Find Grow Keep

The contract is signed, your new employee has accepted the job and there’s a sense of relief that recruitment is finally finished. 

But they might not actually start for another four weeks. 

In this episode of Find Grow Keep, I’m looking at that often-overlooked period between accepting a job offer and day one, and why it’s an important part of the candidate experience. 

While you’re organising payroll information, super, laptops and system access, your new employee is still in their old workplace. They’re finishing things off, saying goodbye to colleagues...

What does good leadership look like when the traditional way of working doesn’t necessarily work for you? 

In this episode, Karen welcomes Jess Jasch back to talk about her experience as an autistic and ADHD leader. They explore what neurodivergent leadership can look like in practice, from understanding your own needs and communicating differently to masking, burnout and the assumptions we make when someone appears to be coping well. 

It’s also a broader conversation about leadership. Because whether someone is neurodivergent or not, people don’t all need the same environment, communication style or way o...

Need to hire someone before Christmas? Sometimes the deadline is genuine. Someone has resigned, the team is stretched, or there is work that simply needs to be done before the end of the year. 

But sometimes Christmas becomes a deadline simply because it feels like everything needs to be finished before the break. 

In this episode, I look at how to tell the difference and how to move through your recruitment process quickly without turning it into a rushed hiring decision. 

I also look at what the Australian recruitment market is telling us at...

What happens when your company values sound good on paper, but don’t actually influence how people behave? 

In this episode, Karen is joined by Hope Collins to explore why values like integrity, respect and excellence can be so open to interpretation, and what businesses can do to turn those values into clear, observable behaviours. 

Hope shares her approach to creating commitments that help people understand what’s expected of them and give managers a much stronger foundation for accountability conversations. Karen and Hope also discuss why leaders need to hold themselves to the same standa...

We spend a lot of time thinking about how to find the right person, but what happens once they accept the job? 

Those first 90 days can tell you a lot about whether someone is going to become a confident, engaged member of your team. But too often, probation becomes a date in the calendar rather than an ongoing process, with managers waiting until the end of three or six months to decide whether someone is working out. 

In this episode, Karen looks at how to manage probation in a way that gives a new employee ev...

Every September, R U OK? Day reminds us to ask an important question. But what happens after someone answers, "Actually, I'm not OK?" 

In this episode of Karen Kirton explores what really creates a mentally healthy workplace and why the answer isn't another wellbeing initiative. 

Drawing on her experience working with small and medium sized businesses, Karen discusses why leadership has one of the biggest influences on workplace wellbeing. She unpacks psychosocial hazards in plain English, explains why everyday management practices matter more than one annual awareness day and shares practical ways leaders can create wo...

Most conversations about AI and automation focus on efficiency, saving time or reducing costs. But what if the biggest opportunity isn't about technology at all? 

In this episode Karen sits down with Peter Morrissey to explore the hidden cost of manual processes and why businesses should rethink how they approach automation. Rather than trying to automate everything overnight, Peter explains why the best place to start is by talking to your team, identifying repetitive tasks and creating small wins that give people back time to think. 

Together they discuss why automating a poor process simply cr...

When people talk about branding, it's easy to think about logos, colours and marketing campaigns. But what if the real strength of your brand comes from something much closer to home? 

In this episode, Karen speaks with branding strategist and ModeMedia founder Chris Hekeik about what it takes to stand out in an increasingly noisy world. While the conversation begins with marketing and brand strategy, it quickly explores something every business owner should consider. Your employees play a significant role in shaping how customers experience your business, making culture and leadership just as important as your visual i...

In this episode of Find Grow Keep, Karen Kirton is joined by business growth strategist Nathan Baws for a conversation that starts with joint ventures and quickly expands into customer service, workplace culture, leadership and what really drives sustainable business growth. 

Nathan has built businesses across a wide range of industries and is passionate about helping business owners grow without simply spending more on marketing. Together, Karen and Nathan explore practical ways to build stronger relationships, create memorable customer experiences and think differently about where growth comes from. 

Whether you're leading a growing team or lo...

