Glow Journal (2024)

21/05/2024

Top level- at age 28, Jessica Sepel and her now-husband Dean bootstrapped JSHealth Vitamins, which they launched in 2018, and it is now worth a reported $600 million, is available in 1800 retail stores in Australia, over 1000 in the UK, and has experienced 300% year-on-year growth in US. If that’s not interesting to you, I’m not sure what will be. More interesting than that, however, is Jess’ story from childhood to now- I was a bit floored by how open and vulnerable she was. Jess tells me that she always felt what she describes as a “weird, gravitational pull towards vitamins,” collecting them as a teenager like I might have collected Lip Smackers, and while her initial interest in wellness began as innocent, she soon fell into spiral of fad diets and an obsession with her own weight. Jess got herself healthy and well, and then started documenting her journey in the form of a blog. That blog had about 20,000 readers within a couple of weeks of going live, the blog became an e-book, then an 8 week program was launched and then, in 2018, Jess and Dean launched JSHealth Vitamins with absolutely no intention of making waves within the industry- as Jess explains, they just wanted to create a sense of community. In Episode 129 of the Glow Journal podcast, Jess shares what she feels it is about her approach to wellness that is resonating with so many people that a bottle of JSHealth Vitamins now sells somewhere in the world every 10 seconds, how she was scammed before bringing a single product to market, and how she physically went about launching a vitamin brand into such a heavily saturated market. Listen now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

07/05/2024

When I first started planning season 1 of this podcast (which I thought would be a mini series), back in 2018, I wrote a list of dream guests- bucket list, beauty industry stalwarts whose brains I wanted to pick. Jo Malone was, of course, on that list, and on her most recent trip to Australia last month, we made it happen. Jo’s story is unlike any other, and while we all know her name, I don’t believe as many people know her story as well as they probably should. Jo grew up in South East London and following a very, very early introduction to the beauty industry, she discovered her sense of smell was a bit of a superpower. She built her own brand, opened her first store in 1994 and sold that brand to Estée Lauder in 1999 while staying on as Creative Director. In 2003, Jo was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer, and although she beat it, she completely lost her superpower- her sense of smell. She chose to exit the brand in 2006 and, exactly one month into a five year non compete, her sense of smell returned. Following what she describes as probably the hardest five years of her life, she launched Jo Loves in 2011- her second global fragrance brand and one she describes as bringing the best parts of herself to the world. This was SO special for me, I’m so grateful to have had this time to physically sit down with Jo- no one tells her story like she does and I hope you love hearing it as much as I did. In this conversation, Jo shares why she has her father’s work as an artist to thank for introducing the Jo Loves brand to a new generation, why we can thank a woman named Doris Hilderbaker for Jo’s love of beauty, and what happens both physically and mentally when you walk away from a brand with your name on it. Listen now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

23/04/2024

When I connect with someone over a love of beauty, whether it’s on this podcast or away from it, the through line always comes back to a feeling. I think it’s that feeling that separates people who truly love this industry from the people who do view it as solely superficial, and it’s also the feeling that you get from James Vivian when you listen to or sit down with him. What drew James to beauty, initially, was how good a facial made him feel, and because he is so giving by his very nature, he wanted to be able to give that feeling to other people as well. He spent years studying beauty and the science of skin, he founded his own mobile facial business some 14 years ago, he later opened the first James Vivian skin clinic which is now one of the most popular clinics in the country, and in 2022 he launched his own skincare brand, Viviology Skin. James is so, so passionate about ensuring people feel welcomed into the beauty space and feel like they belong, and I am so glad I had the opportunity to facilitate this conversation because I know the barrier to entry can sometimes feel really high, even as a consumer, but this conversation with James was a really beautiful reminder of what it’s all about and why we all love beauty in the first place- it’s about feeling good and helping others to feel the same. In Episode 127 of the Glow Journal podcast, James shares how he’s working to ensure everyone feels at home in his skin clinic, how he launched his own skincare brand with one of the country’s biggest beauty retailers, and how he went from an Australian Idol finalist to one of Australia’s most in demand dermal therapists. Listen now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

