Empower Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode, Kate and Louise sit down with Bronac McNeill, photographer, filmmaker and Chair of Bloom, to explore a career shaped by creativity, resilience and a deep commitment to lifting others up.
From growing up in West Belfast during the Troubles to carving out a non-linear career across photography, production and advertising, Bronac shares how she found her path, and the moments that pushed her to step outside of convention and into creativity.
At the heart of the conversation is Bronac’s belief in the power of kindness. Whether behind the camera or leading a community, she reflects on how empathy, trust and human connection can transform not only the way we work, but how people see themselves.
Kate and Louise also explore Bronac’s role as a founding member and Chair of Bloom, and how the organisation has created a supportive, empowering network for women across advertising and communications- from mentorship and community to driving real industry change.
From award-winning work that uses storytelling to change behaviour, to the small moments that shape confidence and identity, this episode is a powerful reminder that success isn’t always linear... and that even the smallest acts of kindness can have a lasting impact.

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How do we reframe the gender divide without it becoming a gender battle?
In this episode, Kate and Louise sit down with Lori Meakin, Planning Partner at adam&eveDDB, author of No More Menemies, and a leading voice in the conversation around gender equality and modern masculinity.

Lori shares her deeply personal story of surviving sexual assault, and how that experience, alongside wider societal events, became a catalyst for her work challenging the systems and narratives that shape gender today. With honesty and clarity, she explores why progress on gender equality can feel like it’s moving backwards, and why understanding the full picture is more urgent than ever.

Together, we unpack the growing gender divide, the rise of harmful narratives around masculinity, and the critical need to reframe the conversation-not as a battle between men and women, but as an opportunity to create a better, more equal world for everyone.

Drawing on research, lived experience and her work with businesses and leaders, Lori introduces the concept of positive masculinity and redefines what effective leadership can look like - one rooted in empathy, collaboration and emotional intelligence.

This episode is a powerful reminder that change doesn’t require doing everything, but starts with each of us choosing where we can make a difference.

Content note: This episode includes discussion of rape and sexual assault which some listeners may find distressing. Please take care while listening. Support resources are listed below:

• Rape Crisis England & Wales
  A 24/7 support line, online chat, local centres, counselling, and advocacy. Particularly strong for trauma-informed emotional support and referrals.
• The Survivors Trust
  Umbrella organisation connecting survivors to specialist local rape/sexual abuse services across the UK. Good for finding support in your area, including ISVA advocates.
• Victim Support
  Broader victim-support that can help with emotional support, practical guidance, safety planning, and navigating reporting/criminal justice options.

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Empower is proud to be a partner of Advertising Week — and every day of the Europe event we’re here talking to inspiring speakers and curious attendees about what they’re seeing, learning, and loving.

Today’s daily drop we’ll hear from host Kate Chaundy, Rose Bentley, Emma Shuldham, Cat Botibol and Nadine Leighton to find out how they interpret great minds think Un-Alike. 

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Empower is proud to be a partner of Advertising Week — and every day of the Europe event we’re here talking to inspiring speakers and curious attendees about what they’re seeing, learning, and loving.

In today’s daily drop we’ll hear from host Kate Chaundy, Chloe Davies, Niki Chana, Elizabeth Anyaegbuna and Ruth Mortimer to find out how they interpret great minds think Un-Alike. 

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Empower is proud to be a partner of Advertising Week—and every day of the Europe event, we’re here talking to inspiring speakers and curious attendees about what they’re seeing, learning, and loving.

In today’s Daily Drop, we’ll hear from host Kate Chaundy, Acast’s Lizzy Pollott, and Equativ’s Marisa Nelson to find out how they interpret “Great Minds Think Un-Alike.”

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What can you learn from a 5 year old CCO?

Ebinehita Iyere is a deeply impactful leader, practitioner and changemaker - and champion of the idea that we can all learn from everyone.

As the founder of Milk Honey Bees, Ebinehita has created a powerful, healing space dedicated to centring the voices, wellbeing and brilliance of young Black girls. Grounded in creativity, care and community, her work champions healing, empowerment and resilience in the face of systemic inequality.

Drawing on her lived experience and professional background as a therapeutic youth practitioner, Ebinehita works at the intersection of equity, empathy and inclusion, challenging institutions to truly listen, re-imagine support systems, and honour the full humanity of those who are too often unheard. Through storytelling, research and creative expression, she is reshaping what leadership, care and empowerment can look like when they are rooted in love and justice.

In this episode Kate and Louise explore how Ebi's own childhood experience led to her passion in creating a space of safety and one that could champion creativity in all forms... and how she's learning as much from the 5 year-olds attending as the 25-year-olds.

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Cannes Lions isn’t just about awards. It’s also about influence.
Simon Cook leads one of the most powerful platforms in global creativity. As CEO of Cannes Lions, he sits at the intersection of brands, culture and commercial impact, shaping how the industry celebrates its best work and confronts its biggest challenges.
In this episode of the Empower Podcast, Simon joins Louise and Kate for a candid conversation about leadership, responsibility and the role of the festival in driving meaningful change.

From Empower Café to building safer, more inclusive festival spaces, Simon shares how Cannes Lions is evolving.Not through side events or symbolic gestures, but as environments where honest dialogue can happen, perspectives and behaviours challenged, and new standards set.
This episode goes beyond the awards and the headlines. It’s about the culture behind the curtain, and the leadership required to make creativity not just celebrated, but responsible and accountable.

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Karen Stacey is a visionary leader in media and a powerful advocate for equity and inclusion. As CEO at Digital Cinema Media, she has spent more than a decade transforming cinema’s role in the modern media mix, driving innovation, inclusive culture and record growth while championing diverse voices and purpose-driven storytelling.

Karen is also co-founder of Empower, bringing her passion for equitable leadership, empathy and systemic change to the heart of a movement that seeks to celebrate, amplify and connect leaders who are reshaping how inclusion works in practice. Her work bridges business, advocacy and community, proving that true empowerment starts with making space for every voice to be heard.

In this very first episode of the Empower Podcast, Kate turns the tables on co-host Louise to delve into her and Karen's early ambitions for Empower, why they chose to set it up and how it's already enabling change.

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It’s time to re-write the myth that kindness is a weakness. It’s a strategy.

Because empathy, equity and inclusive leadership aren’t just nice-to-haves – they're what the future is built on.

That's why we’re sitting down with leaders, makers, disruptors, doers and grass roots decision makers across the media and advertising industry, to understand what good business really looks like.

It’s not enough to just talk about it – change needs action.

This is the Empower Podcast, co-hosted by Louise Watson (Co-Founder of Empower), and Kate Chaundy (Associate Director at Propeller). Join us every month for fresh perspectives, tough truths, and inspiring stories.

Everyone’s welcome.

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Empower is proud to be a partner of Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity — and every day we’re here talking to inspiring speakers and curious attendees about what they’re seeing, learning, and loving.  In today’s daily drop we’ll hear from host Kate Chaundy and guests Katie Mitchell, Tom Evans, Ben Cleaver, Jimmy McGloughlan and Lisa Goodchild to find out their highlights of the day and their insights on how creativity drives progress.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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