She Burned Her Business to the Ground, Then Built One That Finally Worked for Her Life

In this episode, I sit down with Lisa Oakley founder of People Associates, HR consultant, mediator, and unapologetic truth-teller whose story is equal parts survival and reinvention. From postpartum collapse, single motherhood, and rebuilding her life after betrayal, to navigating the darkest HR cases no one else wants to touch, Lisa’s journey is one of resilience, clarity, and choosing to design business and motherhood on her own terms.

We dive deep into the reality of what it takes to scale a people-focused business, the toxic myths around “doing it all,” and the radical honesty required to build company culture that actually works. Lisa doesn’t sugarcoat the hard stuff and that’s exactly why this conversation is essential for every woman founder.

In This Episode We Discuss:

00:00 - Episode Trailer

02:00 - Postpartum collapse, IVF struggles, and rebuilding after betrayal

05:30 - Learning resilience: from faith to finding her superpower

07:20 - Burning her business to the ground and starting again

10:00 - Building People Associates and scaling with quality over quantity

13:30 - Failing forward: mistakes, client chemistry, and letting go of control

15:00 - The Navy Seals of HR: sexual harassment and workplace crises

18:00 - Power imbalances, ethics, and the role of a mediator

22:00 - How to build skin like a rhino (without losing compassion)

25:00 - Motherhood, guilt, and rejecting outdated gender expectations

28:00 - Outsourcing, SOPs for life, and prioritizing what actually matters

30:00 - The HR myths founders get wrong

33:00 - Breaking down culture: inputs, outputs, and the leadership lever

36:00 - The biggest culture killers in any business

38:00 - Toxic employees, feedback cultures, and why avoidance destroys teams

41:00 - Practical models for feedback and conflict resolution

Episode Resources:

Guest Website: https://peopleassociates.nz/

Guest Instagram (Personal): https://www.instagram.com/lisamareeoakley/

Guest Instagram (People Associates): https://www.instagram.com/peopleassociates.nz/

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisamareeoakley/

Follow Us On:

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-powerhouse-diaries/id1791081472

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3ExGnkttIzhK8NMjyWLINw?si=184cc0b3c89d440f

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_powerhouse_alliance/

Host Website: https://www.drdanielkirkbride.com/