09/04/2024

We talk a lot on this podcast about identifying a gap for a product and developing out of a really genuine need, and I think the Yours Only story is probably one of the best examples of that that we’ve covered across all 6 seasons. Ash grew up, in her words, “not being able to eat any cake at birthday parties.” She’s always had many, many food allergies, and things were only heightened in her 20s when she was diagnosed with both Hashimoto’s and a salicylate intolerance. It was following prolonged exposure to mould that Ash’s health was at its worst, and for an extended period there were only 7 foods she could consume. After having to overhaul every single element of her daily routine, she realised that there were only very few skin and haircare brands that she could use- and none that she particularly wanted to use. Ash launched Yours Only in 2020, a skin and haircare line for dramatic skin, and has cultivated one of the most incredible communities I’ve ever seen online. Ash started her founder journey with a wish to change lives and, as you’ll hear here, I really believe that’s exactly what she’s done. In Episode 126 of the Glow Journal podcast, Ashli shares how she rebuilt after losing her entire inventory in an arson attack, why she uses her customers as models, and the serendipitous story behind how she found her manufacturer. Listen now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

26/03/2024

I have thought Adrian Norris to be one of the most interesting brand founders in the country for many, many years now, since he co founded fashion house Aje in 2008, and I have loved watching him enter the beauty space upon founding skincare and wellness brand Ikkari Australia last year. There’s so much about this brand and Adrian’s story that I love but one thing in particular that I found so interesting, and I think you will too, is Adrian’s passion for retail. It’s been a while since I’ve had a founder on who can talk to the retail experience the way that Adrian can, given that Aje and AJE ATHLETICA currently have 48 standalone stores. One of the reasons Adrian is so passionate about the experience of bricks and mortar retail is because he is so, so customer focused, which is something he talked a lot about in this conversation. Because IKKARI is a wellness brand, beyond just topical beauty, having retail spaces makes the shopping experience so much more tactile which I think is so important with a business like this. The other reason that touchpoint is important, and a factor that just blew my mind when I first heard about the brand ahead of its launch last year, was that IKKARI launched with 72 SKUs. That’s 72 individual products and 5 plus years of development, which I find so interesting at a time when we’re seeing so many brands launch with a singular hero. In this conversation, Adrian shares how his first ever business plan was written up out of boredom, whether Aje and IKKARI have any mystery investors, and, of course, exactly WHY he chose to launch a brand with 72 SKUs. Listen now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

12/03/2024

I’ve always said that this podcast is for lovers of beauty and business but I’m acutely aware we skew heavily towards the former- those who listen for the latter are in for a real treat this week. You’ve heard of Hairification- from a distribution standpoint, they’re the fastest growing haircare brand in Australia having launched into 840 Coles stores in 2023 (that’s 840 retail locations from day one) and, as of last month, hitting the shelves of all 470 Priceline stores. Quick maths- Hairification is available in over 1300 retail locations in less than a year post launch. Jordan Mylius has entered the beauty founder space with a really interesting skill set and perspective. He bought a tanning and beauty salon when he was 21, more or less on a whim, and fell in love with the transformative power of beauty. From there he’s spent about 15 years in the beauty industry, having been poached by Tuscan Tan for his sales skills and spending over 7 years helping to grow Bondi Sands into the best selling fake tan brand in the world. I’m always fascinated by how a beauty brand tackles new customer conversion in such a saturated market, and I find that education piece particularly interesting when a brand launches into grocery- a space where most shoppers are purchasing habitually. Jordan’s approach to customer conversion is clearly working- despite that already eye watering number of retail locations here in Australia, this year will see the brand’s expansion into the global retail market. In Episode 124 of the Glow Journal podcast, Jordan shares how he identified a gap in the market and saw an opportunity, why his focus was accessibility as opposed to the luxury beauty sector, and his advice on hiring and why you often do have to start slow and scrappy. Listen now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

