In this episode of Scale HER Up – The Female Entrepreneur Show, Dr Brtenda Hector is joined by Kim Woolner, an independent HR consultant, founder of Holding Space, certified menopause coach and part-time team member at the Russell Anderson Foundation in Aberdeen. With more than 25 years in HR across energy, construction and other male-dominated industries, Kim brings a powerful mix of professional expertise and lived experience to the conversation.

Kim talks about juggling multiple roles – HR consultancy, wellbeing work, a charitable foundation, board positions and professional bodies – while navigating menopause and protecting her own energy. She shares why her motto is “healthy body, healthy mind, healthy business,” and how women so often drop self-care first when life and work get busy.

We dig into confidence, intuition and authenticity at work: from masking in tough cultures to learning to trust your own voice, even when it shakes. Kim explains how women can stand in their own way, talk themselves out of opportunities and wait for permission, while men will apply for roles when they only meet a couple of the criteria. She offers practical ideas for owning your worth, building a trusted circle and using your network well.

With her HR hat on, Kim shares honest insight into menopause in the workplace – what it really costs businesses when experienced women leave, and how leaders and line managers can respond better. From flexible working and simple physical adjustments to normalising conversations about feelings and energy, she shows how small, thoughtful changes can transform retention, performance and culture.

We also explore Kim’s entrepreneurial journey with Holding Space: combining Bach flower remedies, essential oils, emotional wellbeing, meditation and mindfulness. She talks about learning not to over-give, setting boundaries, charging properly and recognising that “failure” is usually just information that shapes your next step.

1. Kim’s 25+ year career in HR and why she moved into independent consultancy
2. How she juggles HR work, Holding Space, the Russell Anderson Foundation, board roles and professional commitments
3. Why “healthy body, healthy mind, healthy business” underpins everything she does
4. The internal stories women tell themselves, and how they can block confidence and progress
5. Working in male-dominated industries and the pressure to wear a “mask” at work
6. Intuition as a business asset – learning to listen to your gut before hindsight kicks in
7. The gender difference in applying for jobs and opportunities, and what women can learn from it
8. Menopause in the workplace: symptoms, stigma, loss of confidence and the real cost to organisations
9. Practical ways businesses can support menopausal employees: awareness, flexible working, line manager training, small environmental changes and real policy in action
10. Emotional culture at work – why feelings drive behaviour, actions and ultimately business results
11. The role of...

In this episode of Scale HER Up – The Female Entrepreneur Show, I’m joined by Paula Paterson, Founder and Solutions Director at FidesOak, a consultancy specialising in organisational cultural transformation in high-hazard industries. Paula explains how FidesOak helps leaders build high-performing teams that act like a “high-performing virus” inside an organisation – spreading better habits, psychological safety and performance from the inside out. Paula Paterson Edited

We talk about measuring culture rather than guessing, why diagnostics matter more than scattergun initiatives, and how FidesOak’s habits framework turns good intentions into repeatable, sustainable behaviour. Paula shares the idea of cultural architects vs cultural assassins, the science behind the “3.5% tipping point” for big shifts, and why cultural change usually takes three to five years – even when leaders are impatient for quick fixes. Paula Paterson Edited

Paula also opens up about her own “chequered” career journey: from office junior and beauty therapist, to mature social sciences student, to learning and development specialist, to co-founding a company three months before the first lockdown. She talks about driving the length of the country during COVID, going underground in mines and offshore to really understand clients’ worlds, and what she’s learned about courage, self-belief and “feeling the fear and doing it anyway” as a woman leading in male-dominated, high-hazard environments. Paula Paterson Edited

In this episode, we cover:

1. What FidesOak actually does and why cultural change starts with high-performing teams, not slogans
2. The “high-performing virus” metaphor – and how to spread positive habits through an organisation
3. Cultural architects vs cultural assassins, and how to empower the right 3.5% of your people
4. Why cultural change takes years, not months, and how to show progress with real measurement
5. FidesOak’s habits framework and the difference between a behaviour you try once and a habit that sticks
6. Paula’s journey from beauty therapy to social sciences, L&D and high-hazard industries
7. Founding a company on the eve of a global pandemic – and what resilience really looked like in practice
8. Her advice to women in leadership: lean into your eminence, mine your past successes, and be a “diva” in the best possible way

In this episode of Scale HER Up – The Female Entrepreneur Show, I’m joined by Fiona Duguid, co-founder of Indigo Seven Ventures, Chief Information Officer at Aurora Energy Services, and the portfolio lead for Expo Design – a business creating sustainable exhibition and display solutions using engineered fibreboard made from recycled cardboard. Fiona describes how Indigo Seven Ventures invests with a focus on sustainability and “doing good in the world,” while she splits her time between fast-growth energy services and a greener alternative to traditional MDF exhibition builds.

Fiona’s career path is anything but linear. She started in medicine, switched to mechanical engineering at the University of Cape Town, worked in the nuclear industry, then pivoted into software development and technical sales in London – eventually becoming a senior account manager at Halliburton, working across Latin America, Europe and Houston before making Aberdeen home. Through each change she’s been one of very few women in the room, learning how to negotiate pay, hold her own in male-dominated spaces and back herself.

We dive deep into the gender pay gap, why women often wait to be “noticed” while men actively negotiate, and how language, body language and “knee-capping” ourselves with constant apologies holds us back. Fiona shares why coaching, mentors and honest feedback are so powerful for women – and why we have to stop assuming good work will automatically be rewarded.

From an investor’s perspective, she explains what Indigo Seven Ventures looks for in opportunities: values-aligned people, authenticity, realistic plans and a clear understanding that things will take longer and cost more than you think. We also talk about the funding gap for women-led businesses, how to aim higher when you’re raising money, and why asking for help on LinkedIn or in your network is often the most underused strategy.

Above all, this is a conversation about self-belief. Fiona is candid about underestimating herself early on, and the mindset shift that came when she realised she was “so much more able” than she’d ever given herself credit for. Her message to younger women – and to all of us – is clear: trust yourself, reach higher, and be the master of your own destiny.

• What Indigo Seven Ventures does and how Fiona and her husband involve their (adult) children in learning about investment
• Fiona’s portfolio roles: CIO at Aurora Energy Services and leading Expo Design, using recycled cardboard honeycomb board for sustainable exhibitions and activations
• A non-linear career journey: medicine to mechanical engineering, nuclear industry, software development, technical sales and global account management
• Being “the only woman in the room” in engineering, tech and energy – and the reality of the gender pay gap
• Why women often stay too long in roles, expecting good work to be recognised, while men tend to move and negotiate for higher salaries
• The concept of “knee-capping” ourselves in emails and meetings with apologetic language – and how Fiona now edits her words to show she belongs at the table
• How coaching, mentors and good courses can transform women’s confidence around money, negotiating and career progression
• What early-stage businesses often underestimate: the sheer number of hats you wear and the importance of knowing your strengths and weaknesses
• Advice for women seeking...