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  • She Lost Everything. Then Built a Fintech With No Plan B. | Magreth Gutiérrez
    2026/06/17

    What does it take to walk away from everything you built — and start again from nothing?


    And what happens when the financial system tells you that fifteen years of building a major business simply doesn't count?


    In this episode of Catch The Upswing, Jessica Espinoza speaks with Magreth Gutiérrez — founder and CEO of AAvance, a fintech providing financial services to migrants and vulnerable populations across Latin America and beyond.


    Magreth spent fifteen years building one of the largest food import businesses in Venezuela. When she returned to Colombia, the banks treated her as if she didn't exist.


    That injustice — and the millions of migrants she saw crossing the border with even less — became the founding story of AAvance.


    Today AAvance has provided financial services to more than 30,000 people, financially certified over 4,500, partnered with Visa, the World Food Programme, and the UN, and is expanding into Europe.


    But behind the numbers is a deeply human story about what it means to lose everything, rebuild from scratch at 40, and build a company not just for profit — but out of love.


    This is a conversation about resilience, reinvention, financial inclusion, migrant rights, and what it really takes to keep going when the system says no.


    🎙️ In this episode, we explore:

    • What it means to have a "professional heartbreak" — and how to survive one
    • Why starting over at 40 is different from starting at 25
    • How becoming a mom changed the way Magreth thinks about entrepreneurship
    • Why the financial system is invisible to millions of migrants — and what AAvance is doing about it
    • How one person inside a bank changed the entire trajectory of AAvance
    • The link between financial independence and freedom from violence for women
    • What it takes to get Visa and the UN to believe in your mission
    • Why financial education must come before financial inclusion
    • How to handle rejection as an entrepreneur — and turn every no into a better yes
    • What the heroic task of entrepreneurship really demands
    • Why the world needs more companies built on love — without forgetting monetization


    🎧 This is the English-dubbed version of the conversation. Original in Spanish here on the channel.

    🇪🇸 ¿Prefieres escuchar la conversación original en español? Puedes verla aquí.


    ⏱️ Chapters:


    00:00 Trailer: "This Is My Life Project. It Must Work."

    00:00:56 Meet Magreth Gutiérrez: From Business Leader to Fintech Founder

    00:01:55 Building One of Venezuela's Largest Food Import Businesses

    00:05:39 Professional Heartbreak: Leaving Everything Behind to Start Again

    00:07:40 Starting From Scratch at 40

    00:09:20 How Motherhood Changed My Approach to Entrepreneurship

    00:12:28 "This Is My Life Project, and It Must Work"

    00:15:02 Why I Decided to Help Migrants

    00:17:58 "To the Bank, I Was 18 Years Old"

    00:22:43 Building a Fintech for People the Financial System Ignored

    00:28:58 Visa, Banking Partnerships, and Launching AAvance

    00:32:24 Serving 30,000+ People Through Financial Inclusion

    00:35:04 A Story That Made It All Worth It

    00:42:31 Financial Freedom and Violence Against Women

    00:49:26 Being a Woman Founder in a Male-Dominated Industry

    00:52:49 How to Handle Rejection as an Entrepreneur

    00:54:11 The Heroic Task of Entrepreneurship

    00:55:01 The No Is Already on the Table — Go Find the Yes

    01:00:11 The Pitch That Made Her Cry

    01:07:00 Expanding AAvance to Europe and Beyond

    01:11:32 The World Needs More Companies Built on Love


    📺 Watch more episodes:


    Catch The Upswing is a podcast for people building meaningful things in a rapidly changing world. Honest conversations with leaders, founders, investors, and changemakers about what it actually takes to keep going, lead well, and stay hopeful about the future.

    New episodes every week. Subscribe so you don't miss one.


    🔗 Follow & connect:YouTube:

    https://www.youtube.com/@CatchTheUpswingInstagram: https://instagram.com/CatchTheUpswingTikTok: https://tiktok.com/@catchtheupswing

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    1 時間 13 分
  • Lo Perdió Todo. Después Construyó Una Fintech Sin Plan B. | Magreth Gutiérrez
    2026/06/17

    ¿Qué haces cuando la vida que construiste durante quince años deja de existir?


