About Talented Learning

Independent Research. Trusted Guidance. Better Learning Technology Decisions.

Talented Learning helps organizations confidently evaluate, select and optimize learning technology through independent research, practical buyer education and expert consulting. Since 2014, we’ve helped organizations navigate an increasingly complex learning technology market while remaining fiercely independent and focused solely on our clients’ success.

Why Organizations Trust Talented Learning

Our approach is built on six principles that guide our recommendations, resources and client engagements.

Our Story

Talented Learning Co-Founders John Leh and Joelle Girton

Talented Learning was founded in 2014 by learning technology analyst John Leh and co-founder Joelle Girton. After 14 years helping learning technology vendors grow their businesses, John recognized a growing need for an independent resource dedicated to helping organizations make better learning technology decisions.

What began as a boutique consulting practice has evolved into a trusted research and advisory firm, supporting hundreds of organizations while building one of the industry’s most comprehensive collections of independent learning technology research, buyer resources and educational content.

Today, Talented Learning continues to combine independent research, practical buyer education and expert consulting to help organizations confidently evaluate, select and optimize learning technology.

What We Do

Organizations rely on Talented Learning in different ways depending on where they are in the learning system lifecycle. We combine independent research, practical educational resources and expert consulting to help buyers make informed decisions with confidence.

Whether you’re looking for self-service guidance or hands-on advisory support, you’ll find resources to help you:

• Research learning technology markets, trends and best practices
• Compare learning systems and identify qualified vendors
• Build business cases and define requirements
• Navigate the selection process with confidence
• Connect with trusted learning technology providers
• Optimize your learning ecosystem long after implementation

Why Our Perspective Is Different

Talented Learning’s research, consulting and educational resources are grounded in firsthand experience across the learning technology market. Founder and Lead Analyst John Leh has spent 30 years working at the intersection of learning strategy, technology, vendor growth and buyer decision-making.

Since founding Talented Learning in 2014, John has personally helped more than 200 organizations evaluate, select or rethink their learning systems. Before that, he spent 14 years on the vendor side, working with hundreds of organizations as they explored, purchased and expanded learning technology.

That perspective is reinforced every year through continuous market engagement, including:

• 150–200 vendor demonstrations, analyst briefings and product evaluations annually
• 450+ independent articles on learning technology strategy, selection and trends
• 150+ podcast episodes with learning technology leaders, practitioners and providers
• 100+ educational webinars and buyer-focused sessions
• Hundreds of product videos, reviews, demos and learning technology shorts
• Ongoing consulting engagements across customer education, partner training, association learning, professional education, employee learning and extended enterprise use cases

The result is a practical, independent view of the market shaped by real buying processes, real vendor conversations and real implementation challenges and not theory, sponsored rankings or recycled marketing claims.

Explore the Talented Learning Ecosystem

Learning technology professionals and buyers need more than a consultant or a single research report. They need trusted resources that support every stage of the learning system lifecycle. That’s why we’ve built an ecosystem of independent research, educational content, buyer tools and advisory services designed to help organizations make better learning technology decisions with confidence.

Building a Better Learning Technology Market

Talented Learning was founded on a simple belief: organizations deserve an independent source of guidance when making learning technology decisions. That’s why we’ve built more than a consulting practice. We’ve created a growing ecosystem of research, educational resources, buyer tools and advisory services designed to help organizations make smarter decisions—from their earliest planning discussions through long-term learning ecosystem success.

Every article we publish, every podcast we produce, every buyer resource we develop and every client engagement we undertake shares the same purpose: to educate the market, empower learning technology buyers and improve the way organizations evaluate, select and optimize learning systems.

Ready to Get Started?

Whether you’re researching the market, replacing an existing learning system or looking for an independent perspective, Talented Learning is here to help. Explore our resources, subscribe to our weekly newsletter, research the Learning System Vendor Directory or use form below to request a conversation with John Leh to discuss your learning technology goals