Leading Up: The Work Shift

The Best of Leading Up: The Work Shift

21 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Change is constant, but the right insight at the right moment can make all the difference. In this season finale compilation, we're revisiting the har...

Simone Stolzoff: Own Professional Uncertainty, So It Doesn't Own You

24 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Professional uncertainty can be as damaging to our health as actually losing a job. So why do we keep white-knuckling for certainty—and what happens...

Meg Josephson: The Psychology of People Pleasing and What It Costs You

10 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What if the habit that's made you successful is also holding you back? Meg Josephson, therapist and author of the New York Times bestseller Are You Ma...

"I Don't Know" Is Actually Knowing: Top Leaders on Career Uncertainty

17 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

More than half of Americans say job insecurity is crushing them with stress. So how do some people look like they've always had it figured out? Spoile...

Deborah Grayson Riegel: How to Lose Your Fear and Find Your Voice

03 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In a world of consistent career pivots and shifts, mastering how you show up and speak up isn’t optional—it can be your superpower. So how do you ...

Lorraine Lee: How to Go From Passed Over to Promoted

20 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Doing great work isn't enough to get promoted. You need presence. In this episode, Lorraine Lee, author of Unforgettable Presence and former LinkedIn ...

Ahyiana Angel: The Art of the Career Pivot

08 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

How do we know when it’s time to leave a job? Or completely reinvent your career? In this episode, we explore what it really takes to make a major c...

Indeed CMO James Whitemore: How to Stand Out in the Job Hunt

16 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

James Whitemore, Chief Marketing Officer at Indeed, shares insights from billions of job searches on how to navigate career transitions in today's cha...

Zak Brown: F1 Racing, Leading Under Pressure, and Split-Second Decisions

09 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How do you make a quick decision when the stakes are high? Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing, shares hard-won lessons from his journey from professio...

Rebecca Stern: How to Turn AI Into Your Career Coach

18 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From being laid off to spinning your wheels in a position with no momentum, getting to the next step in your career can take a lot of energy. And reso...

Pat Flynn: Another Podcast Won’t Help You Take Action (But this one might)

12 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We live in an age of endless information – books, courses, and even podcasts like this one offer inspiration, success stories, and countless ideas t...

I survived 11 layoffs: How to Rebuild After Loss 

28 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

40 percent of Americans are laid off or fired at least once in their career. Half of working Americans are anxious about layoffs. This week's guest ha...

Dorie Clark: Reinvent Your Career (Without the Risk)

14 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If you feel like you’re flailing in your career, listen to this. Career reinvention expert Dorie Clark reveals why the "leap and the net will appear...

Introducing: The Work Shift

07 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Leading Up: The Work Shift is your compass that guides you back to your career values, goals, and vision. If you’re feeling lost, you're not alone. ...

Building a Skills-Based Organization with Paul Kent

23 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this special mini-episode of Leading Up, host Kelly Schwarze highlights key takeaways from the Udemy Forward 2024 virtual event. This episode featu...

Leadership Lessons from Fortune 500 Executives

16 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this special best-of episode of Leading Up with Udemy, Kelly Schwarze, senior digital marketing manager at Udemy, revisits powerful leadership less...

From Newsrooms to Boardrooms: Alan Murray's Leadership Insights

18 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Alan Todd sits down with Alan Murray, President of the Dow Jones Leadership Institute and former CEO of Fortune Magazine. Murray shares his journey fr...

Neurodiversity at Work: Strategies for Inclusive Leadership

11 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Alan Todd speaks with Jessica Michaels, an award-winning speaker and expert in leadership development. After discovering in her thirties that she has ...

From Dumpster Fires to Dream Workplaces

04 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Alan Todd sits down with Hebba Youssef, creator of the popular HR newsletter I Hate It Here and Chief People Officer at Workweek. With over 130,000 su...

Empowering Women of Color in the Workplace with Cynthia Pong

28 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Join Alan Todd as he sits down with Cynthia Pong, founder and CEO of Embrace Change, a firm dedicated to helping women of color achieve their career g...

Cultivating Gen Z Success with Human-Centered Leadership

21 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Alan Todd sits down with David Yeager, Associate Professor of Developmental Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, and Stefani Okamoto, Dire...

Navigating Generational Dynamics in Work and Life

14 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Alan Todd as he sits down with Sophie Riegel, a best-selling author, speaker, coach, and mental health advocate. Sophie shares her journey as a young ...

Transforming the Future: Visionary Leadership with Sunny Bonnell

07 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Join Alan Todd as he sits down with Sunny Bonnell, co-founder of the renowned branding agency Motto and co-author of "Rare Breed: A Guide to Success f...