    ¿Y qué pasa cuando vuelves a tu país, después de haber construido una gran empresa, y el sistema financiero te trata como si no fueras nadie?


    En este episodio de Catch The Upswing, Jessica Espinoza conversa con Magreth Gutiérrez, fundadora y CEO de AAvance, una fintech nacida en Colombia que está transformando el acceso financiero para migrantes, mujeres y poblacionesvulnerables en América Latina y más allá.


    Antes de AAvance, Magreth había construido una de las mayores importadoras de alimentos en Venezuela. Tenía experiencia, trayectoria, resultados y una vida profesional consolidada.


    Pero al regresar a Colombia, todo eso dejó de contar.

    Para el banco, era como si tuviera 18 años.


    Esa experiencia — sumada a lo que vio en la frontera colombo-venezolana, donde miles de personas cruzaban buscando una oportunidad — se convirtió en el origen de AAvance.


    Una empresa que no nació solo de una oportunidad de mercado, sino de una historia profundamente personal.


    Hoy AAvance ha llevado servicios financieros a más de 30.000 personas, ha formado y certificado financieramente a más de 4.500, ha trabajado con aliados como Visa y Naciones Unidas, y se está expandiendo hacia nuevos países.


    Pero esta no es solo una conversación sobre fintech.

    Es una conversación sobre perderlo todo, volver a empezar, convertirse en madre, construir con miedo, liderar con fe, insistir cuando nadie entiende tu visión y crear una empresa cuando no hay Plan B.


    🎙️ En esta conversación hablamos sobre:

    • La “tusa laboral” que la obligó a cerrar un ciclo yvolver a nacer
    • Lo que significa empezar de cero después de haberconstruido una carrera exitosa
    • Por qué emprender a los 40 no se siente igual queemprender a los 25
    • Cómo la maternidad cambió su manera de construir empresa
    • El día en que entendió que el sistema financiero dejabapor fuera a millones de personas
    • La frase que lo cambió todo: “Para el banco yo tenía 18años”
    • Cómo nació AAvance desde el agradecimiento, la migración y la necesidad de ayudar
    • Lo que tuvo que hacer para que bancos, Visa y grandesaliados creyeran en una idea que muchos no entendían
    • Por qué la independencia financiera puede cambiar la vidade una mujer
    • Qué significa realmente trabajar con poblacionesvulnerables desde el territorio
    • Cómo convertir cada “no” en una forma de llegar mejor al“sí”
    • Por qué emprender es una tarea heroica
    • Cómo construir empresas con impacto, amor y monetización

    🌍 Esta es la conversación original en español.🎧 English-dubbed version available here on the channel.


    ⏱️ Capítulos:

    00:00 “Este es mi proyecto de vida y debe funcionar”

    01:26 La historia detrás de AAvance

    05:54 La “tusa laboral”: cerrar un ciclo para volver a nacer

    07:33 El miedo de empezar desde cero

    09:15 Emprender antes y después de ser mamá

    12:28 “No estoy jugando a ser empresaria”

    15:02 El momento que cambió su vida

    17:49 “Para el banco yo tenía 18 años”

    21:29 El amor por Venezuela que dio origen a AAvance

    24:47 Cuando nadie entendía la visión

    27:36 Cómo logró que Visa apostara por la idea

    28:53 La persona que abrió una puerta imposible

    31:08 Lo que aprendió después de ayudar a miles de personas

    32:18 Cuando el dinero decide tu libertad

    41:24 La conexión entre independencia financiera y violencia

    48:23 Ser mujer fundadora en fintech

    52:57 Qué hacer cuando todos te dicen que no

    53:11 Por qué emprender es una tarea heroica

    59:45 “Sí soy capaz”

    01:07:28 El próximo capítulo de AAvance

    01:09:58 Si tienes que empezar de cero, hazlo


    📺 Mira más episodios:

    Catch The Upswing es un podcast de conversaciones honestas con fundadores, inversionistas, líderes y personas que están construyendo con propósito.

