On the 62nd episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Julia Duthie. Julia is a partner at PEPCO LLP, the bestselling author of The House on Dogbone St, and the former CEO of both the Academy of Contemporary Music and The True School of Music. Simply put, I find Julia’s life story incredibly inspiring. She left home and school at the age of 16 after a troubling and challenging childhood, as we discuss in this episode. She takes us on her journey from working in vegetable market stalls for food in her teens and living in highly neglected conditions to being a managing director of an IT firm in her mid-twenties. From her experiences and realisations in therapy to opening up about her past, letting go of shame, and the death of her father sparking her own desire to connect more fully with who she really is, prompting her to accept her sexuality at the age of 50, connect with her creativity, and write a best-selling book. While she is also completely frank about what presently troubles her and where she suspects she has more to explore in terms of her childhood. This episode will offer plenty of inspiration regarding how Julia has lived such a vibrant life in the face of difficult beginnings. Her willingness to explore and be herself more fully, as well as the meaning and sense of belonging she is discovering along the way, will give you much to contemplate. Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for clips and shorts. Contact me at [email protected] to book a free consultation (30 minutes) for one-on-one coaching around your own self-inquiry or to hear about executive team coaching experiences I am offering to build trust, communication, and connection amongst leadership teams. Running Order: 03:00 What is a the real you?07:15 Mortality and authenticity11:15 Reflections on sexuality and honesty16:30 The effects of being yourself21:30 The feeling of belonging and creativity26:20 The motivation for sharing her story33:45 The path from market stalls to managing director38:30 The shadow side and struggle of life46:50 What happens after healing?50:30 External successes to meaning and belonging55:00 What is a good life for Julia? For further content and information check out the following: - For the podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos - My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/ - My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/ - Julia's book: on Amazon  - Julia's substack: https://juliaduthie.substack.com/ - Julia's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-duthie-607b4254/