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Episode Description:

In the third episode of our series on how young women deal with being patronised, Julia is joined by Chmba. Last week Priya left us with a question for Chmba – How do you deal with being patronised when it happens in the moment, in public on the big stage – as it often does when you are the ‘young’ expert at a global summit. Chmba’s first piece of advise was to know where the bathroom is whenever you enter a new unfamiliar space so that you know where to go when you need a moment alone. Here, you can talk to yourself and be your own source of encouragement to get you through the day. She talks of learning to cultivate a deep sense of empathy towards oneself, reminding us that often when patronised in those spaces it feel like a punch in the gut that somehow materialised out of nowhere. Like Sophie she is brutally aware the fact that perhaps one needs to expect being patronised and so she shares her own practice of having responses ready, so that when the punch hits, you have ready. When the punch in your gut lands, how do you learn to pick yourself up in the moment? How do you learn to hold space for yourself when you are exposed and vulnerable in an unfamiliar space?

About the Guests

Chmba Ellen Chilemba

A Malawian a community organizer, activist singer-songwriter, DJ and producer-artist from Malawi.

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.