Tea with TE: She Who Leads | Podcast on RSS.com

Tea with TE: She Who Leads

Tea with TE: She Who Leads

by Terri Lecheva

Entrepreneurship Careers

Season 2

Women in Tech: Owning Your Personal Brand with Rachael Sepcic

From engineer to Chief Revenue Officer, Rachael Sepcic’s journey is anything but conventional. Now leading Illumia through transformation and rebrand, she shares the defining moments that shaped her career journey and the powerful lesson many women overlook when thinking about their own brand. In this episode, Rachael breaks down how to build and own your personal brand through three steps: define, differentiate, and deliver, and why success comes from making your impact impossible to ignore.

Women in Tech: Phoebe Waters on Breaking the System

Breaking the System: Leadership, Inequality and Building Change from the Inside Out In this episode of She Who Leads, Terri Lecheva is joined by Phoebe Waters (also known as Pete) for a candid conversation about breaking systems from the inside out and redefining what leadership looks like for women today. Phoebe shares her journey from corporate investigator to co-founder of Optimising Potential, her work as a part-time academic, and her recent appointment as the sole leadership consultant for UN Women UK. Together, they explore the realities of systemic inequality, the impact of being underestimated, and why confidence alone is not the answer without structural change. The conversation blends personal insight with practical action, highlighting the power of women supporting women, the business case for gender equality, and the small, strategic moves that can create lasting change — for individuals, organisations, and the next generation of leaders.

Women in Tech: From Sales to CEO with Eir Bjorkly

She Who Leads 2026 Spotlight on Women in Sales In this episode of She Who Leads, we sit down with Eir Bjørkly, CEO EMEA at Element Logic, to explore her journey from Sales into the CEO role of a fast-growing logistics and automation business. Eir shares the pivotal moments that shaped her leadership, the confidence it took to step into the top role, and what CEO leadership in 2026 looks like — balancing strategy, visibility, and culture across a 400-person organisation. She reflects on leading in a male-dominated industry, shifting leadership from power to empowerment, and why culture is one of the strongest drivers of performance. We also look ahead to the future of logistics, the impact of automation and AI, and the legacy Eir hopes to leave for her people — and for the next generation of female leaders.

Women in Tech: Shelly Gupta on Finding your Voice

In this heartfelt conversation, we explore the journey of Shelly Gupta Senior Vice President of Finance from Juniper Networks who has built an incredible career while navigating the challenges of family, identity, and self-doubt. From her early years as an immigrant and working mother to becoming a mentor and leader, she reflects on the moments that shaped her confidence, the guilt that often comes with ambition, and the myth of “having it all.” We discuss how authenticity—not perfection—is what truly drives success, and how the right mentors and mindset can help you embrace who you are, speak up, and go after what you deserve.

Women In Tech: Lisa Lesko on Building Cultures That Last

Small Things, Big Impact: Lisa Lesko on Building Cultures That Last From IBM to Avon, Revlon, and now Chief People Officer at Bristlecone, Lisa Lesko has spent her career transforming cultures and building people-first organizations. Known for her ability to turn chaos into clarity, Lisa has led large-scale change programs, rebuilt talent strategies, and introduced small but powerful practices that dramatically improved engagement and retention. In this episode, Lisa shares how small, human-centered actions can spark big impact — from slashing attrition in turbulent times to creating flexible policies that retain diverse talent and giving women leaders the visibility and confidence to step up.

Women in Tech: Women lifting women, with Sunshine Burkett

From leading global sales and M&A strategy at Thoughtworks to her role as Senior Vice President at Infogain, Sunshine Burkett has spent her career driving transformation while empowering others to thrive. After decades of success, she took time to pause, reflect, and rediscover what truly matters — finding purpose not just in achievement, but in lifting others along the way. In this episode, Sunshine opens up about her journey through change, confidence, and community — and how women supporting women can transform not just careers, but lives.

Women in Tech: Mamta Rodrigues on Leading with Heart

Authenticity at the Top: Mamta Rodrigues on Leading with Heart From American Express and Mastercard to Visa and now Global Chief Client Officer at Teleperformance, Mamta Rodrigues has built a career at the highest levels of financial services and fintech. Yet her story isn’t defined only by the boardroom — it’s about choosing authenticity over expectation. Mamta has stepped back at key points to prioritise family, redefined success on her own terms, and championed diversity through her work with TP Women. In this episode, she shares how authenticity has shaped her leadership, why staying true to your values can accelerate rather than limit your career, and the legacy she hopes to leave for future generations of women leaders.

Women In Tech: Joanna Parke on Creating Clarity from Complexity

In this episode of She Who Leads, we sit down with Joanna Parke, Chief Talent Officer at Thoughtworks and former COO, who has spent more than two decades shaping the future of technology and leadership. With a career spanning from software engineer to C-suite executive, Joanna brings a rare dual perspective — blending commercial acumen from running a $250M business unit with people-first leadership as the company’s first-ever Chief Talent Officer. We explore how she navigated Thoughtworks’ evolution from private to public to private again, the lessons learned in steering a global workforce through change, and why she believes leadership development must go beyond skills into values, purpose, and time mastery. Joanna shares how she creates clarity from complexity, her take on reskilling for the AI revolution, and her advice for building authentic, resilient leadership in fast-changing times.

Women in Tech: Charisma Glassman on Legacy and Leadership

In this season-opening episode, Charisma Glassman, Group VP of Retail and Consumer Advisory at Genpact, shares her journey from ad-agencies to leading global retail and consumer advisory. We discuss owning your career path, adding real value in lean teams, and what it takes to drive change from within. Charisma also offers honest insights on mentorship and whether women can truly have it all — with powerful reflections on legacy, leadership, and lifting others as you rise.

Season 1

Championing Diversity in the Finance Sector with Caroline Walker

On the latest episode of the "She Who Leads" podcast, Caroline Walker, Chief People Officer at Trailstone, discusses her career in finance and the lessons she's learned. She highlights her achievements and emphasises the importance of driving gender equity from executive positions. Caroline shares her experiences navigating male-dominated environments, advocating for women to assert themselves and address unconscious bias. She discusses her strategies for championing diversity and inclusion, including engaging senior leaders to drive cultural change. Balancing work and personal life is key for Caroline, and she outlines initiatives to support protecting your well-being in a difficult sector. Caroline also shares some fantastic insights and advice for our female leaders, to lead by example and actively be a catalyst for change.

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