“I don’t like saying I’m a hospital CEO - healthcare management takes a team.” In this candid conversation, Cara Miller, CEO of North Eastern Community Hospital (and current National Chairperson of AHPRA), shares how she’s challenging the status quo with a patient-centred, staff-first, tech-enabled model of care.
Cara traces her path from sick kid turned St John Cadet to radiographer and sonographer - then the defining moment that set her leadership compass: pausing a routine scan to properly care for an unexpected twin pregnancy, even when the system pushed for speed and profit over patient care. That became her blueprint: respect the patient, invest in people, and build systems that make the right thing the easy thing.
We dig into how she embraces regulation (don’t evade it - innovate within it), the practical role of AI and automation to put attention back on patients, and the culture shifts that keep hospitals human (from greeting night-shift cleaners to flattening hierarchy while staying accountable). Cara’s leadership mantras land hard and useful: tackle the hardest problem first, don’t be afraid to lead, and her mic-drop: “If you’re not using data to inform decisions, you’re not making good decisions.”
In this episode:
1. The moment that mattered: choosing patient dignity over throughput and why people → patients → profit (in that order).
2. Innovation inside the rules: embracing regulators and making compliance-by-design the engine of improvement.
3. Tech that gives time back: AI note - taking, smarter workflows, and the non-negotiable human touch.
4. Team, not titles: building high performance through gratitude, visibility and clear accountability.
5. Put a bounce back in your step: the importance of surrounding yourself with like-minded people.
6. Networking without the ick: lead with generosity, make it a safe space, and invite the introverts in.
7. Leadership with courage: tough calls, constrained budgets, and data dashboards that keep you honest.
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.
Helpful links:
Discover more about our hosts, Kelly and Anna by visiting www.edibleblooms.com.au and www.palasjewellery.com
If this episode lifted you, hit Follow, drop a quick comment and share it with someone who’s building better systems for people.
At 22, Tammy Barton quit her job, set up at the kitchen table in Adelaide, and started helping people not just create budgets - but actually stick to them. That simple client-first idea became MyBudget (founded 1999), a national brand that’s now supported 130,000+ clients with personalised, dynamic money plans, automated bill payments and savings, and the kind of accountability that turns financial stress into freedom.
Tammy takes us behind the scenes of the early leaps - leasing a tiny office, buying second-hand furniture and signage, and hiring her first teammate within a year - and the long game that followed: growing to more than 270 staff across Australia, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines and investing $30M in proprietary technology to scale care without losing the human touch.
We unpack her leadership philosophy of small, consistent steps, continual learning, and mentorship; why “do what’s right for the client” remains the North Star in every decision; and how MyBudget measures success beyond revenue - toward wellbeing and lasting behaviour change. Tammy also shares what’s next: deeper tech, a client-obsessed product roadmap, and expansion opportunities in New Zealand and the UK.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Perfect for: founders, leaders, and anyone who’s ever built a budget that looked great on paper—and wants one that works in real life.
And a warm shout out to our partner, Westpac, who have been a key partner in the success of My Budget. Recently Westpac have committed $1B to support female entrepreneurs and offer the Startup Business Loan - you can apply with your business plan and budget projections for up to $50k unsecured. Learn more by searching 'Westpac supporting female founders'. Eligibility, credit criteria, fees & charges, and T&Cs apply. General advice only.
Links & mentions:
www.mybudget.com.au (Tammy's personal finance business)
www.myhomebuild.au (Tammy's most recent businessexpansion with an Award winning home build company)
“Don’t dream half the dream - dream the whole dream.” In this powerhouse episode, Karla Way-McPhail joins us from Yeppoon, Queensland to share how she grew from teacher to accidental entrepreneur leading 16 businesses under The Real Group and why her formula is simple: invest in people, not industries.
