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Episode Description

In this episode, Julia Middleton is joined by Valérie Lucq to explore what it truly means to harness and release energy within a team. Leaders often assume they must generate energy themselves, but Valérie challenges this notion, drawing from Einstein’s works, she suggests that a leader’s role is to recognize and unlock the energy that already exists in each individual.

“As leaders, we tend to lead the way we want to be led. But true leadership is about leading people the way they want to be led,” says Valérie.

Julia and Valérie discuss the importance of understanding different energies within a team, learning from the laws of nature, and finding sustainable ways to inspire and empower others. They explore how self-awareness, adaptability, and a deeper appreciation for human dynamics can transform the way we lead.

Listen to this episode to discover how embracing different energy flows can create stronger, more effective teams.

About the Guests

Valérie Lucq

Valérie Lucq is an engineer by education, a medtech scale-up leader by experience, and a life explorer at heart. She combines philosophy, physics, and day-to-day observations to help teams achieve sustainable success.

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.