Former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Nigerian economist Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala come from two different political atmospheres, yet have the ability to build common ground on their shared gendered experiences. Gillard and Okonjo-Iweala are former political leaders with years of expertise as women in government spaces.  They share with Nalafem community insights from their book on Women and Leadership: Real Lives, Real Lessons, and the implications of their findings for the field of global development and health.