#274 Get Out of the Day-to-Day: Systems, Sanity and the Seven-Minute Unhinged Voice Note with Katie Kirsopp

#274 Get Out of the Day-to-Day: Systems, Sanity and the Seven-Minute Unhinged Voice Note with Katie Kirsopp

Two minutes before I hit record on this episode, I got a call from the school sick bay. My son had hit his head, and there I was, mid-mum-mode, about to interview one of the most organised women I know. Honestly, it could not have been more fitting. Because this episode is all about building a serious business around real life. The kids, the school runs, the chaos, all of it. My guest today is Katie Kirsopp, a fractional COO who goes into the back end of businesses and finds the gaps you can't see because you're too deep in the day-to-day. I met Katie at our very first Top Shelf Entrepreneurs retreat, then reconnected at Curated Circle in Melbourne, and I knew I had to get her on the podcast. Katie's journey started when a client told her she was a terrible VA. Turns out she wasn't a doer, she was a visionary. Now she helps coaches, consultants and creatives streamline their systems, restructure their teams and reclaim their time, so the business runs without them glued to their phone. In this episode, we chat about: 1. What a fractional COO actually does, and how it differs from a VA or OBM 2. The automation that quietly stopped working for three months because it was nobody's job to notice 3. How Katie juggles multiple clients, kids' sport and solo parenting seasons (spoiler: there's no secret sauce, just radical acceptance) 4. The "seven-minute unhinged voice note" and why every leader needs a safe place to vent 5. Why leadership is lonely, and how the right support changes everything 6. Building systems around YOUR leadership style, not someone else's template 7. Why solid personal foundations matter more than any SOP Katie and I also get real about mum guilt, being terrible cooks (boiled eggs count as dinner, right?) and why you have to be okay with missing out sometimes. If you've built a successful business but you're still the one answering every message and checking your inbox seven times a day, this one's for you. Connect with Katie: Instagram: @katielkirsopp [https://www.instagram.com/katielkirsopp/] Website: www.katiekirsopp.com [www.katiekirsopp.com] Connect with us: Follow Diane: @dianemckendrick [https://www.instagram.com/dianemckendrick/] on Instagram, Facebook: www.facebook.com/diane.mckendrick [www.facebook.com/diane.mckendrick ] LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dianemckendrick/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianemckendrick/] Website: www.those2sisters.com [http://www.those2sisters.com] Come to a retreat: they're filling fast, and women travel from all over the world to be in the room. Check the website for dates. Ready to go deeper? Join The Rich Lady Revolution Membership: https://www.those2sisters.au/membership [https://www.those2sisters.au/membership]

#273 Beyond Quick Fixes: Sustainable Marketing Strategies with Chantal Gerardy

In episode 273 of The Rich Lady Revolution, host Diane McKendrick interviews Chantal Gerardy, founder of Online Business Marketing (fractional marketing strategist), OBMHub (Go High Level), and host of The Meaningful Marketing Podcast. Chantal shares her journey from South Africa to Australia, building a six-figure business on the Gold Coast with three children under five, then teaching others after her health, wellness, and fitness center tenants struggled to get clients. She outlines how to choose a marketing expert (testimonials, proven results, no quick-fix promises) and explains a marketing “ecosystem” requiring 10–20 hours weekly across six areas: Google/analytics, website/SEO/funnels, social media (know-like-trust), lead generation, email marketing (automation and newsletters), and partnership marketing. They discuss using AI with a brand kit, disciplined time-blocking, and human editing, plus the importance of nervous system regulation because “state plus strategy equals success. Connect with Chantal: Website: https://onlinebusinessmarketing.com.au [https://onlinebusinessmarketing.com.au] Podcast: The Meaningful Marketing Podcast: https://onlinebusinessmarketing.com.au/podcasts/ [https://onlinebusinessmarketing.com.au/podcasts/] Connect with Diane: Website: www.those2sisters.com [https://www.those2sisters.com] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/diane.mckendrick/ [https://www.facebook.com/diane.mckendrick/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dianemckendrick/ [https://www.instagram.com/dianemckendrick/] Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianemckendrick/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianemckendrick/] Join us in the Rich Lady Revolution Membership: https://www.those2sisters.au/membership [https://www.those2sisters.au/membership] Register to our Monthly Workshop: https://www.those2sisters.com/events [https://www.those2sisters.com/events]

