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.