{"podcast":{"title":"Scale Her Up: Female business stories and expert tips for business growth and success","slug":"scale-her-up-female-business-stories-and-expert-tips-for-business-growth-and-success-1377057","podcast_index_feed_id":1377057,"rss_url":"https://feeds.captivate.fm/scale-her-up/","website_url":"https://Scaleherup.com","image_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/689a23c3-c9b8-4cd3-b6f3-1473fffd48f7/BAEoC8z0vwk9fr_1b51vInIP.png","author":"Brenda Hector","episode_count":169,"summary":"If you are a female business owner, self-employed freelancer, or girl boss who wants to build a successful business i.e. work less hours, make more money, and get better results from your staff, then this is the podcast for you. Hosted by Dr Brenda Hector MBA from ActionCOACH UK, this podcast provides relatable and accessible business advice and inspiration from successful businesswomen who have been there and done it before you. This podcast is where you can • hear female business stories • share business success • learn how to overcome business challenges • get advice for businesswomen aspiring to success • find out what needs to change • discover how we can bring about that business revolution Only 1 in 3 UK entrepreneurs are female. UK men are 5 times more likely than women to build a business of over £1million turnover If UK women matched UK men in starting and scaling businesses, it would add £250 billion to the UK economy (Alison Rose, The Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship 2018) As a woman in business, a business coach, and a business growth expert, Brenda’s mission is to help business owners grow their companies, achieve their goals and live the lifestyle of their dre…","last_synced_at":"2026-06-15T14:17:12.082386+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/scale-her-up-female-business-stories-and-expert-tips-for-business-growth-and-success-1377057"},"episode":{"title":"Walking Away from \"Success\": Pivoting to Avoid Burnout with Iska Walter","slug":"walking-away-from-success-pivoting-to-avoid-burnout-with-iska-walter","published_at":"2026-05-25T12:05:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/scale-her-up-female-business-stories-and-expert-tips-for-business-growth-and-success-1377057/walking-away-from-success-pivoting-to-avoid-burnout-with-iska-walter","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/scale-her-up-female-business-stories-and-expert-tips-for-business-growth-and-success-1377057","url":"https://scaleherup.com/episode/iska-walter-pivoting-brand-photography-burnout","audio_url":"https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/31ac84d1-7863-46eb-9d56-80319cf0a499.mp3","summary":"What do you do when the business everyone else considers \"highly successful\" is the exact thing causing you to burn out? In this episode, Dr Brenda Hector sits down with Iska Walter , owner of Iska Birnie Photography , to celebrate her ninth year in business and discuss the power of the strategic pivot. Iska shares her journey from working as a car mechanic apprentice in Germany to packing up her life in the Netherlands and moving to Scotland. She reveals how she inherited a fully booked wedding photography pipeline, why shooting 40 weddings in a single year left her with a massive \"wedding hangover,\" and how she made the brave decision to walk away from that revenue to protect her joy and focus on commercial brand photography. We also dive into the realities of being an introvert in a visible industry, the rising demand for real human authenticity over AI-generated images, and the little-known government and private support systems available when self-employed business owners fall ill. Key Takeaways: The Golden Handcuffs of Wedding Photography: Why doing a few things well beats being a \"jack of all trades\" under constant pressure. An Introvert’s Visibility Strategy: Simple, practical techniques to put yourself and your clients at ease in front of the lens. Authenticity vs AI: Why modern consumers are craving human connection, imperfections, and un-Photoshopped realities. The Self-Employed Safety Net: Crucial insights into New Style ESA and private health support schemes for business owners when disaster strikes. https://www.gov.uk/employment-support-allowance https://www.healthyworkinglives.scot/","meta_description":"What do you do when the business everyone else considers \"highly successful\" is the exact thing causing you to burn out? In this episode, Dr Brenda Hector…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2124,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/scale-her-up-female-business-stories-and-expert-tips-for-business-growth-and-success-1377057/episodes/walking-away-from-success-pivoting-to-avoid-burnout-with-iska-walter/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/scale-her-up-female-business-stories-and-expert-tips-for-business-growth-and-success-1377057/walking-away-from-success-pivoting-to-avoid-burnout-with-iska-walter.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}