Juno House celebrated its third anniversary with a three-day event focusing on women’s leadership and peacebuilding through presentations, interviews and debates highlighting personal wellbeing, the importance of active listening and a global vision as pillars to address today’s geopolitical challenges.
Blossom 2025 is the name of the event that, from 27-29 May, brought together inspiring voices to explore new forms of leadership focused on peacebuilding at both a global and personal level.
From left to right: Eva Vila Massanas, Mayte Carrasco and Sasha Molotkova, Ukrainian journalist specialising in international conflict coverage.
We had an exclusive interview with Natalie Batlle, president and founder of Juno House, Eva Vila Massanas, co-founder of Juno House, and war journalist Mayte Carrasco, a specialist in the Middle East and North Africa. Each of them gave us their vision of peace in such a dispersed and confusing time.
Natalie Batlle advocates peace as an active structure of well-being, stability and shared purpose.
Since 2022, Natalie has created a vital space for women’s emotional and professional growth. With over 600 members and plans for expansion, Juno House embodies its mission to foster solidarity, empowerment and women’s leadership with soul and purpose, promoting peace through mutual recognition.
Natalie Batlle founder of Juno House. Editorial credit: Horse
What was the reason for turning this third anniversary into a reflection on the role of women as peace leaders?
This year, with all the geopolitical changes and with this hyper-connected, non-stop world, many of the women I know have agreed that we are in a burnout moment of extreme physical, mental and emotional exhaustion. When you start to study it, you understand that a lot of it comes from within, maybe because we don’t take good care of ourselves or because we don’t have the right routine and we are not taking care of our mental health.
If you add a more macro layer on a geopolitical level, this 2025 most people are stressed and that is why, as women leaders, we must be at the forefront, prevent, take control, receive the information, share it and seek that inner peace above all to be able to face this external uncertainty.
What is the purpose of these monthly Juno Thrive meetings?
My professional career began in politics, working for the first Obama campaign. This experience, coupled with my studies in international relations, awakened in me a deep passion for global current affairs. This led to the idea of creating Juno Thrive, a series of talks dedicated to geopolitics and economics. Together with great experts such as Maite Carrasco and José Ignacio Torres Blanca, among others, we aim to offer first-hand and relevant information. All this is possible thanks to our partner Andbank.
It is much more common to talk about these issues in male environments and here at Juno House we have and must be a point of influence for women to know first hand what is happening in the world.
Listening is leading and caring is innovating. How does this philosophy translate into daily practice at Juno House?
To maintain innovation and productivity, it is essential to recharge and seek joy. It is a pillar of inner peace that is often neglected, especially among those of us in positions of leadership and high responsibility. In my case, for example, being able to lead Juno House has been a great dream that is making a local impact and this joy from time to time you can’t stop to enjoy.
I believe that joy for each person is different because the way to find it is personal: it can be through meditation, nature or, in my case, eating well and reconnecting with people who appreciate you for who you are, without interests and love you as you are.
This inner peace protects you from what is going on in the world but you can’t ignore it and you have to be prepared to bring it. I think it’s essential to have that energy that, as women leaders, to create more impact at the macro level and we have to take care of ourselves at the micro level.
Joy is a fundamental pillar for effective female leadership and for being better in all roles. The most inspiring leaders I know are those who know how to enjoy and laugh, reflecting a combination of generosity and joy.
Mayte Carrasco: ‘War is going towards the incomprehensible, towards violence, and peace is the most difficult path, which is the path of listening’.
Mayte is renowned for her specialisation in war conflicts and human rights issues, having been a war correspondent since 2008. She has covered some of the most dangerous conflicts of the last decade in various regions, such as the Caucasus, Central Asia and Africa. She is an expert on the Arab world and jihadism.
Mayte Carrasco journalist specialising in war conflicts. Editorial credit Horse.
What would you do if you were a high-ranking official in the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe to achieve peace?
I believe that what is lacking in the world is female leadership and active listening.
Women tend to listen more and active listening is very important in today’s world. Today, there is no leader who practices active listening because everyone is trying to defend themselves against something.
Today’s world is very fragmented with disruptive geopolitics. What we find are leaders who either defend the nation-state or believe they are messianic leaders, that they are here to solve something that God has. This is the case of China or the case of all the Arab countries that have political Islam as their banner.
And then there are the rest of the leaders who have the nation-state, who are trying to defend themselves against a threat, for example Trump or many far-right leaders that are emerging in Europe or in Latin America. And you can see that very clearly.
I think what is missing in the world right now is someone who says enough is enough. We are human, we have to focus on surviving, because what we have is a global threat and it goes against all of humanity, which is the energy transition and climate change. They don’t realise that it’s a global threat and we can’t tackle it unless we are all together. But one woman does have such a vision. I would have this vision, at least. I don’t know if it’s a feminist vision, is it?
I think what is needed in the world, the most important thing right now to end wars is active listening, more dialogue, and that is what is missing.
A woman leader could foster a global and humanitarian awareness to unite humanity in the face of common threats such as climate change, promoting dialogue and stopping current conflicts.
What is your vision of the impact of war and peace?
My view of war is evil and my view of peace is good. I think that now that we are talking about this dichotomy between good and evil, it has a lot to do with geopolitics, unfortunately. For me war is going towards the incomprehensible and violence. Peace, on the other hand, is the more difficult path, it is the path of listening, the path where we all have to understand each other with a collective awareness that we have a common threat, which is climate change, and that we all have a responsibility in this.