27/02/2024

I’ve made no secret of the fact that fragrance is probably my favourite category to talk about, particularly from a storytelling perspective, so sitting down with Maison Crivelli founder Thibaud Crivelli on his most recent trip to Australia just felt like such a treat for me. Thibaud talks about fragrance in a way that is unlike anything I’ve ever heard before and that is, again, why I’m so fascinated by this category. I love asking people how they either construct a fragrance or brief it into their perfumer, and this particular answer went so far beyond anything I could’ve imagined in that Thibaud actually doesn’t just focus on the scent- his role feels almost more like a director putting an entire scene together. We also had a really interesting chat about how nuanced the wider conversation around raw materials needs to be, which I think is actually true of the need for nuance when we talk about sustainability in general, not just in perfumery. Early on Thibaud told me that since childhood he’s wanted to create a cosmetic brand, and the longer we spoke for the less surprising it was to me that he’d had such clear vision from so early in his life- when you listen to him it becomes very clear that he is a founder who is in this industry because of a deep, deep love of it, which is always my favourite kind of guest. In Episode 123 of the Glow Journal podcast, Thibaud shares why there’s no room for ego in perfumery, how you can tell if a product will be popular within about two days of its launch, and the one emotion that every Maison Crivelli fragrance is linked to- the feeling of surprise. Listen now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

13/02/2024

I love sharing brand stories like this- an Australian startup, just over a year into business, a beautiful product, founded by two siblings who are doing it for the love of it (and who were so down to chat with me). What I love about talking to founders at this stage in their brand’s development is that all the really tactile bits that come with a launch are still so fresh in their minds- they’re not looking back on their launch through a wistful lens, there’s no revisionist history. The advice they can share feels as current as it is practical, whether your interest is in beauty specifically or business overall. The whole ethos of Sunset Daze is “Feel Good Beauty,” and I felt that tenfold in our chat. Alessia and Marco are coming from a really interesting spot too, which we spoke about, in that they already loved their day jobs. That meant they weren’t starting something new to escape where they were at, so rather than the process having this sense of urgency, they could actually take their time with it. In Episode 122 of the Glow Journal podcast, Alessia and Marco let me pick their brains on all the things I love hearing a founder’s take on- the risks of launching with a singular SKU as opposed to a full suite, whether or not they’d still self fund if they had their time over, and treating your brand as a “side hustle” as compared to going all in from day one. This is a fun one. Listen now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

30/01/2024

This is one of the best founder stories I’ve heard in over 5 years of hosting this podcast. There’s so much gold in here- particularly a story Lev towards the start of our chat. I could have sat and listened to Lev and Alina talk for a full day, with ease. It was honestly a joy to just facilitate this conversation. We recorded this towards the end of last year and I wanted to open season 6 with it because it was such a beautiful reminder of why I started this in the first place. I knew Fresh was founded in the 90s, I use a lot of their products, I was aware that a majority stake was sold to LVMH at the turn of the century, but you can’t ever truly get to the heart and soul of a brand without conversations like this. I think it’s that heart that ensures the brand still feels so current, despite the product offering including products that have remained largely unchanged since the brand’s inception in Boston thirty plus years ago. In Episode 121 of the Glow Journal podcast, Lev and Alina shares the great lengths they’ve gone to for beauty, what that historic LVHM acquisition meant for the brand, and the story behind Fresh’s now iconic oval soaps. Listen now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

31/10/2023

Martine Ho comes from a family of artists and performers, so where many people grow up thinking of creative pursuits as hobbies and nothing more, Martine knew first hand that a career in the arts is entirely possible if you work for it. Born in Manila and largely raised in LA, Martine grew up passionate about photography and graphic design, and even told her classmates that she wanted to own a beauty brand one day. Martine became what I’d call one of the “original influencers,” sharing her personal style online well before people used social media the way we do today. After being scouted by American Apparel to drive and grow their digital presence, Martine moved back to Manila to exercise her branding skills on a new sunglasses line, Sunnies Studios, a brand she founded alongside a small group of her friends and family. It was during campaign shoots for the brand that Martine realised makeup artists were anglicising the models, so she started mixing lipstick shades on set to ensure they worked on diverse complexions. Martine, naturally, tells the Sunnies Face story better than I can, but based on makeup artist demand the brand launched in 2018 with their iconic Fluffmatte lipstick after sampling between 300 and 350 shades. Fluffmatte sold out within about 10 minutes and, today, Sunnies Face sells a lipstick somewhere in the world every 30 seconds. In Episode 120 of the Glow Journal podcast, Martine shares what a celebrity endorsement can do for a startup, the challenges of taking the brand global, and the beauty of creating a brand out of necessity. Listen now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

