Leading as a Cultural Connector: Claudia Balladelli and the Music Movement Changing Ottawa

Leadership on Hope — Season Finale

Making this podcast has been an act of resistance. Independent media is shrinking. And in that context, putting five conversations into the world, proof that empathy, justice, and joy are not alternatives to leadership but leadership itself, feels more important than ever. In this season finale, Lead Me On host Alexandra Lopoukhine reflects on a season of extraordinary conversations with Shaka Senghor, Mihoko Kashiwakura, Victor Ochen, Julisa Tambunan, and Claudia Balladelli, and what she's carrying forward as she steps into a new leadership role herself. The slow work is the real work. The first 90 days matter. And hope isn't naïve, it's a strategy. Lead Me On is pausing, not ending. Season 2 is coming. Three asks: share an episode, subscribe on Substack, and send Alexandra the name of someone she should interview next. —— Subscribe on Substack → https://leadmeon.substack.com/ [https://leadmeon.substack.com/] Guests this season: Shaka Senghor | Mihoko Kashiwakura | Victor Ochen | Julisa Tambunan | Claudia Balladelli #LeadMeOn #Leadership #HopeIsNecessary #PeoplesLeadership Get full access to Lead Me On: A People's Leadership Podcast at leadmeon.substack.com/subscribe [https://leadmeon.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Leading as a Cultural Connector: Claudia Balladelli and the Music Movement Changing Ottawa

What does it look like when someone leads with pure joy? Meet Claudia Balladeli, the co- founder of Axé World Fest in Ottawa, Canada. They curate music, artistic events, shows, concert series, and conferences dedicated to getting local and international artists in front of the audiences they deserve. Claudia represents Canada's music scene at global stages from Senegal to Korea, and describes herself as a cultural connector. In this conversation, she shares how she built Axé World Fest from the ground up, why she created a festival specifically for women in music, how she leads and motivates an almost entirely volunteer team, and what she hopes Ottawa's music scene looks like in ten years. This is leadership through love, and it's contagious. Quick note: this was our very first episode, and the mic quality is a little rough, but stay with us, because the conversation more than makes up for it. 🎙️ Follow Lead Me On so you never miss an episode. To learn more about Axe World Fest: https://www.axeworldfest.com/ [https://www.axeworldfest.com/]   Get full access to Lead Me On: A People's Leadership Podcast at leadmeon.substack.com/subscribe [https://leadmeon.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Leadership through Collective Care with Julisa Tambunan

Julisa Tambunan grew up singing banned songs in the back of her father's car under a military dictatorship in Indonesia. Today, she's a Global Obama Fellow and is working at the intersection of data and justice, fighting for a world where the numbers we collect reflect the full humanity of the people they represent. In this episode, Julisa and Alexandra explore what feminist movement building really looks like in practice: intersectional, collective, and rooted in care. They talk about why dismantling patriarchy is a win for everyone, how data becomes a tool for political pressure and liberation, and why joy, real, collective joy, is not a luxury but a form of resistance that sustains the work. This is a conversation about building a bigger room. Not selecting who gets in, but changing the room itself. Hope isn't naive. It's necessary. Subscribe to Lead Me On. About Julisa A feminist leader with close to two decades of experience advancing justice and collective liberation, from grassroots movements to global policy spaces. Julisa works across the coalition and engages governments, multilaterals, and civil society, using data to center the lived realities of women and girls in global development. Julisa is also the co-founder of GirlSPARKS, a social enterprise promoting girl-centered design. Their past experience spans journalism, humanitarian response, and leadership across Asia Pacific, SWANA, East Africa and Europe, always with a commitment to shifting systems, not just programs. Julisa’s leadership is rooted in care, courage, and accountability, with a focus on building systems that honour wholeness, collective power, and dignity for all. About Lead Me On Lead Me On is a people's leadership podcast built on one belief: that empathy, justice, and kindness aren't alternatives to leadership. They are leadership. In every episode, curated conversations with nonprofit directors, changemakers, entrepreneurs, and community organisers prove that leading with humanity creates stronger teams, more resilient communities, and better outcomes for everyone. This isn't theory. It's practice. Subscribe to LEAD ME ON, your reminder that hope isn't naive, it's necessary.   Get full access to Lead Me On: A People's Leadership Podcast at leadmeon.substack.com/subscribe [https://leadmeon.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

