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In the final episode of the Bridging the Age Gap podcast series, Julia sits down with Funmi Adeyemi and Folawe Omikunle to speak about the tensions between older and younger leaders, especially around managing a younger team or relationship with an older manager, handling difficult conversations, and giving (and receiving) criticism.

Funmi Adeyemi and Folawe Omikunle, two women who are deeply committed to transforming education and equity in Nigeria, bring distinct generational experiences to this conversation, but with a shared conviction.

They speak openly about the quiet tensions that can exist between senior and younger leaders: the hesitation to give feedback, the fear that sets in when one drops the ball, and the ‘who’s first to shake hands’. But what surfaces just as strongly is mutual trust, and a shared belief that leading can evolve when we reframe hierarchy.

“When you’re too much about hierarchy and titles, you lose your ability to be creative, to be spontaneous, to be innovative, you know, to be open, to really be your genuine self,” said Folawe.

This closing episode invites more open dialogue across generations so that together, we can move towards a new normal of leading.

About the Guests

Folawe Omikunle

Folawe Omikunle is a social entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience in education, international development, non-profit leadership, and sustainability. A Tutu Fellow and finalist for the Africa Education Medal, she has been recognised as one of Nigeria’s most inspiring women. Folawe serves on multiple boards and is deeply committed to unlocking Africa’s potential through investments in human capital.

Funmi Adeyemi

Funmi is deeply invested in supporting women and girls to lead with confidence in their communities and across diverse spaces. She is the Expedition Director at Women Emerging, where she leads the global delivery of the Expeditions, and the founder of EquitED– the award-winning initiative working to shift gender norms in Nigerian schools. Her work combines strategy, communication, and community building to inspire bold, inclusive change.

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.