As businesses grow, the people side of the business often becomes more complex. Recruitment takes longer, onboarding becomes inconsistent, managers handle situations differently and founders find themselves answering the same questions over and over again. 

The challenge is not usually that people are doing the wrong thing. More often, the business has outgrown the informal processes that worked when the team was smaller. 

In this episode, Karen explores how to identify the people processes that may be creating friction in your business and where to focus first. Rather than jumping straight to automation or new te...

Many leaders think cyber security is something their IT provider looks after. But what if your biggest cyber risk isn't your technology at all? 

In this episode, Karen Kirton is joined by cyber security specialist Fraser Jack to explore why cyber security is really a people issue. Together, they discuss how leadership, workplace culture and human behaviour all play a critical role in protecting your business from cyber threats. 

In today's episode, you'll learn about: 

Most business owners expect growth to make things easier. 

More revenue. More people. More opportunities. 

So why does it often feel like the opposite happens? 

In this episode Karen explores why scaling a business can feel much harder than starting one, and why the biggest challenges are often not financial or operational, but people related. 

Karen shares the common patterns she sees in growing businesses, including unclear roles, inconsistent onboarding, accountability issues, manager capability gaps, decision making bottlenecks and founders becoming stuck in the middle of everything. 

Drawing on curre...

Most business owners would say culture is important. 

But when something feels off in the business, it can be difficult to know whether you're dealing with a culture issue, a leadership issue, or simply a performance problem. 

In this episode, Karen Kirton explores the real difference between a toxic workplace culture and a high-performance culture, and why the warning signs of a toxic culture are often much quieter than people expect. 

Rather than obvious conflict or bullying, toxic cultures often show up through poor communication, disengagement, managers avoiding difficult conversations, inconsistent leadership, and goo...

Business performance is not just about revenue, profit or growth targets. The businesses that perform well over time usually have stronger leadership, clearer accountability, better systems and healthier cultures underneath the numbers. 

In this episode, Karen Kirton speaks with Farid Zaki from ATP Accounting about what really helps small and medium sized businesses grow in a more steady and sustainable way. 

Farid has been running his own business for almost 30 years, and as an accountant, he has seen what can quietly strengthen a business, as well as what can hold it back. Together, Karen and Fa...

When team performance drops, it can be tempting to look straight at the individual and assume they are the problem. But in a growing business, performance issues are often a sign that something else is getting in the way, such as unclear priorities, a lack of management rhythm, messy workflows, workload pressure, or accountability being discussed before the foundations are in place. 

In this episode, Karen talks through the order she would generally look at when team performance is not where it needs to be, so you can work out what to fix first without trying to s...

When team performance drops, it is easy to assume the issue sits with one person. 

Maybe someone is not motivated enough, not engaged enough, or not taking enough responsibility. And sometimes that might be part of the story. But in growing businesses, poor performance is often telling you something bigger. 

In this episode, Karen explores what team performance issues can reveal about the business underneath. Before you jump straight into performance management or putting more pressure on the team, it is worth asking whether the issue is really about the individual, or whether it is po...

Karen speaks with Carolina Montanez from Plane 2 Sea about 15 years in business, building a strong team culture and learning how to lead people through growth, pressure and change. 

Carolina’s business story started when she and three colleagues lost their jobs and decided to create their own opportunity. Fifteen years later, Plane 2 Sea has grown into a business built on simplicity, trust, communication and a deep commitment to looking after clients and team members. 

In this episode, we talk about: 

→ How Plane 2 Sea started with four women who wanted to keep working together 
→ Wh...

In this episode, Karen is talking about employee engagement strategies that genuinely make a difference in small and growing businesses. 

Employee engagement can sound like one of those corporate phrases that gets thrown around a lot, but when you strip it back, it really comes down to whether your people feel connected to their work, clear on what matters, valued for what they do, and motivated to contribute. And when that is happening, you will see the difference across your whole business. 

In today’s episode, you will learn about: 

In this episode, we explore why onboarding is one of the most underestimated parts of running a business. Many employers still treat it as a first day activity focused on paperwork, logins, and introductions, but good onboarding does much more than that. 

