Jillian Reilly on The Ten Permissions: A Playbook for Navigating Adulthood in the Chaos of the Twenty-First Century

In this episode of When I Grow Up, I chat with Jillian Reilly about The Ten Permissions: A playbook for navigating adulthood in the chaos of the twenty-first century.

Jillian is a founder, writer, public speaker, and consultant with a 30-year career in social, organizational, and individual change across Africa, Asia, and Central Europe. Her work has been featured in The Washington Post, Newsweek, and The LA Times, and her TEDx talk, Vain Aid, explores her journey in the international aid industry and the hard lessons she’s learned about changemaking. She also cohosted Courageous Conversations, a podcast that interviewed African activists about what it really takes to create change.

In this conversation, Jillian shares her journey as a change agent, the power of self-permission, and how to navigate adulthood with more intention. She introduces her upcoming book and its key themes, offering a fresh perspective on building a fulfilling life in today’s complex world.

We unpack The Ten Permissions and how they help us cultivate intentionality and agency—embracing portfolio careers and designing lives that truly work for us. We also dive into the challenges women face in leadership and why we need a new leadership paradigm—one where women fully own their authority.

 

Links

The Ten Permissions website: https://tenpermissions.com/

Connect with Jillian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillianreilly/

Connect with Nicolette on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolette-louw/