HerBusiness

Every successful business owner is resilient. Capable. Driven.
But what if the traits that got you here are quietly preventing you from scaling?
That's the question at the heart of this conversation — and it's one that Laila Tarraf has spent decades living, learning, and ultimately writing about in her book Strong Like Water.
Laila has served as Chief People Officer at some of the world's most recognised brands, including Peet's Coffee and Allbirds. She has advised founders and CEOs through critical leadership transitions. And she brings all of that experience — alongside her own deeply personal journey — to this conversation about what it really means to lead at the next level.
Because real leadership, Laila argues, isn't about getting things done. It isn't about pushing through, holding it all together, or being the strongest person in the room.
It's about creating the conditions for everyone around you to rise.
That shift — from doing to enabling, from controlling to trusting — is one of the most significant transitions a founder can make. And it doesn't happen automatically with success. It requires a deliberate, often uncomfortable, evolution of identity.
Laila shares candidly what that evolution looked like for her. Growing up in a household where strength meant perseverance and composure, she spent decades building armour — the kind that protects you in difficult moments but can also prevent you from leading with the vulnerability and clarity that truly scales a business.
It wasn't until she navigated profound personal loss while serving in her first executive role that she began to understand: the armour wasn't strength. It was a barrier.
In this episode, you'll discover:
Why "getting things done" is not leadership — and what it actually looks like at the level your business needs now
The founder traits that create early success — and why they can block scalability if you don't evolve beyond them
How to create psychological safety so your team tells you what's really happening in your business
The difference between principles (sacred) and practices (evolving) — and why confusing them keeps founders stuck
Why clarity around vision, roles, and decision rights is the first step to real freedom
How emotional maturity determines how far your organisation can grow
Mentioned in This Episode:
Apply to Join the HerBusiness Network
Laila Tarraf's Website www.lailatarraf.com
Laila Tarraf's LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lailatarraf
Laila Tarraf's Book: Stong Like Water is available here

Many business owners assume they have a sales problem when what they really have is a visibility problem.
In this episode, Suzi Dafnis explores a challenge she sees time and again among talented women business owners: doing exceptional work but not getting the growth, referrals or opportunities they deserve because not enough of the right people know they exist.
Importantly, this conversation isn't about becoming an influencer or spending more hours creating content. It's about making it easier for people to understand who you are, what you do and how you can help.
One of the key insights from this episode is that visibility is not measured by what you publish. It's measured by what people remember.
Do people think of you when they need help?
Would they recommend you to someone else?
Do they understand what you do?
Visibility is not measured by what you publish. It's measured by what people remember.
These questions matter because familiarity builds trust, and trust makes choosing easier.
Suzi also explains why many business owners underestimate how visibility works. Prospective clients are often paying attention long before they're ready to buy. They may be reading your emails, listening to your podcast or following your updates quietly in the background.
Over time, repeated exposure creates confidence and trust.
You'll also hear about the hidden costs of staying invisible, including missed referrals, fewer partnerships, reduced speaking opportunities and the self-doubt that can arise when a lack of awareness is mistaken for a lack of demand.
In this episode, Suzi shares practical ways to increase your visibility, including:
Repeating your key messages more often than feels comfortable
Clearly communicating your expertise and the transformation you provide
Participating in communities and conversations where your ideal clients already spend time
Seeking partnerships, collaborations, podcast interviews and speaking opportunities
Focusing on connection rather than simply creating more content
Perhaps most importantly, Suzi offers a refreshing perspective on visibility. It isn't about self-promotion. It's about service. It's about ensuring that the people who need your expertise can actually find it.
Listen to this episode to discover:
Why visibility and marketing are not the same thing
How familiarity creates trust and drives buying decisions
The real cost of staying hidden
Simple ways to become more visible without becoming louder
A practical question to help guide your next growth opportunity
Listen now and discover one simple step you can take this week to become easier to find, easier to understand and easier to choose.
Mentioned in this episode:
HerBusiness Network
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Reviewer - Liz Van Vliet, The Linchpin Assistant

