Natalie Tincher is the General Manager of Talent, Skills and Performance Management at Delta Air Lines and has led Delta’s ambitious journey to build a companywide skills strategy from the ground up. In this episode, Natalie shares how Delta developed its “Talent Hub” to empower employees to own their growth, foster internal mobility, and create clearer career paths across the organization.

She also discusses the challenges of change management, the importance of keeping things simple when transforming HR processes, and the role of AI in shaping the future of skills-based talent management.

Links

• Natalie’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-d-katz/
• Skills Strategy Discussion Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12994338/

Andy Storch is an Author, Podcast Host, and Keynote Speaker who joins Al Dea to explore the power of personal branding in today’s fast-changing world of work. Drawing from his new book, Own Your Brand, Own Your Career, Andy shares why building an authentic personal brand is essential for career growth, how leaders can use it to attract and retain top talent, and how authenticity and visibility can work hand in hand. He also explains why human connection and storytelling matter more than ever in the age of AI, offering practical advice for professionals who want to take ownership of their careers and stand out in a noisy world.

Links

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andystorch/?originalSubdomain=es
• Website: www.andystorch.com
• Book: ​​https://www.amazon.com/Own-Your-Brand-Career-Accelerates/dp/1736020986

In this episode of The Edge of Work, host Al Dea joins leaders live from the Guild Opportunity Summit in San Diego to explore the future of talent, career mobility, and skills transformation.

The episode features conversations with Matthew J. Daniel, Senior Principal of Talent Strategy and Mobility at Guild; and Marquita Williams, Executive Director of Organizational Learning and Development at AdventHealth. Together, they discuss how leading organizations are aligning career growth with business outcomes, and key insights from Guild and Lightcast’s Talent Resilience Index, a benchmark for understanding career mobility and critical workforce skills shaping today’s workplace.

Links

• Matthew Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewjdaniel/
• Marquita Williams: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marquita-williams-764b244b/
• Talent Resilience Index: https://guild.com/report/talent-resilience-index?utm_source=press&utm_medium=refe[

Anna Tavis is the Department Chair of Human Capital Management at NYU and co-author of The Digital Coaching Revolution. In this episode, Anna explores how technology is transforming coaching from exclusive executive perks into scalable, everyday growth tools for all employees. Anna shares insights from her research and her work with advising digital coaching companies, offering a glimpse into AI-powered, embedded coaching that personalizes learning, feedback, and performance in real-time. Together, they discuss what hybrid human and AI coaching means for organizations, managers, and the future of leadership and employee development.

Links

• NYU Coaching and Technology Summit: https://www.sps.nyu.edu/about/events/human-capital-management-department-events/coaching-and-technology-summit.html
• Dr. Anna’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annatavis/
• Book: https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Coaching-Revolution-Employee-Development/dp/1398612510
• Tenor: https://tenorhq.com/

Dr. Serena Gonsalves-Fersch is the Global Head of Talent at SoftwareOne. Drawing from her doctoral research on workforce development in technology-driven environments, Serena explains how traditional learning models no longer fit the pace of change in modern organizations. She outlines how SoftwareOne reimagines learning through contextual business partnerships, a T-shaped team model, and a focus on human skills like empathy, curiosity, and critical thinking. Finally, they explore how AI will reshape, not replace, the learning function and why the future of talent lies in blending data, human insight, and deep organizational context.

Links

• Serena’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-serena-gonsalves-fersch-flpi-a23589/
• Research: https://repository.mdx.ac.uk/download/36ed76c7176aaafc4f36877bcb9f9ce69b891385e73b311500e597e67e249bcd/12681644/SGonsalvesFersch%20thesis.pdf

Muriel Wilkins is the Author of Leadership Unblocked: Break Through the Beliefs That Limit Your Potential. In this episode, Muriel shares how even the most accomplished leaders can unknowingly hold onto beliefs that keep them stuck, and what to do to move beyond them.

Drawing from over 20 years of executive coaching, she unpacks common “hidden blockers” like perfectionism, urgency, and overinvolvement, and explains how leaders can shift from default thinking to conscious leadership. Muriel and Al also explore how intergenerational tension, constant change, and uncertainty challenge leaders today, and why self-awareness and perspective are the keys to unblocking potential at every level of leadership.

Links

• Muriel’s Website: https://www.murielwilkins.com/
• Muriel’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/murielwilkins/
• Muriel’s Book: https://www.murielwilkins.com/book/leadership-unblocked

In this solo episode of The Edge of Work, Al Dea unpacks what’s top of mind for talent and learning leaders this fall. Drawing from more than 40 interviews across Fortune 1000 organizations, Al explores the biggest themes shaping the profession, from navigating constant change to managing “two timelines” of near-term needs and future AI-driven transformation. He highlights how leaders are adapting their mindsets, practices, and roles to stay relevant in a rapidly evolving world of work.

Links

• Report: https://theedgeofwork.com/report/
• Al’s LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsaldea/

Stephanie Kramer is the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) at L’Oréal North America. In this episode, Stephanie shares how L’Oréal is shaping a “people-first leadership culture” across its global organization. During our conversation, she spoke about the “magic triangle” between HR, managers, and employees, and how this model empowers people leaders to drive engagement, development, and performance at scale. Stephanie also talks about the importance of consistent feedback through quarterly “connect” conversations, the role of data in creating insights (not dashboards), and how HR can sustain impact through empowerment.

Links

• Website: https://www.carrystrongproject.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemaekramer/