Episode 18 is live.

This time, the tables have turned.

Nicole Selth, Principal Consultant, interviews Paulette Kolarz about what really changes when a founder moves from building the business through their own effort to building a team capable of performing without them.

For female founders and leaders carrying both the operational responsibility and the weight of keeping everything moving, this is a conversation about what growth actually asks you to release.

Inside this episode:

• Why letting go is one of the hardest parts of scaling
• How your role changes from doing the work to enabling performance
• Why clarity and direct feedback are part of setting people up for success
• What founders need to understand about the messy middle of growth

One of Paulette's strongest reflections:

"The real success is when you go away and the business does better when you're not in it."

Episode 18 of Ultimate Leader's Edge powered by the Performance Collective Academy is live now.

#UltimateLeadersEdge #FemaleFounders #LeadershipGrowth #FounderMindset #BusinessLeadership

Episode 17 is live.

Christian Capurso, Board Member and Executive Advisor, joins Paulette Kolarz on The Ultimate Leader’s Edge powered by the Performance Collective for a conversation about what high performance really demands from founders and leaders.

Not more noise.

Not a permanently full calendar.

Not trying to control every result.

This episode explores:

• why attitude and effort matter more than controlling external variables
• what founders need to confront in the messy middle of growth
• how elite sport develops decisive leaders who can recover from mistakes
• why busy does not automatically mean productive
• how creating space to think changes the quality of your decisions
• why understanding your people can create stronger accountability

Christian’s billboard advice captures the conversation:

“Believe in the process and let go of the outcome.”

Do the preparation.
Make the decision.
Own what belongs to you.
Then stop trying to control everything that follows.

Episode 17 is live now.

Episode 16 is live.

Rose Cocchiaro built Resolve Divorce by challenging traditional family law.

But the business could not scale on bold ideas alone.

As Resolve grew, Rose had to confront one of the most difficult shifts for any capable founder: moving from personally driving the business to building the strategy, structure and people that could drive it with her.

In this episode of the Ultimate Leader’s Edge, powered by the Performance Collective, Paulette and Rose explore:

• why founders need to get out of their own way as the business grows
 • how strategy, structure and people connect
 • why values need to show up in everyday operating rhythms
 • what disruption really costs before it gains acceptance

Rose puts the founder lesson simply:

“Drop the ego. Get out of your own way.”

Episode 16 with Rose Cocchiaro, Founder and Executive Director of Resolve Divorce, is live now.

Episode 15 is live - and this one is a special edition.

Filmed live at our latest Performance Collective Academy two-day Intensive, our members were joined by Bruce Djite, Executive Director for the Property Council of Australia and former professional footballer, for a fireside chat with Paulette Kolarz.

Founders and senior leaders are often carrying responsibility for keeping the team steady while still making difficult decisions themselves.

That responsibility is not sustained through occasional speeches or bursts of motivation.

It is sustained through consistent behaviour.

In this special edition of The Ultimate Leader’s Edge, powered by the Performance Collective, Paulette and Bruce explore:

• what elite sport teaches us about building team culture

• why leaders must be consistent and approachable

• how shared responsibility strengthens performance

• why resilience can only be built through experience

One line from Bruce captures the mindset behind the conversation:

“There’s learning and there’s winning. There’s no losing.”

This is a practical conversation about standards, setbacks and the everyday actions that help people perform together - captured in the room with our Performance Collective Academy members.

Episode 14 is live: Vikki Friscic, Managing Director at Seven Network

Leadership is not about having all the answers.

It is about staying open, honest, available, and steady when everything around you is shifting.

In this episode of The Ultimate Leader’s Edge, powered by Performance Collective,  Paulette Kolarz sits down with Vikki Friscic to unpack the realities of leading large teams through pressure, uncertainty, rapid change, and growth.

Vikki shares:
• Why people development became her greatest measure of success
• The hidden pressure women navigate in senior leadership
• How curiosity creates better leaders than ego ever will
• Why work life balance is the wrong conversation
• and the mindset shift that helped her stop waiting for opportunities and start creating them

One of the most important takeaways from this episode:

“Don’t wait to be tapped on the shoulder.”

If you are leading a growing business, carrying responsibility for people, or navigating change at scale, this conversation will resonate.