    Nuevos episodios cada semana. Suscríbete para no perderte los próximos.


    🔗 Síguenos:
    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CatchTheUpswing
    Instagram: https://instagram.com/CatchTheUpswing
    TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@catchtheupswing


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    1 時間 12 分
  • Why the Life You Planned May Not Be the One You're Meant to Live | Julia Libertad Villaseñor Bell
    2026/06/10

    What happens when the life you carefully built — the city, the career, the plan — gets taken away?


    And what if every redirection, every closed door, every forced departure turned out to be exactly what you needed?


    In this episode of Catch The Upswing, Jessica Espinoza speaks with Julia Villaseñor. Julia has spent years working at the intersection of art, culture and communication, including at Kurimanzutto, one of Latin America's most influential contemporary art galleries.


    Julia's story moves across Mexico, Paris, India and back — not by design, but through a series of unexpected turns. A visa rejected after nine years in France. A move to India she never planned. A decision to return home that allowed her to spend her father's final years by his side. A family restaurant closing after seven years.


    And through all of it, a growing willingness to trust paths she never planned to take.


    This is a conversation about loss, reinvention, identity, and what it means to build a life around trust rather than certainty. And about why art — at its best — is one of the most human things we do.


    🎙️ In this episode, we explore:

    • What it actually feels like when a carefully built life plan collapses — and what you do next
    • How living between cultures — Mexico, Paris and India — shaped who she became
    • What India taught her about letting go of control and trusting the unexpected
    • Why the most painful redirections often open the most important doors
    • What it means to make art accessible without making it shallow
    • The difference between curating and communicating — and why she's done both
    • How to trust a process you can't see or predict
    • How to embrace a future you never planned for


    🔗 Check out Julia's work:

    Instagram: @julibertad

    Kurimanzutto: https://www.kurimanzutto.com/

    ⏱️ Chapters:


    00:00 Trailer

    00:30 Episode Starts

    01:17 Meet Julia Villaseñor

    06:02 Living Between Two Completely Different Worlds

    10:16 When a Chapter of Your Life Comes to an End

    12:14 Searching for Home Across Three Continents

    17:06 The Country That Changed Me Forever

    18:14 Why You Sometimes Need to Let Go of Control

    20:13 The Opportunity of a Lifetime

    22:55 The Turning Points That Changed Everything

    24:23 The Visa Rejection That Changed My Life

    26:36 Why I Chose to Leave India

    27:37 The Decision I'll Never Regret

    29:13 Losing My Father and Returning to My Roots

    30:17 When Life Keeps Closing Doors

    31:14 Learning to Trust the Process

    32:40 Do Things Really Happen for a Reason?

    38:14 Why Art Shouldn't Be Exclusive

    46:42 What Makes Us Human?

    48:53 How to Embrace a Future You Never Planned For


    📺 Watch more episodes:

    Catch The Upswing is a podcast for people building meaningful things in difficult times. Honest conversations with leaders, founders, investors, and changemakers about what it actually takes to keep going, lead well, and stay hopeful about the future.

    New episodes every week. Subscribe so you don't miss one.


    🔗 Follow & connect:


    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CatchTheUpswing
    Instagram: https://instagram.com/CatchTheUpswing
    TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@catchtheupswing

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    52 分
  • Why Most Communities Fail — And What the Lasting Ones Do Differently | Fabian Pfortmüller
    2026/06/03

    Why do some communities thrive for years while others slowly disappear?


    In this episode of Catch The Upswing, Jessica Espinoza speaks with Fabian Pfortmüller — entrepreneur, community weaver, and co-creator of the Community Canvas and Community Weaving Framework — about what actually makes communitieswork.


    From entrepreneurship and leadership to social impact and human connection, community has become one of the most talked-about concepts of our time. Yet many communities struggle to sustain momentum, engagement, trust, and a genuine sense of belonging over the long term.


