Nour Kharsa and Miriam Gosling Gage- Hopeful Leadership in the Cracks

Summary:

In this episode of Beyond the Status Quo, Tamara and Kathryn are joined by two guests for the first time: Nour Kharsa, who leads a charity supporting displaced children and families in Lebanon, and Miriam Gosling-Gage, Head of Programmes at Co-Create Consultancy and Co-Director at Pelumbra. Recorded through a patchy internet connection from Lebanon, a fitting metaphor for the conversation itself. Nour describes the daily reality of running a centre for around 150 children and their families through displacement, economic collapse and two wars, and what it means to choose to show up when no one else will. Miriam draws on decades of work with leaders navigating complexity, unpacking the difference between critical, tame and wicked problems, and why leadership, not management, is what wicked problems demand. Together they explore what it takes to hold multiple truths, ask better questions instead of forcing solutions, and find hope that isn't abstract but built from small, real wins.

Takeaways:

• Wicked problems need leadership, not management, there's no clean fix, only better questions.
• Hope isn't abstract; it's measured in the actual children and families reached.
• Showing up, even on the hardest days, is a choice, not a job you clock out of.
• Understanding someone else's reality means stepping fully into their perspective.
• Psychological safety grows when leaders loosen hierarchy and turn directives into conversation.
• Small wins are what sustain people through work that never fully switches off.
• Becoming a global citizen starts with questioning your own vantage point rather than assuming it's neutral.

Links:

Nour Kharsa Nour Kharsa | LinkedIn

Instagram: @mawtin_al_amal

Centre Instagram: @daralamal2021

Nour Kharsa (Director): [email protected]

Mawtin Al Amal (Organisation): [email protected]

If you'd like to donate to this very worthy cause then here is the link to do so. https://rrym.uk/snowdonclimb2026/

Miriam Gosling Gage Miriam Gosling Gage | LinkedIn

http://www.cocreateconsultancy.com

http://www.pelumbra.com

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