Hosted by Jeff Walter, Founder and CEO of LatitudeLearning
In this episode of the Training Impact Podcast, Jeff Walter speaks with Jolynn Ledgerwood, founder of Elevate Your Talent, to explore how creativity, neuroscience, and hands-on learning can transform the way teams solve problems. With more than 25 years of experience across hospitality, retail, consumer goods, IT, and cybersecurity, Jolynn shares how her journey led her to coaching, talent development, and ultimately to LEGO Serious Play as a core methodology. Her early experiences navigating ADHD and different learning styles shaped her commitment to building environments where every learner can thrive.
Jolynn explains why teams bring Elevate Your Talent into challenging situations. Many organizations face roadblocks, entrenched silos, or stalled collaboration. Traditional brainstorming often falls flat because it relies too heavily on linear, left-brain thinking. LEGO Serious Play works differently. Using physical building bricks engages the prefrontal cortex and opens up what Jolynn describes as 80 percent more brain power. This allows teams to unlock creativity, visualize problems in new ways, and reach insights they would not find through conversation alone.
When participants build models representing ideas, obstacles, or goals, they detach personal identity from the concept. That separation reduces defensiveness and increases openness. It becomes easier to analyze the idea, question assumptions, and iterate. Teams can explore possibilities without the interpersonal friction that often derails strategic discussions.
Jeff and Jolynn explore several examples of breakthroughs created through LEGO Serious Play. Departments that rarely communicate discover how their work overlaps. Educators facing policy shifts visualize downstream impacts on budgets, classrooms, and student experience. Even disengaged sales teams become more focused and more present when given something tactile to work with.
Jolynn encourages leaders to approach this method with courage. When teams create new insights through building, leaders must be willing to examine them honestly, even when the ideas challenge the status quo.
Jeff reflects on how LEGO Serious Play fits into extended enterprise learning environments such as franchise networks, dealer programs, and channel training. Many onboarding programs blend self-paced courses with instructor-led workshops. Adding a hands-on component gives franchisees and partner teams a way to articulate goals, surface concerns, and identify obstacles early. This approach aligns strongly with effective external learning strategies found in resources such as extended enterprise training, customer training, and franchise training
Jolynn closes with a simple reminder: adults stop playing far too early in life. The loss of play narrows imagination, reduces resilience, and limits problem solving. In every job that must be done, she notes, there is always an element of fun. Embracing that idea unlocks creativity, strengthens teams, and helps people bring their full potential to the work ahead.
This conversation shows how Elevate Your Talent uses creativity to help people think differently, collaborate more effectively, and solve problems with insight and confidence. LEGO Serious Play is not a novelty. It is a structured, research-informed method that deepens team engagement and reveals solutions that traditional approaches overlook. For leaders managing partner networks, distributed teams, or franchise systems, Jolynn’s approach offers a powerful blueprint for elevating human potential.
Learn more at: https://elevateyourtalent.co
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