    Fabian argues that most people confuse networks with communities — and that mistake changes everything.


    This is a conversation about belonging, relationships, trust, leadership, and why people stay.


    🎙️ In this episode, we explore:

    • What a community actually is — and why it is different from a network
    • Why purpose attracts people, but relationships keep them there
    • The difference between community building and community weaving
    • Why many communities fail despite good intentions
    • The five elements of the Community Weaving Framework
    • How trust, care, and belonging create lasting engagement
    • Why consistency matters more than one-off events
    • The mistake of treating community like a funnel
    • How leaders can create spaces where people genuinely feel they belong


    🔗 Check out Fabian's work:

    Community Weaving Framework

    Community Canvas

    Entangled (Fabian's Substack)

    Fabian Pfortmüller on LinkedIn

    ⏱️ Chapters:

    00:00 Trailer: "Networks Connect, Communities Care"

    00:20 What Is a Community?

    01:28 Why Community Matters for Entrepreneurs and Leaders

    03:57 How Do You Build Meaningful Community?

    04:27 Community Building vs Community Weaving

    05:36 The Five Elements of Healthy Communities

    06:12 Fire: Purpose, Values, and Shared Direction

    06:53 Web: The Relationships That Hold People Together

    08:46 Rhythm: Why Consistency Matters

    10:46 Circles: The Hidden Structure of Every Community

    13:52 Reciprocity and Preventing Burnout

    15:01 Spiral: The Journey Into and Out of Community

    16:36 Building Trust and Meaningful Relationships

    17:09 Networks Connect. Communities Care.

    18:42 Why Belonging and Psychological Safety Matter

    19:56 The Power of Hospitality

    20:39 Leadership Through Role Modelling

    21:09 Resources and Where to Find Fabian's Work


    📺 Watch more episodes:

    Catch The Upswing is a podcast for people building meaningful things in difficult times. Honest conversations with leaders, founders, investors, and changemakers about what it actually takes to keep going, lead well, and stay hopeful about the future.

    New episodes every week. Subscribe so you don't miss one.


    🔗 Follow & connect:

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CatchTheUpswing
    Instagram: https://instagram.com/CatchTheUpswing
    TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@catchtheupswing


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    22 分
  • Why You're Still Waiting to Feel Ready | Servane Mouazan
    2026/05/27

    Why do so many people wait to feel ready — before starting, before speaking up, before stepping into something new?


    And what if the question you're asking is the wrong one entirely?


    In this episode of Catch The Upswing, Jessica Espinoza speaks with Servane Mouazan — coach, mentor, board member, and one of the most thoughtful voices in leadership and social impact.


    For more than two decades, Servane has helped entrepreneurs, investors, and changemakers build careers, organizations, and lives they can actually sustain. Her approach is radical in its simplicity: slow down, ask better questions, and stop looking for other people to give you the answers.


    Together, they explore confidence, mentoring, leadership, resilience, entrepreneurship, and what it actually means to build a meaningful life and career in uncertain times.


    This is a conversation about getting out of your own way, learning to think for yourself, and understanding that confidence doesn't come first.


    It comes from doing.


    🎙️ In this episode, we explore:

    • Why the best mentors give less advice — not more
    • The difference between coaching, mentoring, sponsorship, and peer learning
    • Why most people ask "how" before they know "what" or "why"
    • What actually makes someone board-ready
    • How to navigate being the only different voice in the room
    • The difference between endurance and true resilience
    • Why pushing through isn't always the answer
    • How to build confidence step by step — without waiting to feel ready
    • What sustainable leadership actually looks like from the inside
    • Small daily practices that help you stay grounded while doing demanding work


    🔗 Connect with Servane Mouazan:
    Website: https://servanemouazan.co.uk/
    Podcast: Be & Think in the House of Trust
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/servanemouazan/
    Instagram: @servanemouazan


    ⏱️ Chapters:


