The Fearless Females Podcast is for founders, leaders and disruptors to share what it takes to build bold businesses and careers. From first steps to global scale we uncover candid stories. expert insights and spotlight the women shaping the future of business. From funding and mentorship to mindset and scale these raw conversations deliver the practical tools and powerful inspiration females need to think fearlessly and go further, together. Hosted by Kelly Jamieson and Anna Dimond and supported by Westpac.
Fearless Females Podcast (supported by Westpac)
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12 episodes
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Podcast Overview
The Fearless Females Podcast is for founders, leaders and disruptors to share what it takes to build bold businesses and careers. From first steps to global scale we uncover candid stories. expert insights and spotlight the women shaping the future of business. From funding and mentorship to mindset and scale these raw conversations deliver the practical tools and powerful inspiration females need to think fearlessly and go further, together. Hosted by Kelly Jamieson and Anna Dimond and supported by Westpac.
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Publishing Since
9/25/2025
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Recent Episodes
February 2, 2026
Carla Penn-Kahn from ProfitPeak on Storytelling, Strategy & Raising 7 figure Start Up Capital
<p>What does profitable growth actually look like behind the scenes? This week, e-commerce operator turned SaaS founder Carla Penn-Kahn breaks it down with uncommon clarity. After bootstrapping and scaling multiple online retail brands (including Australia’s largest pure-play kitchenware business, shipping 25k orders a week at the COVID peak) through to exit, Carla co-founded Profit Peak, a profit-optimization platform helping Shopify brands and retailers make smarter decisions on growth, cash flow and margins.</p><p>Carla’s operator pedigree shows up everywhere: disciplined numbers, people rigor and a habit of turning setbacks into signal. She shares how working with her husband works because of clear lanes - he owns brand and creative; she owns finance, ops and people - and why strong boundaries (hello, no work-talk before the first coffee) protect both family and focus.</p><p>On raising capital, Carla flips the script: she didn’t enter a noisy pitch circus. She built conviction through conversations (including Blackbird’s start up community programs), then chose investors who kept her in the driver’s seat - backers who’d be the first call when things get bumpy. She also unpacks global networks and programs that accelerated her US entry - She Loves Tech and Peak XV’s Spark (see links below) - and why connection compounds faster than capital.</p><p>We cover:</p><ol><li>The storytelling spine that wins rooms: Problem → Solution → Why You → Why Now → Team.</li><li>Why emotion matters in B2B pitches (reminding investors founders are people, not just P&Ls).</li><li>Hiring in the GPT era - why tests can mislead and gut +references matter more.</li><li>Shifting from “family” to high-performance team (right people, right seats, right stage).</li><li>Buying businesses vs. starting from zero - and how her investment-banking discipline paid off.</li><li>The reframe that powers resilience: there’s learning, not disappointment.</li></ol><p>Carla’s through line is simple and powerful: share generously, decide decisively and optimize for profit on purpose.</p><p><strong>Key takeaways</strong></p><ul><li>Design for profit early. Cash, margin and inventory discipline beat “growth at all costs.”</li><li>Pitch the story, not spreadsheets. Problem, solution, why you, why now and the team build conviction.</li><li>Choose investors like team mates. Values-aligned partners keep you driving the bus.</li><li>Hire for stage, not just skill. Right seats, fast feedback, fewer “family” dynamics.</li><li>Connections compound. Programs and ecosystems (She Loves Tech, Peak XV Spark) open markets.</li><li>Reframe “failure.” Treat outcomes as inputs - move forward with the learning.</li></ul><p><strong>Partner shout-out</strong></p><p>Even the best ideas need backing. Westpac has doubled its Female Entrepreneurs Fund to $1B and offers the Startup Business Loan - apply with your business plan and budget projections for up to $50K unsecured. Learn more: search “Westpac supporting female founders.” Eligibility, credit criteria, fees & charges, and T&Cs apply. General advice only.