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 generation of leaders. As a leader, sometimes tough love is what is needed, and this too is something she elarnt at church. At the heart of her leading is a desire and belief of diversity and inclusion and she argues that it is in fact her faith that has taught her to be this way and love all for who they are. In difficult times she prays, a personal practice she does alone, seeking guidance to do the right thing.

About the guest:

Isabel Kumwembe is Special project manager at alx africa, and organisation on a mission to identify, develop and equip Africa’s next 3 million leaders. She is also the founder of Amazon Women's Football Club.

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 requires one to deeply reflect and introspect. Qualities, Tracey believes are helpful to a leader too. Both squash and buddhism taught her the importance of being present and cultivating focusTracey's faith has allowed to to balance and navigate difficult situations both professionally and personally with peers, clients and teams with kindness and honesty. For example, it is not enough that you do the right thing when people are looking, but do you have the ability to stand up for what is right even when someone is not watching you? How can you live and lead in a manner that allows you to see from many different perspective?

About the Guest:

Tracey Woon has had over 35 years of experience of working in investment banking experience and has worked on corporate finance and is currently 'journeying' in her next chapter.

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 the content, and then they asked her to shorted the duration. When Selin decided to take her 3 minutes as promised and stand her ground, her mike was turned off. Shortly after this she was interviewed, and her candid interview went viral.

While young people are invited to have a seat at the table, it is often to serve a visual. They still struggle for their voices to be heard. Selin shares with us what this kind of partonising does to young people, how it creates a sense of doubt. She speaks of the power of venting but the dilemma of that moment living on the internet for enternity in the age of social media. How do you make your voice heard as a young person? How does one navigate being silenced in a public forum? Where do you derive your inner strength from to keep going?

About the Guest:

Selin Ozunaldim is a global gender equality activist from Istanbul, Turkey, serving as a National Gender Youth Activist, representing Turkey worldwide for UN Women and advocating for the HeForShe initiative of UN Women. She is a member of the editorial team for the YOUth Newsletter published by UN Women. Selin is a member of the Global Feminist Coalition for Gender Transformative Education, hosted by UNGEI in collaboration with Unicef. She also holds the role of Ambassador for WAVE Organization, co-funded by the European Union. Selin holds a position on the Gen Z Advisory Board of Fast Company Turkey and is a Board Member at Être Girls, a mentorship organization designed to empower young girls by connecting them with accomplished female leaders from diverse sectors.