Episode Details

In this episode, Julia speaks with Trinh Tu about one of the most difficult — and surprisingly universal — questions in leadership: How do we know when, or whether, we are ready to lead?

When Julia first met Trinh, she described her own journey into leadership in four stages: “No way. Dragged in. Glad I did it. No endpoint.” It’s a phrase that captures something many people recognise: the uncertainty, hesitation, and vulnerability that often come with stepping into greater responsibility.

Trinh Tu, Managing Director of Public Affairs at Ipsos UK, reflects candidly on why she initially resisted a senior leadership role she had repeatedly been encouraged to take. At the time, she loved the work she was already doing — and excelled at it. Leadership felt unfamiliar: more responsibility, more visibility, and more uncertainty. Most importantly, it felt like stepping into something she wasn’t yet fully prepared for.

But the conversation raises an uncomfortable question: Does anyone ever truly feel “ready” for leadership? Or is readiness itself partly an illusion?

Through Trinh’s experience of unexpectedly stepping into a major leadership role almost overnight, Julia and Trinh explore what happens when responsibility arrives before confidence fully catches up.

A central theme of Trinh’s story is the influence of role models. She reflects on watching her own boss lead through an incredibly difficult period and realising that leadership could look very different from what she had imagined. Instead of command and control, she witnessed decisiveness, momentum, care, and the ability to bring people together during uncertainty. The episode explores how seeing leadership embodied by someone we admire can sometimes help us believe we might be capable of it too.

Julia and Trinh also discuss something often overlooked in conversations about career progression: the role of support at home. Trinh speaks openly about the importance of having a partner who both supports and challenges her — someone with a different perspective on life, who encouraged her to think more broadly about what stepping into leadership might mean, not only for herself, but for those coming after her. Together, they reflect on how family, partnership, and the perspectives of those closest to us can quietly shape our willingness to take bigger risks.

The episode also explores what leadership actually feels like once you’re in it: the loneliness, visibility, difficult decisions, and uncomfortable transition from being someone’s peer to suddenly leading them. Trinh reflects honestly on moving from a role she had mastered to one where she often felt she was learning in real time — and why bravery sometimes has to come before confidence.

A powerful idea running throughout the conversation is Trinh’s belief that great leadership requires balancing anchor and momentum. In uncertain times, people need steadiness, direction, and something to hold onto — but leaders must also remain flexible, willing to adapt, and brave enough to change course when circumstances demand it. The challenge, as Trinh explains, is learning how to provide both at once.

Together, Julia and Trinh explore the realities of stepping into leadership unexpectedly, the myth of feeling fully prepared, and what it really takes to lead when certainty is impossible.

About the Guest

Trinh Tu is Managing Director of Public Affairs at Ipsos UK, which provides policy research and services to government departments and international organisations. She brings a deep understanding of the policy landscape and the challenges affecting r