Scale HER Up Podcast
The female entrepreneurs show, powered by Real stories, honest conversations and practical lessons from women building and growing businesses in Scotland.
Scale HER Up is my podcast for ambitious women in business who want more than inspiration. It is for founders, leaders and business owners who are building something meaningful, navigating the challenges of growth, and learning how to scale in a way that works for them.
As a business coach, podcast host and founder of Scale HER Up, I use each episode to share the story behind the business. The highs, the hard bits, the turning points, the lessons learned and the practical advice other women can take into their own businesses.
Whether you are growing a team, aiming for seven figures, looking for more confidence, or simply wanting to hear honest conversations with women who understand the realities of business ownership, Scale HER Up is here to help you listen, learn and take action.
What’s this all about then?
Scale HER Up began with a simple idea: to showcase more female business owner role models.
After reading the Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship, I was struck by both the scale of the opportunity and the barriers still facing women who start and grow businesses.
The Rose Review highlighted that the UK economy was missing out on a significant pool of entrepreneurial talent. It showed that if women started and scaled businesses at the same rate as men, it could add billions to the UK economy. It also highlighted barriers including lower access to finance, lower starting capital, fear of starting alone, perceived lack of skills and experience, fewer visible role models, and the impact of caring responsibilities.
One of the things that stood out to me most was the need for more visible role models.
Women need to see other women building, growing and leading successful businesses. Not just the polished success stories, but the real journey behind them: the decisions, the doubts, the lessons, the turning points, and the practical actions that made a difference.
So I started Scale HER Up to help change that.
Through the podcast, I share honest conversations with female founders, business owners and leaders. We talk about what it really takes to start, grow and lead a business, especially as a woman navigating the opportunities and challenges that come with entrepreneurship.
Since launching, I have had more than 150 conversations, increasingly focused on showcasing female founders, business owners and leaders building businesses here in Scotland.
The aim is simple: to help more women see what is possible, learn from those who have gone before them, and feel more confident taking action in their own business.
Why am I doing this?
The Rose Review reinforced something I see every day as a business coach: women do not lack ambition, talent or ideas. But many women still face different barriers when it comes to finance, confidence, visibility, networks, role models, support and growth.
Scale HER Up exists to help close that gap.
By showcasing female business owner role models, I want to give women access to the stories, lessons and encouragement that can help them move forward in their own businesses.
At ActionCOACH Brenda Hector, my mission is to help 100 female-led businesses reach £1 million turnover and beyond by 2030.
Scale HER Up is part of that mission.
The podcast is about more than sharing inspiring stories. It is about helping women listen, learn and take action, so more female-led businesses can grow stronger, more profitable and more sustainable.
Because inspiration is lovely, but action is what grows a business.
Who is Scale HER Up for?
Scale HER Up is for female founders, business owners and leaders who want to grow a stronger, more profitable and more sustainable business.
It is especially relevant if you are:
- Growing a business and wondering what the next stage should look like
- Building a team and learning how to become a better leader
- Trying to work fewer hours while improving results
- Looking for more confidence, clarity and structure
- Interested in real stories from women who have been there
- Ambitious for growth, but determined to do business in a way that works for you
It is also for anyone who cares about improving gender balance in entrepreneurship and wants to support more women to start, scale and succeed in business.
What can you expect from the podcast?
Every episode of Scale HER Up is different because every business journey is different.
Some guests share how they started their business. Others talk about leadership, money, marketing, visibility, confidence, resilience, team growth, change, or the reality of balancing business with life.
What they all have in common is a willingness to be honest about the reality of business and generous with the lessons they have learned along the way.
You will hear from women who have built something from scratch, grown teams, developed their leadership skills, navigated setbacks, made brave decisions, and learned what it really takes to build a business.
The conversations are encouraging, but they are also practical. My hope is that every episode gives you something to think about, something to try, or something that helps you feel less alone in business.
Do you want to appear on Scale HER Up?
I am always interested in speaking to women with a great business story, a powerful lesson to share, or expertise that could help other female entrepreneurs grow.
Guests on Scale HER Up are usually female founders, business owners or leaders with businesses based in Scotland.
You do not need to have a perfect story. In fact, the best conversations often come from the messy middle: the challenges, the turning points, the decisions, the lessons and the growth that came from them.
What matters most is that you can offer honest insight, practical advice and encouragement to other women in business.
If you would like to be considered as a guest, please get in touch and tell me a little bit about you, your business, where you are based in Scotland, and what you think other women could learn from your story.
Unfortunately, I cannot feature everyone who applies, but I am always delighted to hear from women doing interesting things in business.
Where to find Scale HER Up
You can listen to Scale HER Up on all major podcast platforms and watch selected episodes on YouTube.
Listen while you walk the dog, drive to a meeting, make a coffee, or take a moment to step back from the day-to-day of running your business.
And when something resonates, don’t just nod along.
Take action.
That is where the growth happens.
