Women Emerging Podcast

In this episode, Julia is joined by Katrien Van den Broeck, author of Confronting the 10 Traps of Power (2024), to discuss the unique challenges women face while leading in politics which is no doubt a highly demanding and hostile environment. Katrien highlights the traps of isolation, perfectionism, and managing team dynamics, offering strategies for women to navigate these pressures effectively....

In the fourth episode of Navigating Hostile Environments, Julia speaks with Jamie Mittelman, founder of Flame Bearers, a platform dedicated to amplifying the voices of women athletes from around the world. Jamie shares her experiences navigating the challenges of leading in a field that has historically underserved women, she highlights the importance of flipping hostility by leading with positivi...

In the third episode, Julia is joined by Jill Heinerth, a cave diver, underwater explorer, and filmmaker. Jill dives into her unique experiences navigating literal and metaphorical hostile environments beneath the Earth's surface. She shares how she confronts fear, the strategies she uses to remain calm under pressure, and the critical role of teamwork in life-threatening situations.  "Fear i...

In the second episode of the series Navigating Hostile Environments , Julia is joined by Autumn Phillips, a veteran journalist and newspaper editor with over 20 years of experience. Autumn reflects on the challenges of leading in the high-pressure, male-dominated world of newsrooms. She shares how her leadership journey was shaped by the need to prove herself to skeptical teams while navigating th...

In the first episode of the series Navigating Hostile Environments, Julia is joined by Aaminah Qadir, a human rights lawyer based in Pakistan. Aaminah shares her experiences of working in a male-dominated profession and the systemic resistance faced by women litigators.   “They often refer to me as 'baby' in court, not as a romantic gesture, but to belittle me, as if I’m a child who does...

In this Christmas Special, which Julia refers to her ‘Christmas Gift’ she talks to Prue Leith, celebrated restaurateur, author, and television personality. Prue offers a candid and deeply reflective look into her leadership journey, shaped by honesty, optimism, and persistence. From transforming toxic kitchen cultures to championing better school food systems, she shares the lessons learned from a...

In this episode, Julia is joined by Anna & Ayesha to bring closure to the Women Leading Together series. Across the series, certain sub-themes had surfaced, and Julia sought to explore these with Anna and Ayesha, who have co-chaired the Committee on Global Mental Health and International Relations for nearly a decade. Together, they reflected on the foundations of their collaboration, the role...

In this episode of the Podcast, Julia is joined by Sophie Kwasny and Francine Hetherington Raveney, who reflect on their experiences working together in leadership roles at the Council of Europe. Their collaboration demonstrates how shared values, trust, and adaptability can redefine traditional leadership models. In theory Sophie heads the team and that makes her Francine’s boss, but the duo expl...

In the third episode of Women Leading Together, Julia speaks with Rema Subramanian and Ritu Verma, whose 14-year bond has transformed their India based investment fund into a globally recognised powerhouse, raising over $200 Mn while building a resilient team and brand.  Rema and Ritu share their secret of working together as women leaders: fostering trust, aligning upon core values, and embr...

In the second episode of the Women Leading Together series, Julia dives into the competitive world of basketball with Dorothy and Deanna, two remarkable 3X3 referees. They talk about how their partnership thrives on mutual respect, trust, and complementary strengths despite the intense nature of their sport.  Dorothy brings a calm and reflective approach, while Deanna embodies direct and asse...

This is the very first episode of the series, Women Leading Together, the one where we explore how women lead as a team in communities, companies or at home across different sectors, geographies and specialisms. In this episode Julia is joined by Iliana Montauk who shares the story of her partnership with Laila Abudahi, detailing how they’ve harnessed their distinct approach to leading to build a...

In the final episode of Exploring Continues, Julia speaks with Katya Guryeva, who recently completed a remarkable run across Armenia, from the border of Iran to the border of Georgia. Katya reflects on her transformative year and shares the insights she gained post the first expedition. When asked if she has discovered an eighth Essence beyond Motherness, Sacred, Trauma, Education, Ancestors, Body...

