The Whole Truth: Leadership Stories with Sarah Perugia28 Mai 2025

#8 – Anya Topiwala – Legacy: What Championing Women in STEM Actually Takes

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Anya Topiwala, an award-winning medical researcher, psychiatrist, and lecturer. Anya graduated from Oxford University before going on to complete her DPhil in Psychiatry, and she’s since made an extraordinary impact in the field by exploring the links between alcohol and dementia. Recognised with major research grants from the Wellcome Trust, Anya is a champion for evidence-based medicine, women in STEM, and inclusive leadership in academia.

In this episode, we talk about:

(05:59) Balancing academia and motherhood

(09:21) Gender bias in science research

(12:05) How alcohol affects dementia risk

(16:16) Aspiring to a coaching leadership style

(20:15) Why confidence and collaboration matter

(22:54) Championing women in science

(24:21) Key takeaways on leadership and legacy

Anya’s story is a powerful reminder of how diversity isn’t just a values issue – it’s essential for better science, fairer workplaces, and improved outcomes for everyone. This episode is filled with actionable insights for women and allies looking to lead with impact, courage, and compassion.

About the host

Sarah Perugia is an expert women-in-leadership coach and whole-person leadership transformation specialist, dedicated to empowering female leaders to thrive. With 20 years of experience, she partners with organisations across the globe to develop and retain top female talent, strengthen the female leadership pipeline, and promote gender equality in senior roles. Drawing on her background in acting, neuro-linguistic programming, and Positive Psychology, Sarah empowers leaders to advance their careers, build confidence, enhance performance, and ultimately flourish and thrive. Her offering includes one-on-one executive leadership coaching, group workshops, and bespoke programmes.

If you’d like to learn more about Sarah and her work with women in leadership, you can find out more here: https://www.sarahperugia.com/women-in-leadership/

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and more!

Contact and Connect

Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-perugia-leadership-coaching/

Anya’s Work: https://www.psych.ox.ac.uk/team/anya-topiwala

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(22)

#20 - Silja Eatock - Leading with purpose and staying true to what matters

Silja Eatock works across leadership, responsibility, and what it takes to create meaningful impact over time. With over 25 years of experience across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, she brings a...

25 Mai 34min

#19 - Amy Rowlinson - Redefining success and finding your purpose

Amy Rowlinson is a purpose and fulfilment coach, speaker, author, and the host of the globally recognised Focus on WHY podcast. Driven by a belief that life should be lived with intention rather than ...

18 Mai 32min

#18 - Arvashni Seeripat - Why kindness is a leadership superpower

Arvashni Seeripat is the President of Averitas Pharma, an award-winning author, and a passionate advocate for kindness in leadership. Known for her thoughtful perspective and powerful storytelling, Ar...

11 Mai 43min

#17 - Victoria Rennoldson: Turning cultural differences into leadership strengths

Victoria Rennoldson is an award-winning Cultural Intelligence and communication coach, author of Become a Global Leader, and host of the Culture Cuppa podcast. In her work with global leaders, she hel...

5 Mai 36min

#16 - Shakila Dabare: Leading with confidence early in your career

Shakila Dabare is a senior finance professional based in Dubai who is carving out her place in the world of finance as a young woman with remarkable clarity and confidence.As a Senior Associate at Del...

27 Apr 41min

#15 - Serene Haddad: Leading through change and uncertainty

Serene Haddad is VP of Innovation & AI at Nestlé and a marketer at heart, with nearly 20 years of experience building brands across Europe and the Middle East. Having lived in nine countries, she brin...

20 Apr 47min

#14 - Kasia Lukaszewska-Kehoe: Silencing the inner critic to lead with confidence

Kasia is the Global Communications Director at Reckitt, and a leader who knows what it means to step boldly into new seasons of your career. After 14 years at Unilever, she embraced a new challenge, s...

13 Apr 40min

#13 - Cassie Hugill: Breaking barriers and trusting your gut in leadership

Cassie Hugill is the CEO of the Martingale Foundation, an organisation dedicated to breaking down barriers to postgraduate study for talented students, no matter their background. With a career she de...

7 Apr 35min