Women Emerging Podcast

218. Can Miranda Priestly’s Version of Excellence Still Work Today?

In the third episode in this series of conversations around The Devil Wears Prada, Julia speaks with Öznur about the relationship between excellence, fear, creativity, and psychological safety — and whether the kind of environment created by Miranda Priestly still has a place today. Reflecting on her early years working in London design agencies, Öznur describes environments where relentless pressure, perfectionism, and long hours were normalised in the pursuit of excellence. Like Miranda, many of the figures leading these spaces were deeply committed to producing exceptional work. But the conversation asks an important question: does commitment to excellence inevitably require harshness? Öznur speaks candidly about the impact of fear-based environments — how they create stress, mistrust, and competition within teams, while slowly eroding creativity and confidence. Rather than bringing out the best in people, she argues, these cultures often prevent talented individuals from contributing fully. A central theme in the episode is the importance of psychological safety. Öznur reflects on the kind of environments she has consciously tried to build throughout her own career — spaces where people feel trusted, supported, and able to speak up, including the quietest voices in the room. The conversation also explores the tension between empathy and standards. Julia and Öznur discuss the challenge of balancing care for people with clarity around performance and expectations — and why avoiding difficult conversations does not necessarily help teams thrive. Returning to Miranda Priestly, the episode reflects on how differently her behaviour might be viewed today. Was she simply a product of her time? Or have expectations around work, wellbeing, and leading fundamentally changed over the last twenty years? Together, Julia and Öznur explore a more sustainable vision of excellence — one built not on fear and control, but on trust, clarity, stability, and collective creativity. About the Guest Öznur is a design and research leader with 20 years of experience in the field, working in complex industries like healthcare, life sciences and technology. A champion of cross-disciplinary collaboration and psychological safety, she leads her teams and her organisations towards delivering better services to their users. She is also a trained horticulturist and a garden designer, and enjoys bringing gardening metaphors to her work as much as possible. Öznur is currently heading up design at Isomorphic Labs, and she previously held similar roles at Genomics England, DeepMind and Google.

217. Was Miranda Priestly Actually a Good Boss?

In the second episode in this series of conversations around The Devil Wears Prada, Julia speaks with Ally Vaughn about whether Miranda Priestly was simply cruel or whether the film unfairly framed a powerful woman who demanded excellence. The conversation begins with the title of the film itself. Ally points out that by calling it The Devil Wears Prada, the audience is already encouraged to dislike Miranda before she even speaks. From there, the discussion explores the pressures facing women in positions of power — especially women who are ambitious, demanding, serious, and unwilling to soften themselves to make others comfortable. Ally reflects on Miranda’s world: a high-stakes industry where decisions shaped culture, careers, and influence. In that environment, Miranda expected responsiveness, preparation, commitment, and high standards from the people around her. The conversation asks whether some of what we interpreted as harshness was actually clarity, discipline, and deep responsibility towards the mission. At the same time, neither Julia nor Ally ignore the damage Miranda caused. The episode explores the toxic side of performance obsession — fear-driven environments, lack of clarity, public criticism, favouritism, and the unfair treatment of Emily. Together, they reflect on how quickly mission-focus can become mission-obsession, creating cultures where people stop making good decisions because they are operating from fear. A central thread in the conversation is fairness. Through the contrasting experiences of Andy and Emily, Julia and Ally discuss what happens when talented, committed people feel overlooked or unfairly treated — and how favouritism can quietly erode trust in someone’s leadership. The episode also explores the contradictions in Miranda herself. Despite her cruelty, she backed talented people deeply, protected her team from uncertainty, explained the bigger vision behind seemingly small decisions, and understood the weight of her role in shaping an industry. Together, Julia and Ally reflect on a more uncomfortable truth: successful women are often judged differently. The same focus, determination, and decisiveness that might be admired in others can quickly become labelled as coldness, arrogance, or cruelty in women. This episode is not a defence of Miranda Priestly. It is a more honest conversation about power, fairness, feedback, fear, ambition, and the complicated realities of leading under pressure. About the Guest: Ally Vaughn is Head of Business Management for Fixed Income, Commodities, and Core Technology at Millennium Capital Management, a global multi-strategy investment firm. Based in London, she is responsible for the financial management and operational effectiveness of the technology organisation, delivering strategic initiatives and leading the expansion of global offices and centres of excellence to ensure the technology platform scales with the firm’s investment ambitions. Prior to joining Millennium, Ally was Head of Transformation at Polen Capital and spent 15 years at Goldman Sachs in a range of leadership roles.

