217: Should You Hire Friends Or Family In Your Business?

In this candid and sticky episode, award-winning Australian entrepreneur Leonie Dawson and her longtime friend and co-worker Tamara Protassow dive into the messy, magical, and sometimes disastrous topic of hiring friends or family in your business.With warmth, wit, and brutal honesty, they unpack personal stories, hard-earned lessons, and emotional truths about power dynamics, communication breakdowns, and the rare circumstances where it can actually work.Timestamps:00:00 – Introduction: Leonie sets the scene and introduces the question that divides entrepreneurs: should you ever hire your friends or family?01:00 – Meet Tam: Tam shares her journey as a creativity coach and long-time collaborator in Leonie’s world.03:00 – How Leonie & Tam met: The fateful tea meetup that led to years of collaboration (and some chaotic planner adventures).07:00 – The Big Question: “Should you hire friends or family?” Leonie’s immediate and emphatic answer: “Absolutely not.”09:00 – When it all goes wrong: Leonie shares stories of heartbreak, lost friendships, and the painful lessons that followed.10:30 – Why it fails: The duo explores misaligned expectations, power dynamics, blurred boundaries, and emotional baggage.17:00 – Tam’s insider view: How Tam separates roles, keeps boundaries clean, and treats employment as a privilege rather than a power play.22:00 – How Leonie makes it work now: Clear communication, explicit agreements, and exit plans keep friendships intact.26:00 – The emotional cost: Why mixing love, money, and work can trigger every wound you’ve ever had.30:00 – The rare exceptions: Brene Brown and Denise Duffield-Thomas—proof it can work, but only with deep self-awareness and constant effort.34:00 – Closing reflections: Leonie’s gratitude for the lessons learned and the friendships that survived the fire.Loved this episode?If you’re a creative woman building a business that feels good — and want more real, no-BS conversations about boundaries, leadership, and soulful success — make sure you hit follow/subscribe wherever you listen.Share this episode with a biz friend who’s considering hiring her bestie (save her the heartbreak!), and leave us a 5-star review — it helps us reach more wild-hearted entrepreneurs just like you.For more behind-the-scenes and business wisdom, visit www.leoniedawson.com 💖