Bridging the Skills Gap: Coaching, Mentoring, and AI in Talent Development with Jamie Albers from Mento.co

The Talent Development Hot Seat podcast - The Top podcast for L&D Professionals

In this episode, host Andy Storch sits down with Jamie Albers, co-founder of Mento—a company at the forefront of transforming professional development with performance-based coaching solutions. Jamie shares her journey from Middle Eastern Studies to leading innovative teams at Google and eventually launching Mento, which is redefining coaching by skillfully blending mentorship from real-world operators with data-driven methodologies.

Jaime’s journey may look intentional in hindsight, but it unfolded through a series of unexpected choices. Originally pursuing Middle Eastern studies in college, Jaime set out in a different direction than most would expect. After graduation, they took a role as an advertising associate at Google during the 2010s—a time when such jobs were often a mix of customer service and ad review, but proved to be a valuable training ground. Grateful for the opportunities at Google, Jaime also seized the chance to participate in a classic “20% project,” further shaping their path. Looking back, every step seems to have fit together as if by destiny, even if it wasn’t the plan from the start.

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This episode is sponsored by Mento which offers a unique 80/20 mix of coaching and mentorship so that your people can increase performance and success.

This episode is also sponsored by LearnIt, which is offering a FREE trial of their TeamPass membership for you and up to 20 team members of your team. Check it out here.

Connect with Andy here: Website | LinkedIn

Connect with Jamie: LinkedIn: LinkedIn

Key Topics:

1. The Importance of Intentional Career Development

2. Transition into Talent Development

3. Current and Emerging Trends in Talent Development

4. Bridging the Skills Gap and Skills-Based Hiring

5. Fostering Collaboration, Knowledge Sharing, and Internal Upskilling

6. The Role of Mindset in Adopting New Skills and Technologies

7. Coaching and Mentoring: The Mento Model

8. Measuring Impact and Return on Investment (ROI) in Coaching & L&D

9. The Rise of AI Coaching and Where It’s Headed

10. Evaluating and Selecting Coaching and L&D Solutions

Mentioned in this episode:

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Try Mento for coaching

For coaching with real-world experience, check out Mento.co