What if the way we educate people is actively working against how humans actually learn?

In this episode, Candice Mitchell sits down with learning strategist, leadership expert, and author Nick Shackleton-Jones to unpack why traditional education and corporate learning miss the mark and what actually creates meaning, growth, and capability.

From lecturing psychology, to consulting at global organizations like the BBC, BP, and Deloitte, Nick shares real stories about learning systems, leadership mistakes, and why most development programs fail the people they’re meant to serve.

This is a candid conversation about purpose, experience design, and building learning that actually sticks.

What you’ll get from this episode:

Why education feels empty for so many people
What really shapes purpose and career direction
How learning became a ritual instead of an experience
Why breaking the mold often leads to impact
What leaders get wrong about learning and development

If you work in leadership, L&D, HR, or simply care about how people grow — this one’s for you.

Get to know Nick:

Nick Shackleton-Jones is the author of How People Learn, a book which introduces the first general theory of learning & describes how to apply it. An industry revolutionary, he introduced the ‘courses to resources’ mantra & pioneered human-centred learning design (5Di).

A track record of shaping future learning approaches for public & private organisations, he is winner of several awards for people development, strategy, innovation, & learning content (including the Learning & Performance Institute’s Award for Services to the Learning Industry, 2017). He is the former CLO at Deloitte UK & now CEO at Shackleton Consulting.

Connect with Nick:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shackletonjones/

X: @shackletonjones

Tiktok: @shackletonjones

Your host, Candice Mitchell, can be found online at:

Website: https://talentdevelopmentnerds.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/candicemitchelltdnerd/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talent_development_nerd/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@candicemitchell.TDNerd

Talent Development Academy: https://talentdevelopmentnerds.com/tda

Original music composed by: Paul DeHaven

pauldehavenmusic.com

Why education fails people (and what actually shapes careers)