Women Emerging Podcast

As Women Emerging concludes its Journeys to Leadership series, this special re-release revisits one of the conversations that helped shape how we think about leadership. The episode brings together Rouba Mhassen, Erica Su, and Folawe Omikunle as they reflect on the moments that transformed how they understood themselves and the way they lead. Rouba shares how she did not recognise herself as someo...

In this episode of the Women Emerging podcast's Journey to Leadership series, Julia Middleton speaks with former international rugby captain and educator Kelly McCallum about why every journey of leadership is, ultimately, a journey through relationships. Drawing on her experiences in both individual and team sports, Kelly reflects on the different relationships that shape us. Swimming taught her...

In this episode of the Women Emerging podcast's Journey to Leadership series, Julia Middleton speaks with writer, social entrepreneur and Obama Leader Europe, Mevan Babakar, about a journey she never imagined would be described as leadership. Born in Baghdad, Mevan spent five years as a child refugee after her family fled Saddam Hussein's genocide of the Kurds. As she moved across borders and lang...

In this episode of the Women Emerging podcast's Journey to Leadership series, Julia Middleton speaks with Shailja Saraswati, founder of Unstoppable Network, about the visible journey we write on our CVs and the quieter journey that unfolds beneath it. Drawing on a 25-year corporate career, her deep spiritual practice and the experiences that led her to create Unstoppable Network, Shailja reflects...

In this episode of the Women Emerging podcast's Journey to Leadership series, Julia Middleton speaks with Dr. Shakenna K. Williams, Executive Director of the Frank & Eileen™ Center for Women's Entrepreneurial Leadership at Babson College, about the experiences that shaped her approach to leading long before it was formally recognised. From childhood fishing trips with her father to becoming th...

In this episode, Julia speaks with Trinh Tu about one of the most difficult — and surprisingly universal — questions in leadership: How do we know when, or whether, we are ready to lead? When Julia first met Trinh, she described her own journey into leadership in four stages: “No way. Dragged in. Glad I did it. No endpoint.” It’s a phrase that captures something many people recognise: the uncertai...

In the final episode in this series of conversations around Devil Wears Prada, Julia speaks with Maryam after they watch the second film together. Unlike the earlier conversations in the series, this episode shifts away from Miranda Priestly herself and towards Andy — and what her character reveals about confidence, ambition, self-worth and the stories women continue to tell themselves as they lea...

In the third episode in this series of conversations around The Devil Wears Prada , Julia speaks with Öznur about the relationship between excellence, fear, creativity, and psychological safety — and whether the kind of environment created by Miranda Priestly still has a place today. Reflecting on her early years working in London design agencies, Öznur describes environments where relentless pres...

In the second episode in this series of conversations around The Devil Wears Prada , Julia speaks with Ally Vaughn about whether Miranda Priestly was simply cruel or whether the film unfairly framed a powerful woman who demanded excellence. The conversation begins with the title of the film itself. Ally points out that by calling it The Devil Wears Prada , the audience is already encouraged to dis...

In this very first episode in a new series of conversations around Devil Wears Prada, Julia begins with a question that sits at the heart of the film and of leading itself: when we call someone ruthless , what do we actually mean? In conversation with Phaedra, the discussion moves beyond the surface of The Devil Wears Prada and into the realities of making decisions when something important is at...

In the final episode of the series on Grandmotherness, Julia speaks with Melissa about how this stage of life reshapes the way we let go, think long-term, and lead beyond our own agenda. Melissa begins by drawing a distinction between motherness and grandmotherness. While both are rooted in care, investment, and hope, grandmotherness introduces a different quality — love with less attachment to ou...

In this special episode, recorded on her birthday, Julia takes the hotseat while Folawe interviews her. They reflect on how Julia’s understanding of leading has evolved and what feels more important now than ever. Julia speaks about becoming clearer over time that leading must be done in your own way, and with a combination of love, energy, hope, and enthusiasm, even when the world feels uncertain...

