START AN EXPEDITION

Episode Description:

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 their organisations and looking forward to making it independent of their presence, so that the organisation can thrive without being dependent on the founder. “That’s the motherness in my mind, how am I nurturing a little child that makes them have their own agency and independence, and then they can survive in this own world where I can become obsolete,” she notes. This episode is a deep dive into Ayesha’s reflections on the first expedition, leading her own expedition and building her neuroscience institute in Pakistan. Listen to this one to understand how Essence shapes leading.

About the Guests

Ayesha Mian

Dr Ayesha Mian is the founder and CEO of Synapse, Pakistan Neuroscience Institute. She is the immediate past Chair, Department of Psychiatry (2013-2020), Aga Khan University and the Founding Dean of Students of the Office of Student Experience (2017-2020), AKU.

Dr Mian created the first child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship training program in Pakistan. She has been internationally recognised for her work; key awards include the Jeanna Spurlock Award for Diversity and Culture by AACAP, the Laughlin Fellowship by American College of Psychiatrist (ACP), Presidential Award and Outstanding Mentor by AACAP, Robert Fellowship for Inspirational Mentorship (AAP), Fulbright and Jaworski Awards in Educational Leadership by BCM and a Lifetime Achievement Award by the University of Missouri, Department of Psychiatry.

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.