Awaiting Approval. Season 2, Episode 4 : Hema Mehta - Courage

Dec 25, 2025

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In this episode of Awaiting Approval, Adam sits down with Hema Meta for a deeply honest, heart-first conversation about what it means to keep going when life and work both feel heavy. It is a quiet, powerful episode about bravery in the very ordinary moments - telling the truth about how you feel, asking for help, and staying soft in a world that keeps hardening its edges.

Across the hour, Hema lets herself be seen. There are pauses, emotion, and a lot of reflection. It is not a polished “success story” as much as a real one. The kind you recognise in your own life.

In this episode, we talk about:

* How it feels to be asked real questions about your journey and find your mind going blank

* The courage it takes to be vulnerable in public when you are used to keeping it all together

* Why reflective conversations can hurt in the moment but heal in the long run

You’ll hear us explore:

* The gap between the story you think you will tell and the story that actually comes out

* How honesty about struggle can be more useful to others than a perfect highlight reelSmall, everyday acts of courage that quietly shape a creative career

If you are going through a tough season, or you have ever felt exposed sharing your story out loud, this one is for you.

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This is Awaiting Approval. A podcast about the messy, human side of creative leadership.

Hosted by Adam Jennings - a creative leader with three decades of experience leading teams and projects for global brands including Microsoft, Salesforce, 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Ancestry, Dolby, BBC and many more - this show features honest, unscripted conversations with the leaders shaping design, storytelling, and innovation today.

These are the conversations you don’t hear in keynotes. The ones about imposter syndrome, trust, failure, confidence, and finding your voice as a leader.

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Produced by Adam Jennings & Jasmin Egner.

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