ScaleUp Shorts - Fear, Focus & the Founder Trap - What Jacqueline Wales and Jules Herd reveal about scaling without losing control
Release Date: 05/15/2026
ScaleUp Shorts - Fear, Focus & the Founder Trap - What Jacqueline Wales and Jules Herd reveal about scaling without losing control
ScaleUp Radio
In this episode of ScaleUp Radio Shorts, Kevin Brent and Louise Blunt unpack the powerful overlap between mindset and operational scale-up challenges through insights from two exceptional guests: Jacqueline Wales and Jules Herd. While Jules Herd brings practical expertise from the world of strategic communications and scaling technology businesses, Jacqueline Wales explores the deeper psychological patterns that often hold founders back. Together, their lessons reveal a critical truth: many operational bottlenecks are actually rooted in fear, control, and limiting beliefs. This episode...
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Episode #605 - Harnessing Fear Intelligence to Lead, Decide, and Scale with Confidence
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ScaleUp Radio
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ScaleUp Radio
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ScaleUp Radio
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ScaleUp Radio
Hi there and welcome back to another edition of ScaleUp Radio, the podcast brought to you by Smart90, inspired by the Entrepreneurial ScaleUp System and designed to make navigating our ScaleUp journeys that little bit easier by learning from others' experiences. I’m Kevin Brent and in today's episode I’m joined by Priyanka Rao, founder of MicroInterns. Now if you’ve ever struggled with hiring or wondered whether CVs really tell the full story anymore, this one’s for you. With AI now writing CVs and even running interviews, there’s a growing question around trust in the hiring...
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Episode #601 - Leadership Effectiveness Is A State Of Mind - with Bob Ferguson
ScaleUp Radio
Hi there and welcome back to another edition of ScaleUp Radio, the podcast brought to you by Smart90, inspired by the Entrepreneurial ScaleUp System and designed to make navigating our ScaleUp journeys that little bit easier by learning from others' experiences. I’m Kevin Brent and in today's episode I’m joined by Bob Ferguson. Bob brings a fascinating perspective on leadership - combining decades of experience in business, community building, and global networks - and at the heart of it all is one powerful idea: mental fitness. We explore why your effectiveness as a leader is shaped less...
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ScaleUp Radio
This episode is created with the use of AI In this ScaleUp Radio Shorts episode, Kevin Brent and Louise Blunt unpack two recent interviews with very different leaders operating in very different sectors, yet facing strikingly similar scaling challenges. On one side, Paul Patras, a deep-tech founder translating complex AI into commercial value. On the other, Greg Baldwin, scaling a fast-growing operational business through practical, data-led leadership. This episode focuses on the practical shifts in thinking, communication, and leadership that enable businesses to move from complexity and...
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Episode #599 - 5 Years On: What Happens When You Choose Control Over Chaos? - with Greg Baldwin
ScaleUp Radio
Hi there and welcome back to another edition of ScaleUp Radio, the podcast brought to you by Smart90, inspired by the Entrepreneurial ScaleUp System and designed to make navigating our ScaleUp journeys that little bit easier by learning from others' experiences. I’m Kevin Brent and in today's episode I’m joined by Greg Baldwin, Managing Director of Highway Traffic Management. Now this is a special one; because we’re revisiting Greg’s journey five years on to see what’s actually happened since our last conversation. And it’s a fascinating look at what real scaling looks like in...
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Episode #598 - ScaleUp Club - AI Agents, Anti-Fragile Teams & Hiring for Outcomes - with Rafmary Baker
ScaleUp Radio
Hi there and welcome back to another edition of ScaleUp Radio, the podcast brought to you by Smart90, inspired by the Entrepreneurial ScaleUp System and designed to make navigating our ScaleUp journeys that little bit easier by learning from others' experiences. I’m Kevin Brent and in today's episode I’m joined by returning guest Rafmary for a live Q&A session recorded at our ScaleUp Club. This episode is structured a little differently and brings together three key elements. First, our latest AI Pulse update, where we explore how tools like Claude Co-Work are moving AI beyond content...
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Episode #597 - Net AI – From Academic Breakthrough to Commercial ScaleUp
- with Paul Patras
ScaleUp Radio
In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, Kevin Brent is joined by Paul Patras, co-founder of Net AI, a University of Edinburgh spin-out transforming how telecom networks manage energy and capacity. What started as deep academic research has evolved into a commercial AI engine helping telecom providers reduce energy costs by up to 35% - potentially saving tens of millions annually - without compromising service quality. This is a fascinating conversation about the realities of moving from research to revenue, the mindset shift required, and the challenges of scaling a highly technical innovation into...
info_outlineIn this episode of ScaleUp Radio Shorts, Kevin Brent and Louise Blunt unpack the powerful overlap between mindset and operational scale-up challenges through insights from two exceptional guests: Jacqueline Wales and Jules Herd.
While Jules Herd brings practical expertise from the world of strategic communications and scaling technology businesses, Jacqueline Wales explores the deeper psychological patterns that often hold founders back.
Together, their lessons reveal a critical truth: many operational bottlenecks are actually rooted in fear, control, and limiting beliefs.
This episode explores:
- Why founders struggle to delegate effectively
- The difference between building a scalable business and creating a stressful job
- How fear of loss and fear of inadequacy affect leadership decisions
- Why “calculated risk” is essential for sustainable growth
- The dangers of promoting loyalty over capability
- Creating psychological safety within leadership teams
- Why clarity of audience and positioning matters more than ever
- The hidden link between mindset and operational execution
One standout message from the discussion:
“What got you here won’t get you there.”
Kevin and Louise also discuss:
- Jules Herd’s decision to move manufacturing from China to the UK to protect quality and supply chain resilience
- Jacqueline Wales’ FEAR framework: Face it, Explore it, Act, and Rise
- The importance of hiring true experts as businesses scale
- Why founders must challenge their own assumptions and comfort zones
- The role of communication, trust, and self-awareness in building high-performing teams
Key Takeaway
The one key thing:
Many scale-up problems that look operational on the surface are actually psychological underneath. Better strategy starts with better self-awareness.
About the Guests
Jacqueline Wales is an internationally recognised coach, speaker, and author specialising in Fear Intelligence and leadership transformation.
Jules Herd is the founder of strategic communications agency Five in a Boat and host of On the Edge. She advises scaling businesses on communications, positioning, and operational growth strategy.
Smart90 Mention
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Smart90 Summit
Production Note
This episode of ScaleUp Radio Shorts was produced with the aid of AI to support research, structure, and content development.
Listen to the full episodes featuring Jacqueline Wales and Jules Herd on ScaleUp Radio wherever you get your podcasts.