In the third episode of the series on Grandmotherness, Julia speaks with Marianna about how this stage of life reshapes the way we listen, create fairness, and support others while leading. Marianna draws a powerful parallel between her role as a family judge and her experience as a grandmother. In both, she explains, one thing matters deeply: people need to feel that they have been heard. Whether...

In the second episode of the series on Grandmotherness, Julia speaks with Laila about how this stage of life reshapes the way we understand fairness, curiosity, and difference while leading. Laila begins with the role of stories — how storytelling helps children make sense of the world, and how the questions they ask in return often challenge long-held assumptions. Through these interactions, she...

This episode launches a new series on Grandmotherness, exploring what this stage of life reveals about how we lead, relate, and show up for others. In this first conversation, Julia speaks with Radhika about the unexpected ways grandmotherness shapes leading — not through authority, but through presence, care, and quiet influence. Radhika reflects on the deep responsibility that comes with being a...

In this episode, Julia speaks with Amanda about burnout — and how psychological safety within teams can play a crucial role in preventing it. Amanda reflects on how burnout is often misunderstood as a problem of workload alone. In reality, it frequently emerges in environments where people feel a lack of control, unclear expectations, exclusion, or a sense that their voice does not matter. The con...

In this episode, Julia speaks with Tam about burnout — and why one of the most powerful things one could do to prevent it is surprisingly simple: slow things down. Tam reflects on how modern workplaces often move at a relentless pace. Meetings pile up, deadlines tighten, and we feel pressure to keep everything spinning faster and faster. But constant speed, she argues, does not create better work....

In this first conversation of the burnout series, Julia speaks with Veronique Bourbeau, an ultramarathon runner whose life is built around pushing physical and mental limits. From record-breaking endurance races to multi-thousand-kilometre runs across countries, Veronique understands better than most what it means to reach the edge of exhaustion. Yet her perspective on burnout may surprise you. Bu...

In this episode, Julia speaks with Aisha about Energy — how it shapes the way we lead, and the responsibility we carry for the energy we create in a room. Aisha reflects on leading intuitively. Before logic or structure, she reads emotion, atmosphere, and the unspoken dynamics between people. Working with young people affected by trauma, she explains why energy is often felt before it can be expla...

In this episode, Julia speaks with Mona about how education — formal, informal, cultural, and familial — quietly shapes the way we lead, often without us realising it. Together, they reflect on moments in their own leading where habits, preferences, and blind spots can be traced directly back to how they were educated — what was rewarded, what was discouraged, and what was never questioned. From s...

In this episode, Julia speaks with Nyuta about trust not as something soft or assumed, but as something tested, named, and earned. Nyuta reflects on a question that has followed her throughout her life: why do people trust me? Growing up in a loving and open family, she learned not to hide parts of herself. For her, trust begins with alignment — saying what you mean, doing what you say, and leavin...

In this episode, Julia speaks with Maria in the final conversation of the Trust series — turning attention to what happens to trust in a crisis , when plans fall away and decisions must be made quickly. Maria reflects on trust not as something that can be trained or demanded, but as something that is created over time through communication, shared values, and relationships. A crisis, she explains,...

In this episode, Julia speaks with Ebisan about trust — and why it begins not with others, but with learning to trust ourselves. Ebisan reflects on how she approaches relationships with openness, but also with hesitation — not as fear, but as discernment. She talks about trusting the signals we feel in our bodies, and how gut instinct often tells us when something feels right, or when something fe...

In this episode, Julia speaks with Geetanjali Sampemane about trust — and what it really takes to build systems that people are willing to rely on, even when they do not fully understand how those systems work. Geeta reflects on her early work helping connect institutions in India to the internet, and how mistrust of new technology gradually shifted through familiarity, experience, and positive ou...

In this episode, Julia speaks with Swatee Deepak about trust — taking the conversation beyond how it is built to the factors that quietly break it. Swatee works at the intersection of philanthropy, gender equality, and community building, and is the founding partner of Shake The Table. Swatee reflects on her experience convening groups of women philanthropists — many of whom arrive already cautiou...