In the third episode of Exploring Continues, Julia talks to Ayesha Mian. Ayesha reflects on her experience of leading a diverse group of women during the Pakistan expedition, how her leading has shaped over the last one year and how Body has emerged as part of her Essence recently. On Motherness, she provides us with an insight that might resonate with many (men and women alike) who are building t...

In the second episode of the series Exploring Continues, Julia is joined by Isata Kabia, who discusses how Motherness as an Essence has manifested in her leadership since the first expedition. She reflects on how what women do while leading is the purest form of Motherness and how women have felt embarrassed about it for so long. She emphasizes that this Essence is what the world needs in all aspe...

This is the very first episode of our new series, Exploring Continues. This series is both about looking back and forward. Katrina Webb, who was part of the first expedition tells us how her leading has shaped in the last one year and if the 4Es still resonate with her? She passionately discusses the Essence of "Motherness" in leading, declaring, “I have shouted out that I am an incredible leader...

This is the final episode in our series on Leading by Faith. Lifelong Alaskan Jackie, born and raised in Kotzebue, shares her unique insights and experiences rooted in rural Alaskan culture. She emphasizes the importance of oral history, reflecting on how her family has inhabited the same land for thousands of years. Jackie explains that this deep connection fosters a mindset that values retention...

In this episode, Sara speaks to Julia about how Islam has shaped her leading. Sara explains that she trusts Allah has mapped out her journey. At first, she was upset about giving up her dream of being a basketball player, but she soon discovered that pursuing the sport as a referee brought her new and bigger opportunities like the World Cup and the Olympics. While that's true, she emphasises that...

In this episode, Florence speaks to Julia about how Christianity has shaped her leading. She speaks of leading from the middle. Her task, as a leader, she believes, is to lift up the people around her and facilitate their growth, and not for her to be the centre of attention. Florence shares with us the concept of grace and how she leads with it. As a woman leading, she has often been met with opp...

In this Episode Julia is joined by Maria for whom Mysticism has served as a connection and curiosity to know oneself as deeply as one desires to connect those those are you, nature and and something that is bigger than all. Her mystic journey has guided her leading. When she worked as a politician, she would conduct a meditation session every friday, creating a space that attempted to dissolve hie...

In the second episode of our series on Leading inspired by Faith, we are joined by Isabel who was born into a christian family and for whom the teaching of Jesus Christ resonated deeply from a young age. She shares with Julia why she loves leading from the back and how her faith taught her that. She has learnt the importance of showing up no matter what and the importance of mentoring the next gen...

This is the first Episode in our series new series on Leading Inspired by Faith. Tracey, an accidental buddhist as she describes herself and an accomplished squash player shares with us how long before she was exposed to buddhism, she was practicing the principles of buddhism. She shares how it has given her a moral compass that has helped her in her leading. There is not god in Buddhism and so it...

We are revisiting the series on how young women deal with being patronised for a special episode where Julia is joined by Selin, a young activist whose went viral for sharing her experience of being patronised at a global forum. She was invited to speak for 3 minutes. Her 3 minutes were measured, rehearsed, screened, and approved. Inch by inch the organisers ate into her 3 minutes. It started with...

For many young people, arriving at a point where they want to embrace leading, the verb wholeheartedly, with open arms is often a challenge. In this episode, Meenakshi Arundhati, Editor and Production coordinator of the Women Emerging Podcast is looking back at has 9 clips from 9 episodes this year, that helped her grow into her own leading. It is an episode that attempts to stitch together the vo...

This is the last episode in your 4Es Series and we are joined by Anna-Lena who is a journalist, and co-founded HateAid, a non-profit organisation that advocates for human rights in the digital space. At a time when women are disproportionately attacked online, especially those leading, Anna-Lena and Julia discuss how digital violence targets our Essence. Essence is what makes us who we are, and sp...

In the fourth episode of the 4 Es series, Julia is joined by Sunita, whose experience spans across continents in the field of renewable energy. Leading in different contexts has taught her how to combine seemingly opposite ideas and the one she holds closest is her ability to balance humility with assertiveness. Every new context offers and opportunity to unlearn and re-learn, she say, for the pac...