In this episode of the Women Emerging Podcast, Julia Middleton sits down with Lara following the first Women Emerging City Expedition in Brussels to explore what impact did the expedition leave on her.

Lara reflects on how the expedition changed her understanding of leading. Having previously assumed that leadership required a title, a certain age or responsibility for a team, she began to recognise it as the work of anchoring people, connecting ideas and restoring direction when priorities become unclear.

Together, Julia and Lara explore why leading in Brussels requires flexibility and local understanding, why cities must build from their strengths as well as address their problems, and how empathy needs boundaries if it is to remain a sustainable source of leadership.

They also consider whether women build bridges in cities through something quieter and more everyday: weaving people together through conversations, introductions and informal spaces of connection.

This is a conversation about leading without a title, stepping beyond familiar bubbles and recognising the often-invisible work that holds communities—and cities—together.

About the Guest:

Lara Loi is a graduate of Cultural Diplomacy, with a background in Conflict & Development and Political Sciences, and is deeply interested in the intersection of culture, dialogue, and leadership. She is an Explorer with the expedition for women leading in Brussels.