Fempire Rising: Her Future, Her Voice

Fempire

Welcome to Fempire Rising, her Future, her voice, the podcast where women in business rise, lead and redefine success on their own terms. I'm Trudy Heins, and I'm the CEO of Fempire. I'm an entrepreneur and a business coach, and I believe when one woman rises, we all rise.   Each week we'll dive into real conversations about business, leadership, money and mindset, the highs, the lows, and everything In between, you'll hear stories of women who've turned their fire into focus, their fear into fuel  and their purpose into profit.If you're ready to build a business that gives you freedom, fulfillment, and financial confidence, then you are in the right place.  This is where passion meets purpose, and together we rise  because the future isn't just bright. The future is female.

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  1. Season 3 | Episode 1 | Visibility Is Not a Strategy: What Actually Builds a Business

    EPISODE 1

    Season 3 | Episode 1 | Visibility Is Not a Strategy: What Actually Builds a Business

    Send us Fan Mail Host Trudy Heins in season three of Fempire Rising, focused on the women behind business infrastructure, and interviews Michelle O’Hara, founder of Connection Central. Michelle shares her journey from early event management losses in Darwin to a successful underwear business, discovering social media’s impact, building O Marketing for 11 years, selling it, and launching Connection Central. They discuss how AI-driven skepticism is increasing demand for real connection, clarity, and collaboration, and how marketing must be strategy-led with clear goals, targeting, consistent messaging, and strong online credibility. Michelle highlights specific examples in the power of intentional networking, meeting people where they are, avoiding silver-bullet tactics and the “rollercoaster” of stopping marketing, and remembering it can take 5–35 touch points before buying. Key sustainability lessons include outsourcing, investing early, and building processes and systems for efficiency and margins. Click here to join the Academy and use the code RISING for 25% off! 00:00 Touchpoints Before Buying 00:35 Podcast Season Intro 01:49 Meet Michelle O'Hara 02:51 From Events to Social Proof 05:19 Launching Connection Central 06:27 Trust Over AI Polish 09:07 Visibility Fears for Women 11:52 Visibility vs Real Marketing 12:57 Goals Boundaries and Investment 17:48 Intentional Networking That Works 18:54 Meeting People Where They Are 21:02 Values Trust and Fast Wins 22:12 Trust Based Recommendations 23:01 Marketing Without Strategy 24:11 Online Presence And Alignment 25:58 Clarity In Your Message 27:09 Traction Focus This Week 28:44 Funnels Touchpoints Database 30:24 Brand Beyond Your Face 31:58 Outsource And Invest Early 33:30 Avoid The Marketing Rollercoaster 35:33 Systems For Sustainable Scale 37:23 COVID Pivot And Resilience 39:08 Future Of Women Collaborating 40:52 Closing Thanks And Next Steps Website: https://fempire.com.au/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fempireinternational/ Connect with Michelle O'Hara: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelleohara/ Support the show

    43 min
  2. Season 3 | Episode 2 | Rise & Redefine: Building a Coaching Business That Actually Works

    EPISODE 2

    Season 3 | Episode 2 | Rise & Redefine: Building a Coaching Business That Actually Works

    Send us Fan Mail In Season 3, Episode 2, Trudy Heins welcomes Shawna Caderette Fempire’s new US mentor coach, to support women in the US time zone stepping into coaching. Shawna shares her 25-year background in disaster restoration and construction, rising from receptionist to chief administrative officer as the company expanded to multiple offices and 200+ employees, and explains leaving the role due to misalignment and a desire to mentor women. Trudy and Shawna discuss the high demand for coaching in the US alongside market confusion from under-experienced coaches, and highlight that a real coaching business requires clarity of niche and offer, confidence, systems and processes, mentorship, accountability, resilience, and openness to change (including AI). Shawna highlights redefining success beyond titles and paychecks and encourages women to take a chance on themselves after due diligence. If you’re not in the US, this episode will still be a great listen to apply some of the practical and motivating examples and tips as women in business.   Click here to join the Academy and use the code RISING for 25% off! 01:17 Meet Shauna 02:40 Career Background 04:27 Leaving Corporate 05:52 Finding Fempire 07:10 Coaching Boom 09:05 Real Coaching Business 10:45 Mentorship Matters 13:07 US Mentor Role 15:23 Fempire Academy Offer 16:43 Systems First 18:47 Common Mistakes 20:35 Resilience And Change 24:12 Biggest Shift 26:17 Future Of Success 28:03 Advice to Take The Leap Website: https://fempire.com.au/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fempireinternational/ Connect with Shawna: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnacaderette/ Support the show

    30 min
  3. Season 3 | Episode 3 | Finance Isn’t the Barrier. Clarity Is.

    EPISODE 3

    Season 3 | Episode 3 | Finance Isn’t the Barrier. Clarity Is.