</p><p><strong>Links and mentions :</strong> </p><p>Learn more about ProfitPeak : <a href="https://www.profitpeak.io/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">ProfitPeak.io | Boost your e-Commerce store's profitability</a> and Carla’s favourite book : “The Infinite Game” by Simon Sinek</p><p><strong>The programs that have fast tracked Carla’s SAAS fast growth record:</strong></p><p>1. Blackbird — Giants (founder community & programs): <a href="https://www.blackbird.vc/giants?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.blackbird.vc/giants</a><br>(Blackbird also runs Foundry, its early-stage accelerator: <a href="https://www.blackbird.vc/foundry?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.blackbird.vc/foundry</a>.)</p><p>2. She Loves Tech (global competition & accelerator for women in tech): <a href="https://www.shelovestech.org/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.shelovestech.org/</a></p><p>3. Peak XV - Spark (early-stage founder program with grants& mentorship): https://www.peakxv.com/sparkTop of Form Bottom of Form</p><p><strong>Other programs Carla hears great things about:</strong></p><ul><li>Antler: Global startup generator & early-stage VC(programs and how to apply). </li><li>Startmate: Accelerator & Fellowships (ANZ) (accelerator, fellowships, investor info). </li><li>Y Combinator: Accelerator (US) (about YC, programs, resources). </li></ul><p><strong>If this episode lifted you, hit Follow, drop a quick review, and share it with someone who’s building better systems for people.</strong></p>
January 19, 2026
Kim McKay on retiring in her 40s. Architect Your Freedom: Strategy, Intuition & the “Messy Middle”.
<p>Kim’s story isn’t a get-rich-quick tale; it’s a master class in deliberate life architecture. Equal parts numbers, nerve and knowing yourself. If you’ve ever wondered whether you can build a career you love and a life you choose, this conversation is your permission slip (and plan).What happens when the fearless strategist behind award-winning brand transformations turns her lens inward? In this episode, Kim McKay - business architect, entrepreneur and straight-talking advisor - shares how she deliberately designed a non-linear life, retired in her 40s, and swapped rigid routines for intentional freedom.</p><p>From early “Project 50” planning to the very real messy middle of leaving a high-identity career, Kim breaks down the blend of big-picture vision and first 10% execution that powered her choices. She talks candidly about intuition (yes, including astrology and human design), why fear is data not a directive, and the simple decision filter she uses for scary moves: What’s the worst that can happen - and can I handle it?</p><p>In this episode of the Fearless Females Podcast, we cover:</p><ol><li>How to set a freedom goal (and why money = time + patience, not hacks)</li><li>The two gears every business builder needs: zoom-out strategy and zoom-in action</li><li>Leaving before you’re stale: spotting the moment a season is complete</li><li>Replacing identity tied to work with a wider definition of self</li><li>Why “no routine” can be a valid routine</li></ol><p><br></p><p>This episode is jam packed. Our favourite quotes from Kim McKay include:</p><ul><li>“We have two lives. The second begins when you realise you only have one.”</li></ul><ul><li>“I value freedom, so I planned for it. That’s not luck, that’s design.”</li><li>“Leave the party while you’re still having fun.”</li></ul><p><strong>Partner shout-out</strong></p><p>Even the best ideas need backing. Westpac has doubled its Female Entrepreneurs commitment to $1B and offers the Startup Business Loan - apply with your business plan and budget projections for up to $50K unsecured. Learn more: search “Westpac supporting female founders.” Eligibility, credit criteria, fees & charges, and T&Cs apply. General advice only.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>If this episode added some fearless courage to your day, hit Follow, drop a quick review, and share it with someone who’s building better systems for people.</strong></p><p><br></p>
January 5, 2026
Paulette Kolarz : Playbook for high performing teams