17/10/2023

If you’d told a teenage Stacey Hollands that she’d one day be the founder of the country’s biggest mineral makeup brand, I don’t think she’d have doubted you for a second. What she may not have believed, however, was that in a matter of years she’d grow that brand from one that started in a linen cupboard to one worth over $20 million. Stacey is one of those founders who’s always known what she wanted to do, and I really do mean always. She left secondary school as early as she could to study beauty full time, she always wanted to work for herself, and having watched her father own his own businesses her entire life, she was confident that one day she would start one too. In 2014, when she identified a gap for high performing, full coverage, cost effective mineral makeup, she set to work on developing three foundations- the first products from the brand we now know as Lust Minerals. She HUSTLED. I’m talking cold calls, physically showing up at salons asking them to stock her products, and within a couple of years Lust Minerals was in 82 stockists across the country. She put her own savings into it, $10,000 of her own money, and between January 2019 and June of this year, Lust Minerals made $20 million dollars in sales. In Episode 119 of the Glow Journal podcast, Stacey shares the pros and cons of starting as a B2B brand, how research was her therapy, and her refreshing take on the power of feedback. Listen now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

03/10/2023

If you’ve worked in the fashion, beauty, or lifestyle media space in Australia in the last decade, you know the name Indianna Roehrich. Indi started her own social media management agency, Simply Social Management , in 2015 when she was just 22 years old. I first met her a little under 10 years ago and she’s always struck me as being ahead of the curve- the concept of social media management was so new in 2015 that the majority of people still thought it was a fad, but at 22 her gut instinct was so strong and, as we now know, was also absolutely correct. Indianna is one of these people who works across multiple time zones and will often have her phone in one hand and her laptop balancing, open, in the other. Realising how much time she was spending surrounded by screens, Indi’s curiosity around blue light exposure piqued about 4 years ago, when blue light eyewear hit the mainstream. This prompted her to start looking into what blue light was doing to the skin, and upon discovering just how much it can speed up the photoaging process, she went searching for a solution- and couldn’t find one. This week, following three and a half years of research and development, Indianna launched Tomorrow-Today Beauty with a single, meticulously formulated SKU- the Tech Protect Serum, formulated to both shield AND repair the skin from blue light exposure and designed to look after tomorrow’s face, today. In Episode 118 of the Glow Journal podcast, Indianna shares advice to business owners on why it’s worth pushing through the hard parts when your brand is in its infancy, what our devices are actually doing to our skin, and her insider tips on making the algorithms work for you. Listen now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

19/09/2023

This is one of those great conversations that I think you’ll be able to take a lot from completely regardless of whether or not you’re interested in beauty. Katherine Ruiz never pictured herself starting a beauty brand, but she has always had an interesting relationship with her hair. That relationship was, in a sense, a sort of visual representation of the relationship she had with herself. Katherine has naturally curly hair but, as so many of us do, wanted hair she didn’t have. She grew up straightening it, slicking it back, whatever she could do to disguise its natural texture. Similarly, she tells me that, at that time, she didn’t really love herself- she was pretending to be totally confident, but didn’t truly feel it until she really started working on that relationship with herself as an adult. Coincidentally or otherwise, it was around this time that she started embracing her curly hair. Katherine founded People Haircare in 2022 out of a wish for haircare for everyone- meaning haircare for each unique hair type, at an accessible price point. The brand is physically accessible too, launching into 800 Coles stores nationally from day one (which I was so interested to hear about from a business perspective, as I’m so used to speaking with brand founders who’ve been digitally native for a period before hitting shelves). Why I think you’re going to love this chat is because, as you’ll hear, Katherine’s career path has not been at all linear. She’s a really great example of the fact that you don’t have to have everything figured out in order to be happy and successful. What you DO need to do is work hard, be open to learning, and put yourself out there. In Episode 117 of the Glow Journal podcast, Katherine shares how she’s working to convert supermarket customers who have previously shopped habitually, why you shouldn’t wait for the first version of your product to be perfect, and just how important it is to ask for what you want. Listen now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

