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Episode Description

In this episode of the Women Emerging Podcast, Julia speaks with Dorothy, an international basketball referee Drawing from her experiences on the court, Dorothy shares powerful insights on leadership, decision-making under pressure, and handling criticism without letting it bring you down.

“Listening to all the criticism, but learning to filter it so that it doesn’t take you down, is absolutely fundamental to leading,” says Dorothy.

Julia and Dorothy explore the striking parallels between refereeing and leadership—how leaders, like referees, must make quick decisions, stand firm in their judgment, and navigate intense scrutiny. They discuss the importance of resilience, confidence, and the ability to tune out the noise while staying focused on the bigger picture.

Listen to this episode to discover what the world of refereeing can teach us about leading with clarity, confidence, and conviction.

About the Guests

Dorothy Okatch

Dorothy Okatch is a FIBA International Referee for both traditional basketball and for 3 x 3 basketball. She got her traditional basketball license in 2014 and her 3×3 license in 2020. Dorothy has officiated various national, regional and international competitions such as the Olympics, World Cups, AfroBasket and the Basketball Africa League.

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.