How can we strengthen leadership pipelines? One overlooked answer: Invest in women's sports. Data shows that investment in women's sports creates a powerful yet under-appreciated talent pipeline, building future leaders, closing the gender gap and driving high-performing teams. Deloitte US Chair Lara Abrash shares insights from the firm's research on women's sports – both the billion-dollar economic opportunity it represents and the unsung way sports strengthens the leadership talent pipeline.

Abrash, active in a range of sports since her youth, will also break down the leadership skills, mindsets, and team dynamics sports uniquely cultivates. She'll share the personal experiences that shaped how she leads and the way she approaches talent and capability. Her personal lessons learned can help anyone understand what's needed to develop future leaders, improve team performance and build talent pipelines that last.

Key Insights:

• Women's sports is growing rapidly - but remains an untapped sector and opportunity for economies and communities.
• Sports teaches girls how to team - but a range of factors make them more likely to drop out of sports than boys.
• Great leaders are great coaches. Abrash reminds us that "Managers manage outcomes while leaders lead people."
• Practice makes progress: Sports can build leaders who learn quickly from mistakes and adapt faster -- skills key for a fast-paced AI era.
• Sidestep the 'superwoman' myth: Sports shows we often accomplish more in groups. Women who admit they are less effective alone take the first step to building great teams and avoiding burnout.

About this episode:
Transcript - read here: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/womens-sports-leadership-skills-gender-gap

Related report:
Deloitte Research - Game-Changers: Unlocking the Potential of Women's Sports: https://www.deloitte.com/global/en/Industries/tmt/perspectives/game-changers-unlocking-potential-women-sports.html
World Economic Forum - Sports for People and Planet: https://www.weforum.org/publications/sports-for-people-and-planet/

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What Astronauts Know About High-Performing Teams (That Many Don't Understand)
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Why Smart Ideas Don't Always Land — and How to Build Creative, Curious Teams
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How to close gender gaps in tech - and the one skill AI can't learn
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As tech and AI transform productivity and free us from rote work, will humanity finally crack happiness? Maybe not, warns Jonathan Haidt. This social psychologist, NYU professor and bestselling author of The Anxious Generation has spent years studying the links between happiness, technology, and societal change. Unless key steps are taken, he says, the technologies transforming work and communication could pull humans further from a sense of meaning, connection and purpose, taking happiness even further from our grasps.

To progress on any big challenge ahead will depend on restoring focus, trust, and purpose. Haidt warns that AI and social media may be weakening all three—making intentional leadership more critical than ever. He shares research-backed insights that can help us better understand a fragmented, distracted world and the urgent challenge this brings to leaders running teams in a changing AI era.

Key Takeaways:

• Where happiness really comes from - and what people often misunderstand

• Understanding the attention crisis and what's contributing to it

• How AI and digital habits fragment attention and decision-making and undermine trust

• Simple practices and approaches to reclaim focus, connect with others and lead meaningful change more effectively

This interview was recorded in January 2026 at the Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

About this episode:
Read here - Transcript: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/jonathan-haidt-happiness-focus-habits-ai
Watch here - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bXp43TMMAI

About this guest:
https://jonathanhaidt.com/
Books and initiatives referenced in this episode:
The Anxious Generation https://www.anxiousgeneration.com/
The Righteous Mind https://righteousmind.com/
The Happiness Hypothesis https://www.happinesshypothesis.com/
The Constructive Dialogue Institute www. constructivedialogue.org

Related episodes:
Nick Thompson, The Atlantic: Why one CEO sets 'non -goals' - and what ultramarathons taught him about focus and mental toughness
Watch here - YouTube: https://youtu.be/Xh9PLsyptgA
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IRC's David Miliband: How leaders can meet the moment in an increasingly disordered world
Watch here - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABadygYvsZ0&t=16s
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Read here - Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/3vk4723b

What most people get wrong about progress: Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker
Watch here - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2IJjZs4E7A
Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/4r69a5pr
Read here - Transcript:: https://tinyurl.com/3smrwev9

Radio Davos - The Anxious Generation: how phone-free schools can reverse a mental health pandemic
Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8s6Rw9rAqs&t=7s

As more professionals turn to AI for career guidance, is human mentorship extinct? Not by a long shot, according to our experts. Mentors will continue to be critical in shaping talent, but will make their mark not by sharing expertise but by leveraging truly human skills -- by meeting changing needs in time and by being a champion that unlocks potential, not just directs it.

Key insights:
- Mentorship is moving from expertise to emotional intelligence
- The best leaders will continue to prioritize people over output alone

In this moment of change, Learn how the top minds of our time have been changed by their own mentors and how an AI era will reshape how mentors guide teams and drive potential.

