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Episode Description:

In the second episode of the series Navigating Hostile Environments, Julia is joined by Autumn Phillips, a veteran journalist and newspaper editor with over 20 years of experience. Autumn reflects on the challenges of leading in the high-pressure, male-dominated world of newsrooms. She shares how her leadership journey was shaped by the need to prove herself to skeptical teams while navigating the “glass cliff” phenomenon—an environment where women are often given opportunities only in undesirable or failing roles.

“By definition, being the editor of a newspaper means you’re in a toxic environment whenever you walk into a newsroom. You’re not just handed respect; you have to earn it every day,” says Autumn.

Autumn discusses how she overcame the “man up culture” of her early career and learned to lead authentically by balancing empathy with decisiveness. She highlights the importance of fostering trust, creating spaces for constructive dialogue, and being fully present for her team.

Listen to this episode to find learnings for anyone striving to lead with integrity and resilience in environments that test their limits.

About the Guests

Autumn Phillips

Autumn Phillips is an Editor for The Post and Courier. With a career spanning leadership roles like Editor in Chief and Executive Editor, she has overseen Pulitzer finalist projects, launched Post and Courier Travel, and raised millions for public service journalism. Recognised as Journalist of the Year by the North American Travel Journalists Association, Autumn combines her passion for storytelling with a love of adventure and community building.

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.