Episode 147

full
Published on:

24th Sep 2025

The L&D Detective: Uncovering Learning Impact - Kevin Yates, The L&D Detective

Summary:

Today I bring on Kevin Yates, known as the L&D Detective, to explore the intersection of authenticity, resilience, and effective learning and development practices. I knew that I needed to talk to Kevin after seeing him present at our conference. He was able to connect with the crowd in a unique way with his engaging talk and also shared inisghts of how he sold big ideas in previous roles by focusing on business performance and human performance.

Kevin shares insights on how to he sells by being human as a speaker, emphasizing the importance of authenticity in engagement. His. method of speaking is to really immerse his audience within a problem and take them on a journey. You'll learn how Kevin crafts his speaking frameworks to take people on a journey and you'll also get insights on how he would get really big initiatives done by focusing on business outcomes.

Kevin has had to gain influene with business leaders, executives, and now with audiences. You'll leave with takeaways on how he's done that in his career and how you can apply it to your own situations where influence needs to be built.

Key Moments:

00:00 Introduction to the Podcast and Guest

02:33 The Essence of Selling by Being Human

07:23 Authenticity in Sales and Learning Development

11:19 The Responsibility of Sharing Knowledge

15:37 Lessons from Ella Yates: Resilience

19:48 Understanding the L&D Detective Brand

26:23 The Essence of Collaborative Selling

29:33 Creating Experiential Learning Opportunities

32:59 Democratizing Access to Learning Resources

35:56 Defining Impact in Learning and Development

40:17 Shifting Mindsets in L&D

42:42 Performance Consulting vs. Traditional Training Conversations

Connect with Kevin

Connect with Us!

Show artwork for Sell By Being Human

About the Podcast

Sell By Being Human
On the Sell By Being Human podcast, award-winning sales professional Alex Smith provides the proven way to harness your innate human skills like empathy, curiosity, and kindness to learn how to sell and navigate the sales journey.
This is where human connection and sales meet. You may be someone whose success depends on influence, negotiation, and your ability to create change, but you may reject aggressive sales tactics. Maybe you feel stuck in corporate "autopilot," knowing your best asset is your genuine personality, but you struggle to use it to get what you want. Then this channel is for you.

It will teach you how to close the gap between wanting to be ethical and feeling pressured to sell aggressively. You’ll also learn actionable strategies for translating emotional intelligence into high-trust results. Join Alex and top guests, including NY Times bestsellers, keynote speakers, and global founders, as they prove that being truly human is the ultimate sales advantage.

About your host

Profile picture for Alex Smith

Alex Smith

Alex Smith is a seasoned sales professional and podcast host who champions a human-first approach to selling. With nearly two decades of experience, he explores how empathy, curiosity, and genuine connection drive influence in everyday life. Through his podcast, he highlights stories from people across all professions, showing that anyone can persuade and create impact simply by being human.