Some of the leaders featured in this episode:

-Workera's founder Kian Katanforoosh - on how mentorship is changing thanks to new technologies, and what it needs to be effective
-Limak Holding's Ebru Ozdemir - on bridging gaps through her initiative Global Engineer Girls and the traits great mentors share
-Habitat for Humanity's Jonathan Reckford - on what he learned from his grandmother and godmother on setting standards for himself
-Samantha Cristoforetti, European Space Agency - on what astronaut Butch Wilhelm taught her about the experience of the workday
-Organizational Psychologist Adam Grant - on how a diving coach helped him rethink risk and the simple question that he asks himself to this day

Related episode:
Meet The Leader at 200: 20 Leaders Share Their Best Aha Moments and Lessons Learned
Read here: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/episode-200-top-tips-pivots-lessons-learned/
Listen here: https://tinyurl.com/ecye5b5v

Teamwork beats raw talent. It's a fact astronauts know well but one that Earthbound teams can sometimes overlook. European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti shares what space crews understand about building teams that work well together – and the shift that preparation undertook to make that happen. She shares what mentors taught her about being a great team member and why the 'experience' of the work day is as important as the task at hand. She also details other lessons learned from her more than 200 days in space, including:

-Why the best leaders are great followers

-Why space sovereignty will shape the next phase of space collaboration. "You want to be an equal partner—not just a customer."

-Why the gender gap in space is closing. Learn why some astronaut classes are at parity and what it teaches other sectors about talent pipelines

This interview was recorded in January 2026 at the Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

About this episode:
Read here - Transcript: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/samantha-cristoforetti-esa-teamwork-leadership
Watch here - YouTube: https://youtu.be/AI_7QcZy5A8

About this guest:
European Space Agency: https://www.esa.int/

Related episodes:

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He's building 'gas stations' in space. How it can drive the space economy - Orbit Fab
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https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/daniel-faber-orbit-fab-space-economy
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Meet the startup building the first commercial space station - Axiom
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Be your own role model - a female rocket scientist, pioneer and science influencer explains
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Learn when you listen. Know your strengths can be weaknesses. Take your space before someone takes it for you. This 200th 'Best of' episode collects hard-won lessons learned and one-of-a-kind moments from this podcast's past 6 years. Listen to the late Jane Goodall recall a transformative run-in with a grumpy cabbie or hear the critical question that helped AWS teams get future-ready. It's a hit parade of top names, from IKEA to Microsoft, from Misty Copeland to Matt Damon, drawing insights and turning points that have shaped CEOs, startup founders, actors, activists, fashion designers, AI pioneers, best-selling authors and more find solutions and drive meaningful change.

In this episode:

Unexpected turning points

• Jane Goodall, Jane Goodall Institute, on connecting with people you disagree with (Recorded 2021)

• Al Gore, Former US Vice President and founder of the Climate Reality Project, on his climate communication turning point (Recorded 2021)
  
  An AI Powered Future

• Swami Sivasubramanian, AWS, on the question that got teams future-ready (Recorded 2024)

• Adam Grant, organizational psychologist and Wharton professor, on how to practice the soft skills an AI era will need most (Recorded 2025)

• Suleika Jaouad, best-selling author, on thinking beyond our 'resume virtues' (Recorded 2026)
  
  Bringing people together:

• Diane von Fürstenberg, fashion designer, on a habit she swears by (Recorded 2024)

• Misty Copeland, ballerina and activist, on unlocking potential (Recorded 2025)

• Jagan Chapagain, IFRC, on why effective listeners are learners (Recorded 2024)

• Brad Smith, Microsoft, on having a personal sounding board (Recorded 2024)
  
  Seeking innovation

• Matt Damon and Gary White, founders - Water.org, on the value of experimentation and failure (Recorded 2026)

• Nela Richardson, Chief Economist - ADP, on thinking outside the box (Recorded 2024)

• Gail Whiteman, Rainn Wilson, Arctic Basecamp on rethinking communication (Recorded 2023)
  
  Advice they swear by

• Daphne Koller, AI pioneer and insitro founder, on how strengths can become weaknesses (Recorded 2024)

• Fidelma Russo, CTO - Hewlett Packard Enterprise, on knowing yourself (Recorded 2024)

• Ulrika Biesèrt, CHRO - Inkga Group / IKEA, on taking your space (Recorded 2024)
  
  Meeting the moment

• Jonathan Reckford, Habitat for Humanity, on how serving others to bridge division (Recorded 2024)

