Episode 152

full
Published on:

24th Apr 2026

From Psychotherapist to Hospital MD: Leah Athanassopoulos on Scaling with Empathy

🎙️ In this episode of Scale Her Up, Dr Brenda Hector talks with Leah Athanassopoulos, the owner and managing director of Alpha Hospital Group. Leah shares her incredible journey of scaling a part-time plastic surgery clinic into a fully regulated private hospital, filling a critical gap in women’s health and fertility services in the North of Scotland.

Leah discusses how her background in counseling and psychotherapy has been her "secret weapon" for leadership, staff management, and building a patient-centered culture. We also dive into the reality of the "juggle"—balancing a business, a lecturing career, and a growing family (including a third child on the way!)—and why "starting small" is the safest way to take a big leap.

đź“ť Platform Show Notes

The Hook: From a counseling room to the operating theater—Leah Athanassopoulos is redefining private healthcare in Scotland.

Key Topics:

  • Filling the Gap: Why Leah expanded Alpha Hospital Group into fertility and women's health to save patients from traveling to Glasgow.
  • Clinic vs. Hospital: Understanding the massive regulatory shift and the technical challenges of building a hospital in a granite building.
  • The Therapist’s Edge: How psychology training helps in navigating conflict resolution and understanding patient needs.
  • Ruthless HR: Leah’s hard-won advice on why you shouldn't make staff decisions emotionally.
  • Home Rules: The simple strategy Leah uses to ensure her children feel more important than her smartphone.

Estimated Timestamps:

  • [00:01:00] The evolution from plastic surgery to a multi-service hospital.
  • [00:04:30] The regulatory hurdles of moving to general anesthesia cases.
  • [00:09:00] How a background in psychotherapy makes for a better MD.
  • [00:15:30] Avoiding "emotional" business decisions regarding staff.
  • [00:22:00] Navigating a business partnership with a spouse.
  • [00:28:30] Advice for women: "Start small, but do it".
  • [00:33:00] Future goals: Bringing fertility services to Inverness.
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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 ÂŁ1million turnover

If UK women matched UK men in starting and scaling businesses, it would add ÂŁ250 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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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"