Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Edmondson
Hi Lisa, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve been in the corporate Learning & Development space for my entire, almost 30-year, career. Starting out as an instructional designer, then working my way up to a Senior Director level role, leading a team of instructional designers. After being bullied and then “constructively dismissed” from a role that I had successfully embodied for a decade, I immediately started my own LLC, and spent the next year researching and working on some passion projects to help me deal with my emotions from being let go.
My initial focus was a podcast series with a panel of industry experts, to discuss leadership and bullying in the workplace. I then created my signature series of three eLearning courses, based on the information discussed in the podcast series. This included a course based on the extensive work of John Lenhardt (flowcess.com) that detailed steps for independently dissolving bullying in the workplace, without relying on HR to intervene. In an effort to help others avoid going through what I did, I made these courses available for free via my website (www.leadershipreno.com) and YouTube channel that I created. Subsequently, the bullying course, titled, “Dissolving Bullying in the Workplace,” won a Silver Telly Award in 2023.
My next passion project was a book on the characteristics of a successful people leader, titled, “The Ethology of Leaders.” Combining tips from my personal experience as a people leader, with extensive research and data provided by one of the panel experts in my podcast series, psychologist, author, TEDx Talk speaker and Columbia University professor Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic (www.drtomas.com), along with characteristics from the animal kingdom, I self-published my book in December of 2023. A friend of mine from high school read my book and contacted me. By the time our conversation was over, I had volunteered to help write, produce and direct a documentary about our hometown. The film is called, “Made in Doraville,” and is in post-production now, with an anticipated release date of 2025.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Quite frankly, I would summarize my experience in the corporate Learning & Development realm as fairly smooth. I was fortunate to work with some amazing mentors at my first job in the field, who patiently taught me about “the world of training.” Their guidance positioned me for a lengthy career where I was able to progressively advance in roles and responsibilities over the next few decades.
It wasn’t until I became an entrepreneur that struggles started to surface. I had to learn, from scratch, the ins and outs of starting a business and establishing the infrastructure to support it. For the first time in my career, I was a “one-man show” and had to level up my skills in areas of the business that I typically didn’t have responsibility for. Branding/marketing/advertising, accounting/billing/taxes, sales, IT, customer service, operations, and HR all became my sole responsibility. I relied heavily on mentors and co-workers and enjoyed tapping into the expertise of the many new friends I had deeply connected with via LinkedIn. I surrounded myself with a squad of generous professionals who helped me navigate my transition to “solopreneurship.”
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As a solopreneur, I have been able to brush off my skills as a practitioner of instructional design and have enjoyed being able to create content using contemporary course development and LMS software. I love the exposure to new applications and processes introduced in my role as a learning consultant with various clients. I’ve been responsible for the development and delivery of training content produced for topics including SaaS products, customer service programs, and even “below wing” procedural topics for a major airline. I can do high level training analyses, creating comprehensive training curricula and learning paths for end-users, and training strategy proposals for clients considering implementing a high-stakes certification program. I’ve also enjoyed having time to do some graphic design, including creating logos, promotional materials, SWAG gear, movie posters, pitch decks, and sizzle reels.
What I’m most proud of, and also sets me apart from others in this space, is the breadth and depth of my experience and skills. I can take on projects that have a need for a strategic, fractional L&D leader, as well as projects requiring the creation of a simple story board and 3-minute demo reel.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I am a self-professed addict of Colson Baker (Machine Gun Kelly – MGK), and have been since COVID hit. He’s an incredibly talented artist and deeply intellectual. I have seen his concert in my hometown, and have also flown to numerous locations to watch him. I’m not your typical MGK fan. However, I know brilliance when I see it and feel drawn to him and compelled to write a book with him (on his behalf) regarding his entrepreneurial journey. Recently, I met with one of his many “managers” (Stephen Astephen) and was able to pass off to him my proposal for Colson’s book (as well as a signed copy of my book, plus some movie SWAG from the movie I just wrote/directed). I’m aware of the oddity of this obsession, so much so that I mentioned him in my book. Not sure if this project will ever pan out, but sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith and see where it lands. It’s this same philosophy that has led me to some of the most challenging, yet rewarding, experiences of my life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.leadershipreno.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadership_reno
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/diy_leader
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thediyleader
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@thediyleader
Image Credits
N/A