05/09/2023

This is probably the best example of serendipity that we’ve had on the show in the way that Noella, Oriele and their third co-founder, Sean Harrington, were brought together, each with a complementary skill set, the combination of which was precisely what Elemis needed, but also with no real understanding of what they were saying yes to. By no means did the imagine that, 34 years later, the brand they co-founded would be stocked in 100 countries. Elemis was founded in 1989, in London, but all of the products and really the ethos overall feel so modern and so current. That combination of science backed formulas and botanical ingredients feels very much like something that would be launched in 2023. In Episode 116 of the Glow Journal podcast, Oriele and Noella (who have led two of the most interesting lives of anyone I have ever interviewed) share just how deeply they’re looking at sustainability and traceability, how they’ve maintained a relevant brand identity 34 years into business, and what they did when the brand’s first ever clinical trial results came back to show the product did absolutely nothing. Listen now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

08/08/2023

A Glow Journal first, this is our first ever mother and son founder duo and I can honestly say this was one of the most enjoyable recordings I’ve sat down for in 5 seasons. Freda Rossidis is an industry legend. Freda tells me that being a migrant to Australia, very few of her earliest memories are centred around beauty. She had no idea what she wanted to be when she grew up, she fell into hairdressing, and grew to love it over time. As that passion grew, so too did Freda’s resume, as she directed the hair styling for shows at Australian and New York fashion weeks and worked internationally on shows for Prada, Chanel, Dior and Hermes. Her son, David, subsequently grew up in the salon environment, and found himself working in marketing and product development for a haircare brand following his studies. From there, David developed a balancing shampoo and accompanying conditioner with no real plans to turn those two products into a fully fledged brand. Both David and Freda tell me that, if I’d asked them 8 years ago if they saw themselves working together, it would have been a hard no. However, 2 months after David’s first two products went to market, they were featured in Esquire New York… and then in GQ, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Wallpaper Magazine. International press led to a truly unexpected surge in consumer demand, so Freda left her business and started working with David full time. That was in 2015. Today, Mr. Smith haircare is available in 12 countries, and what began as 2 products is now a brand with over 40 SKUs. In Episode 114 of the Glow Journal podcast, Freda and David share whether or not it’s possible to grow a business at the rate of Mr. Smith and maintain a balanced life, the advice anyone wanting to make it in the world of startups needs to hear, and some surprising stats around hairspray sales in Texas. Listen now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

25/07/2023

Kat Burki grew up with an intricate understanding of nutrition and overall health, but beauty was an industry she NEVER pictured herself working in- in fact, it more or less happened by accident. Kat had studied Healthcare Law and Health Policy at university and was working happily in the industry, occasionally picking up passion projects in interior design as a creative outlet. Upon completing an interior for her brother-in-law, she decided she wanted to sign off the project with a signature scent. She met with some people who worked in the beauty industry creating hand batches, and they helped her create a candle. The home fragrance became so popular amongst those who had smelled it that it was suggested to Kat they she should create a body lotion with the same scent. This prompted Kat to start looking into formulation science, and the team who had helped Kat create that very first candle went on to become the very first formulators of Kat Burki Skincare. Kat Burki Skincare launched into Henri Bendel in New York City in August 2013 with first-of-its-kind cold pressed skincare. The subsequent four years saw the brand launch into Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus, and Mecca here in Australia, and in 2023, Kat Burki Skincare is a truly global brand. In Episode 113 of the Glow Journal podcast, Kat shares what she had to fight to put extra money towards when her namesake business was in its infancy, how her earliest memories have shaped the brand she runs today, and why you don’t need to say “yes” to everything. Listen now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