When done well, it helps new employees settle in faster, understand what is expected of them, and become productive sooner. It can also prevent a range of issues that often show up later as performance concerns, poor communication, lack of accountability, manager frustration, or early turnover. 

In today’s episode, you will learn abou...

In this episode, Karen is joined by Deepa Mani (for a thoughtful conversation about inclusive leadership, belonging, heritage, and what it means to build a business outside the dominant framework. 

Deepa shares the story behind her two ventures and reflects on how identity, culture, and lived experience have shaped the way she leads. We also explore why diversity should never be treated as a checklist, how leaders can create a stronger sense of belonging, and what businesses can learn from building with intention from the very beginning. 

In today’s episode, we talk about: 

In this episode, Karen unpacks a question that a lot of growing business owners quietly ask as their team expands and things become more complex: what does an HR company actually do? 

HR can feel quite manageable in the early stages of business. But as you grow, what once felt simple can start to feel messy, inconsistent, and risky. That is often the point where business owners realise they need more support around their people, managers, processes, and compliance. 

In this episode, Karen talks through what a human resources company really does, why many small an...

Karen is joined by Peter Brace for a thoughtful and practical conversation about the difference between psychological safety and psychosocial safety, and why both matter in creating healthier, more effective workplaces. 

These are terms that are being talked about more often, especially as employers navigate their responsibilities around psychosocial hazards and workplace wellbeing. But for many leaders, they can still feel unclear or overwhelming.  

In this conversation, Peter breaks it down in a simple way and shares practical insights to help leaders better understand what to look for, what to ask, and where to start. 

Workplace conflict can feel uncomfortable to address, especially when you are already stretched and trying to keep the team moving forward. But avoiding it rarely makes it better.  

In this episode, Karen Kirton shares a practical 3 step method to help managers and business owners resolve employee conflict calmly, clearly and without unnecessary drama. 

You will learn how to get to the real issue, how to facilitate a productive conversation between employees, and how to put clear actions in place so the same tension does not keep resurfacing. If you have ever felt unsure about when to...

In this episode of the Find Grow Keep podcast, Karen sits down with Jason Le from JRNY Digital to talk about why purpose, values, vision and mission are not just nice words for your website. They help shape how small businesses grow, how they market themselves, who they attract, how they make decisions, and how they build teams that truly fit. 

We explore why so many businesses struggle to stand out when they try to appeal to everyone, how authentic values help connect with the right clients and employees, and why your personal story often holds the k...

In this episode, Karen discusses how founders and business leaders can use automation to save time, reduce admin, and create more consistency across their people processes without removing the human side of leadership. 

Because for many growing businesses, people management starts off as something you simply absorb into your day. But as the team grows, so does the admin. Before long, you are spending hours on follow up, reminders, approvals, and processes that do not really need to depend on you. 

In today’s episode, we explore seven practical management tasks you can start automating now...

In this episode, Karen explores why so many small business leaders only think about performance management once something has already gone wrong.  

Instead of seeing it as just paperwork, warnings and formal conversations, she looks at what good performance management really involves: clear expectations, regular feedback, role clarity, support, accountability and stronger leadership. 

In today’s episode, you will learn about: 

In this episode, Karen is joined by Don Hett, founder of CleanKings, EarthyTabs and Crittiks. 

Thirteen years ago, Don started CleanKings. Over time, the business grew successfully, but like many Founders, he found himself deeply embedded in the day to day operations. At one point he realised he had become a prisoner of his own company. That moment became a turning point. 

In this conversation, Don shares how he transitioned from being the hands on operator to becoming the visionary leader behind the business. He talks openly about the systems, operational clarity and leadership capability re...

In this episode, we explore what HR support services actually include, why they matter so much for growing businesses, and how the right support can help leaders feel more confident, reduce risk, and create a stronger workplace. 

If you are spending more and more time dealing with hiring, performance issues, compliance questions, awkward conversations, or workplace tensions, this episode will help you understand when external HR support starts to make sense and what real value it can bring. 

