Episode 166

full
Published on:

12th Jun 2026

The Ripple Effect: Mindset, Leadership and Scaling with Purpose — with Julie McCann

In this episode of Scale HER Up, I'm joined by Julie McCann, founder and CEO of Masters in Minds Limited — a leadership, management and organisational development business with 17 years of impact behind it.

Julie's story is one of real transformation. She left school at 16 with few qualifications, built her career from the ground up through corporate life, and eventually founded her own business after years of helping other organisations scale and succeed. Today she leads a team of eight full-time staff and 40 associates, and runs a platform business combining HR technology with bespoke learning and development content.

In this conversation, Julie and I talk about what it really takes to build a business that changes people's lives — and why the ripple effect of great leadership is bigger than most of us realise.

We cover:

- What Masters in Minds does and the types of organisations that need it most

- The difference between a training programme and a genuine execution strategy

- Why strategy so often fails — and what it actually takes to deliver it

- Running a business alongside your husband (and how they got better at the boundaries)

- Juggling business and family, including self-funding both pregnancies

- Why even a sales and marketing expert struggles to articulate their elevator pitch

- Keeping going when the media tells you everything is doom and gloom

- Why failure, resilience and the ability to bounce back are non-negotiables for any entrepreneur

- The ripple effect of great leadership — and why it matters more than you think

- Julie's powerful message on age: don't let it define what you can and can't do

**Quote of the episode:** *"You teach best what you most need to learn."* — Julie McCann

Whether you're building a team, thinking about leadership, or trying to get your strategy off the page and into action — this conversation is full of practical wisdom and honest reflection.

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About the Podcast

Scale Her Up: Female business stories and expert tips for business growth and success
The Female Entrepreneur Show. Sharing business expertise, start-up experiences and business growth strategies to overcome challenges
If you are a female business owner, self-employed freelancer, or girl boss who wants to build a successful business i.e. work less hours, make more money, and get better results from your staff, then this is the podcast for you. Hosted by Dr Brenda Hector MBA from ActionCOACH UK, this podcast provides relatable and accessible business advice and inspiration from successful businesswomen who have been there and done it before you.

This podcast is where you can
• hear female business stories
• share business success
• learn how to overcome business challenges
• get advice for businesswomen aspiring to success
• find out what needs to change
• discover how we can bring about that business revolution

Only 1 in 3 UK entrepreneurs are female.
UK men are 5 times more likely than women to build a business of over £1million turnover

If UK women matched UK men in starting and scaling businesses, it would add £250 billion to the UK economy (Alison Rose, The Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship 2018)

As a woman in business, a business coach, and a business growth expert, Brenda’s mission is to help business owners grow their companies, achieve their goals and live the lifestyle of their dreams. She's the help you need to grow your business.
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About your host

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Brenda Hector

I’m Brenda Hector — entrepreneur, business coach, podcast host and writer — and I help ambitious female business owners turn hard work into real results: higher profits, better team performance, and more time back.
If your business relies too heavily on you, growth feels messy, or you’re “successful on paper” but exhausted in real life, you’re not alone — and it’s fixable. My work is about building a business that performs consistently, develops leaders, and supports you to step up and step back when you choose.
On Scale Her Up: The Female Entrepreneur Show, I spotlight women who are building brilliant businesses and share tools and insights to accelerate progress and improve gender balance in entrepreneurship.
"Because being in business should give you more life"