Karla opens up about the rituals and beliefs that fuel her resilience (yes, 4:30am calls, daily gratitude and her beloved morning bath), her people-first leadership playbook, and the bold bets that transformed a coastal town into a growing business hub. From logistics and training to salons and barges, Karla shows how clear values, empowered teams and radical optimism can scale anything.
She also tells the raw story of her husband’s sudden “widow-maker” heart attack, the months-long rebuild that followed and the perspective shift that reshaped their lives and companies. Expect goosebumps, straight talk, and a mic-drop message on belief, legacy and using business as a vehicle for good.
In this episode
Shout-out to our partner
Even the best ideas need backing. Westpac has committed $1B to support female entrepreneurs 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 & mentions
From police officer to reality TV trailblazer to product founder, Alisa Fraser has never been afraid of the long game. In this episode, the co-founder and CEO of al.ive body (with twin sister Lysandra) shares how grit, design obsession and values-first leadership turned a beach-scribbled idea into a brand that’s sold 2.2M+ products across 900+ stores in Australia and New Zealand.
Alisa opens up about the pressure-cooker lessons from winning The Block (17 weeks, three hours’ sleep a night), the reality behind “overnight success” (14 years in the making), and the fearless choices behind al.ive Body’s rise - from six months of underground R&D to selling a house to fund the first production run. She gets real about scaling pains (startup to scale-up), why category discipline and SKU rationalisation matter and how to protect your culture as the team grows.
We also go deep on authenticity and visibility: being an introvert in the public eye, handling trolls and nurturing a community that DMs daily with wins, questions, and product love. Plus, the rituals that keep her steady (F45 at dawn, quiet desk time before the team arrives), the “who not how” rule that changed her leadership, and the spiritual intuition she uses to read the room and herself.
In this episode
Alisa’s takeaways
Partner shout-out
Even the best ideas need backing. Westpac has committed $1B to support female entrepreneurs 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.
Loved Alisa’s story? Follow the show, leave a quick review, and share this episode with a friend who’s building something bold. New episodes drop every second Tuesday.
From first steps to global scale, Episode Zero sets the tone for the Fearless Female Podcast : candid stories, practical tools, and big-hearted inspiration for women building, leading, and living bravely.
Co-hosts Anna Dimond (Palas Jewellery) and Kelly Jamieson (Edible Blooms) share the origin story of the show and the community that powers it - how a simple Wednesday morning walk turned into a national platform amplifying female founders and powerhouse CEOs. You’ll hear how networks open doors, why “it takes a village,” and how generosity (plus a few spreadsheets) can change the trajectory of a business. We also spotlight our partner Westpac, who “walk the talk” for women in business - doubling its female founder fund to $1B and backing our Fearless Innovator program, which recently awarded $160,000 in cash and prizes to emerging founders.
Along the way, Anna and Kelly swap stories from their own 20-year+ business journeys - sister-built startups, reinvention after loss, chocolate-dipped strawberry empires, and the very real juggle of family and boardrooms. Expect laughs (and a few “did that make the edit?” moments), plus the themes that keep surfacing across our Season 1 guests: human-first leadership, intuition you can trust, failing fast, and not quitting before the miracle.
What you’ll learn
Episode extras
Listener love: if this uplifted you, please follow, rate, and share it with a friend who needs a boost.
Links & resources
1. Westpac – Supporting female founders & startups: Search “Westpac supporting female founders” to learn more. Eligibility, credit criteria, fees & charges, and T&Cs apply. General advice only.
2. Edible Blooms: Hampers & Dessert Boxes | Same Day Delivery | Edible Blooms
3. Palas Jewellery: Palas Jewellery | Collect, inspire and share
Special thanks & a little gift 🎁As a thank-you for being part of our launch, use code FEARLESS at Edible Blooms and Palas Jewellery for a special treat when you checkout.
Enjoying Episode Zero? Hit follow, drop a quick review, and join us every second Tuesday as we lift the hood on the wins, wobblies, and wisdom of the women shaping the future of business - so we can think fearlessly and go further, together.