<p>At 26 years of age, Paulette Kolarz was handed the keys to a $400M division and asked to help steer a 150-store icon through receivership - while leading 3,500 staff. Today, the BespokeHR founder and Performance Collective Academy creator distils those hard-won lessons into a people-first playbook any leader can use.</p><p>Paulette makes a simple, powerful case: you don’t build a business, you build people, and people build the business. She shows how to anchor teams to a clear North Star, install a rhythm for feedback and performance and create cultures built on trust (not osmosis). We dig into her “no BMW” rule (no bitching, moaning, whinging), why exits shouldn’t be a dirty word and how to spot when someone (or you) has fallen out of love with the role - then act humanely and fast.</p><p>You’ll hear Paulette’s morning reset (top-three priorities +ten minutes for gratitude), the mindset that dissolved imposter syndrome in that giant boardroom, and the growth shortcut she swears by: run toward the biggest problems and solve them. We also explore kind authority (“kindness is a strength, not a weakness”), building mastermind circles so you’re not the smartest in the room, and her next bold chapter - scaling her leadership academy, international stages, and a book.</p><p>Candid, practical and generous, Paulette reminds us leadership works best when it’s firm on standards, soft on people and utterly authentic - even on the days you’re calling your Brat Pack from the couch.</p><p><strong>Key takeaway highlights</strong></p><p><strong>Leadership philosophy</strong></p><ul><li><strong>Build people first.</strong> Results follow when you invest incapability, clarity and care.</li><li><strong>Kindness.</strong> Be warm and human and hold high standards - “the standard you walk past is the standard you accept.”</li><li><strong>Don’t be the smartest in the room.</strong> Curate masterminds and mentors who stretch you.</li><li><strong>Solve the biggest problems.</strong> If you want outsizedgrowth, run toward the hardest issues and fix them.</li></ul><p><strong>Culture + operating system</strong></p><ul><li><strong>North Star alignment.</strong> Everyone should know thepurpose, the plan and how their role moves the needle.</li><li><strong>Install rhythm, not osmosis.</strong> Cadences for 1:1s, feedback, goals and reviews beat ad-hoc “people stuff.”</li><li><strong>Trust as infrastructure.</strong> Open, vulnerable leaderscreate safety for honest conversations - including exits.</li><li><strong>Right seats, right people.</strong> Act quickly (and kindly)when the fit or the love for the role fades.</li></ul><p><strong>Personal performance</strong></p><ol><li><strong>Night-before priming.</strong> Go to bed knowing the <strong>top three</strong> moves that will shift tomorrow.</li><li><strong>10-minute morning reset.</strong> Gratitude → focus → blockers; set the day’s energy intentionally.</li><li><strong>Fuel from service.</strong> Energy comes from helping others progress—use that as a flywheel.</li></ol><p><strong>Entrepreneurial moves</strong></p><ul><li><strong>Scale through leaders.</strong> The Performance CollectiveAcademy shifts from “done for you” to “built within you.”</li><li><strong>Next bold bet.</strong> Go bigger and louder: internationalstages, a book, and expanding leader capability at scale.</li></ul><p><strong>Our favourite quotes from Paulette Kolarz:</strong></p><p>“You don’t build a business - you build people, and people build the business.”</p><p>“Kindness is a strength.”</p><p>“Stand for something or you’ll fall for everything.”</p><p>“If you’re the smartest person in the room - leave the room.”</p><p><strong>Partner shout-out</strong></p><p>Even the best ideas need backing. Westpac has doubled its Female Entrepreneurs Fund to $1B and offers the Startup Business Loan - apply with your business plan and budget projections for up to $50K unsecured. Learn more: search “Westpac supporting female founders.”Eligibility, credit criteria, fees & charges, and T&Cs apply.General advice only.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Links : </strong></p><p><a href="https://bespokehr.com.au" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://bespokehr.com.au</a></p><p><a href="https://performancecollectiveacademy.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">https://performancecollectiveacademy.com</a></p><p><strong>If this episode lifted you, hit Follow, drop a quickreview, and share it with someone who’s building better systems for people.</strong></p>
12 total episodes available
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