From a graduate program at a major bank to leading Westpac's business lending division, Tamara Bryden shares what she's learned about backing female founders, managing cash flow and leading with honest conversations. As Managing Director of Business Lending at Westpac Group and a driving force behind Westpac's $1B commitment to female founders and the Westpac Female Founder Awards, Tamara shows how a big bank can actually back the women building small businesses.

Tamara explains what sparked the $1B commitment: a stat she found shocking, that only around 2% of private capital goes to female-led startups, even though more women than men are starting businesses. Rather than be frustrated with the problem, Westpac committed to lending. Just over two years in, they've supported more than 2,000 female-led startups with $911 million, and the second $500 million has gone faster than the first. The businesses range from a tattoo shop to non-invasive IVF treatments to Sandy Baby, a product that wipes sand off kids before they get back in the car.

We unpack why women often don't walk through the bank's door: worry about not meeting the criteria, fear of being judged, and the idea that a "no" means a lack of confidence in the business. Tamara's message is the opposite. The bank wants to find a way to say yes, and the $50k Startup Business Loan can be unsecured, so founders don't have to give up equity or put the family home on the line. What the bank wants to see is a solid plan, a way to monetise the idea and your experience in the sector.

We also get into the numbers side: why cash flow is the top issue SMEs raise, why separating personal and business finances early keeps you honest, and why Tamara has seen as many businesses fail from growing too fast as from growing too slow. She shares how she protects her best hours (no morning meetings, so she's not reactive all day), the fortune cookie message taped to her laptop that defines success for her ("You have made a difference"), and why she believes that 99% of the time, leadership comes down to sitting down and having a real conversation, not a 20-page PowerPoint.

If you've ever wondered whether you're "ready enough" to talk to a bank, this episode will change your mind.

Key takeaways:

• Westpac wants to say yes. Go in informed, and if the answer is no, ask them to walk you through the financials.
• An unsecured $50k Startup Business Loan is an alternative to giving up equity for seed funding.
• Separate personal and business finances early, and plan your cash conversion cycle before you grow. Fast growth can sink a business as quickly as slow growth.
• Never avoid the hard conversation. Open, respectful conversations build trust and avoid resentment.
• You don't have to do it alone. Tap into accelerators, networks and the startup community (including Fearless Females).

Tamara's book recommendations for leaders: The First 90 Days and The Founder's Mentality.

Thank you to Westpac for supporting this episode of Fearless Females Podcast. Even the best ideas need backing. Westpac has committed $1B to support female entrepreneurs and offer the Startup Business Loan. Apply with your business plan and budget projections for up to $50k unsecured. To learn more, search 'Westpac supporting female founders'. Eligibility, credit criteria, fees & charges and T&C's apply. General advice only.

From a converted gambling den above a Cooma menswear store to a fashion empire that fills an old shopping mall, Jane Cay shares how Birdsnest became one of regional Australia's most loved brands, and one of its biggest employers. Jane embodies fearless leadership built on customer obsession, adaptability and a deep loyalty to the community that built her.

Twenty-two years ago Jane launched Birdsnest online while everyone told her "no one's going to buy jeans online." Today Birdsnest employs over 100 people in a town of 6,500, has twice made Australia's top ten places to work, and runs its own design and manufacturing team, born from the frustration of stocking brands that stopped at size 14 and wouldn't listen to what her customers actually wanted.

We dig into the unglamorous reality behind the growth: three all-nighters fixing a platform migration disaster the night before launch, learning the hard way never to let one person hold the only key to your tech, and choosing to relentlessly rebuild systems as the business outgrew them. Jane is candid about the two times the business contracted, especially the terror of COVID, when she had to cut rosters and watched her team quietly cover shifts for each other before she could even find the words to ask.

She reframes small town limitations as an edge: being locked into a reliable regional postal network let Birdsnest match city delivery speeds early on, and being 100km from the nearest big city hasn't stopped her building a values-led, tech-powered personalised service, right down to handwritten notes on every parcel, backed by systems that remember a customer's preferences and order history.

On AI, Jane is hands on and enthusiastic: she's used it to solve a problem the team once thought was too complex to tackle, automatically classifying their entire clothing catalogue by seasonal colour analysis (hue, chroma, value) so customers can shop by their personal colour palette. Her closing message to founders: ideas need space, so protect your best hour of the day for working on the business, not just in it.

Key takeaways:

• Location can be a strength, not a limitation. Build the infrastructure that makes it one.
• Don't let one person become a single point of failure for critical systems, mitigate that risk early.
• AI is best applied to problems that were previously "too complex to bother with," not just repetitive admin.
• Protect a fixed block of time for strategic thinking; growth doesn't happen only in the busywork.

Jane is offering Fearless Females Podcast listeners a $20 Wardrobe Voucher (one use only, minimum spend $100). Simply use the code "Fearless Females" when you get to checkout.

Thank you to Westpac for supporting this episode of Fearless Females Podcast. Even the best ideas need backing. Westpac actively support female entrepreneurs through their new Female Founder Awards. Learn more about how Westpac actively support female founders here : ⁠www.westpac.com.au/fearlessfemales⁠

Your hosts today are:

Anna Dimond from ⁠Palas Jewellery⁠

Kelly Jamieson from ⁠Edible Blooms

From the Kraft and Hallmark boardrooms to founding her own coaching business, Christine Khor shares what it really takes to bet on yourself after 25 years building other people's brands. Christine embodies fearless leadership forged through radical honesty, hard won resilience and a refusal to let anyone else write her story.

After being told she was "too opinionated" to make CMO, and refusing to let anyone dictate how she'd parent, Christine walked away from corporate at 30 to found Peeplcoach, with a mission to make executive-calibre coaching accessible to middle management and emerging leaders, not just the C-suite. She reframes "know your numbers" as the single biggest gap she sees, and shares how an embezzlement early in her career taught her to build financial safeguards without losing trust in people.

We dig into what it actually took to raise her first ten investors, why she treats advisors like a "tribe" she calls on for different needs, and the moment she called out a VC's "she's the whole package" excuse for backing a competitor instead of her.

Christine opens up about leading through her husband's cancer diagnosis and her own autoimmune illness, and the discipline she's built around energy, not perfection.

On AI, her view is blunt: it's a productivity tool, not a replacement for human connection, and the businesses that win will be the ones led by people.

Key takeaways:

• Know your numbers. If finance isn't your strength, get a trusted advisor, don't outsource the risk by ignoring it.
• Own your difference rather than hiding it, an accent, a background or an "unusual" profile can be a competitive edge, not a liability.
• Protect your energy: cut out neutral and negative relationships, and don't wait for burnout to force the reset.
• AI is an efficiency tool. Values, connection and human judgement remain the real differentiator.

Christine is generously offering Fearless Females Podcast listeners 10% off any Peeplcoach program, just mention "Fearless Females" when you get in touch : https://peeplcoach.com/peeplcoach-fearless-females-podcast/

Thank you to Westpac for supporting this episode of Fearless Females Podcast. Even the best ideas need backing. Westpac actively support female entrepreneurs through their new Female Founder Awards. Learn more about how Westpac actively support female founders here : www.westpac.com.au/fearlessfemales

Your hosts today are:

Anna Dimond from Palas Jewellery

Kelly Jamieson from Edible Blooms