Power & Purpose
IE Insights - Hosted by Amanda Sloat and Nathalie Tocci
Power & Purpose explores the human side of global leadership. Hosted by Amanda Sloat and Nathalie Tocci – former advisors to the US President and EU High Representative turned professors – this podcast features candid conversations with senior government officials, offering an inside look at how power, values, and purpose intersect in public life.
These conversations go beyond the headlines to offer a personal window into leadership at the highest levels. Guests reflect on pivotal moments, difficult decisions, and lessons learned when the stakes were high. They speak openly about their proudest achievements and missed opportunities, how they managed pressure, and what it takes to lead through complexity and uncertainty.
Drawing on their own experience in government and academia on both sides of the Atlantic, Amanda and Nathalie bring insider perspectives to conversations that are as personal as they are political. You'll hear the stories that don't make it into official briefings.
Whether you're deeply engaged in foreign policy or simply curious about how leaders navigate impossible choices, these conversations reveal what leadership actually looks and feels like. In an era of political cynicism, Power & Purpose offers something rare: honest reflections from people who have chosen to serve and proof that purpose-driven leadership is still possible.
These conversations go beyond the headlines to offer a personal window into leadership at the highest levels. Guests reflect on pivotal moments, difficult decisions, and lessons learned when the stakes were high. They speak openly about their proudest achievements and missed opportunities, how they managed pressure, and what it takes to lead through complexity and uncertainty.
Drawing on their own experience in government and academia on both sides of the Atlantic, Amanda and Nathalie bring insider perspectives to conversations that are as personal as they are political. You'll hear the stories that don't make it into official briefings.
Whether you're deeply engaged in foreign policy or simply curious about how leaders navigate impossible choices, these conversations reveal what leadership actually looks and feels like. In an era of political cynicism, Power & Purpose offers something rare: honest reflections from people who have chosen to serve and proof that purpose-driven leadership is still possible.
- Dr Amanda Sloat is Professor of Practice in International Relations in the School of Politics, Economics, and Global Affairs at IE University in Madrid, Spain. Most recently, she served as Special Assistant to President Biden and Senior Director for Europe in the National Security Council. She also worked in the State Department and House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee. She has a PhD in Politics from the University of Edinburgh and a BA in Political Theory from James Madison College at Michigan State University.
- Dr Nathalie Tocci is Professor of the Practice at SAIS Europe in Bologna, Italy. She is also Director of the Instituto Affari Internazionali. She previously served as Special Advisor to EU High Representatives Federica Mogherini and Josep Borrell. She has a PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics and a BA in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from the University of Oxford.
- 22 episodes
- fortnightly
- Avg 41 min
- English
Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.
- S1 · E22June 29 · 44 min
Kersti Kaljulaid on Estonia's Lessons on Hybrid Threats and Democratic Resilience
- Transcript
- S1 · E18May 5 · 34 min
Dina Kawar on the Human Cost of Middle East Conflict
- S1 · E17April 20 · 41 min
Gabriela Ramos on Mexico, Multilateralism, and the Fight for Gender Equality
- S1 · E16April 6 · 41 min
Priyanka Chaturvedi on India, Empowerment, and Persistence
- S1 · E15March 23 · 50 min
Julie Smith on NATO, Trust, and the Importance of Public Service
- S1 · E14March 9 · 37 min
Arancha González on Agency, Activism, and Empowerment
- S1 · E13February 23 · 39 min
Oleksandra Matviichuk on Justice, Dignity, and the Power of Ordinary People
- S1 · E12February 9 · 33 min
Hiba Husseini on Staying the Course in the Pursuit of Peace
- S1 · E11January 29 · 41 min
Laura Chinchilla on Leading with Passion, Empathy, and Integrity
- S1 · E10January 12 · 33 min
Naomi Chazan on Democracy, Division, and the Work That Never Ends