    00:00 Trailer

    00:46 Welcome Back: Meet Servane Mouazan

    03:15 "I'm a Thinking Partner for People Who Want to Get Out of the Numbness"

    05:30 What Makes a Mentoring Program Actually Work

    10:42 Coaching vs Mentoring vs Sponsorship vs Peer Learning

    14:22 What the Best Mentors Actually Do

    18:24 "Shut Up and Not Give Advice"

    21:08 How to Help Someone Find What They Actually Want

    28:45 The Entrepreneur Who Thought They Wanted Freedom

    38:54 What Actually Makes Someone Board-Ready

    42:12 How to Get a Board Seat — Without Asking Directly

    49:33 "You're Not There to Sit. You're There to Serve."

    56:14 How to Navigate Being the Only Different Voice in the Room

    01:04:22 The Difference Between Endurance and Resilience

    01:11:18 "You Don't Know You're Pushing Too Hard Until You Collapse"

    01:17:45 How to Build Wellbeing Into an Organization From Day Zero

    01:24:30 What Servane Wishes People Had Known Earlier

    01:28:52 Daily Practices That Keep Her Grounded

    📺 Watch more episodes:


    Catch The Upswing is a podcast about leadership, resilience, entrepreneurship, psychology, and building meaningful things in difficult times.


    Honest conversations with founders, investors, creatives, and changemakers about what it actually takes to keep going, lead well, and stay hopeful about the future.


    New episodes every week. Subscribe so you don't miss one.


    🔗 Follow & connect:


    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CatchTheUpswing
    Instagram: https://instagram.com/CatchTheUpswing
    TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@catchtheupswing


    #Leadership #Confidence #Mentoring #Coaching #Resilience #Entrepreneurship #CareerGrowth #BoardLeadership #ImpactInvesting #CatchTheUpswing

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    1 時間 44 分
  • Why Trying To Change The World Can Break You | Bonnie Chiu & Tara Sabre Collier
    2026/05/20

    Why do so many people trying to create positive change end up exhausted?


    And why do so many workplaces and “inclusive” spaces still make people feel unseen, unsupported, or forced to hide parts of themselves?


    In this episode of Catch The Upswing, Jessica Espinoza speaks with Bonnie Chiu and Tara Sabre Collier about burnout, invisible labor, identity, caregiving, ambition, and the emotional cost of trying to change broken systems while still protecting your own humanity.


    Together, they explore leadership, parenthood, capitalism, belonging, impact investing, language, power, and what it really means to build a more inclusive world.


    Bonnie Chiu is the founder and CEO of TSIC, a global social impact advisory firm focused on diversity, inclusion, and systems change in finance and entrepreneurship.


    Tara Sabre Collier is an impact investor, entrepreneur, and advisor working across inclusive finance, economic development, and emerging markets.


    This is a conversation about exhaustion, purpose, identity, modern work, and the tension between caring deeply about the world… without losing yourself in the process.


    🎙️ In this episode, we explore:


    • Why so many purpose-driven people feel emotionally exhausted
    • The invisible labor of caregiving, parenthood, and emotional responsibility
    • Whether people can truly bring their “full selves” to work
    • Why some “inclusive” spaces still exclude people in practice
    • How capitalism shapes burnout, mental health, and belonging
    • Why impact investing can still reproduce inequality
    • How language shapes power, identity, and inclusion
    • The emotional cost of trying to “do it all”
    • Whether meaningful systems change is actually possible
    • Practices that help people stay grounded while doing difficult work


    🔗 Check out Bonnie Chiu’s work:

    TSIC: https://tsic.global/

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonniesychiu/


    🔗 Check out Tara Sabre Collier’s work:

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tarasabre/


    🔗 Additional resources:

    2X Global: https://www.2xglobal.org/

    Pathway Fund: https://pathwayfund.co.uk/


    ⏱️ Chapters:


    00:00 Trailer

    00:55 Meet Bonnie Chiu & Tara Sabre Collier

    01:18 “Which Parts Of Your Reality Are We Not Making Space To See?”

