In this much-needed episode of Big Dreams Great Teams, Paula Maidens dives into a growing issue that’s costing business owners serious time, money and peace of mind. It is the difference between advice and opinion.

Paula unpacks how well-meaning but misinformed recommendations can derail your decision-making and explains how to safeguard yourself and your business by learning to tell the difference. Drawing on her own 20+ years in HR, recruitment and business ownership, she shares practical guidance on when to lean into others' experiences, and when to seek genuine, expert advice that will stand up under pressure.

If you’ve ever been swayed by someone else’s "this worked for me" suggestion, hired based on a referral in a Facebook group, or used a shared document as a legal template, this episode is a must-listen.

Paula also introduces her Team Performance Audit, her powerful service designed to give business owners personalised, expert advice about their unique team setup, challenges and goals.

🎧 Listen in and learn the key questions to ask when someone is giving you input so you can stop relying on borrowed opinions and start making confident, informed decisions that truly suit your business.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

• The critical difference between advice, opinion and shared experience
• Four common ways that advice gets confused with opinion (and why it matters)
• How to protect your business from costly mistakes by asking better questions
• Why your growing business needs to move beyond scrappy, borrowed advice
• The shift every CEO must make from free Facebook feedback to expert guidance

EPISODE CHAPTERS

00:00 – Introduction: The advice epidemic in business
01:31 – The danger of taking opinion as expert advice
03:12 – Paula’s personal standard for giving advice
05:40 – The “sample size of one” problem and the difference between advice and opinion
08:22 – Generalists giving specialist advice
10:41 – Industry norms versus legal compliance
12:52 – Why Paula refers clients to lawyers
15:12 – The risks of taking advice from Facebook groups
17:34 – Who you should take advice from (and why)
20:00 – Evolving beyond scrappy startup decisions
22:14 – Questions to ask to test real expertise
24:28 – Introducing the Team Performance Audit
25:40 – Final thoughts: Protect your business with real advice

LINKS MENTIONED:

Explore the Team Performance Audit – a powerful tool to pinpoint where trust (and performance) is breaking down in your business. This includes a detailed questionnaire, a 45-minute strategy call, and a written recommendations report.

Click here: 👉🏻 https://paulamaidens.com/go/team-performance-audit/

CONNECT WITH PAULA:

Website:https://paulamaidens.com/

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paulamaidensbuildingawesometeams

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulamaidens/

In this solo episode of Big Dreams Great Teams, Paula Maidens dives deep into one of the most pivotal elements of team performance: trust.

If you’ve ever felt like your team isn’t quite stepping up, you’re constantly being pulled into decisions, or you’re stuck re-doing tasks instead of driving strategy, this episode is for you.

Paula shares real-life stories from her clients (and her own consulting experience) to show how misplaced or mismanaged trust can become a massive bottleneck to your business growth. You’ll hear why trust isn’t binary, how to avoid the trap of micromanagement, and what to do when trust breaks down within your team.

You’ll also learn the five signs that trust is off-track and how building it the right way can free up your time, improve your systems, and help your business scale with confidence.

This is a must listen for business owners growing beyond the $600K–$3M mark who want their team to operate at a high level without needing to be in every conversation.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

• Why trust is the cornerstone of high-performing teams (and what it really looks like in action)
• The common “trust traps” many small business owners fall into
• Five warning signs that your current trust levels are holding back growth
• The cost of micromanagement (and how it silently erodes performance)
• How to build trust with clear expectations, transparency and developmental feedback
• Simple strategies to create accountability, autonomy, and collaboration

EPISODE CHAPTERS

00:00 – Introduction: The Power of Trust in Teams

02:00 – What Trust Actually Looks Like in a Business

06:00 – The Trust Tightrope: Overtrust, Undertrust, and Missteps

12:00 – Warning Signs That Trust is Missing (or Too Loose)

17:00 – How to Build and Rebuild Trust With Your Team

22:00 – Wrap-Up & Next Steps: Where to Go From Here

LINKS MENTIONED:

Explore the Team Performance Audit – a powerful tool to pinpoint where trust (and performance) is breaking down in your business. This includes a detailed questionnaire, a 45-minute strategy call, and a written recommendations report.

Click here: 👉🏻 https://paulamaidens.com/team-performance-audit

CONNECT WITH PAULA:

Website:https://paulamaidens.com/

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paulamaidensbuildingawesometeams

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulamaidens/

In this powerful episode of Big Dreams Great Teams, Paula Maidens is joined by Shelly Horton – journalist, TV presenter, women’s health advocate, and founder of ShellShocked Media. Shelly brings her trademark humour, candour, and energy as they dive into an essential and often overlooked topic: navigating perimenopause whilst running a business and leading a team.

Shelly shares her deeply personal journey through perimenopause, including the hidden challenges she faced with brain fog, anxiety, and depression. Together, they discuss why education is critical, how workplaces can better support women, and practical strategies for managing the mental load, rebuilding confidence, and speaking with impact – even on difficult days.

The conversation also explores how Shelly’s advocacy work is transforming discussions about women's health in businesses across Australia, and how her upcoming book I’m Your Peri Godmother aims to be the guide she wished she had.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone ready to normalise conversations around women’s health, support themselves and their team better, and show up as their most powerful self.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

• How perimenopause affects the brain and business performance
• The warning signs many women miss and why education matters
• Practical strategies to manage brain fog without losing momentum
• How to manage negative self-talk (and the hilarious method Shelley recommends)
• Simple public speaking techniques to present with confidence at any stage of life
• How workplaces, big and small, can create more supportive environments
• Why taking a ‘Zero Day’ can recharge your mental health and productivity

EPISODE CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction to Shelly Horton and Perimenopause

01:38 Shelly's Personal Journey Through Perimenopause

08:31 The Importance of Awareness and Education

12:14 Understanding Brain Fog and Its Impact

18:39 Strategies for Managing Perimenopause in the Workplace

24:36 Speaking with Confidence: Techniques and Tips

31:20 Overcoming Negative Self-Talk and Performance Anxiety

LINKS MENTIONED:

• Pre-order Shelly’s Book: I'm Your Peri Godmother
• Join Shelly’s Workshop: Speak with Impact
• ShellShocked Media Website: https://shellshockedmedia.com
• Follow Shelley on Instagram: @shellyhorton1
• Australasian Menopause Society (Find a Doctor Tool): https://menopause.org.au

CONNECT WITH PAULA:

Website:https://paulamaidens.com/

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paulamaidensbuildingawesometeams

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulamaidens/