.png)
At the Coalface
At the Coalface is a series of conversations hosted by Philippe Rose.
Philippe's guests share stories about their life beyond the headlines of international affairs. They look for lessons learned about making an impact in the world as practitioners in diplomacy, international organisations, NGOs, journalism and the private sector.
Many of Philippe's guests are connected by their common experience of taking time away from work to attend graduate school at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University.
At the Coalface
Mildred Pantouw - Learning Before Helping: Lessons from a Life in Development
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In this episode, I sit down with Mildred Pantouw, a public health and international development leader whose career has taken her from Indonesia to the United States, Guinea, and back to Indonesia.
Mildred reflects on growing up between two cultures and how navigating life between Indonesia and the United States shaped her understanding of identity, community, and service. She shares how her faith, childhood experiences, and early curiosity about the wider world led her into public health and international development.
We talk about her first experiences working in Guinea, the importance of listening before acting, and why trust and relationships matter more than any programme or intervention. We also explore the changing landscape of international development, the need to adapt as traditional donor models evolve, and the role that resilience and hope have played throughout her career.
At the time of publication, Mildred serves as Vice CEO of the Center for Indonesia's Strategic Development Initiatives (CISDI), where she works on strengthening primary healthcare through partnerships involving academia, government, and the private sector.
Recorded on 10 July 2026.
Connect with Mildred on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/mildred-pantouw-77ba454.
Instagram: @at.the.coalface
And don’t forget to subscribe to At the Coalface for new episodes every two weeks.
Help us produce more episodes by becoming a supporter. Your subscription will go towards paying our hosting and production costs. Supporters get the opportunity to join behind the scenes during recordings, updates about the podcast, and my deep gratitude!