    02:21 The Invisible Labor Of Caregiving

    04:59 Can We Really Bring Our Full Selves To Work?

    06:08 Faith, Identity & The Parts Of Ourselves We Hide

    09:09 When “Inclusive” Spaces Don’t Feel Inclusive

    11:04 Why Capitalism Wasn’t Built For Mental Health

    13:03 How Loss Shaped Tara’s Path Into Impact Investing

    16:36 How Bonnie Found Purpose Through Entrepreneurship

    24:05 The Inclusion Conference That Rejected A Mother & Baby

    27:27 Why Risk Stops Real Inclusion

    31:27 Are We Thinking About Development All Wrong?

    35:31 How Language Shapes Power & Belonging

    40:39 Why “Global Majority” Matters

    44:03 The Hidden Power Of Words

    46:36 Why So Many Purpose-Driven People Feel Exhausted

    49:18 “You’re Confronting Capitalism & Patriarchy”

    50:29 Change The System — Or Build Something New?

    55:07 The Hidden Cost Of Trying To Do It All

    57:21 How To Avoid Burnout While Still Caring Deeply

    59:13 Protecting Your Mind In An Overwhelming World

    01:01:08 What Keeps Us Grounded Through Difficult Times

    01:02:14 Final Reflections + Hope, Community & Recharge


    📺 Watch more episodes:

    Catch The Upswing is a long-form video podcast about how people build meaningful lives, lead through uncertainty, and shape the future in a changing world.


    Subscribe for conversations with global leaders, entrepreneurs, creators, investors, and extraordinary people navigating ambition, resilience, technology, purpose, and what it means to be human.


    🔗 Follow & connect:


    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CatchTheUpswing


    Instagram: https://instagram.com/CatchTheUpswing


    TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@catchtheupswing


    #Leadership #Burnout #MentalHealth #Entrepreneurship #ImpactInvesting #SystemsChange #PurposeDriven #WomenInBusiness #Capitalism #CatchTheUpswing

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    1 時間 3 分
  • What Nobody Tells You About Creating Change | Laura Coryton & Rachael Crook
    2026/05/14

    Why do some people spend years fighting for change — long before anyone notices the result?


    And what does it actually take to keep going when people dismiss your ideas, systems resist change, and success feels impossibly far away?


    In this episode of Catch The Upswing, Jessica Espinoza speaks with Laura Coryton and Rachael Crook — two women who turned frustration, setbacks, and difficult personal experiences into movements and businesses that created real-world impact.


    Laura Coryton led the campaign to end tampon tax in the UK and helped change legislation across Europe. Rachael Crook built a technology platform helping solve critical shortages in the care sector after witnessing firsthand how difficult it can befor families to navigate care systems.


    Together, they explore resilience, campaigning, entrepreneurship, empathy, criticism, leadership, and the “hard years” nobody sees behind meaningful change. This is aconversation about staying in the arena, building through uncertainty, and continuing even when progress feels invisible.


    🎙️ In this episode, we explore:

    • The absurd policies that exposed sexism in the tax system
    • How Laura Coryton helped end tampon tax in the UK
    • Why meaningful change almost never happens quickly
    • The emotional reality of entrepreneurship and leadership
    • What caregiving taught Rachael Crook about resilience and empathy
    • Why criticism from the sidelines matters less than staying “in the arena”
    • The hidden emotional cost of trying to create change
    • Why empathy is one of the most underrated leadership skills
    • How to keep going when your first ideas fail
    • The mindset shifts that help people persist through difficult years


    🔗 Check out Laura Coryton’s work:Website: https://lauracoryton.com/ Sex Ed Matters: https://sexedmatters.co.uk/


    🔗 Check out Rachael Crook’s work:Lifted: https://www.lifted-talent.com/

    🔗 Additional resources:
    Obama Foundation Leaders Program: https://www.obama.org/programs/leaders/
    Care Economy Knowledge Hub (Kore Global): https://www.the-care-economy-knowledge-hub.org/