Episode 13 is live: Toby Bensimon of Grahams and Shiels Jewellers. 

Founders often become the place every decision returns to. 

Not because the team is incapable. 

Because the business grew around their judgement, standards, and ability to solve problems quickly. 

In this episode of The Ultimate Leader’s Edge, powered by the Performance Collective, Paulette Kolarz sits down with Toby Bensimon for a practical conversation about optimism, speed, curiosity, hierarchy, and building companies that keep correcting themselves. 

Toby shares: 

• why optimism is not a mood, but a frame of mind 

• how founders can become bottlenecks without meaning to 

• why launching imperfectly creates faster learning 

• and how flat structures keep problems visible 

One of the strongest moments in the episode: 

“Problems are inevitable and problems are soluble.” 

Listen to Episode 13. Available in Spotify, Apple Podcast and Youtube

Episode 12 is live: Matthew Michalewicz, Author, Entrepreneur and CEO of Complexica.

Growth eventually creates a new challenge for every founder.

The business needs them everywhere.

Every decision.

Every customer.

Every problem.

And what once felt like commitment starts feeling like a ceiling.

In this episode of The Ultimate Leader's Edge, Paulette Kolarz sits down with Matthew Michalewicz for a practical conversation about building businesses that scale.

Matthew shares:

• why standardisation is the foundation of growth
• how to build a business that's ready to sell at any time
• why sales is the leading indicator of future success
• how founders can stop becoming the bottleneck

One standout quote:

"Run a company in a way that it's ready to be sold tomorrow."

If you're building a business and wondering how to grow without becoming the centre of everything, this episode is worth your time.

Listen now via Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube.

#UltimateLeadersEdge #FounderLeadership #BusinessGrowth #LeadershipDevelopment #FounderMindset #BusinessLeadership

Episode 11 is live: Justine Teggelove, co-founder of Rodine Australia.

Most founders start a business to create freedom.

Then slowly, without realising it, they build something they cannot step away from.

Episode 11 of The Ultimate Leaders Edge, powered by Performance Collective, features Justine Teggelove, co-founder of Rodine Australia.

Hosted by Paulette Kolarz, this conversation explores the leadership decisions that shaped the business as it scaled.

Justine shares:
• Why founders need to protect what feeds them
• The crossroads that define sustainable growth
• How culture is built through genuine connection
• What happens when success costs too much personally

This episode is practical, honest, and deeply relevant for founders building businesses that need to perform without consuming everything around them.

Listen to Episode 11 to learn more.

#FounderLeadership #BusinessGrowth #LeadershipCulture #WomenInLeadership

Episode 10 is live: Kelly Baker-Jamieson, Founder and Managing Director of Edible Blooms

Many founders believe growth comes from doing more.

More people.
More effort.
More time.

But what actually scales a business looks different.

In this episode of The Ultimate Leader’s Edge, powered by Performance Collective, Paulette Kolarz, founder of BespokeHR and Performance Collective Academy, sits down with Kelly Baker-Jamieson.

From building a national brand to navigating rapid growth, this conversation focuses on what really moves a business forward.

• Why courage matters more than readiness
 • How systems unlock scale
 • The role of founder visibility in building trust
 • Why staying close to the customer changes everything
 • The mindset shift female founders need earlier

If you are looking for some practical tips, real life lessons and an open conversation about the true challenges businesses are facing, this podcast is for you.

#Leadership #FemaleFounders #BusinessGrowth #CustomerExperience #Scaling

Episode 9 is live: Brett Schatto, Founder of Pride Advice

You cannot scale a business if you are still doing the job that built it.

In this episode of Ultimate Leader’s Edge, powered by Performance Collective Academy, Paulette Kolarz speaks with Brett Schatto, who has built one of Australia’s leading financial advice firms.

This is a conversation about real leadership decisions:

Letting go of client work to lead the business
Hiring leaders, not just employees
Holding standards even when it’s uncomfortable
Understanding that growth without profit is not growth

If you are building a business that needs to perform without everything relying on you, this episode will resonate.

Listen now.

#Leadership #ScalingBusiness #FounderMindset #PerformanceCollectiveAcademy #BusinessGrowth