• John Amaechi, psychologist, leadership expert and author, on finding your inner giant (Recorded 2021)

• David Miliband, IRC, on how leaders can navigate an increasingly disordered world, and the change that will be needed next (Recorded 2025)

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Watch here - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buVVIpttzUA

Meet The Leader - Ballerina Misty Copeland: Unlocking potential and a leader's most 'vital' role
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IRC's David Miliband: How leaders can meet the moment in an increasingly disordered world
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Matt Damon and Gary White: Why the Global Water Crisis Is Really a Finance Problem
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In an AI era, the real competitive advantage won't come from generating more ideas, but picking the right idea to take forward. Leaders who foster cultures of creativity and curiosity will build teams better able to sharpen focus, challenge assumptions, and execute in the most effective and compelling ways.

Liberty Science Center CEO Paul Hoffman is a noted expert on connecting the public to the sciences. He'll explain how that major cultural institution makes complex ideas clear and irresistible. The long-time science writer, puzzle maker, brainstorming expert and former head of the Encyclopaedia Britannica shares lessons from his eclectic background on how leaders can harness a team's natural curiosity to drive fresh thinking and innovation.

You'll learn:

• Why clarity matters in innovation - and why the audience is usually right

• How to model the creative behaviors you want to see in your team

• Which qualities creative, curious teams always have in common

This episode was recorded at the Urban Transformation Summit, San Francisco (October 2025).

About this week's guest:
Liberty Science Center: https://lsc.org/
Paul Hoffman: http://thephtest.com/

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Watch here - YouTube: https://youtu.be/Xh9PLsyptgA
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Build a culture of innovation: HPE's Chief Technology Officer shares what's needed
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This simple question helped Amazon teams get future ready: AWS AI and data chief
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7 top innovators share strategies that drive cutting edge solutions:
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2.1 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water. Solving this problem will take more than charity - it will take innovation and a new approach to scaling partnerships, building awareness and raising funding. In this episode, Water.org's co-founders Matt Damon and Gary White share key efforts to fix the 'financial plumbing' connecting people and capital, helping to bridge the water gap for 85 million around the world, including: Water Credit (a specialized microfinance solution funding safe water and sanitation solutions) and Water Equity (an asset manager mobilizing private investment in water and sanitation). The two explain why creating an economic flywheel for change can bring truly sustainable solutions. They also share what they've learned about scale and from each other in a partnership that has now spanned 17 years and the role a new campaign for the public, Get Blue, can play.

This episode was recorded at the Annual Meeting in Davos in January 2026.

About this episode:
Transcript: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/matt-damon-water-crisis-gary-white-finance-innovation

About this week's guests:
Water.org
Get Blue campaign: https://getblue.water.org/

Related session at the 2026 Annual Meeting in Davos
Water in the balance
https://www.weforum.org/meetings/world-economic-forum-annual-meeting-2026/sessions/water-in-the-balance/

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What most people get wrong about progress: Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker
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Nick Thompson, The Atlantic: Why one CEO sets 'non -goals' - and what ultramarathons taught him about focus and mental toughness
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For Suleika Jaouad, a best-selling author and 3-time cancer survivor, journaling became a life-changing creative outlet during her battles with leukemia as well as a powerful tool for navigating uncertainty. It also became a surprising way to connect with others leading to singular projects that have stuck a chord with hundreds of thousands such as her book, The Book of Alchemy, and her 300,000 member Substack, The Isolation Journals, projects that merge journal prompts and personal essays from the top creative minds of our time. She breaks down practical ways anyone can carve out time for reflection, curiosity and vulnerability and how such a practice can strengthen resilience and connection while sharpening clarity in an age defined by noise and loneliness. And in an era where we write prompts for AI, but question ourselves less and less, she reminds us of the role deeper thought plays in understanding our world and ourselves better. This is a conversation about choosing meaning over motion—and learning to live each day with intention.

About this episode:
Transcript: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/suleika-jaouad-journaling-prompt-creativity-reflection

About this guest:
Book: https://www.suleikajaouad.com/the-book-of-alchemy
Substack: The Isolation journals: https://theisolationjournals.substack.com/

Watch her session at the 2026 Annual Meeting in Davos:
Healing With Sounds and Words
https://www.weforum.org/meetings/world-economic-forum-annual-meeting-2026/sessions/healing-with-sound-and-words/

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Nick Thompson, The Atlantic: Why this CEO sets 'non-goals' - and what ultramarathons taught him about focus and mental toughness
Watch here - YouTube: https://youtu.be/Xh9PLsyptgA
Read here - Transcript: :https://tinyurl.com/mtdhe37w
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