11/07/2023

In 5 seasons of this show, Lauren Mackellar is the most inspiring guest I’ve had the joy of sitting down with. It feels reductive even doing an intro as Lauren tells her story with significantly more heart, and of course detail, than I can, but, for the sake of the format… Lauren Mackellar was one of Australia’s most in demand hair stylists. In early 2022, following years of intense migraines that she’d chalked up to her work, she took herself to the emergency ward and was diagnosed with a brain tumour. She went into surgery a day and a half later. The tumour was successfully removed, however it was Stage 3 cancer so radiation needed to begin immediately. Throughout chemotherapy, Lauren was told that her hair was unlikely to ever grow back given that she had no hair follicles at this point, let alone hair. Unable to return to hairdressing, Lauren decided to revisit the haircare brand she had started formulating prior to her diagnosis. She figured she had nothing to lose in trialling her own products on herself and, having sat opposite her to record this a couple of months ago, Lauren now has a thick, healthy head of hair. ROBE Haircare launches this week. I am so grateful to Lauren for allowing me to facilitate this conversation and so generously sharing her story. When Lauren’s team first approached me, it was actually just for a sit down to learn about the brand but I asked if Lauren would feel comfortable recording with me as I was familiar with her story already, and I feel so grateful that she said yes as being able to share her story with you feels like such a gift. Thank you Lauren. In Episode 112 of the Glow Journal podcast, Lauren shares how the early years of her career taught her to push through her imposter syndrome, how fostering and nurturing relationships with her clients has led to long lasting mentorships and, of course, the importance of listening to your body. Listen now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

27/06/2023

Imagine not just trying to get customers on board with a new brand, but getting them to entirely change the way they’ve done something for their entire life. That is precisely the task Lizzie Waley was faced with on launching Sundae Body. had had a conversation with her business partner about how bath time is so fun when you’re a kid, and by adulthood it’s totally lost its magic- likely because, realistically, your only options are a bar of soap or a liquid body wash, neither of which inspire a whole lot of play or joy. Armed with that thought, Lizzie asked a chemist if there were any other mechanisms or mediums that could be explored in the body care space, to which that chemist suggested a foam. Sundae Body took about 18 months to develop, beginning with a can designed to look like whipped cream and ending with a range of fruit and dessert scented whipped body foams, formulated to put the fun back into showering- at any age. Lizzie pitched Sundae Body to both Woolworths and Priceline before launch and was picked up by both, meaning Sundae Body had space on over 1200 shelves before they’d launched a single product. In Episode 111 of the Glow Journal podcast, Lizzie shares both the pros and cons of self funding a startup, the lessons learned from her first job in a call centre, and why the right distributor was key to securing space with two of the country’s retail giants. Listen now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

23/05/2023

Steffanie Ball is one of the coolest people I‘ve met, and I loved hearing about how organically both of her businesses came to be because, from a consumer perspective, that’s how they come across- brands that were created out of a genuine want and need for a product, rather than a founder just wanting to call themselves a founder. Steff’s ties to beauty come through Yōli, a brand centred around “elevated bathing rituals” that was launched in December of last year with a range including luxury towelling, a scent range, and a dry body brush. You’ve likely heard of Steff’s first business, furniture and homewares brand En Gold., which began as an Instagram account selling vintage furniture and morphed into a furniture brand that celebrates the design and workmanship of century old crafts. What I love most about the story behind both of Steff’s businesses is the ways in which she’s reconnected with her Filipino heritage throughout the business development process and beyond. She tells one story in particular about connecting with the original maker of the vintage pieces she was selling on Instagram and how, through En Gold, he and Steff were able to give all of his former workers their jobs back, that is still giving me goosebumps now. In Episode 109 of the Glow Journal podcast, Steff shares why the art of ritual is so important to her, why she believes that retail is one of the best industries within which to learn and why she insists her team all spend time in the customer care department, and how an American skateboarder (her now husband of 14 years) proposed after 2 days. Listen now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

Glow Journal