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Episode Description:

In the final episode of Exploring Continues, Julia speaks with Katya Guryeva, who recently completed a remarkable run across Armenia, from the border of Iran to the border of Georgia. Katya reflects on her transformative year and shares the insights she gained post the first expedition. When asked if she has discovered an eighth Essence beyond Motherness, Sacred, Trauma, Education, Ancestors, Body, and Nature, Katya identifies community perhaps is a strong contender.

She recounts her journey from the inception of the project to its successful completion, highlighting the incredible support she received along the way. Through the lens of Energy, Katya discusses the Law of Conservation of Energy, emphasising that Energy cannot be created or destroyed but is instead transferred. This concept is central to her project, prompting her to consider how she can pass on the energy she’s received. In her vision of purposeful leadership, she expresses a deep desire to share this Energy with others. This episode urges us to reflect on the importance of community and the ways in which we can nurture and share Energy in our own lives, building connections that uplift and inspire.

About the Guests

Katya Guryeva

Katya is an explorer, dreamer, cautious optimist, and recently has started to feel comfortable, also calling herself an ultrarunner after a few years discovering the sport. She was a member of the first Women Emerging expedition last year, and in her day job works on urban climate resilience at C40 Cities. Passionate about gender equity and the power of community to make change, she is also a 2024 Ambassador for Free to Run, an organisation that supports women in conflict areas to develop leadership skills through sport.

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.