Podcast Summary: Transforming Learning Culture for ROI and Engagement with Matt Smith of Curana Health
Matt Smith, Vice President of Learning and Development at Ana Health, brings a rare blend of warmth, strategic savvy, and teaching enthusiasm to his role. In this conversation, he reveals how a passion for helping people improve turned into a thriving career in corporate learning and how that personal mission aligns with Ana Health’s broader goal: transforming care for seniors. From donuts with his daughter to designing scalable learning programs, Matt’s energy is all about bettering people’s lives, both at home and at work.
The Accidental Learning Leader
Like many in L&D, Matt didn’t set out to land in this field, he found it through passion and a little serendipity. After several years at a major consulting firm, Matt realized that while he was good at consulting, it wasn’t what he wanted to do long-term. What was energizing, though, was the part of his job that involved teaching, coaching, and helping people learn. When someone suggested that he could make a career out of that, the lightbulb went off.
“I was doing it for free during my ‘magic time,’” he laughs. “And someone told me I could get paid to do this? Yes, please.”
That passion hasn’t dulled over time. Even at the dinner table, he admits to offering unsolicited coaching to his wife, advice he humorously warns against
The Biggest Shifts in L&D
When asked about the biggest changes in L&D in recent years, Matt pointed to two key shifts: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and ROI.
AI Isn’t Coming. It’s Here.
From the C-suite to the frontline, AI is the conversation. Matt emphasizes that L&D can’t afford to sit on the sidelines. Leaders are hearing about AI at every conference, and if Learning can’t engage in those discussions or help employees make sense of the technology, they risk becoming irrelevant.
Scrutiny on Spending and Scale.
The second shift? Pressure to demonstrate impact, especially cost-effective impact. The pandemic proved that effective learning doesn’t require flights and big conference rooms. “We showed we could pivot and still drive results,” he says. Now, CFOs expect that level of efficiency all the time.
This has forced L&D to rethink how they scale. Microlearning, flipped classrooms, and asynchronous formats are no longer experiments, they’re expectations. As Matt puts it, “We better keep proving we can do this well.”
What the Future Holds
Matt’s predictions for the next five to ten years in L&D are clear, and he frames them like a consultant (because once a consultant, always a consultant):
- Closer Partnership with the Business. L&D can’t operate in a bubble. If it’s not aligned with the CEO’s or CFO’s goals, it’s a vanity project.
- Democratizing AI Skills. Just as we used to say “Google it,” now we need to teach people how to “AI it”. This goes far beyond typing into ChatGPT. Think agentic workflows, tailored prompts, and embedding AI into everyday processes.
- Relentless Focus on ROI. Whether it’s sales impact or people productivity, L&D must tie its work to outcomes. “I want to boost our balance sheet by boosting our people,” Matt says. “That’s our biggest asset.”
The Trusted Advisor Mindset
Matt circles back often to the importance of being a partner to the business. To do that, L&D professionals need more than great content. They need curiosity, listening skills, and a bit of what Matt jokingly calls “mind reading.”
“Can you figure out what really matters to someone without asking them that terrible question, ‘What keeps you up at night?’” he asks. Whether it’s understanding a stakeholder’s pain points or a learner’s motivations, Matt believes the best L&D professionals decode unspoken needs and respond with tailored solutions.
That ability to connect the dots is what makes an L&D practitioner a trusted advisor rather than just an order-taker.
Mentors, Boards of Directors, and Getting Expert-Level Good
Matt doesn’t believe in one magical mentor. He compares his network to a general contractor’s crew. You call different people for different problems. His “personal board of directors” includes coaches, colleagues, and even vendors.
For those early in their careers, he offers practical mentorship advice: It’s your job to maintain the relationship. Don’t expect mentors to chase you. Send updates, ask specific questions, and build trust over time.
And when it comes to developing true expertise? Matt recommends going beyond business books.
“Don’t stop just at reading the book. Read the research that inspired the book,” he advises. That extra depth allows L&D pros to speak with credibility and authority, especially when it’s time to make the business case for a new initiative.
Books and Reddit
f you’re expecting a single leadership book recommendation from Matt, you’re out of luck. “It depends on who’s asking,” he says. But if you’re looking to better understand how corporate culture works, he highly recommends The Unspoken Rules by Gorick Ng. It’s full of the hidden expectations no one explains, and it’s especially useful for people who entered L&D from non-corporate backgrounds.
And where does he go for honest L&D product feedback? Reddit. Yes, seriously. “It’s anonymous enough that people are real,” he says.
Final Thought
Matt Smith embodies the modern L&D leader: part educator, part strategist, part experimenter. Whether he’s coaching team members, aligning with the C-suite, or building systems that scale, he brings energy, empathy, and evidence to the table.
And in a world where L&D must be agile, relevant, and ROI-focused, that combination isn’t just refreshing, it’s exactly what the field needs.
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