The Business Rebellion Podcast
🎙️ The Business Rebellion The Podcast
Business is changing and we’re done following outdated rules. This show is for founders and leaders who refuse burnout culture, low standards, and “that’s just how it’s done.” We talk pricing power, identity, leadership, nervous system–safe success, and building wealth without self-sacrifice. Featuring bold conversations and expert guests who are reshaping how business and wealth are built.
This is where the new era begins.
Welcome to The Business Rebellion.
Most leaders think empathy is a soft skill.
Something that lowers standards, slows decisions, and gets in the way of performance.
But the leaders getting the best out of their people aren’t being nicer. They’re understanding more.
In this conversation, Kerrie McGilvray sits down with Daniel Murray, behavioural science and leadership specialist who has worked with organisations from CBA and Fortescue to the Department of Defence, to unpack why empathy is a growth strategy, not a personality trait. The discussion challenges one of the most persistent myths in leadership. That empathy and high standards pull in opposite directions. The reality is that understanding why people do what they do is what makes clarity, feedback and tough decisions actually land.
Empathy isn’t feeling sad with someone. It is understanding why they do what they do
Nice keeps the peace. Kind builds effectiveness. Leaders confuse the two constantly
The Jekyll and Hyde leader thinks they are mostly good. Their team just walks on eggshells
People don’t trust leaders who seem invulnerable. They trust the ones who are honest
The words you use in hard feedback don’t matter if the person doesn’t trust you
This episode reframes what strong leadership actually looks like for founders scaling past the point where they can know everyone personally. It isn’t about coddling your team or lowering the bar. It is about understanding your people well enough that direction, feedback and accountability move them forward instead of shutting them down, and choosing effectiveness over harmony without becoming a tyrant.
If you have been treating empathy as the cherry on top rather than the foundation,
and you sense your standards and your relationships are quietly working against each other,
this is the conversation worth sitting with.
Empathy Is a Growth Strategy – out now
You Can Connect With Daniel Murray:
Website: Daniel Murray
Company Website: Empathic Consulting
LinkedIn: Daniel Murray
Connect with Kerrie McGilvray:
Website: The Admin Superheroes
LinkedIn: Kerrie McGilvray | The Admin Superheroes
Instagram: Kerrie McGilvray | The Admin Superheroes
Explore working together + The Admin Superheroes
For founders ready to build with intention, not just intensity