A couple of weeks ago, I announced that I’m relaunching my podcast—this time focusing on female entrepreneurs: how they lead, how they grow their teams, and how they build businesses that last. Because I truly believe that we women lead differently.
This week, I finally sat down with Merlijn Mazairac to record the first episode, and I left feeling absolutely energized. From the start of our conversation, the connection was there. She spoke with such openness about living abroad, building her consulting company, and leading her team through growth and change.
Here are three ideas from her leadership journey that inspired me most:
1️⃣ Colleagues sitting side by side for years without really knowing each other. Merlijn has seen it happen, and now uses intentional exercises to help people open up and truly connect.
2️⃣ Team fails are leadership lessons. She reminded me that struggles, mismatched hires, disconnection, and even tough exits all carry value. Talking about them openly makes us better leaders—and helps others avoid the same mistakes.
3️⃣ Salary conversations in times of inflation. She doesn’t shy away from the tough talks—the ones that test not just your budget, but your leadership itself.
For me, this first recording is about growing as a leader by listening to the honest stories of others. I’m deeply grateful to Merlijn for sharing her journey so openly—and excited for all the conversations ahead.
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High Standards Aren’t Harsh. They’re Respect
I believe that as female founders, high standards are our strength.
Women founders often second-guess themselves. We ask for excellence, then wonder if we’re being too demanding. We hold people accountable, then feel guilty for making someone uncomfortable.
But high standards aren’t harsh. They’re clarity. They protect our teams, our clients, and the purpose we’re building toward.
Strong boundaries aren’t unfair. They help the right people rise.
And when someone isn’t aligned, letting go isn’t failure. It’s leadership with compassion.
Because we can be kind and still be clear. We can care deeply and still expect excellence. That’s not a contradiction.
That’s respect — for ourselves, for our vision, and for the people we lead.
So don’t shrink your standards to make others comfortable. They exist for a reason. And they keep you, and your business, aligned with what matters most.
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Hiring a Business Coach Isn’t Weakness, It’s Wisdom
Is hiring a business coach a sign of weakness?
I don’t think so.
As companies grow, so do the problems, and we at Staff4Half are no exception.
More people means more moving parts, and more decisions to make. And suddenly, it’s not about the ideas of the founder anymore (sadly), it’s about how well we can leverage the knowledge of the whole team.
And that’s where it gets hard. Inside the company, we all carry our own baggage:
preconceived ideas entrenched communication styles blind spots we don’t even noticeI believe that especially when we as founders want to create an extraordinary company culture of support and fostering, being open and honest in the interest of the business can become harder.
And that’s where I see an outside coach brings immense value.
A coach challenges us as a team without politics and can help us see things we’d never catch on our own, so that we can stay friends while also doing what is right for the business.
That is, I believe, the beauty of an outside coach.
And it’s not a weakness, it’s a strength!
P.S.: Did you know that women are more likely to hire a business coach than men? I found some reports that suggest that half of business coaching is done in woman-led companies (when women only lead a minority of businesses).
What’s your observation?
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Hiring Isn’t About Unicorns—It’s About Clarity
You’re not bad at hiring. You’re just chasing a unicorn.
You want someone who can manage your calendar, write your newsletters, run operations, handle support, think like a strategist, execute like a machine, and work across four time zones—all for under $2,000 a month.
Here’s the hard truth: that person doesn’t exist. And if they did, they wouldn’t apply to your job.
So here’s what to do instead:
1️⃣ Write down everything you wish this person would do.
2️⃣ Circle the three most critical things.
3️⃣ Build a role around those—not all seventeen.Hiring isn’t about finding magic. It’s about making tradeoffs. Clarity beats fantasy. Every time.
