaching and leadership programme — including enabling leadership presence  for Women of Colour? How do you do set up that L&D culture change   programme in a  friendly, values-driven organisation?
How do you facilitate  L&D and OD programmes for teams where staff care deeply about their work but sometimes find accountability, difficult conversations, and stress hard to navigate?
In this episode of 1AM Talks, Andry McFarlane and Miranda Gay speak with Luna Ali and Aurora Arista from Spiral Learning, an inclusive charity supporting younger adults from underrepresented backgrounds.
Together they share how a truly inclusive programme was shaped to help staff build calm, strengthen accountability, and support their work with clients — all within a workplace culture that aimed to keep client focus and professionalism at its core, while developing leadership,  including leadership by Women of Colour.
A behind-the-scenes look at how thoughtful design and delivery — grounded in EDIB, safeguarding, and partnership — lays the foundation for meaningful transforming workplace-culture.
 
We’d love to know your thoughts:
💭 And when you’re working with teams who are friendly — even friends — but sometimes lack clear boundaries, how do you design learning that helps them stay supportive and professional?
💭 How do you lead learning programmes for youth-focused teams that build safeguarding and wellbeing into the design, set-up and communication — not just the workshops?
#LearningAndDevelopment #ProgrammeDesign #CultureChange  #Accountability #OrganisationalDevelopment #WorkplaceWellbeing #YouthDevelopment #EDIB
#InclusiveDesign
#YouthEmpowerment #YoungAdults
Contact 1AM talks: 
📧 E: andrymcfarlane@gmail.com

📱 Insta: @pod1amtalks
Guest details:
Aurora Arista and Luna Ali at Spiral Learning: https://www.linkedin.com/company/spiralskills/posts/?feedView=all
https://www.spiralskills.co.uk/
⏱ Episode Guide 
00:11 – Welcome to 1AM Talks — Andry McFarlane and Miranda Gay introduce the series and their experience in learning and development.
00:59 – Introducing Spiral Learning — why the charity commissioned a post-Covid culture-change and wellbeing programme.
01:33 – Meet Aurora Arista and Luna Ali — how Spiral supports young people from under-represented backgrounds.
02:27 – The organisational challenge — communication, trust, accountability and managing conflict in a friendly culture.
04:13 – Designing the programme — six-session coaching cycles, workshops, and senior-leadership consultancy. Luna being a Woman of Colour in leadership.
07:28 – Building psychological safety — confidentiality, coaching boundaries and reassurance for staff.
09:23 – Embedding inclusivity and Safeguarding into learning design.
10:19 – Reflections from Luna —  cultural background, slowing down, stress, and learning to support young people calmly.
13:55 – Closing thoughts — wellbeing, culture change and partnership.
14:48 – Outro — connecting with 1AM Talks and The Learning Moment.