What happens when a headhunter stops chasing career success and questions everything only to find even bigger success?

In this episode, I sit down with John Purkiss, author of The Power of Letting Go and Brand You, whose career has moved from investment banking and executive search into self exploration then international success as an author.

In this episode, John shares his experiences, challenges, and a kind of wisdom that he now lives by. This episode is for anyone who’s realised that performing, fixing, and striving will only take you so far.

This is a conversation about identity, honesty, and how loosening control can lead to growth as a leader.

You can find more of John’s work at johnpurkiss.com
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Camilla Dolan, co-founder of Eka Ventures, is rethinking venture capital as a force for systems change. Here’s how I’d frame it: we explore her idea of shared value — how business can serve people and planet without compromising performance. From sustainable consumption to women’s health, her work points to a simple but important shift: doing good and doing well aren’t opposites anymore. They’re starting to look like the same game.

What if leadership isn’t mainly about strategy or influence, but the quality of connection we bring to each moment — and to each other?

John Thompson spends his time helping leaders reconnect with themselves, with the people around them, and with what’s actually happening in the present. Through his work at Transformational Connection, he’s supporting a different kind of leadership: one that’s rooted in presence, emotional depth, and what he calls “relational intelligence” — the capacity to stay open, responsive, and human in the space between people.

In this episode, we explore John’s path from high-performance sport into humanitarian work, and how those experiences shaped his view of leadership as something built on awareness, trust, and real relationship.