Folly Bah Thibault on Imposter Syndrome and Almost Throwing Up on Akon

Al Jazeera principal presenter Folly Bah Thibault has interviewed everyone from world leaders to superstars and covered the biggest international live breaking news events. It’s a stellar career, but she tells me she landed her first radio gig as an intern when the presenter called in sick and she fell into TV by accident.

In our wonderful chat, Folly explains how she’s worked to overcome prejudice and imposter syndrome and she speaks candidly about the work-life juggle, especially during the era of COVID-19 homeschooling.

Folly shares her story of being flown to Dubai to interview rap star Akon, secretly three-months pregnant with horrendous morning sickness, and doing her best not to throw up on camera.

And the moment she stood in the middle of the UN General Assembly hall - literally the world stage - about to host a live debate, shaking and sweating and thinking, ‘What the hell am I doing here?’

You can follow Folly on Twitter and Instagram. Learn more about her foundation Elle ira à l’école  here. For more you can head to our Stephanie Hunt Media website or follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

And We’re Rolling with Stephanie Hunt

The thought of finding our voice and speaking in public or on camera can be terrifying - I know the feeling.

So join me as I chat with the world’s best female presenters, foreign correspondents, leaders and performers to learn what scares them the most, their secret tips and tricks and how they find the grit to keep on going.

Stephanie Hunt