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Uncomfortable Growth® Uncut playlist: Deep Leadership Learnings

This playlist, ‘what I would tell my younger self’, contains three powerful conversations with leaders who have been shaped by moments of uncertainty, loss, courage, and reinvention.

By Duane HatherlyPublished Feb 27, 2026
2 min read
Rowena What I would tel my younger 1600 x 862px

Uncomfortable Growth® Uncut is a space where we strip away the polish and performance of leadership and get honest about what it really takes to grow, lead, and keep going when things feel uncertain. These are unscripted, unrehearsed conversations, where nothing is pre-planned, and the insights emerge in real time. It’s not about leadership theory. It’s about lived experience.

This playlist, Deep Leadership Learnings – what I would tell my younger self, brings together three powerful conversations with leaders who have been shaped by moments of uncertainty, loss, courage, and reinvention. These are the lessons they didn’t learn from textbooks, but from navigating real storms, real risks, and real life.

In this playlist, you’ll hear from:
Mark Coad, CEO IPG Mediabrands | Chair of the MFA, who shares his raw and honest journey through leadership during times of upheaval, navigating uncertainty, rebuilding when things feel like they’re falling apart, and discovering what leadership really demands when the pressure is on.

Imogen Hewitt, Chief Media Officer of Publicis Groupe Australia & New Zealand, reflecting on bold decisions, including moving her family to Singapore to start a new agency from scratch. Imogen speaks candidly about the tension between growth and comfort, and why meaningful growth almost always requires stepping into the unknown.

Philippa Noilea-Tani, Chief Investment Officer at Wavemaker, who opens up about the profound impact of losing her father to suicide at a young age. Philippa shares how this shaped her relationship with work, ambition, and safety, and the long journey toward balancing professional success with personal healing.

Hosted by Rowena Millward, global expert in growth and reinvention, 2× best-selling author, and creator of Uncomfortable Growth®, these conversations are guided with empathy, depth, and clarity. Rowena brings “accessible wisdom” to the moments that challenge leaders most, helping turn trials into insight, and insight into their next chapter.

🎧 Listen to the full playlist on Spotify
🌱 Visit Rowena’s website to learn more about working together through business reinvention, commercial leadership and change capability .

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Mediaweek
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The leading media trade publication in Australia.

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