#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 grounded, human perspective shaped by environments where decisions matter and leadership is a very real, very lived experience.

Her career has moved between the non-profit and corporate worlds. She co-founded the Topsy Foundation in rural South Africa during the HIV and AIDS crisis, building an organisation that’s still supporting vulnerable communities more than 20 years later. Since then, she’s worked across multinational organisations, SMEs, start-ups, and family offices, and in 2020 she founded Allium, a consultancy designed to help leaders cut through the noise, simplify decision-making, and create more space for what truly matters.

In this conversation, Silja shares the story behind her journey and what she’s learned along the way about leadership, purpose, and staying grounded when things feel uncertain or demanding. She reflects on starting Topsy, what it really takes to build something from urgency and care, and why long-term impact depends less on perfect plans and more on staying adaptable.

We also talk about her work with Female Fusion, and why it’s so important to help women stay connected to their authenticity in a world that often pushes comparison, performance, and “doing it the right way.” Silja brings a really refreshing reminder that success isn’t about fitting a mould but about understanding how you work best and owning it.

At the heart of this conversation is the simple idea that purpose isn’t something you figure out in advance, it’s something you grow into through action, reflection, and staying close to your “why.”

In this episode, we talk about:

00:00 – Introduction and Silja’s journey as a serial entrepreneur

04:11 – Founding the Topsy Foundation in South Africa

11:35 – Lessons on agility, purpose, and imposter syndrome

13:59 – Female Fusion and supporting women entrepreneurs

17:22 – Authenticity versus the algorithm

23:58 – The birth of Allium and simplifying leadership

28:42 – Fractional leadership and supporting senior teams

31:50 – Remembering your “why” and staying grounded

33:01 – Closing reflections and working with Sarah

Silja brings such a steady, thoughtful perspective on what it means to lead well and lead with intention. If you’ve ever felt pulled between purpose, pressure, and expectation, or wondered how to stay true to yourself in a noisy, fast-moving world, this is for you.

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 over 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 combines tailored leadership development programmes with one-to-one executive leadership coaching to unlock their full potential.

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/

In this show, we cover

Women in Leadership, Core Values, Female Entrepreneurs, Agility, Authenticity, Succession Planning, AI Impact, Leadership Transformation, Inclusive 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/

Connect with Silja on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/silja-eatock/