What if the future of entrepreneurship wasn’t just about scaling revenue — but about scaling wellbeing, justice, and social impact alongside profit?
In 2026, founders and leadership coaches are facing a paradox: grow faster, build authority, manage teams, acquire clients — and still remain human-centred in an increasingly systemised business world. This is precisely where platforms like Humans of Fuzia are redefining thought leadership. As a global ecosystem supporting over 5.4 million women entrepreneurs and coaches, HOF sits at the intersection of leadership, entrepreneurship, coaching, and socially conscious business — understanding deeply how small business owners actually grow, operate, and scale in today’s complex environment.
Few journeys reflect this shift better than Maureen O’Callaghan, founder of Beyond Money.
From Social Aid Leadership to Conscious Business Coaching
“I left school in the 1960s. My first job was in a laboratory, and my dad found my job for me. It wasn’t my choice.”
For Maureen, entrepreneurship wasn’t a linear career move — it was a reclamation of agency.
After spending more than 30 years working with global aid organisations such as Save the Children Fund and the British Red Cross, she began to notice a critical leadership pattern:
“The quality of the work that was delivered with vulnerable children and young people… depended on people, the workforce, feeling valued and supported.”
This insight became a turning point — one that led her into workforce wellbeing, workplace mental health, mindfulness-based leadership systems, and eventually into launching her own business.
Today, through her PhD research, Maureen explores how business owners can:
“Operate in ways that make a profit, but also help others keep them well, their business well, but at the same time have a positive impact on society and on the planet.”
Leadership Challenges in 2026: Growth Without Losing Purpose
Across coaching and entrepreneurial ecosystems, founders are facing shared structural challenges:
- Messaging clarity in crowded markets
- Client acquisition bottlenecks
- Delegation and team accountability
- Lack of scalable business systems
- Growth complexity for solo founders
Maureen discovered that challenging traditional growth models often comes with resistance:
“If you are somebody who is seen as disruptive, then you can be attacked for that… if you’re going to go into battle to challenge, then it’s probably sensible to have a shield in place.”
Her solution? Build protective growth systems.
Today, her three-tier business model includes:
- Free educational resources to build awareness and access
- Training and mentoring programmes for leadership development
- Strategic partnerships with entrepreneur networks (including leaders over 50)
She also applies a critical scaling principle many founders overlook:
“What I’m good at is coming up with ideas… mentoring, consultancy work. So I leave things like the social media platform to people who are better than me at that.”
Delegation becomes not just efficiency — but leadership maturity.
Women in Leadership: Responsible Use of Influence
For Maureen, success isn’t vanity metrics — it’s ethical leadership:
“Success for me would be the responsible use of my influence.”
She also advocates for intentionally disruptive leadership:
“You need to be prepared to… be a bit disruptive. Because that’s the only way that change happens.”
In a funding ecosystem where older women entrepreneurs still face financial inequality and societal limitations, her mission is clear:
“You still have a role, you have wisdom that you can share, you have a contribution.”
Execution Tip
Audit your founder role this week.
List the top three activities only you can do (strategy, mentoring, partnerships).
Delegate or systemise everything else — especially marketing execution or platform management.
This one leadership shift unlocks scalable growth systems immediately.
Connect with Maureen O’Callaghan
LinkedIn: Maureen O’Callaghan | LinkedIn
Website: https://www.beyondmoney.org.uk/
Through leadership stories like Maureen’s, Humans of Fuzia continues to spotlight coaches and entrepreneurs who are not only building businesses — but reshaping the future of socially conscious entrepreneurship through sustainable growth systems.