And for me peace is talking, it is going back to globalisation, it is going back to understanding each other. To go back to being interconnected states and not to isolation. And for me peace is to return to what we had fought so hard for and achieved at the end of the 20th century, which was peace. And that is what we are slowly losing.
How does the coverage of a conflict change when it is done from a female point of view in the place where you are?
The angle that women have when it comes to covering a conflict differs a little from the angle that a man might have. We want to change the dominant male narrative, which has historically portrayed women as mere victims, suffering beings and in the role of second best. When in reality, women are very strong, but they don’t appear as such, they don’t appear as actors of change, as actors of struggle, as fighters, for example.
We, especially women photographers and reporters in conflict zones, fight to show the true reality of women in war. Those who actively resolve conflicts and are behind peace building, a role that is often ignored.
By being there, you can reflect today’s society. For example, I was in Tel Aviv and, because of what is happening in Israel and Gaza, the vast majority of the women you see armed on the street are young women. You go to a restaurant, for example, and you see women in their 20s or 30s and men with guns, having dinner or sharing a musical evening, with a concert. The whole population is armed, that’s the reality of today.
The reality of today’s conflicts, from Ukraine to Iraq, shows women actively fighting. It is not only women who are being the victims of tragedies as civilians right now.
In Syria we saw many male civilians who are also victims of attacks. They were those who chose not to fight, who were not part of the militias. Now we are talking about civilian casualties in general, instead of focusing only on women and children. As an example, the situation in Gaza, four out of five people killed are unarmed civilians, not combatants.
Eva Vila Massanas defends peace as a model for a new business paradigm
Eva is co-founder of Juno House, whose professional trajectory is distinguished by the integration of well-being and peace as strategic pillars in the business world. She advocates for organisations that prioritise internal emotional health and a purpose that transcends the economic, seeking harmony and long-term sustainability. Her vision positions her as a key leader in the evolution of companies towards more conscious models with a positive social impact.
Eva Vila Massana during her intervention as moderator at the Blosson 2025 round table. Editorial credit: Juno House
Do you think it is feasible that peace can also be a business strategy? In what way?
Yes, I see it as viable, and I also see it as encompassing different aspects. I think the first step that organisations have implemented has been at the internal level. Companies should focus on emotional wellbeing and reducing tensions among their employees, looking for a common goal recognising the impact of current geopolitical tensions on mental health.
When we talk about peace externally, it links directly to the purpose of the company. Since the pandemic, medium and long-term economic performance depends on organisations having a purpose that transcends their business, a space where peace, tranquillity, harmony, is now gaining ground.
A study of the Fortune 100 where only 7% after COVID said that their priority was the bottom line. The rest of the companies talked about different priorities, the most relevant of which was precisely the purpose.
An organisation has to be economically sustainable, but it is not enough. and think about the purpose of the organisation, for example the SDGs, the environment, diversity and now we are talking about peace.
What is the latest trend at company level as a purpose for your employees?
It is the general welfare of society, because when you work in an organisation you have to impact on different stakeholders. In recent years, the priority of most organisations today is the workforce, whereas before it was the customers. If you want to have consumers of your product, in the end you also have to transmit that well-being and be coherent. It is important to transmit it to each of the cogs that make up the cogs that are in contact with your organisation. You can’t just sell a product or a service, you have to sell a company that impacts society and the individual.
There are many studies that say that if you are not aligned with the purpose of a company, you don’t buy that product. If you have a wide range of options, you go for the product that you feel an affinity for because of its value and purpose. I will choose the one that is aligned with my principles.
A satisfied employee is the best employee, the best brand, the best branding and the best advertising for the company.
What message do you hope to convey with this special Juno Thrive edition?
The theme of our third anniversary is peace because it is a theme that encompasses three very important aspects that we want to convey to our community.
The first message is more connected to a more professional environment. Nowadays the world is completely connected and it is very important to know what is happening in our geopolitical environment and to understand the gears that move the world from a people and professional point of view. Here we have a community of people from so many countries, 40% of our members are not from this country.
It is very important to understand this context because all conflicts or solutions to conflicts will have a personal or professional impact on each one of us.
The other axis would be the emotional wellbeing of our community, of each of the people who are part of Juno. Because, going back to what we were talking about before, in the end we are not isolated individuals. All these conflicts and all the tense situation that we have been experiencing lately are affecting us. So we want to create an environment of well-being so that people feel at home in Juno, in a safe space, where they can be comfortable and where they can feel protected.
The third point is society. Juno House is a project with a social impact; we believe in women’s entrepreneurship and in having a positive impact on society.
We hold sessions, open to the public, on geopolitics. What we want to do is contribute to society and explain how each person can also do their bit to contribute to this peace in their different areas. Some can, from their company, when we were talking before about this peace within your staff, how you impact on society, on the environment, wherever you want to impact, and others on an absolutely personal level.
Women’s clubs are evolving beyond simple networking. They have become laboratories of the future and havens for innovation, incubating new forms of leadership and impact that the traditional system often ignores. Given the slow progression towards gender parity in leadership positions, projected for 2051 according to Grant Thornton’s Women in Business 2025 report, these clubs take on a crucial political and cultural role, offering the tools, community and vision needed to drive real structural change.
