Process The Podcast

“I love a trier. It doesn’t matter where it goes. If you are actually out there trying, that’s the special sauce right there.” - Estée Lalonde Estée Lalonde has spent 16 years as a content creator, building an audience of more than a million YouTube subscribers. When she launched her body care brand Mirror Water, she’d never had a corporate job and had never used a spreadsheet. Five years later, the brand is mostly self-funded and has grown entirely organically, with no paid media until recently. It’s stocked in Space NK, Liberty, Selfridges and Cult Beauty. In this episode, Estée gets honest about the difference between building an audience and building a business. She talks about why followers don’t automatically become customers, why she still doesn’t take a salary from her own brand, and what it really takes to launch a beauty brand on a fraction of the usual budget. For aspiring female entrepreneurs and creators who want to build a brand that stands on its own, this is a candid look at creator-led brands and retail. Estée shares the founder mistakes she’d undo (hello, expensive office), how landing her first stockist and one glowing press review changed everything, and why she’s always asking other founders for help. She also covers how she weighs raising investment against staying independent, how she splits her time between Mirror Water and her YouTube channel, and how she’s keeping the brand distinct on an increasingly crowded body care shelf. She also opens up about the year she finally asked for help, why “good enough” isn’t good enough anymore, and why networking in person still matters. INSIDE THE EPISODE: 00:00 — Intro: Meet Estée Lalonde 02:26 — The Year She Finally Asked for Help 09:48 — Nobody’s Coming to Save You 12:59 — Why You Have to Be in the Room 18:45 — Why “Good Enough” Isn’t Good Enough Anymore 23:16 — Founder Mistakes, Motherhood & Having It All 30:07 — Falling Back in Love With YouTube 33:07 — How Mirror Water Started 37:09 — A Brand That Never Tells You to Do More 41:03 — Raising Money vs Staying Self-Funded 44:42 — Running a Brand and a Channel at Once 47:45 — Why Followers Don’t Equal Customers 50:33 — What Moved the Needle: Stockists, Press & Founder Friends 53:55 — Standing Out on a Crowded Shelf 56:32 — Setting the Tone for What’s Next + Where to Find Estée Connect with our Guest: Estée Lalonde on Instagram: @esteelalonde Mirror Water on Instagram: @mirrorwater.earth Enjoyed this Episode?Join our Community! Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram, @arielle.thomas Us, on Instagram, @processthepodcast Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you at the next one! This episode includes references to third-party brands, retailers, creators and publications (including Space NK, Liberty, Selfridges and Cult Beauty) discussed for educational commentary. Nothing in this episode is financial or investment advice. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The audience comes last, so that they can come first.” - Erin Starkweather How does a beauty brand that only launched in November 2019 end up selling one Glowy Super Gel every 10 seconds at Sephora? Erin Starkweather, Creative Director of Saie Beauty, has been there even before day one. She started out packing boxes in her apartment on Sunday nights, and today she shapes every visual touchpoint of the brand. Before Saie, Erin worked at Cap Beauty in New York and as a beauty consultant, until founder Laney Crowell brought her in. In this episode, she takes us inside the creative world of one of beauty’s most-loved brands: “easy, effortless and elevated” makeup for skin that looks like yours, only better. Erin breaks down how a beauty campaign comes together, from the product brief and mood board to the Super Suede Eyeshadow launch starring Helena Christensen, inspired by 90s Steven Meisel imagery. She explains why Saie shoots its baked powders in Italy, how she plans Sephora fixtures and visual merchandising a year in advance while staying nimble, and how often the team shoots to keep content fresh. She also shares how Saie built a diehard community through events, its Clean Beauty Crew, an arts and culture program, and its livestreamed Makeup Class, plus advice for small beauty brands growing a fandom on a low budget. Rounding it out: what it’s like to choose in-house over consulting, what she learned from Laney about not taking no for an answer, and what’s next as Saie launches in Sephora UK. If you work in beauty marketing, brand building or creative direction, or you just love Saie, this one’s for