Terri McClure
It began with a comment on social media. Terri McClure
Someone watched one of Terri McClure’s videos about India and declared they would never visit the country. Rather than ignore it, the Australian entrepreneur recorded a response that struck a chord with thousands. Her message was simple: don’t judge India from afar.
Having travelled to 39 countries, McClure argued that every nation has its share of poverty, inequality and imperfections. Yet, she said, India is often unfairly defined by those realities alone.
The video, in question, garnered 80.1K likes and over thousands of re-shares.
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Today, the Perth-based founder of health and wellness company PHATT (Putting Health At The Top) spends one to two months at a time in India, building her business, mentoring women entrepreneurs and, increasingly, challenging the stereotypes she believes continue to shape global perceptions of the country.
For McClure, India’s appeal goes far beyond business.
“India isn’t a place I visit, it’s a feeling I step into,” she tells Indian Link.
“When I travel, I see 39 countries through my eyes, but India is different. It’s not the buildings, it’s not the people alone, it’s not the colour or the noise or the culture in isolation. It’s all of it colliding at once, and what comes out the other side is this overwhelming emotion that just sits with me.”
She pauses before adding what has become her most defining sentiment.
“I don’t just see it, I feel it. I can touch it. I can love it… That’s the difference between visiting a country and belonging to one, and with India, I belong.”
India calling
That sense of belonging has now found a business expression too.
McClure introduced the PHATT program to India during a multi-city tour in May, ahead of Partner.Co’s official soft launch in the country on 26 June.
While many businesses evaluate markets through economic indicators alone, McClure says what first captivated her was something less measurable: India’s extraordinary culture of connection.
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“If I asked an Australian to bring 40 people to an event tomorrow, the answer would almost certainly be no,” she says, smiling. “But ask an Indian to bring that many people to an event, and the answer is yes.”
She believes India’s extensive family and diaspora networks create opportunities unlike anywhere else in the world, making it an ideal place to grow a people-focused business.
She continues: “If you are networking and you are trying to create growth, India gives you the ability to touch every market in the world. That’s what makes it so exciting to me.”
But it wasn’t a business opportunity that first changed her perception of India.
Just before COVID-19, one of her Indian associates disappeared from their regular Zoom meetings. When he eventually returned, he apologised, explaining that his child had fallen ill because the family had no access to clean running water.
McClure says she was stunned.
Coming from Australia, she had never imagined a family living without a tap inside their home.
She immediately organised plumbing to be installed and says that moment became the beginning of an eight-year relationship with the family. Over time, she helped them move out of the slums, supported the children’s education and watched their lives gradually transform.
For her, it became the moment she realised she could make a meaningful contribution in India. Terri McClure
She builds women who build empires
Sporadic living and working across India has also challenged many of her own assumptions.
She laughs that the biggest adjustment has been learning to cope with Indian chilli, but says embracing unfamiliar experiences has become part of the journey.
What surprised her most, however, wasn’t the food.
It was family life.
“Sitting down as a family, sharing a meal, that ritual of togetherness, it is one of the most beautiful things I have witnessed in India.”
McClure has also become increasingly outspoken online about what she sees as the world’s tendency to reduce India to poverty alone.
“India is often described as poor. As dirty. As uneducated. And none of that is the truth,” she says.
While acknowledging that poverty exists, she argues that it should not define a nation experiencing rapid economic growth, technological advancement and rising global influence.
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Her admiration for India also extends to the women she works with.
Through PHATT, McClure mentors women to build businesses, develop confidence and achieve financial independence. She says her approach has evolved since first arriving in India, recognising that empowerment must be understood within the country’s own social and cultural context.
Rather than trying to change traditions, she says her goal is to help women discover their own voice while respecting the values that shape their families and communities.
“My role is to empower, not to disrupt, and to do that with deep respect for the culture I am so grateful to be part of.”
She believes younger Indian women are increasingly willing to forge new paths while remaining deeply connected to their families, and says supporting that confidence is among the most rewarding aspects of her work.
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