    ⏱️ Chapters:


    00:00 Trailer
    04:19 Episode Starts: Meet Laura Coryton & Rachael Crook
    06:54 “Who Is Making These Decisions?”
    11:41 Watching Someone You Love Disappear
    15:03 “There Was Nothing To Help Us”
    20:05 The People Holding Society Together
    22:01 How Laura Changed UK & European Law
    27:36 “Nobody Sees The Hard Years”
    31:18 The Moment Rachael Nearly Quit
    35:09 Why Most People Never Start
    40:45 The Leadership Skill Nobody Talks About
    46:05 The Exercise That Changed How She Lives
    50:12 “We Are Making Money And Changing Lives”
    56:34 “Be More Ambitious”
    01:01:05 Life Belongs To People In The Arena
    01:08:42 Rapid Fire Round
    01:13:26 “Getting Punched Is Part Of It”


    📺 Watch more episodes:

    Catch The Upswing is a business podcast exploring howpeople build, lead, and navigate complexity in a rapidly changing world.


    Subscribe for conversations with global leaders, entrepreneurs, and emerging voices shaping today’s economy.


    🔗 Follow & connect:


    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CatchTheUpswing
    Instagram: https://instagram.com/CatchTheUpswing
    TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@catchtheupswing


    #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #WomenInBusiness #CareEconomy #Activism #Resilience #SystemsChange #CareerGrowth #CatchTheUpswing

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    1 時間 10 分
  • Why The Wrong People Become Leaders | Marijn Wiersma
    2026/05/06

    Why do we keep promoting the wrong people into leadership


    In this follow-on episode of Catch The Upswing, we continue the conversation with Marijn Wiersma — this time shaped by questions from our global community.


    After our first episode, which focused on her book SOS: A Navigation Guide for Women at Work, we invited listeners from around the world to share the questions they’re grappling with in their own workplaces.


    From London to Nairobi to Dubai and beyond, this episode brings those voices into the conversation — exploring the realities of leadership, culture, and systems from the ground up.


    Together, we go beyond the book to unpack what leaders and teams are navigating in practice today.


    In this episode, we explore:

    • the most overlooked toxic leadership behavior — and why it persists
    • how we confuse confidence with competence
    • how insecurity in leadership turns toxic — and why it gets rewarded
    • what it really takes to create more inclusive workplaces
    • how emotions are judged differently in leadership
    • how to navigate resilience, burnout, and long-term change


    This is a conversation shaped by real questions — and grounded in the lived experiences behind them.


    🔗 Check out Marijn’s work:


    SOS: A Navigation Guide for Women at Work https://soswomenatwork.org/ (also available on Amazon and bookstores worldwide)


    Marijn Wiersma on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marijnwiersma/


    🔖 Chapters


    00:00 Trailer

    01:43 Welcome back — audience questions from around the world

    02:16 The most overlooked toxic leadership trait

    04:19 Why we confuse confidence with competence

    06:45 The hard truth about keeping top female talent

    09:32 Emotion, credibility, and the double standard at work

    12:48 Why empathy is non-negotiable in leadership

    15:42 Authenticity at work — and the courage to keep the coat on

    20:02 Resilience, burnout, and why pushing through isn’t the answer

    27:14 Systems change, hope, and the case for outrage + optimism

    29:54 How to build real allies at work

    32:14 The one thing leaders should do tomorrow morning

    33:42 How to make unconscious bias conscious

    34:35 What Marijn hopes her book will change


    📺 Watch more episodes:


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    Mentioned in this episode

    Christiana Figueres — former UN climate chief and architect of the Paris Agreement.

    Watch the full episode with Christiana Figueres on Catch The Upswing: https://youtu.be/GrFJvCvEUp4?si=RV5DwoCmLITTeoIl

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    🎥 B-roll credits:

    Some of the visual material used in the trailer of this episode is courtesy of 2X Global. Original footage supplied by C+A Media, commissioned by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).


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