She Burned Her Business to the Ground, Then Built One That Finally Worked for Her Life
In this episode, I sit down with Lisa Oakley founder of People Associates, HR consultant, mediator, and unapologetic truth-teller whose story is equal parts survival and reinvention. From postpartum collapse, single motherhood, and rebuilding her life after betrayal, to navigating the darkest HR cases no one else wants to touch, Lisa’s journey is one of resilience, clarity, and choosing to design business and motherhood on her own terms.
We dive deep into the reality of what it takes to scale a people-focused business, the toxic myths around “doing it all,” and the radical honesty required to build company culture that actually works. Lisa doesn’t sugarcoat the hard stuff and that’s exactly why this conversation is essential for every woman founder.
In This Episode We Discuss:
00:00 - Episode Trailer
02:00 - Postpartum collapse, IVF struggles, and rebuilding after betrayal
05:30 - Learning resilience: from faith to finding her superpower
07:20 - Burning her business to the ground and starting again
10:00 - Building People Associates and scaling with quality over quantity
13:30 - Failing forward: mistakes, client chemistry, and letting go of control
15:00 - The Navy Seals of HR: sexual harassment and workplace crises
18:00 - Power imbalances, ethics, and the role of a mediator
22:00 - How to build skin like a rhino (without losing compassion)
25:00 - Motherhood, guilt, and rejecting outdated gender expectations
28:00 - Outsourcing, SOPs for life, and prioritizing what actually matters
30:00 - The HR myths founders get wrong
33:00 - Breaking down culture: inputs, outputs, and the leadership lever
36:00 - The biggest culture killers in any business
38:00 - Toxic employees, feedback cultures, and why avoidance destroys teams
41:00 - Practical models for feedback and conflict resolution
Episode Resources:
Guest Website: https://peopleassociates.nz/
Guest Instagram (Personal): https://www.instagram.com/lisamareeoakley/
Guest Instagram (People Associates): https://www.instagram.com/peopleassociates.nz/
Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisamareeoakley/
Follow Us On:
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-powerhouse-diaries/id1791081472
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3ExGnkttIzhK8NMjyWLINw?si=184cc0b3c89d440f
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_powerhouse_alliance/
Host Website: https://www.drdanielkirkbride.com/