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Episode Description

In this episode, Julia hosts Manisha Amin, CEO of the Centre for Inclusive Design, who challenges conventional leadership narratives by advocating for authenticity and inclusivity. Manisha emphasizes the importance of embracing one’s full story, asserting, “If we don’t tell our entire stories, we are not being authentic.” She delves into balancing vulnerability with strength, integrating personal insights into professional settings, and redefining leadership beyond traditional norms.

Manisha candidly shares her journey, including the experience of receiving her first complaint letter as a new CEO, highlighting the lessons learned and the resilience developed. She discusses the intersection of motherhood and leadership, illustrating how personal experiences enrich professional roles. Her insights shed light on the power of inclusive leadership and the necessity of fostering environments where diverse voices are valued.

This podacst features a thought-provoking conversation that challenges leadership myths and encourages a more holistic, authentic approach to leading both at work and in life.

About the Guests

Manisha Amin

Manisha Amin is the founder of the Inclusive Design Collective, a global team of changemakers dedicated to designing for inclusion. With a background in leading the Centre for Inclusive Design; Manisha now focuses on fostering innovation and growth through inclusive solutions. As a person of color, she takes an intersectional approach to leadership, ensuring that traditionally hard-to-reach communities—across age, race, gender, ability, and more—are actively engaged in shaping the future of work, thinking, and creativity.

About the Host

Julia Middleton

Julia Middleton is the host of the Women Emerging podcast and a best-selling author of “If that’s leading, I’m in” as well as two previous books: “Leading beyond Authority” and “Cultural Intelligence”. She is deeply committed to helping people from all backgrounds to find their own approach to leading.

In 2020, Julia launched Women Emerging and in 2022 she lead an expedition of 24 women to find ‘an approach to leading that resonates with women’. She now leads expeditions with women all over the world based on 4Es methodology, discovered in the first expedition.

Prior to that, Julia was founder and, for over thirty years, Chief Executive of Common Purpose, which grew to become one of the biggest leadership development organisations in the world.
Julia is also an Ambassador for the Aurora Prize based in Armenia, on the boards of Alfanar Venture Philanthropy in the Arab World and Equality Now, which operates globally, and on the Advisory Councils of Fundacao Dom Cabral in Brazil and Synapse in Pakistan.

Born in London and brought up in New York, Julia was educated at French Lycées and graduated from the London School of Economics. She is married, with five children and lots of grandchildren.