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Episode Description

In this episode, Julia is joined by Dr Ayesha Mian to explore the impact of Trauma on leadership. Trauma affects every aspect of our lives, including our sense of self, emotional regulation, thinking, behaviours, body, and relationships. Ayesha explains that no one escapes trauma, whether personal, inherited, or secondary. She highlights how unaddressed trauma shapes leadership styles, influencing how we respond to challenges and interact with others.

The discussion examines how understanding trauma allows leaders to build resilience, develop emotional intelligence, and create healthier environments for themselves and those they lead. Ayesha also stresses the importance of self-awareness and seeking support in order to navigate the lasting effects of trauma.

This episode invites us to recognise the unseen forces that shape leadership and to explore healing as a path towards stronger and more compassionate leadership.

About the Guests

Ayesha Mian

Dr Ayesha Mian is a US trained psychiatrist specialising in adult, child, and adolescent mental health. With over twenty years of experience, she has led initiatives in medical education, cultural intelligence, and gender studies. She was the Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Aga Khan University and is the Founder and CEO of Synapse, Pakistan Neuroscience Institute. Ayesha is passionate about integrating mental health awareness into leadership and personal development.

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.