Fear is a Doorway: Business, Legacy, and Love

I greatly enjoyed my recent deep dive podcast experience with Daniel Bussius and Peter Daly-Dickson.

You can tell by the podcast’s name, ‘Built By Love’, that they share my passion to champion warmth, empathy and care in the world of business.

We’re all so caught up in the day to day whirl, it’s a gift to spend time discussing the experiences that have shaped who we are today, and to reflect on the lessons we learn along the way.

In this podcast episode, we explore what it really means to build a business - and a life - driven by purpose, authenticity, and love.

As Daniel and Peter observed, my own journey is full of rich lessons on resilience, leadership and letting go of ego.

I share advice and insights that entrepreneurs and founders can benefit from as they run their businesses today.

Our conversation spans:

• Ego-driven growth vs. purpose-driven legacy.

• How fear can be a doorway that signals the right direction.

• The importance of values-based hiring.

• Why I believe that solid, sustainable business success is based on The Quadruple Bottom Line. 

• The story behind my ‘Love Business’ strap line.

• A hilarious yet insightful tale from the road involving a rock star, a meltdown, and an American football outfit. 

Here’s a snippet from our conversation, when I answered Daniel’s question, “What’s more damaging, not being in control of your finances or making the wrong hire?”

“The impact of a wrong hire depends heavily on seniority level. A junior mishire causes relatively little damage, but getting a senior hire wrong can significantly harm the business. By 'wrong,' I mean either a skills mismatch or—more critically—a values mismatch.

Values misalignment is where I see things go spectacularly wrong. When we hire without checking whether someone's values align with the business we're building, the damage extends beyond that individual to their influence on the entire team.

To avoid this, I teach methods that minimize wrong hires—you can never eliminate them entirely—and increase the chances of finding good cultural and values fit.

Skills can always be developed, but values alignment is fundamental.”

Whether you’re a founder seeking deeper alignment or a leader navigating growth, this podcast episode will leave you inspired to lead with love, be brave in business, and define success on your own terms.

You can listen here, or wherever you get your podcasts.

And, if you would like to talk to me about how I can help you to define success on your own terms, do get in touch. I would love to hear from you.