#177: Creating a leadership legacy from the messy process of change with Ada Parris
"Multiple things can be true. There's nothing binary about life."
What happens when you step into the unknown, let go of predefined paths, and allow yourself to be messy, vulnerable, and unfinished? In this episode, Ada Parris artist, storyteller, and author of Leadership Legacy: A Manifesto to Create a Mindful Future and a Thriving Planet talks about about paradox, transformation, and intentionally shaping new identities.
We talk about the rawness of unmasking after decades of masking, the courage to sit with uncertainty and having faith in the unknown, and why sometimes the most radical act is to honour your ancestry, story, and soul.
Ada shares the lived reality behind writing her book (from imposter syndrome to post-it notes in hotel rooms), the meaning behind reclaiming her name, and how silence, sound, and pausing have become tools for profound change.
This is a moving exploration of why leadership and legacy matter beyond titles, how to be more than binary, and the real work of creating spaces where wholeness and paradox are celebrated.
Ada's Change Toolkit:
Soundtrack: Original immersive sound art exploring ego, climate, transformation
Book: Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor
One piece of advice: "You're worthy."
About Ada
Ada Parris is a strategic futurist, artist, relational ecologist, and founder of The Presence Lab™. Her book Leadership Legacy (Wiley, January 2026) emerged from a messy process that forced her to confront her own paradoxes, reshaping how she sees the world through power, paradox, and presence.
Her “another door moment” emerged when she chose to write her book; she temporarily closed the door to the narratives, ways of working, and identity she had cultivated before. What is emerging are frameworks, artistic and somatic practices, and rituals that help others navigate their own power dynamics and paradoxes through presence as a form of technology.
Her work draws on neurodivergent pattern recognition and collaboration with Indigenous knowledge keepers in Brazil. She is a keynote speaker, chairs Mental Health First Aid England, and works with leaders and senior teams at global organisations navigating transformation.
Produced by winteraudio.co.uk
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