Learning expert on the skill no one taught you episode artwork

EPISODE · May 28, 2026 · 55 MIN

Learning expert on the skill no one taught you

from The Unemployment Diaries · host Aisha Ommaya

Have you ever thought about how you learn? Or, for that matter, why you learn in the first place?Romy attended schools that prided themselves on academic rigor. From the third grade, she was pulling all-nighters and spent years feeling like she was one step behind. She walked out of her final university exam and celebrated never having to learn again.Today, she's a Chief Learning Officer, experiential learning designer, and facilitator who has worked with C-suite leaders, Formula One teams, and UN agencies on the science of how people actually learn. So what changed? Turns out, she didn't hate learning at all.In this episode, Romy shares her story and:How her environment shaped her relationship with learning (and why her ADHD wasn’t the problem)Why most training doesn't work and the science behind about how we learnDavid Kolb's four-stage learning cycleThe way we unlearn — and why upgrading your software beats wiping the operating systemHow learning style preferences can become a trap Why psychological safety is a precondition for any real growthWhat AI is doing to our critical thinking skills (and what to do about it)How to design your own learning processWhy we should aim to be explorers rather than expertsChapters00:00 Welcome, Romy Alexandra01:18 Are you good or bad at learning?03:05 From fixed mindset to learning advocate05:57 Experiential learning: A new approach07:30 Why knowledge transfer isn't enough12:03 The shift from education to learning14:12 What we get wrong about learning17:53 How to unlearn21:00 Learning as a lifelong journey22:58 We learn how we live27:24 Understanding learning preferences32:31 Navigating AI in learning35:44 The importance of critical thinking38:32 Balancing objectives and learning outcomes40:19 Designing your own learning process44:27 Measuring progress in learning48:18 Creating safe learning environments53:55 Shifting from expert to explorer mindsetWhere to find RomyLinkedIn Website InstagramFor more from The Unemployment DiariesStay up to date on InstagramGo behind the scenes on SubstackWatch on YouTube

Have you ever thought about how you learn? Or, for that matter, why you learn in the first place?Romy attended schools that prided themselves on academic rigor. From the third grade, she was pulling all-nighters and spent years feeling like she was one step behind. She walked out of her final university exam and celebrated never having to learn again.Today, she's a Chief Learning Officer, experiential learning designer, and facilitator who has worked with C-suite leaders, Formula One teams, and UN agencies on the science of how people actually learn. So what changed? Turns out, she didn't hate learning at all.In this episode, Romy shares her story and:How her environment shaped her relationship with learning (and why her ADHD wasn’t the problem)Why most training doesn't work and the science behind about how we learnDavid Kolb's four-stage learning cycleThe way we unlearn — and why upgrading your software beats wiping the operating systemHow learning style preferences can become a trap Why psychological safety is a precondition for any real growthWhat AI is doing to our critical thinking skills (and what to do about it)How to design your own learning processWhy we should aim to be explorers rather than expertsChapters00:00 Welcome, Romy Alexandra01:18 Are you good or bad at learning?03:05 From fixed mindset to learning advocate05:57 Experiential learning: A new approach07:30 Why knowledge transfer isn't enough12:03 The shift from education to learning14:12 What we get wrong about learning17:53 How to unlearn21:00 Learning as a lifelong journey22:58 We learn how we live27:24 Understanding learning preferences32:31 Navigating AI in learning35:44 The importance of critical thinking38:32 Balancing objectives and learning outcomes40:19 Designing your own learning process44:27 Measuring progress in learning48:18 Creating safe learning environments53:55 Shifting from expert to explorer mindsetWhere to find RomyLinkedIn Website InstagramFor more from The Unemployment DiariesStay up to date on InstagramGo behind the scenes on SubstackWatch on YouTube

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This episode was published on May 28, 2026.

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Have you ever thought about how you learn? Or, for that matter, why you learn in the first place?Romy attended schools that prided themselves on academic rigor. From the third grade, she was pulling all-nighters and spent years feeling like she was...

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