you. INSIDE THE EPISODE: 00:00 — Intro: Meet Saie’s Creative Director 02:55 — How Saie’s Creative Process Works 08:18 — Why “The Audience Comes Last” 09:43 — Why Saie Shoots in Italy 11:13 — From Packing Boxes to Planning a Year Ahead 15:54 — Super Suede Eyeshadow & the One-Shade Look 18:47 — Behind the Helena Christensen Campaign 25:15 — Let’s Build a Beauty Campaign 28:55 — How Saie Built a Diehard Community 34:13 — What Moved the Needle: From Launch to Sephora 38:01 — In-House vs Consulting & Not Taking No 41:58 — Launching Saie in the UK 44:43 — Saie’s Makeup Class & Where to Shop Connect with our Guest: Erin Starkweather on Instagram: @erinstarkweather Saie on Instagram: @saiebeauty Shop Saie: saiehello.com Enjoyed this Episode?Join our Community! Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram, @arielle.thomas Us, on Instagram, @processthepodcast Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you at the next one! This episode includes references to third-party brands, retailers, publications, campaigns, and photographic works (including Sephora and the work of Steven Meisel) discussed for educational commentary. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Likes are a beautiful vanity metric... but if your wallet’s not killing it, why are we doing it?” — Sally Obermeder This episode was a part of a juicy panel at the Social Summit Manly 2026. We can’t wait to take you behind the curtain with Sally Obermeder, founder of Ziish (formerly Swiish)! Can you actually get paid for likes on Instagram, TikTok or Facebook? Does 100k likes mean you’re making money? Sally Obermeder, former Channel 7 entertainment reporter turned co-founder of wellness brand Ziish (formerly Swiish), says the answer is no, not on their own. After a stage three cancer diagnosis the day before giving birth, Sally and her sister turned a green smoothie blog into one of Australia’s best-known wellness brands. It now has around 20 products, stocks in all 500 Priceline stores, and launched into Boots in the UK. Recorded live at Social Summit, this fireside chat with Arielle closes the gap between likes, engagement and real sales. Sally breaks down exactly how to monetize your social media following and turn engagement into revenue. She covers why the algorithm is “pot luck” and why your email list is the land you actually own. She also shares how she builds lead magnets that cost $0 (including the dopamine menu that landed her on Sunrise), how ManyChat comment automations grow your audience, and why “the best way to sell is to not sell.” Other topics include how to collab with bigger brands, how she tests content organically with trial reels before spending on Meta ads, what makes a video ad a “banger,” and how to run IRL events on a small budget. It finishes with live audience Q&A, where Sally gives on-the-spot marketing advice to a small business florist and a B2B consultant. If you’ve ever wondered how creators and small businesses really make money online, this one is for you. This episode features a big shout out to our friends at Many Chat! If you loved the sound of Many Chat in this episode, use our link to get your first month FREE with Many Chat Pro! CLICK HERE! - https://manychat.partnerlinks.io/60dpckpyh4zt-ogcg6e FREE DOWNLOAD Get the free Beyond the Likes checklist: 6 steps to turn social media attention into revenue INSIDE THE EPISODE: 00:00 — Intro: Meet Sally Obermeder 02:57 — Likes vs. Money & Owning Your Audience 07:45 — Lead Gen That Costs $0: The Dopamine Menu 10:30 — Reaching “Sally”: Wellness-Adjacent Content 13:19 — ManyChat, Collabs & Dating Up in Business 17:39 — Giveaways, Email & the Art of Not Selling 22:21 — Ads: Test Organically, Then Back Winners 26:04 — What Makes a Video a Banger 28:50 — IRL Events: Spend Where It Matters 33:19 — Live Q&A: Sales Advice for Small Businesses Connect with our Guest: Sally Obermeder on Instagram: @sallyobermeder Ziish on Instagram: @ziishofficial Enjoyed this Episode? Join our Community! Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram, @arielle.thomas Us, on Instagram, @processthepodcast Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you at the next one! This episode includes references to third-party brands, platforms and retailers (including Instagram, TikTok, Facebook/Meta, ManyChat, Priceline and Boots) discussed for educational commentary. Nothing in this episode is financial advice. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"It's all relationships... learn the camera, definitely. But then invest your time in relationships." — Jamie Green Jamie Green didn't pick up a camera until 2017. Before that, he was building a social enterprise sleepwear label in Melbourne. A move to Byron Bay, photos of his wife for Instagram, and one brand asking "can you do that for us?" turned into a whirlwind career. He has shot campaigns across Europe, a GQ cover with Cody Simpson, Oprah for People, and celebrity work for Netflix, all while being based in a small surf town in Byron Bay. In this episode, Jamie and Arielle get into the side of photography that has nothing to do with settings. They cover why building trust with talent matters more than a technically perfect shot, how he burnt out shooting five days a week through Covid and stepped back from his career, and the beach swim that led to shooting Oprah. He also explains how meeting Greg Williams changed his whole approach, and what "rolling the dice" on a Paris trip actually looks like. It's an honest look at building a global photography career on relationships, the long game, and the myth of overnight success. INSIDE THE EPISODE: 0:00 — Intro: Meet Jamie Green 01:10 — From a Sleepwear Label to Shooting for Spell 04:50 — The Covid Boom, Paris & the GQ Cover Call 08:09 — How Jamie Builds Trust with Celebrities 12:39 — Tethering, Burnout & Building the Byron Barn 17:30 — Hitting Pause, Then Shooting Oprah 21:27 — Greg Williams & Going Documentary-Style 24:44 — Rolling the Dice in Paris 29:12 — The Long Game: Seeds, Euros & Family Travel 35:26 — Fluid Style, Big Goals & Proving Doubters Wrong 41:39 — Artists, Brands & Reading the Room 45:07 — Shooting for the Archive with Sam 48:56 — NYC Time & the Overnight Success Myth 53:45 — The Netflix Airport Dash 56:54 — Where to Find Jamie, Film Plans & "Stills Only" Connect with our Guest: Jamie Green on Instagram: @jamie_.green Jamie's website: jamiegreen.com.au Enjoyed this Episode?Join our Community! Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram, @arielle.thomas Us, on Instagram, @processthepodcast Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you at the next one! This episode includes references to third-party publications, brands, celebrities and photographic works (including the work of other photographers) discussed for educational commentary. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jess Pecoraro didn't know what a stylist was until she walked into the Cosmopolitan fashion cupboard. By 23, she had worked her way through some of Australia's biggest magazines. Then she walked away from her dream job with no clients, no title and no safety net, betting she could build something bigger on her own. Today she's one of Sydney's most in-demand celebrity stylists and fashion brand consultants. Her work spans Fashion Week runways, GQ Men of the Year, NGV x Cartier Gala, luxury trunk shows, brand consulting and private clients on retainer. In this episode, Jess breaks down the many hats a stylist wears beyond the clothes themselves. On a runway she's across the fittings, castings, hair and makeup briefs, music and lighting. Brands bring her in before a collection is even designed ("700 tops for one pair of pants"), and she tells her favourite clients to "just tell me the budget." She's honest about cash flow, the Covid-era business she launched and closed, learning to be on camera, and why she kept her second pregnancy quiet to protect her client base. It's a rare, candid look at building a service business in a small market, and what "effortless" style really takes behind the scenes. INSIDE THE EPISODE: 00:00 — Intro: From Cosmo Intern to Stylist 04:11 — Quitting at 23 to Go Freelance0 9:04 — The Money Side Nobody Teaches 11:34 — A Covid Business & Camera Fear 16:16 — How Stylists Really Get Paid 19:10 — Why Brands Need a Stylist 23:13 — Big Projects & Private Clients 28:18 — Inside Fashion Week & GQ 39:09 — Motherhood Without Losing Clients 44:58 — The Effort Behind "Effortless" 48:49 — Can a Styling Business Scale? 54:08 — Fave Aussie Brands + Where to Find Jess Connect with our Guest: Jess Pecoraro on Instagram: @jess_pecoraro Jess on Substack: @bluejeansanddiamonds Brand & business enquiries: [email protected] Enjoyed this Episode?Join our Community! Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram, @arielle.thomas Us, on Instagram, @processthepodcast Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you at the next one! This episode includes references to third-party fashion houses, publications, events and brands discussed for educational commentary. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please contact [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices