Loading...

PODCAST

Women Emerging Podcast

Every week, we produce a new episode that explores women and leadership from a different perspective. In a series of lively, wide-ranging discussions, we talk to women all over the world who are dealing with tough leadership challenges in their daily lives. We find out the barriers they face and how they are overcoming them; they share their experiences, insights and advice. (the series also informs and illustrates the expedition while it is underway and gives updates on the members’

education non-profit

All Episodes

27:32

238. Grace, Belonging and Building Teams Where People...

Women Emerging Podcast ·

2026/10/07

What does it take to build a team where people feel safe enough to make mistakes and different enough to remain themselves?Julia speaks with Carla McKenzie about two ideas at the heart of how Carla builds teams: grace and belonging.For Carla, grace does not mean lowering expectations. It means being clear about those expectations in the first place and taking responsibility for what people could reasonably have known. When somebody gets something wrong because an expectation was never communicated,

en

29:29

237. What Do Healthy Teams Look Like?

Women Emerging Podcast ·

2026/09/30

What if a team that never disagrees is not as healthy as it appears? Julia speaks with Isabel about what it really takes to build a healthy team, beginning with the kind of trust that allows people to ask for help, admit mistakes and say what they really think. Their conversation moves through healthy conflict, commitment and accountability, but also the importance of difference. What happens when everyone in a team thinks the same way? How do we make room for people who process, communicate and

en

29:47

236. What Leading Expeditions Taught Me About...

Women Emerging Podcast ·

2026/09/23

What does it take to build virtual teams?In the first episode of our new series on building teams, Julia Middleton, founder of Women Emerging, speaks to Funmi Adeymi who has built and worked with teams across countries and continents, often without ever being physically together. They explore what changes when a team is entirely online, and why so much of the responsibility for creating connection falls on the person leading it. From bringing the right Energy into the room, to paying attention to

en

21:52

235. How Leading With Uncertainty Built the First...

Women Emerging Podcast ·

2026/09/16

n this episode of the Women Emerging Podcast, Julia Middleton sits down with Smahane, Expedition Leader of the first Women Emerging city expedition, held in Brussels, to reflect on what it took to lead 20-plus women leaders through months of uncertainty — and what came out the other side. Smahane and Julia trace three threads from the pilot: leadership as the generation of energy, and how very different energies — calm, loud, intellectual, embodied — found their place around one table; the idea that

en

28:50

234. Taking Space and Creating Space for Others While...

Women Emerging Podcast ·

2026/09/09

In this episode of the Women Emerging Podcast, Julia Middleton sits down with documentary filmmaker Justine to explore how the 4Es helped her find language for questions of existence, confidence and taking space. During the Brussels City Expedition, Justine began looking more closely at her essence and the influence of her maternal ancestors. Having grown up hearing herself described as an “unwanted child”, she had carried a fear of taking up too much space. A filmed conversation with her mother

en

28:36

233. How Women Weave the Fabric of a City

Women Emerging Podcast ·

2026/09/02

In this episode of the Women Emerging Podcast, Julia Middleton sits down with Lara following the first Women Emerging City Expedition in Brussels to explore what impact did the expedition leave on her. Lara reflects on how the expedition changed her understanding of leading. Having previously assumed that leadership required a title, a certain age or responsibility for a team, she began to recognise it as the work of anchoring people, connecting ideas and restoring direction when priorities become

en

29:24

232. Vulnerability Does Not Require Full Exposure

Women Emerging Podcast ·

2026/08/26

In this episode of the Women Emerging Podcast, Julia Middleton sits down with Njeri Margaret to explore why vulnerability matters when we lead—and why it must come with boundaries.Together, they begin with what vulnerability makes possible. It allows people to relate to the person behind the title, makes leadership more authentic and can help others feel seen and heard. Njeri reflects on how sharing lived experience can build community, give voice to what others have struggled to express and turn a

en

26:31

231. Are You Every Too Young To Lead?

Women Emerging Podcast ·

2026/08/19

In this episode of the Women Emerging Podcast, Julia Middleton sits down with Ema to look back at a leading journey that began when she was just 12 years old. Together, they explore what Ema now knows about leading across generations, staying true to herself and beginning before she felt entirely ready. Ema reflects on what it was like to lead adults while still being seen as a child. She shares how she once believed that being respected meant appearing older and more experienced, before recognising

en

34:34

230. Unpacking The Hidden Risk of Empathetic Leadership

Women Emerging Podcast ·

2026/08/12

In this episode of the Women Emerging Podcast, Julia Middleton sits down with Janice to explore one of the questions many women face as they begin leading others: can empathy ever become too much? Together, they begin by affirming something fundamental: empathy is essential. We are leading people, not robots, and understanding the human impact of our decisions is at the heart of good leading. But then the conversation turns to a more difficult question. What happens when empathy has no boundaries

en

26:06

229. When Student Life Gets in the Way of Leading

Women Emerging Podcast ·

2026/08/05

In this episode of the Women Emerging Podcast, Julia Middleton sits down with Iris Lin, an Explorer from the Global Changemakers 2 expedition, to explore how our experience of education can continue to shape the way we approach leading.For Iris, being a good student meant believing that preparation, perfection and having the right answers were the keys to success. But through her Women Emerging expedition, she began to question whether those same habits were holding her back when working with others

en

29:00

228. How Poverty is a Big Piece of My Essence and...

Women Emerging Podcast ·

2026/07/29

In this episode of the Women Emerging Podcast, Julia Middleton sits down with Fatou to explore one of the most profound influences on how we lead: growing up with poverty as part of our essence.For Fatou, poverty is far more than a lack of money. It is a way of seeing the world that can shape generations, convincing people that scarcity is inevitable and possibility is out of reach. Drawing on her own journey—from growing up in poverty in Africa to studying at Harvard and teaching at MIT—she

en

26:11

227. How Clothes in My Essence Shape My Approach to...

Women Emerging Podcast ·

2026/07/22

In this episode of the Women Emerging Podcast, Julia Middleton sits down with Henrietta Bankole-Olusina to explore how one aspect of our essence—how we choose to show up—can reveal something much deeper about who we are.For Henrietta, clothes are never just clothes. Growing up in Nigeria, vibrant colours, textures and craftsmanship became part of how she expressed her identity. Yet after spending more than two decades in consulting, banking and financial services, she found herself dressing to fit

en

29:33

226. How Martial Arts in my Essence Frames my...

Women Emerging Podcast ·

2026/07/15

In this episode of the Women Emerging Podcast, Julia Middleton sits down with martial arts instructor, coach and entrepreneur Jo Hall to explore how one unexpected part of our essence can profoundly shape the way we lead. At first glance, martial arts might appear to be about fighting. Jo argues the opposite. After decades of training, she believes its greatest lesson is knowing when not to fight. Together, Julia and Jo explore how confidence changes our decision-making, why leading isn't about

en

32:09

225. Re-release: Aha Moments of Women in Their...

Women Emerging Podcast ·

2026/07/08

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 someone leading until others named it, and how embracing that identity changed everything. Erica explores the

en

27:01

224. Journey to Leadership is a Journey Through...

Women Emerging Podcast ·

2026/07/01

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 the importance of building a relationship with herself—developing resilience, focus and the confidence

en

30:51

223. I Thought My Leadership Journey Would Never Happen

Women Emerging Podcast ·

2026/06/24

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 languages, she found herself translating not only words, but systems, cultures and opportunities for the

en

25:18

222. Shailja Saraswati on the Twin-Track Journey of...

Women Emerging Podcast ·

2026/06/17

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 on what happens when the systems around us no longer fit and we begin searching for something more

en

36:59

221. Dr. Shakenna Williams' Leadership Journey From...

Women Emerging Podcast ·

2026/06/10

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 the oldest girl guiding a group of younger cousins, Shakenna reflects on the lessons that taught her

en

31:34

220. Trinh Tu's Leadership Journey From "No Way" to...

Women Emerging Podcast ·

2026/06/03

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 uncertainty, hesitation, and vulnerability that often come with stepping into greater responsibility. Trinh Tu,

en

38:17

219. Are Women Forced to Choose Between Andy and...

Women Emerging Podcast ·

2026/05/27

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 lead. Maryam reflects on Andy as someone who is no longer an intern, no longer inexperienced, and yet still

en

238 results

Similar Podcasts

Daily Facts

Amalia Dupray and Montgomery Jones.

Les dents et dodo

BFMTV

The Clinical Problem Solvers

The Clinical Problem Solvers

» Divine Intervention Podcasts

Divine-Favour Anene

AASR Live

The Alliance Against Seclusion and...