Fearless Females Podcast (supported by Westpac)

From a graduate program at a major bank to leading Westpac's business lending division, Tamara Bryden shares what she's learned about backing female founders, managing cash flow and leading with honest conversations. As Managing Director of Business Lending at Westpac Group and a driving force behind Westpac's $1B commitment to female founders and the Westpac Female Founder Awards, Tamara shows how a big bank can actually back the women building small businesses.
Tamara explains what sparked the $1B commitment: a stat she found shocking, that only around 2% of private capital goes to female-led startups, even though more women than men are starting businesses. Rather than be frustrated with the problem, Westpac committed to lending. Just over two years in, they've supported more than 2,000 female-led startups with $911 million, and the second $500 million has gone faster than the first. The businesses range from a tattoo shop to non-invasive IVF treatments to Sandy Baby, a product that wipes sand off kids before they get back in the car.
We unpack why women often don't walk through the bank's door: worry about not meeting the criteria, fear of being judged, and the idea that a "no" means a lack of confidence in the business. Tamara's message is the opposite. The bank wants to find a way to say yes, and the $50k Startup Business Loan can be unsecured, so founders don't have to give up equity or put the family home on the line. What the bank wants to see is a solid plan, a way to monetise the idea and your experience in the sector.
We also get into the numbers side: why cash flow is the top issue SMEs raise, why separating personal and business finances early keeps you honest, and why Tamara has seen as many businesses fail from growing too fast as from growing too slow. She shares how she protects her best hours (no morning meetings, so she's not reactive all day), the fortune cookie message taped to her laptop that defines success for her ("You have made a difference"), and why she believes that 99% of the time, leadership comes down to sitting down and having a real conversation, not a 20-page PowerPoint.
If you've ever wondered whether you're "ready enough" to talk to a bank, this episode will change your mind.
Key takeaways:
Westpac wants to say yes. Go in informed, and if the answer is no, ask them to walk you through the financials.
An unsecured $50k Startup Business Loan is an alternative to giving up equity for seed funding.
Separate personal and business finances early, and plan your cash conversion cycle before you grow. Fast growth can sink a business as quickly as slow growth.
Never avoid the hard conversation. Open, respectful conversations build trust and avoid resentment.
You don't have to do it alone. Tap into accelerators, networks and the startup community (including Fearless Females).

Tamara's book recommendations for leaders: The First 90 Days and The Founder's Mentality.
Thank you to Westpac for supporting this episode of Fearless Females Podcast. Even the best ideas need backing. Westpac has committed $1B to support female entrepreneurs and offer the Startup Business Loan. Apply with your business plan and budget projections for up to $50k unsecured. To learn more, search 'Westpac supporting female founders'. Eligibility, credit criteria, fees & charges and T&C's apply. General advice only.

From a converted gambling den above a Cooma menswear store to a fashion empire that fills an old shopping mall, Jane Cay shares how Birdsnest became one of regional Australia's most loved brands, and one of its biggest employers. Jane embodies fearless leadership built on customer obsession, adaptability and a deep loyalty to the community that built her.
Twenty-two years ago Jane launched Birdsnest online while everyone told her "no one's going to buy jeans online." Today Birdsnest employs over 100 people in a town of 6,500, has twice made Australia's top ten places to work, and runs its own design and manufacturing team, born from the frustration of stocking brands that stopped at size 14 and wouldn't listen to what her customers actually wanted.
We dig into the unglamorous reality behind the growth: three all-nighters fixing a platform migration disaster the night before launch, learning the hard way never to let one person hold the only key to your tech, and choosing to relentlessly rebuild systems as the business outgrew them. Jane is candid about the two times the business contracted, especially the terror of COVID, when she had to cut rosters and watched her team quietly cover shifts for each other before she could even find the words to ask.
She reframes small town limitations as an edge: being locked into a reliable regional postal network let Birdsnest match city delivery speeds early on, and being 100km from the nearest big city hasn't stopped her building a values-led, tech-powered personalised service, right down to handwritten notes on every parcel, backed by systems that remember a customer's preferences and order history.
On AI, Jane is hands on and enthusiastic: she's used it to solve a problem the team once thought was too complex to tackle, automatically classifying their entire clothing catalogue by seasonal colour analysis (hue, chroma, value) so customers can shop by their personal colour palette. Her closing message to founders: ideas need space, so protect your best hour of the day for working on the business, not just in it.
Key takeaways:
Location can be a strength, not a limitation. Build the infrastructure that makes it one.
Don't let one person become a single point of failure for critical systems, mitigate that risk early.
AI is best applied to problems that were previously "too complex to bother with," not just repetitive admin.
Protect a fixed block of time for strategic thinking; growth doesn't happen only in the busywork.