#271 Values, Menopause, and Energy: Building a Business That Supports Your Life with Kathie Long

In this episode of The Rich Lady Revolution: Redefining Rich, host Diane McKendrick speaks with health and wellness coach, women’s-only gym franchisee, and certified menopause coach Kathie Long about women supporting women and building businesses that align with real life. Kathie shares insights from her menopause and business studies, including that many Australian startups were launched by women over 50, and explores menopause as a powerful transition where women back themselves and seek more purpose. Together they discuss seasons and cycles in life and business, value alignment as an antidote to burnout, and practical ways to spot misalignment by checking your calendar, identifying “time vampires,” and outsourcing tasks like cleaning. Kathie also highlights working with personal energy rhythms, scheduling for flow, and intentionally celebrating wins instead of constantly moving the goalposts. Connect with them online: Kathie Long Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathie.long.92 [https://www.facebook.com/kathie.long.92] Website: www.those2sisters.com [https://www.those2sisters.com] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dianemckendrick/ [https://www.instagram.com/dianemckendrick/] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/diane.mckendrick/ [https://www.facebook.com/diane.mckendrick/] Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianemckendrick/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianemckendrick/] Join the Rich Lady Revolution Membership: https://www.those2sisters.au/membership [https://www.those2sisters.au/membership]

#270 From CFO to Founder: Redefining Wealth, Values & Profit with Sarah Petty

In this episode of The Rich Lady Revolution, I sit down with Sarah Petty, founder of Olive Business Partners and former corporate CFO, for a grounded, real conversation about what wealth actually looks like behind the scenes of business. Sarah shares her journey from nearly 20 years in corporate finance to building her own business supporting entrepreneurs to better understand and use their numbers with clarity and confidence. We talk about the shift that happens when you move from working inside someone else’s vision to building your own, and why values matter just as much as financial strategy when choosing the people you trust with your business. We also unpack something every business owner needs to hear: the four numbers that actually matter in your business - revenue, profit, cash in the bank, and what you pay yourself - and why these are the foundations of sustainable, stress-free growth. This is a conversation about removing shame from money, bringing calm into your decision-making, and learning to see your finances as data that supports your leadership, not something to fear. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by your business numbers or unsure if you’re on track, this episode will bring clarity, perspective, and a much-needed sense of peace. Sarah Petty / Olive Business Partners Olive Business Partners Website You can also connect with Sarah via: 1. Instagram: Olive Business Partners : https://www.instagram.com/olivebusinesspartners/ [https://www.instagram.com/olivebusinesspartners/] 2. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/olivebusinesspartners [https://www.linkedin.com/company/olivebusinesspartners] 3. Direct contact via website: https://olivebusinesspartners.com.au/ [https://olivebusinesspartners.com.au/] Join the Rich Lady Revolution Membership: https://www.those2sisters.au/membership [https://www.those2sisters.au/membership]

#269 From Childhood Dream to Porsche Driver with Paula Burgess

In this powerful and playful episode of the Rich Lady Revolution podcast, Diane McKendrick sits down with Paula Burgess to explore what happens when a childhood dream stops feeling impossible and starts becoming inevitable. From growing up playing with Matchbox racers instead of Barbies, to becoming a business owner, race car driver, speaker, and future Porsche owner, Paula shares a deeply personal journey of identity, ambition, and what it truly means to allow yourself to want more. Together they unpack the real story behind the shift: the retreat Paula nearly didn't attend, the drive day that cracked everything open, and the moment behind the wheel of a Porsche 911 on a wet mountain road that changed who she believed herself to be. Diane breaks down her live identity framework in real time, and it is one of the most grounded and electric conversations this podcast has delivered. Paula Burgess is the founder of Beyond the Maze, providing admin and operations support for allied health practitioners, and Ignition Point Consulting, helping business owners build systems that let them lead, scale, and actually breathe. Find her at www.beyondthemaze.com.au [http://www.beyondthemaze.com.au] and @beyondthemaze [https://www.instagram.com/beyond_themaze/]on socials. Dreams are not random. They are clues. And when you surround yourself with the right people, step into the right environments, and start embodying the woman you are becoming, everything can shift faster than you think. The Rich Lady Revolution Membership is where ambitious women do exactly that. Weekly calls, deep community, and our 6 Checkpoints of the Rich Lady Lifestyle. $149 a month, no lock-in. Join us: www.those2sisters.au/membership [http://www.those2sisters.au/membership]