Kim’s story isn’t a get-rich-quick tale; it’s a master class in deliberate life architecture. Equal parts numbers, nerve and knowing yourself. If you’ve ever wondered whether you can build a career you love and a life you choose, this conversation is your permission slip (and plan).What happens when the fearless strategist behind award-winning brand transformations turns her lens inward? In this episode, Kim McKay - business architect, entrepreneur and straight-talking advisor - shares how she deliberately designed a non-linear life, retired in her 40s, and swapped rigid routines for intentional freedom.

From early “Project 50” planning to the very real messy middle of leaving a high-identity career, Kim breaks down the blend of big-picture vision and first 10% execution that powered her choices. She talks candidly about intuition (yes, including astrology and human design), why fear is data not a directive, and the simple decision filter she uses for scary moves: What’s the worst that can happen - and can I handle it?

In this episode of the Fearless Females Podcast, we cover:

1. How to set a freedom goal (and why money = time + patience, not hacks)
2. The two gears every business builder needs: zoom-out strategy and zoom-in action
3. Leaving before you’re stale: spotting the moment a season is complete
4. Replacing identity tied to work with a wider definition of self
5. Why “no routine” can be a valid routine

This episode is jam packed. Our favourite quotes from Kim McKay include:

• “We have two lives. The second begins when you realise you only have one.”

• “I value freedom, so I planned for it. That’s not luck, that’s design.”
• “Leave the party while you’re still having fun.”

Partner shout-out

Even the best ideas need backing. Westpac has doubled its Female Entrepreneurs commitment to $1B and offers the Startup Business Loan - apply with your business plan and budget projections for up to $50K unsecured. Learn more: search “Westpac supporting female founders.” Eligibility, credit criteria, fees & charges, and T&Cs apply. General advice only.

If this episode added some fearless courage to your day, hit Follow, drop a quick review, and share it with someone who’s building better systems for people.

At 26 years of age, Paulette Kolarz was handed the keys to a $400M division and asked to help steer a 150-store icon through receivership - while leading 3,500 staff. Today, the BespokeHR founder and Performance Collective Academy creator distils those hard-won lessons into a people-first playbook any leader can use.

Paulette makes a simple, powerful case: you don’t build a business, you build people, and people build the business. She shows how to anchor teams to a clear North Star, install a rhythm for feedback and performance and create cultures built on trust (not osmosis). We dig into her “no BMW” rule (no bitching, moaning, whinging), why exits shouldn’t be a dirty word and how to spot when someone (or you) has fallen out of love with the role - then act humanely and fast.

You’ll hear Paulette’s morning reset (top-three priorities +ten minutes for gratitude), the mindset that dissolved imposter syndrome in that giant boardroom, and the growth shortcut she swears by: run toward the biggest problems and solve them. We also explore kind authority (“kindness is a strength, not a weakness”), building mastermind circles so you’re not the smartest in the room, and her next bold chapter - scaling her leadership academy, international stages, and a book.

Candid, practical and generous, Paulette reminds us leadership works best when it’s firm on standards, soft on people and utterly authentic - even on the days you’re calling your Brat Pack from the couch.

Key takeaway highlights

Leadership philosophy

• Build people first. Results follow when you invest incapability, clarity and care.
• Kindness. Be warm and human and hold high standards - “the standard you walk past is the standard you accept.”
• Don’t be the smartest in the room. Curate masterminds and mentors who stretch you.
• Solve the biggest problems. If you want outsizedgrowth, run toward the hardest issues and fix them.

Culture + operating system

• North Star alignment. Everyone should know thepurpose, the plan and how their role moves the needle.
• Install rhythm, not osmosis. Cadences for 1:1s, feedback, goals and reviews beat ad-hoc “people stuff.”
• Trust as infrastructure. Open, vulnerable leaderscreate safety for honest conversations - including exits.
• Right seats, right people. Act quickly (and kindly)when the fit or the love for the role fades.

Personal performance

1. Night-before priming. Go to bed knowing the top three moves that will shift tomorrow.
2. 10-minute morning reset. Gratitude → focus → blockers; set the day’s energy intentionally.
3. Fuel from service. Energy comes from helping others progress—use that as a flywheel.

Entrepreneurial moves

• Scale through leaders. The Performance CollectiveAcademy shifts from “done for you” to “built within you.”
• Next bold bet. Go bigger and louder: internationalstages, a book, and expanding leader capability at scale.

Our favourite quotes from Paulette Kolarz:

“You don’t build a business - you build people, and people build the business.”

“Kindness is a strength.”

“Stand for something or you’ll fall for everything.”

“If you’re the smartest person in the room - leave the room.”

Partner shout-out

Even the best ideas need backing. Westpac has doubled its Female Entrepreneurs Fund to $1B and offers the Startup Business Loan - apply with your business plan and budget projections for up to $50K unsecured. Learn more: search “Westpac supporting female founders.”Eligibility, credit criteria, fees & charges, and T&Cs apply.General advice only.

Links :

https://bespokehr.com.au

https://performancecollectiveacademy.com

If this episode lifted you, hit Follow, drop a quickreview, and share it with someone who’s building better systems for people.