Your business is doing well. Revenue is growing. Clients are coming. You've built something real.
But here's the question almost nobody is asking you:
Are you actually building wealth?
Not business revenue. Not cash flow. Personal, lasting, choice-creating wealth — the kind that means you get to decide how you spend your time, with whom, and on what terms.
If the honest answer is "not really" — or "I'm hoping the business sale will sort that out" — you're not alone. But you are taking a risk that most high-achieving women don't recognise until it's too late.
Mel Browne is an award-winning financial educator, ex-accountant, ex-financial advisor, and the author of five books, including the global bestseller Unf*ck Your Finances and her latest, Dare to Be Wealthy. She's also the founder of Her Wealth, Her Way — a conference that drew 700 women in its first year and is scaling to over 1,000.
What You'll Discover in this Episode:
Why growing revenue without growing personal wealth is one of the biggest risks women business owners take — and the structural shifts that close the gap
The bare minimum financial foundations every business owner needs: paying yourself a real wage, automating super, and investing outside the business
Why your business sale should be the "cherry on top, not the cake" — and how to stop banking your future on an exit that may not deliver
The four numbers every business owner should know cold: leads, conversion rates, average sale, and retention — and why they matter more than follower counts
How to develop what Mel calls a 'database gut' — enough financial literacy to trust your own instincts, even when professionals are advising you
Mel's 'purpose and profit' framework — why building wealth isn't selfish, and how the more you earn, the more freedom and impact you create
Mentioned in This Episode:
Melissa Browne's Website: https://www.melissabrowne.com.au/
Melissa Browne's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-browne-5262b020/
Melissa Browne's Instagram: melbrowne.money
Melissa Browne's Book: Dare to Be Wealthy is your unapologetic guide for women to build wealth on your terms. No jargon. No shame. No cookie-cutter plans. Just smart strategies, real stories, and a powerful mindset shift that will take you from 'I don't know' to 'I've got this'.

This is one of the most common questions women in business carry… but rarely talk about.
We think: "Once I hit this point, I can finally slow down."
But the goalpost will always move, there will always be a new milestone to hit, and the time for freedom keeps getting pushed.
In this #AskSuzi episode, Suzi Dafnis reveals what real business success looks like — and if your financial freedom and emotional freedom are the same thing.
We're discussing the habits, identities, and beliefs that women use to build their businesses, and why we don't like letting them go.
Let's talk about what becomes possible when we realise freedom is not a destination we work for at all.
You'll also discover in this episode: 
Why the pace of our lives is often driven less by circumstance and more by identity
How social reward and guilt keep high-achieving women stuck in patterns they no longer need
Why women can become financially successful and still feel unable to stop pushing
The difference between responding and being responsible (and why collapsing the two costs you your freedom)
Three questions to sit with this week that will start to shift how you think about freedom
Mentioned in This Episode:
Apply to Join the HerBusiness Network
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What's your freedom number?
It's a simple question — but one that has the power to completely change how you build your business.
In this episode, Suzi Dafnis speaks with entrepreneur and Stella Insurance founder Sam White about creating a business that supports not only financial success, but also the life you actually want to live.
After building multiple businesses in the highly traditional world of insurance, Sam made a bold decision with Stella: to create a company intentionally designed around women.
Rather than trying to appeal to everyone, Stella focused deeply on the needs, experiences, and realities of its ideal customer — and built from there.
But this conversation goes far beyond branding and positioning.
One of the most powerful moments in the episode is Sam's explanation of the "freedom number" — the amount of money you would need in order to step away, create choice, or achieve long-term security. Instead of endlessly chasing growth for growth's sake, Sam encourages business owners to reverse-engineer their goals from the outcome they actually want.
What profit would your business need to generate?
Which products are most commercially viable?
What kind of business model supports that vision sustainably?
It's a refreshingly strategic and grounded approach to scaling.
Suzi and Sam also explore the emotional realities of leadership and entrepreneurship.
Sam candidly describes business ownership as "staring into the abyss whilst eating broken glass," while also explaining that alignment and purpose are what make difficult seasons worthwhile.
You'll also hear practical insights on:
How to build a business that doesn't rely entirely on the founder
Why 90-day sprints help teams stay focused and accountable
The importance of designing around your strengths
How to stop building a business that drains you
Why clarity about who your business is for matters so much
Perhaps the most empowering reminder in this conversation is this:
Your business is allowed to reflect your values.
Whether that means a four-day workweek, a different leadership style, or redefining what success looks like, business ownership gives you the opportunity to build intentionally — not by default.
If you're at an inflection point in business and wondering what the next chapter should look like, this episode will leave you thinking differently about growth, freedom, and success.
Mentioned in This Episode:
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