The Wound Behind the War: Victor Ochen on Trauma, Power, and What Peace Really Means

The Wound Behind the War: Victor Ochen on Trauma, Power, and What Peace Really Means In this episode of Lead Me On, Alexandra Lopoukhine sits down with Victor Ochen, peace activist, Nobel Peace Prize nominee, and founder of the African Youth Initiative Network (AYINET), for a conversation that reframes what leadership, peace, and healing actually mean. Victor grew up in a refugee camp in Northern Uganda for 21 years, living through the reality of conflict firsthand. That experience didn't break him. It built him into one of the most compelling thinkers on peace and leadership today. In this episode, Victor shares a perspective on leadership and peace that challenges everything we think we know. He draws a sharp line between how international institutions define peace and what communities devastated by conflict actually need: food, shelter, education, economic security, and the chance at a dignified life. He also makes a case that's hard to shake: that unresolved trauma sits at the heart of global conflict, not just in survivors, but in the leaders who start wars. And that until we address it, history will keep repeating. Victor brings warmth, humour, and hard-won wisdom to every stage he walks onto, from village meetings to conversations with presidents. This one will stay with you. About Victor Ochen Victor Ochen is the founder and Executive Director of the African Youth Initiative Network (AYINET) in Uganda. In 2015, he became the first Ugandan and the youngest African to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. His work spans war survivor support, youth leadership, and community healing across Uganda and beyond. 🔗 Learn more about AYINET: africanyouthinitiative.net [http://africanyouthinitiative.net] About Lead Me On Lead Me On is a people's leadership podcast built on one belief: that empathy, justice, and kindness aren't alternatives to leadership. They are leadership. In every episode, curated conversations with nonprofit directors, changemakers, entrepreneurs, and community organisers prove that leading with humanity creates stronger teams, more resilient communities, and better outcomes for everyone. This isn't theory. It's practice. Subscribe to LEAD ME ON, your reminder that hope isn't naive, it's necessary. Get full access to Lead Me On: A People's Leadership Podcast at leadmeon.substack.com/subscribe [https://leadmeon.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

The Moral Architect: Love, Community & Leading Without a Title with Mihoko Kashiwakura

The Moral Architect: Love, Community & Leading Without a Title with Mihoko Kashiwakura What does leadership look like when it's rooted in love, not authority? Mihoko Kashiwakura has founded four nonprofits in Japan tackling child hunger, food waste, and elderly loneliness, and she calls it all one thing: rebuilding family, not defined by blood, but by care. In this episode of Lead Me On, host Alexandra Lopoukhine sits down with Mihoko to explore what it means to be a "moral architect,” someone quietly reshaping society by redesigning the everyday relationships and values that allow people not just to survive, but to belong. They talk about Japan's hidden poverty crisis, why helping others produces a happiness that never fades, the challenge of leading change in a culture that resists asking for help, and why "love" is the word our broken world needs most right now. A conversation that will stay with you. Join us! About Mihoko Mihoko Kashiwakura is a social entrepreneur and nonprofit founder based in Japan. She is the creator of Table of Love, Japan's first food redistribution initiative connecting surplus food from restaurants and hotels directly to families in need. She has founded four nonprofit organizations addressing hunger, elderly loneliness, and community connection. She also works at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Japan, focusing on global health partnerships and advocacy. Her work sits at the intersection of local community-building and global systems change. About Lead Me On Lead Me On is a people's leadership podcast built on one belief: that empathy, justice, and kindness aren't alternatives to leadership. They are leadership. In every episode, curated conversations with nonprofit directors, changemakers, entrepreneurs, and community organisers prove that leading with humanity creates stronger teams, more resilient communities, and better outcomes for everyone. This isn't theory. It's practice. Subscribe to LEAD ME ON, your reminder that hope isn't naive, it's necessary. Get full access to Lead Me On: A People's Leadership Podcast at leadmeon.substack.com/subscribe [https://leadmeon.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]