Jane is offering Fearless Females Podcast listeners a $20 Wardrobe Voucher (one use only, minimum spend $100). Simply use the code "Fearless Females" when you get to checkout.
Thank you to Westpac for supporting this episode of Fearless Females Podcast. Even the best ideas need backing. Westpac actively support female entrepreneurs through their new Female Founder Awards. Learn more about how Westpac actively support female founders here : ⁠www.westpac.com.au/fearlessfemales⁠

Your hosts today are:
Anna Dimond from ⁠Palas Jewellery⁠
Kelly Jamieson from ⁠Edible Blooms

From the Kraft and Hallmark boardrooms to founding her own coaching business, Christine Khor shares what it really takes to bet on yourself after 25 years building other people's brands. Christine embodies fearless leadership forged through radical honesty, hard won resilience and a refusal to let anyone else write her story.
After being told she was "too opinionated" to make CMO, and refusing to let anyone dictate how she'd parent, Christine walked away from corporate at 30 to found Peeplcoach, with a mission to make executive-calibre coaching accessible to middle management and emerging leaders, not just the C-suite. She reframes "know your numbers" as the single biggest gap she sees, and shares how an embezzlement early in her career taught her to build financial safeguards without losing trust in people.
We dig into what it actually took to raise her first ten investors, why she treats advisors like a "tribe" she calls on for different needs, and the moment she called out a VC's "she's the whole package" excuse for backing a competitor instead of her.
Christine opens up about leading through her husband's cancer diagnosis and her own autoimmune illness, and the discipline she's built around energy, not perfection.
On AI, her view is blunt: it's a productivity tool, not a replacement for human connection, and the businesses that win will be the ones led by people.
Key takeaways:
Know your numbers. If finance isn't your strength, get a trusted advisor, don't outsource the risk by ignoring it.
Own your difference rather than hiding it, an accent, a background or an "unusual" profile can be a competitive edge, not a liability.
Protect your energy: cut out neutral and negative relationships, and don't wait for burnout to force the reset.
AI is an efficiency tool. Values, connection and human judgement remain the real differentiator.

Christine is generously offering Fearless Females Podcast listeners 10% off any Peeplcoach program, just mention "Fearless Females" when you get in touch : https://peeplcoach.com/peeplcoach-fearless-females-podcast/

Thank you to Westpac for supporting this episode of Fearless Females Podcast. Even the best ideas need backing. Westpac actively support female entrepreneurs through their new Female Founder Awards. Learn more about how Westpac actively support female founders here : www.westpac.com.au/fearlessfemales

Your hosts today are:
Anna Dimond from Palas Jewellery
Kelly Jamieson from Edible Blooms

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.
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.
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.
We cover:
The storytelling spine that wins rooms: Problem → Solution → Why You → Why Now → Team.
Why emotion matters in B2B pitches (reminding investors founders are people, not just P&Ls).
Hiring in the GPT era - why tests can mislead and gut +references matter more.
Shifting from “family” to high-performance team (right people, right seats, right stage).
Buying businesses vs. starting from zero - and how her investment-banking discipline paid off.
The reframe that powers resilience: there’s learning, not disappointment.
Carla’s through line is simple and powerful: share generously, decide decisively and optimize for profit on purpose.
Key takeaways
Design for profit early. Cash, margin and inventory discipline beat “growth at all costs.”
Pitch the story, not spreadsheets. Problem, solution, why you, why now and the team build conviction.
Choose investors like team mates. Values-aligned partners keep you driving the bus.
Hire for stage, not just skill. Right seats, fast feedback, fewer “family” dynamics.
Connections compound. Programs and ecosystems (She Loves Tech, Peak XV Spark) open markets.
Reframe “failure.” Treat outcomes as inputs - move forward with the learning.
Partner shout-out
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.
Links and mentions :
Learn more about ProfitPeak : ProfitPeak.io | Boost your e-Commerce store's profitability and Carla’s favourite book : “The Infinite Game” by Simon Sinek
The programs that have fast tracked Carla’s SAAS fast growth record:
1. Blackbird — Giants (founder community & programs): https://www.blackbird.vc/giants
(Blackbird also runs Foundry, its early-stage accelerator: https://www.blackbird.vc/foundry.)
2. She Loves Tech (global competition & accelerator for women in tech): https://www.shelovestech.org/
3. Peak XV - Spark (early-stage founder program with grants& mentorship): https://www.peakxv.com/sparkTop of Form Bottom of Form
Other programs Carla hears great things about:
Antler: Global startup generator & early-stage VC(programs and how to apply).
Startmate: Accelerator & Fellowships (ANZ) (accelerator, fellowships, investor info).
Y Combinator: Accelerator (US) (about YC, programs, resources).
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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.
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?
In this episode of the Fearless Females Podcast, we cover:
How to set a freedom goal (and why money = time + patience, not hacks)
The two gears every business builder needs: zoom-out strategy and zoom-in action
Leaving before you’re stale: spotting the moment a season is complete
Replacing identity tied to work with a wider definition of self
Why “no routine” can be a valid routine

This episode is jam packed. Our favourite quotes from Kim McKay include:
“We have two lives. The second begins when you realise you only have one.”
“I value freedom, so I planned for it. That’s not luck, that’s design.”
“Leave the party while you’re still having fun.”
Partner shout-out
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.

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.