Strategic Self-Awareness: The Defining Skills for Leaders

31 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Alan Todd sits down with Dr. Ann Schulte, a versatile executive with a career spanning communications, consulting, higher education, and work-based le...

How to Become a Super Communicator: Lessons from Charles Duhigg

24 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the premiere episode of Leading Up’s seventh season, Alan Todd sits down with Charles Duhigg, the renowned journalist and author of Supercommunic...

How McLaren Plays to Team Strengths on and off the Racetrack

10 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In our final episode of Leading Up’s sixth season, host Alan Todd passes the mic to Udemy CMO Genefa Murphy. Genefa’s conversation with Ian James,...

RERUN: Managing Across Generations

27 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Stepping into leadership is challenging, particularly at the early stage of a career. And tomorrow’s leaders are stepping into the most generational...

RERUN: Making Your Own Seat at the Table

19 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Modesty, while a virtue, is sometimes taken too far when it comes to speaking up and promoting yourself at work. Society has conditioned women and peo...

Create a Team of Teams to Empower Your Organization

12 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Stanley McChrystal, General (Ret), Chairman, and CEO of McChrystal Group, knows a lot about what it means to transform a group of ordinary people into...

In Business, the Best Story Wins

05 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Edwards spent over 25 years as the chief music critic for London’s Sunday Times, so he knows how to capture an audience’s attention. And his ...

How Company Culture Impacts Every Team Member

29 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Starbucks VP of Learning, Leadership, and Cultural Experiences Brandon Carson has witnessed first-hand how different company cultures impact the way t...

Culture, Trust, and Flexibility: The Keys to a Successful Career

22 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Deb Tees, Director of Talent & Organizational Capability for Rotary and Mission Systems at Lockheed Martin, has taken a circuitous route to her curren...

How Authenticity Wins (and Keeps) Trust

15 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Genefa Murphy, Chief Marketing Officer at Udemy, hasn’t always been a marketer: she spent time in academia and also worked in product. Her path ...

Your Team Needs a Strategy

08 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Roger L. Martin, named the world’s foremost management thinker by Thinkers50 in 2017, is one of the few leadership thinkers to successfully marr...

The 7 Rules of Power – And Why You Should Develop Yours

01 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Alan Todd sits down with Dr. Jeffrey Pfeffer of the Stanford Graduate School of Business to talk about one of the last remaining “dirty words” of ...

Leadership and Management Are Not the Same

24 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Barbara Kellerman is a Fellow and Founding Executive Director at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership, and she’s dedicate...

Identify Your Leadership Wobble to Work Faster and Better

17 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In our first episode of Leading Up’s sixth season, Alan Todd sits down with Dr. Frances X. Frei of Harvard Business School. Frances’s new book wit...

RERUN: How to Lead Authentically and Build High-Trust Environments

10 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Who are you as a leader? This is the critically important question we revisit on this week’s podcast episode. Our podcast guest, Lisa Dahms, encour...

RERUN: How Inclusion Drives Innovation and Retains Employees

27 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone is looking to drive innovation, retain employees, and create a healthy workplace culture. Inclusive Leadership can provide solutions for thes...

How Human Potential and Emerging Technology Intersect

13 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Neda Schlictman, Managing Director & Chief Learning Officer - Leadership and Human Potential at Deloitte, has spent her career in learning, first as a...

Defining Your Purpose

06 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Nick Craig, President of the Core Leadership Institute, has spent his professional life dedicated to helping others step into their purpose to become ...

Make the GenAI Revolution Work for You

28 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Udemy Chief Product Officer Prasad Raje has been at the forefront of many technological shifts in his career, from the dawn of the internet, when cont...

To Reach Workers of Different Generations, Understand Their Technological Preferences

21 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Social psychologist and generational expert Jean Twenge has written nearly half a dozen books about the psychological profile of young people — firs...

Deep Curiosity Can Transform the Way You Lead

14 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Curiosity expert Scott Shigeoka, author of SEEK: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life and Change the World, has spent years researching curiosity’s...

Managing Across Generations

07 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

New York Times bestselling author Lindsey Pollak is an expert on helping Millennials and Gen Z navigate the workforce. Her books, including Becoming t...

Solve Problems by Turning Lead into Gold

31 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman at legendary ad firm Ogilvy UK, knows how to make a bit of magic in business. His book Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curiou...

Bureaucracy Is Not the Solution

24 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Over the course of his multi-decade career, legendary author and speaker Gary Hamel wrote the book on many aspects of modern management. So when he ex...