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Fempire Rising: Her Voice, Trudy Heins sits down with Jodie Muller, founder of Better Finance Solutions, to unpack how women in business should be thinking about lending and using finance as a strategic growth tool. With over 20 years in banking, Jodie shares her transition into broking and what she now sees firsthand. Women don’t lack capability when it comes to finance. They often seek more clarity, ask better questions, and prioritise long-term stability. The gap isn’t ability. It’s access to the right information and support early enough. This conversation breaks down the real barriers. Feeling overwhelmed, not knowing where to start, and assuming you need years of financials before you can even have a conversation. Trudy and Jodie challenge that thinking and highlight where flexibility actually exists in the lending space, including lenders who will consider shorter ABN histories. They also get practical. What lenders are actually looking for. How tax returns, profit and loss, business structures, add-backs, and account conduct all come into play. And most importantly, how to position your business properly when you are seeking funding. Jodie outlines the different funding options available depending on your stage of business. From startup and business acquisition lending through to overdrafts, lines of credit, credit cards, and asset finance. This is not about taking on debt blindly. It is about understanding how to use finance as a tool. With the right structure, the right advice, and a clear plan, funding can support growth rather than create pressure. If you have ever thought “I’m not ready yet” when it comes to finance, this episode will challenge that. The earlier you understand your options, the better positioned you are to make smart, strategic decisions as your business grows.   Click here to join the Academy and use the code RISING for 25% off! 02:07 Meet Jodie Muller 02:52 From Banking to Broking 05:22 How Women Approach Lending 08:22 Self Employed Borrowing 10:43 Startup Funding Options 13:22 Buying a Business Basics 14:24 Cashflow Lending Tools 16:42 Prepare for Finance 18:54 Business Plans and Forecasts 21:01 Check Rates and Loyalty Tax 21:24 Quick Fire Lessons 22:49 Common Lending Mistakes 25:11 Mindset and Support 28:37 Optimism for Women 29:54 Wrap Up and Next Steps Visit Our Website   Follow Us on Facebook  Connect with Jodie Support the show

    30 min
  4. Season 3 | Episode 4 | Franchising Isn’t Scale. It’s Structure.

    EPISODE 4

    Season 3 | Episode 4 | Franchising Isn’t Scale. It’s Structure.

    Send us Fan Mail In this Fempire Rising Season 3 episode, Trudy Heins interviews Susana Hands, a Certified Fempire Coach becoming known as “the franchise lady”, bestselling author of The Optimal Franchise System, about what it really takes to franchise successfully. Susana shares her 15-year journey from franchisee to franchisor, including early mistakes like focusing only on legal documents and manuals without building the infrastructure, systems, team, and step-by-step SOPs needed to support franchisees, culminating in being sued by a franchisee. Trudy and Susana discuss common misconceptions, especially underestimating complexity, regulation, and franchisor responsibilities, and key readiness tests like whether the business can run profitably without the owner. Susana outlines essential foundations (team, POS/CRM, scalable website, modeling fees/royalties and ROI), risks of overreliance on specialized talent, and realistic costs of roughly $50k–$100k plus expert support. If you’re  thinking of moving into franchising or wondering what goes on behind the scenes to start franchising a business. Susana pulls the curtain back on what the real deals are when franchising and doing it the right way in order to protect yourself and your business. Click here to join the Academy and use the code RISING for 25% off! 02:09 Meet Susana Hands 03:40 Franchising Lessons Learned 06:04 Franchisor as Coach 07:47 Personal Brand Sells 08:45 Franchising Misconceptions 11:45 Foundations Before Scaling 13:18 Model the Franchise Numbers 15:00 Avoid Overqualified Hiring 16:30 Rogue Franchisee Reality 17:10 Remote Island Readiness 19:02 Service Licensing Workaround 19:34 Franchise Duplication Systems 19:52 Academy Program Pitch 20:36 Expansion Mistakes Costs 21:30 Franchise Setup Budgeting 23:48 Build Your Expert Team 24:51 CRM Automation Essentials 25:30 Growth Planning Market Tests 27:22 Second Location Proofing 28:18 Rapid Fire Core Questions 31:19 Pricing Knowledge Confidence 32:06 Support Networks Intuition Visit Our Website   Follow Us on Facebook  Connect with Susana Support the show

    37 min
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About

Welcome to Fempire Rising, her Future, her voice, the podcast where women in business rise, lead and redefine success on their own terms. I'm Trudy Heins, and I'm the CEO of Fempire. I'm an entrepreneur and a business coach, and I believe when one woman rises, we all rise.   Each week we'll dive into real conversations about business, leadership, money and mindset, the highs, the lows, and everything In between, you'll hear stories of women who've turned their fire into focus, their fear into fuel  and their purpose into profit.If you're ready to build a business that gives you freedom, fulfillment, and financial confidence, then you are in the right place.  This is where passion meets purpose, and together we rise  because the future isn't just bright. The future is female.

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