216. Miranda Priestly Was Ruthless, or Simply Committed to Excellence?

In this very first episode in a new series of conversations around Devil Wears Prada, Julia begins with a question that sits at the heart of the film and of leading itself: when we call someone ruthless, what do we actually mean? In conversation with Phaedra, the discussion moves beyond the surface of The Devil Wears Prada and into the realities of making decisions when something important is at stake. Phaedra reframes the idea of ruthlessness — not as cruelty, but as discipline, focus, and an uncompromising commitment to the mission. Leading, she argues, often requires making decisions that are difficult, unpopular, and sometimes misunderstood. A central tension in the episode is the question of what comes first — the mission or people’s comfort. While care and respect matter, decisions cannot always be shaped by how people feel in the moment. From addressing underperformance to making hard calls that protect the organisation, leading demands clarity about what matters most. The conversation also draws an important distinction between being ruthless and being mean. Meanness, driven by ego or self-interest, is something to reject. But being relentless in pursuit of something that matters — even when it costs you popularity — may be necessary. Returning to Miranda Priestly, the episode invites us to reconsider what we saw. Was she simply harsh — or was she clear, focused, and unwilling to compromise on standards? This episode sets the tone for the series — questioning the language we use, challenging assumptions, and opening up a more honest conversation about what leading really requires. About the Guest Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins is the Co-Founder and CEO of Promise, a category-defining technology company using AI to make government more efficient and public services more accessible. Under her leadership, Promise has distributed hundreds of millions of dollars in aid while helping governments operate with greater efficiency, accuracy, and transparency. Recognized by global institutions for her impact, she is a leading voice on modernizing government and serves on the boards of Honor and Tipping Point Community.

215. How Grandmotherness Changes the Way We Let Go While Leading

In the final episode of the series on Grandmotherness, Julia speaks with Melissa about how this stage of life reshapes the way we let go, think long-term, and lead beyond our own agenda. Melissa begins by drawing a distinction between motherness and grandmotherness. While both are rooted in care, investment, and hope, grandmotherness introduces a different quality — love with less attachment to outcomes. It is about offering support, guidance, and encouragement, while trusting that things will unfold as they will. The conversation explores how this shift changes the experience of leading. Moving from structured roles to community-based work, Melissa reflects on how grandmotherness allows for a more emergent, less controlled way of leading — one that is not driven by fixed plans or measurable outcomes, but by openness and trust in the process. A central theme in the episode is letting go. From succession to influence, Melissa speaks about the challenge of stepping back — becoming less central, less visible, and allowing others to take ownership. True continuity, she suggests, comes when leadership does not depend on one person, but carries on seamlessly. They also reflect on the importance of thinking beyond immediate results. Grandmotherness invites a longer horizon — planting seeds for futures we may never see, and making decisions that are not centred on personal recognition or short-term success. The conversation touches on the risks of leading without this mindset — from creating overly compliant environments to becoming disconnected from reality. In contrast, grandmotherness encourages a way of leading that is grounded, observant, and quietly influential. Storytelling also emerges as an important thread. Grandmotherness is not about romanticising the past, but about holding and sharing stories honestly — including difficulty, struggle, and identity — so that others can understand where they come from and where they might go. This episode is a reminder that leading is not always about doing more or holding on tighter. Sometimes, it is about stepping back, letting go, and trusting that what you have helped build will continue beyond you. About the Guest Melissa Aratani Kwee is a Singapore-based community builder, social entrepreneur, and Director at Pontiac Land Group. She is the co-founder of Beautiful People, a volunteer-driven initiative that creates mentoring relationships for teenage girls, fostering confidence, skills, and lifelong connections. Trained as a social anthropologist at Harvard University, Melissa has spent her career shaping spaces, conversations, and communities that bring people together across sectors and cultures. She previously served as CEO of NVPC (Towards a City of Good) and has held leadership roles with organisations including the International Women’s Forum Singapore and UNIFEM Singapore. Recognised with honours such as the Singapore Youth Award and listed among Forbes Heroes of Philanthropy, Melissa is known for her work in social impact, cross-cultural collaboration, and building inclusive, purpose-driven communities.

214. Choosing to Lead with Love, Energy, Hope and Enthusiasm

In this special episode, recorded on her birthday, Julia takes the hotseat while Folawe interviews her. They reflect on how Julia’s understanding of leading has evolved and what feels more important now than ever. Julia speaks about becoming clearer over time that leading must be done in your own way, and with a combination of love, energy, hope, and enthusiasm, even when the world feels uncertain and the work feels difficult. The conversation challenges many of the assumptions often associated with leadership. Julia questions the language that surrounds it, particularly words that are widely used but rarely examined, and reflects on the importance of going beyond labels to understand what leading actually looks and feels like in practice. A central theme in the episode is the realisation that many women have been leading for far longer than they recognise. Through her work with Women Emerging, Julia has seen women shift from hesitation to ownership, recognising that leading is not something they need to become, but something they are already doing. She also speaks candidly about the reality of leading. It is not always rewarding, and it is rarely easy. It involves mistakes, self-doubt, and moments of getting things wrong and learning to continue regardless. The conversation explores how Julia’s thinking has deepened over time, from relying primarily on intellect to recognising the importance of instinct, the body, and the rhythms of nature in shaping how we lead. The episode closes with a powerful reflection: women are often conditioned to believe they are not enough. But leading begins when that narrative is challenged, when we recognise that we are already enough to begin, even if we are not perfect. About the Guest 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.