Why a “Culture of Genius” Can Lead to Stifled Innovation

17 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

You’ve likely heard of Carol Dweck’s research on growth mindset and fixed mindset for individuals. But the research that went into social psycholo...

How to Weather Change with Rugged Flexibility

10 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What if navigating big changes in your personal life or business wasn’t a cause for distress? If you view change as a neutral phenomenon, rather tha...

FIXABLE: Uber, and how to fix things when trust is broken

13 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

While we prepare new episodes for 2024, we’re sharing an episode from our friends at Fixable, a TED podcast hosted by leadership coaches Anne Morris...

RERUN: Leading from the Outside In With Dave Ulrich

06 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Originally released July 2023, Alan sits down in this episode with Dave Ulrich, often referred to as the “Father of Modern HR.” It’s a fascinati...

RERUN: How Total Leadership Transforms Your Life Beyond Work

29 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

While we prepare new episodes to share with you in January 2024, Alan wants to highlight a conversation from March 2023 with Stew Friedman, founder of...

Rigor and Discipline: Udemy CEO Greg Brown’s Secret Sauce

15 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For the final episode of Season 4, Udemy CEO Greg Brown joins Alan Todd to share some of the keys to his success. Brown discusses how his interest in ...

Cultivating Curiosity Will Expand Your Brain

08 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ian Leslie, the author and researcher behind the books Curious and Conflicted, joins Alan Todd for a spirited conversation on the different types of c...

Sharpen Your Skills for the AI-Assisted Future of Work

01 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Vasant Dhar has been at the forefront of artificial intelligence research since he received his doctorate in the field over 40 years ago. Now, he...

How to Give Feedback That Will Actually Be Heard

25 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Leadership expert, Udemy instructor, and former World Bank executive Elizabeth Pagé is no stranger to managing successful teams through tough times; ...

The Secret to Reaching Your Goals

18 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

CEO coach and author Jack Daly didn’t get to where he is today by sitting by and allowing it to happen: he set ambitious goals and tracked his progr...

Making Your Own Seat at the Table

11 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Yvell Stanford, Talent and Learning Lead at the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority, is a lifelong teacher and learner. So when she found herself ...

Supporting Early-Career Employees

04 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jennifer Barnes, Global Learning & Development Leader at chemical and materials company Celanese, has led learning and development efforts across indu...

Leading with a Virtual-First Mindset

27 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sacha Connor, the CEO and Founder of Virtual Work Insider, is no stranger to leading remote and hybrid teams. She joins Alan Todd to discuss the biase...

How to Be a Leader Even If You Don’t Have the Title

20 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Roberta Matuson is a talent consultant and author of several incredible leadership books, including international bestseller Suddenly In Charge, Can W...

Empowering the Right People in the Right Jobs

13 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Brad Watt, Chief Learning Officer at Colgate-Palmolive, joins host Alan Todd to discuss why leaders who put people first make their teams shine. Brad ...

Leading Up to the Future in Season 4

06 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Leading Up is back with a brand new season of episodes. Host Alan Todd, VP of Leadership Development at Udemy, dives into engaging conversations with ...

RERUN: Why Communication is the Most Important Skill

30 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Originally released April 2022. Alan sits down with Molly Nagler, Chief Learning Officer at PepsiCo, to discuss the dramatic evolution of the way we w...

The Power of Vulnerability at Work

09 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Stephanie Stapleton-Sudbury, President of Udemy Business, joins host Alan Todd to discuss how self-awareness and vulnerability-based leadership are cr...

Thriving in a Hybrid Work Environment

02 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hassan Osman, Senior Vice President of Professional Services at NWN Carousel, joins host Alan Todd to share insights on being effective in the remote ...

Team Is a Verb, Not a Noun for Leaders

26 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week on Leading Up, Dr. Robert Wengrzyn joins host Alan Todd to discuss how servant leadership empowers employees to take ownership of their role...

The Art of 360 Feedback For Emerging Leaders

19 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Receiving feedback can be tough. Giving it can be even tougher. This week on Leading Up, executive coach Alisa Cohn joins host Alan Todd to discuss ha...

Invested Leaders: Leading From the Outside In With Dave Ulrich

12 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How can emerging leaders navigate the paradoxes and tensions in the ever-changing world of work? David Ulrich, the father of modern HR, speaks with ho...

Fostering Inclusive Workplaces and a Growth Mindset

05 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever felt like an imposter in your own workplace? You're not alone. Sabrina Khan, Performance & Development Manager at Encompass and an exper...

How Low Stakes Practice Builds Lasting Leadership Skills

28 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Lt. Col. Adam Pannone shares how his military training can be used to hone the skills needed for success as a leader in the private sector. A West Poi...

