What happens when fitting in starts costing us the very things that make us valuable?

In this episode of Worth Knowing, Jimmy Glenos talks with Selen Turner, past president of ATD South Florida and author of Unique Belonging: Shaping Human-Centered Cultures to Unlock Innovation.

Selen explores the very human tension between two competing needs: we want to belong, and we want to be uniquely ourselves.

Drawing from her research and experience leading culture and transformation initiatives, Selen discusses how belonging, individuality, psychological safety, experimentation, and even our own self-stereotyping can influence whether people speak up, contribute ideas, and help organizations innovate.

The conversation also explores the responsibilities of the individual, the leader, and the organization in creating cultures where people can contribute without shrinking themselves to fit in.

And ultimately, Selen leaves us with an idea worth remembering:

We don't have to shrink in order to belong.

Worth Knowing is the ATD South Florida podcast for people who develop people.

📚 Get the book on Amazon (starting Oct 17): https://amzn.to/4hgKQEz

🌐 Learn more about the book: www.uniquebelonging.com

💼 Work with Selen: www.theturnerconnection.com

🔗 Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/selenturner/

Episode 1 — Every Member Matters: Building a Community Where People Belong

What makes someone feel like they truly belong to a professional community?

It probably isn’t another webinar, membership benefit, or networking event. Sometimes, it starts with something as simple as someone noticing you...and reaching out.

In the inaugural episode of Worth Knowing, ATD South Florida Immediate Past President Colette De Nardo turns the microphone on current President Jimmy Glenos for a candid (and occasionally irreverent( conversation about leadership, learning, community, and the changing world of talent development.

Jimmy shares the thinking behind his presidential philosophy, Every Member Matters, and why he believes there’s an actual human being behind every membership number - someone who has chosen to give the chapter not only their money, but something even more valuable: their time.

Along the way, Jimmy and Colette explore what coaching has taught them about leadership, why belonging matters, how one simple outreach brought a former member back to the ATD South Florida community, and what talent development professionals should be thinking about as AI makes information and content easier than ever to create.

They also wrestle with a question every L&D professional should probably ask a little more often:

“Are you sure it’s a training issue?”

In this episode:

• Why Jimmy believes membership should be about belonging, not numbers
• How coaching has influenced the way he leads
• Why information is no longer a scarce resource in talent development
• The danger of becoming a training “order taker”
• Why psychological safety and human connection matter even more in an AI-enabled world
• How one small act of personal outreach can change someone’s relationship with a professional community
• What Jimmy hopes people will say about ATD South Florida after his presidency

And, naturally, Colette asks the question we’ll ask every guest on Worth Knowing:

What’s something you think is worth knowing?

Jimmy’s answer begins with a statement you might not expect from the President of ATD South Florida:

“ATD is not for everyone.”

You’ll have to listen to hear what he means.

Worth Knowing is the ATD South Florida podcast for people who develop people.

Welcome to Worth Knowing, the ATD South Florida podcast for people who develop people.

We’re bringing you useful ideas, practical tools, fresh perspectives, and conversations with interesting people who can help you think differently and do your work better.

Some episodes will be conversations. Others will get right to the point with one useful idea, tool, technique, or question worth considering. We won’t stretch an idea just to fill the clock.

If you care about helping people learn, grow, and perform better, you’re in the right place.

One simple requirement: it has to be worth knowing.

Welcome to the show!