In today’s episode, you will learn about: 

In this episode, Karen is  joined by Dan Moussa from Third Way Advisory, and we unpack what really makes recruitment work in a small business. We talk about why so many hiring processes go off track before you even post the job ad, how to spot the early warning signs, and how to keep your process simple without being sloppy.  

In today’s episode, you will learn about 

In this episode, Karen Kirton sits down with accountant and business advisor Jonathon Hunt-Mason to unpack the real numbers that keep small and midsize businesses healthy. If revenue looks fine but something feels off, this conversation will help you spot survival mode early and course-correct with confidence. 

You’ll learn: 

If you have ever thought, I need HR support but I do not need a full time HR person’’, this episode is for you.  

Karen unpacks what on demand HR services really look like, who they suit best, and how to get the support you need without the overheads of building an internal HR team. 

In today’s episode, you will learn about: 

If you are hearing “I am so stressed”, you are not alone. Today I am joined by Jess Jasch, a Wellbeing Consultant and Embodied Leadership Coach who helps leaders and teams build real stress resilience with practical mindfulness. No hours of meditation. No fluffy language. Just simple habits that actually work at work. 

In this episode you will learn 

This episode is a special one as it also marks five years of the Find Grow Keep podcast!  

In this conversation, we explore why leadership development workshops are one of the most practical ways to lift performance, strengthen culture, and improve retention, especially in small and medium sized businesses. 

In today’s episode, you will learn about: 

If your HR tasks are living on sticky notes or inside your head, this episode is for you. 

Many small business owners do not lack effort when it comes to their people. What they often lack is a clear people strategy. Instead of building intentionally, they are reacting to hiring needs, performance issues, contracts, onboarding gaps and compliance questions as they arise. 

In this episode, I walk you through how to move from a never ending HR to do list to a simple, practical people strategy that supports your business growth. 

You will lea...

In this conversation, Karen Kirton sits down with marketer Michael Field to unpack the hidden force behind so many B2B wins and losses. We explore the invisible buying committee, the stakeholders you rarely meet yet who quietly shape every major decision. You will learn how to identify them, speak to what they value, and create simple assets that help them champion your solution inside the room you cannot enter. 

In today’s episode, you will learn about: 

If HR keeps landing on your desk, this episode is your reset.  

Karen breaks down what HR outsourcing actually covers for Australian SMEs, the real-world signals it’s time to get help, and a simple 90-day plan to cut risk and free up leadership time. 

Who it’s for: Owners and leaders in small to medium businesses who are juggling contracts, awards, onboarding and tricky people issues alongside sales and operations. 

You’ll learn: 

What if your team was spread across three cities and still worked as one team?  

In this conversation, Karen Kirton sits down with Mark Swinnerton, CEO of Green Gravity, to unpack the practical leadership habits that keep people aligned, fast and focused as you scale. 

In this episode, you’ll learn: 

Promoting a brilliant team member into their first leadership role is exciting. It is also where many small businesses stumble. In this episode Karen shares a simple 30 day plan that builds clarity, confidence and momentum for new managers, with an easy runway to 90 days. You will hear practical steps you can use this week, plus simple tools that make leadership feel human and doable. 

You will learn 

Rapid growth can make everything noisier. In this conversation, Karen Kirton and guest Andrew McVeigh, Managing Partner of Remara, unpack practical ways to scale without chaos — from hiring earlier than feels comfortable, to moving from “all hands” to clear ownership, setting simple rhythms for communication, and using a one-sentence purpose to align teams and investors. 

In today’s episode, you’ll learn: 

Are you managing or just hoping? 

If your team has grown from five to twenty people and performance is running on memory and gut feel, this episode gives you a simple system you can roll out in thirty days. No complex software. Just a clear rhythm that creates better conversations and better results. 

In this episode you will learn 
• The purpose of reviews in a growing business and how to keep them about growth and clarity 
• A light structure that uses quarterly conversations plus one annual wrap 
• A conversation first template th...