Navigating the Corporate Jungle Gym

21 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone has an idea of what their career journey will look like and it is up to them to own it. We all have a destination and it doesn’t have to al...

Creating the Workplace as an Oasis in an Uncertain World

14 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Nearly three quarters of companies in the United States have adopted or plan to adopt a hybrid model of work. We’re a few years into this hybrid wor...

How to Find Career Joy from Day One

07 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Are you prepared to thrive at your first job or internship? Get ready to navigate the workplace with Shannon Lewandowski, Development Program Director...

Summer's Starting With Leadership Lessons in Season 3

07 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Leading Up is back with a whole new season of episodes. Host Alan Todd, VP of Leadership Development at Udemy, sits down with top researchers and prac...

How to Communicate like a Leader

10 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How you communicate is at the cornerstone of how you build trust, leverage influence, and find success in the workplace. This week on Leading Up, we ...

Why Strong Leaders Are Strong Learners

03 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Integrating leadership with continuous learning is challenging for professionals as they work towards the next level of their career. It’s especial...

Finding Your Way Through The Noise With Intention

26 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Leaders often feel inundated with information. In those moments, it’s hard to make choices, and even harder to be heard from within the swell of ema...

Servant Leaders, Social Change, and Shared Value

19 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

People often change faster than the organizations they work for, and when cultural shifts meet shareholder interests, the perception is more of a clas...

Finding the Courage to Bring Our Best Selves to Work

12 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As leaders, we have the momentous task of maximizing human potential from ourselves and our teammates. This can be a daunting task. How do we even get...

Why Communication is the Most Important Skill

05 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If there’s one constant throughout our careers, it’s change. Over the past few years, the way we work has evolved dramatically from in-person to d...

Leading From Your Strengths

29 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We all have our strengths and weaknesses. But as leaders, how do we bolster our weak points and build off of our strengths? That’s what we dive int...

How a Strong Career Vision Keeps You Steady

22 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When was the last time you talked about your broader career vision in a one-on-one? This week on the podcast, we’re talking about why it’s so impo...

How Total Leadership Transforms Your Life Beyond Work

15 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Leadership is a lifelong practice. When practiced well, your leadership skills can completely transform your mental health, business performance, comm...

Leading Up is Back with Season Two

08 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Leading Up is back with a new season. Leaders face challenges every single day: evolving workplace culture, closing skill gaps, employee burnout, and ...

Leading Authentically to Build High Trust Environments

08 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Who are you as a leader? On International Women’s Day, our podcast guest encourages all of her new managers to reflect on this question, as it can h...

How Parenthood and Purpose Create Strong Leaders

18 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Earlier this season, we talked with positive leadership expert Kim Cameron, and purpose-driven leadership expert Bob Quinn, both from the University o...

How to Align Purpose, Strategy, and Culture

11 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

During tough times, Melissa Daimler argues companies need to amplify the alignment of strategy, purpose, and culture more than ever. As the Chief Lear...

The Difference between “Toxic Positivity” and Positive Leadership

04 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Negative news can bombard us. We hear alarming statistics about depression and anxiety and stories about toxic workplaces and leaders. Despite the neg...

Innovate Through Economic Uncertainty

21 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Economic downturns can make most of us nervous, but a recession doesn't always need to mean doom and gloom. Take for instance, some notable companies ...

Leading from the Middle

14 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

While we're living in uncertain times, we never truly know what the future might hold. That's why we need leaders at every level of business who can p...

Transforming high potential into high performance

07 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How can we transform a stagnating workforce with a culture that values agility and unlocking human potential? That's the question this week's guest ha...

How Purpose Drives Authentic Leadership

30 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In today's tumultuous world, sometimes it's hard to know which way is up, but finding your purpose can drive emerging leaders to move forward.    Pr...

How Inclusion Drives Innovation and Retains Employees

23 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone is looking to drive innovation, retain employees, and create a healthy workplace culture. Inclusive Leadership can provide solutions for thes...

The Great Disengagement: How 3M's Learning Culture Inspires Employee Engagement and Innovation

16 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Since the beginning of last year, more than 50 million people have resigned from their jobs. But today’s Leading Up guest, Samuel Ragsdale, Head of ...

How to Lead Purposefully, Support Women in the Workplace, and Create your own Luck

09 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to leadership, if Melanie Weaver Barnett isn’t nominated, she will nominate herself. Podcast host Alan Todd, Vice President and Genera...

Introducing: Leading Up

08 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Leaders face challenges every single day: evolving workplace culture, skills gaps, the great resignation, and let's not forget about the global recess...