Better Brand, Better Standard

If everything AI writes for you sounds like a robot wrote it, the tool isn’t the problem it is how you are talking to it.

In this episode Abbie walks through how she actually uses AI to plan and script content for herself and her agency, Better Collective, without losing the one thing nobody can copy, which is YOU, the person behind the brand.

In this episode:

• Why so much AI content gets sniffed out, and why only a small slice of people are using it well
• The sandwich method: you’re the first 20% and the last 20%, and AI does the heavy lifting in the middle
• How to build a content brain in Claude or ChatGPT, including a list of people you don’t want to sound like
• Treating your AI like an employee
• The quick voice prompt that turned a random idea about Maccas employees into a reel with over 200K views

Want the prompts? Everything Abbie mentions, from the Better Messaging prompts to the content brain setup and the skills you can copy and paste, lives inside DIY Better and the community.

https://waitlistdiy.bettercollective.com.au

Everyone's about to write off the last few months of the year and wait for January, which is exactly why it's the easiest time to get ahead of them. In this solo episode I talk through how to review your 2026 goals honestly, how I use SMART goals for what I'm doing on Monday and a BHAG for where I'm actually going, the big goal that got me from Sydney to running my own business on the Gold Coast, and why a build season means making a few sacrifices your friends won't always understand.

Stick Around tip: a 20-minute goal check-in every Sunday.

Book a Better in 60: bettercollective.com.au/better-in-60

Instagram: @abbieemay and @betterbrand.betterstandard

Everyone wants to know how to go viral. It's the wrong question.

In this episode Abbie May opens up the Better Collective framework, the exact approach the agency uses to take businesses and personal brands from a few hundred views to millions, and more importantly to a following that actually buys. This is the strategy episode: how the discovery process works, why she refuses to use traditional content pillars, how to run your page like a TV show, and the 40/40/20 funnel that turned a Sydney builder with a thousand followers into one of the agency's biggest success stories.

In this episode:

• Behind the Brand: the hire that's been the missing piece in the business, bigger brands taking notice, and a dose of imposter syndrome
• Why a thousand views is not a failure, and what a loyal brand following is actually worth compared to a viral video
• How social media has changed since 2019, why polished content is dead, and why the shift from brands to people is the biggest opportunity in years
• The one question in the discovery meeting that stops business owners in their tracks: what do you want to be known for?
• Repeatable concepts instead of content pillars, and how to position your page like a TV show people come back for
• Show, don't tell: pulling micro-specific value from job sites, team meetings and client calls (and letting AI do the heavy lifting)
• The 40/40/20 funnel: top, middle and bottom of funnel content, how much of each to post, and the builder who went from 1,000 to 14,000 followers in six months
• Why your Instagram stops being yours the moment you decide to grow, and why your friends and family won't be the ones engaging
• The client who left a polished agency and started getting leads the moment the content became about him

Stick Around tip: open your own profile as if you're a stranger with five seconds to spare. Can they tell who you are, what you do and what you want to be known for? If not, fix the bio, highlights and pinned posts today.

This week we Do Better at: pushing the personal brand harder and letting the team do what they were hired to do.

Follow Better Brand, Better Standard and send this to a business owner who's still chasing views. New episodes weekly. Find Abbie on Instagram @abbieemay, or @bettercollectiveagency for help with your strategy.

The business was doing better than ever. My life was falling apart. Then, at 27, I found out why.

In this episode Abbie talks openly about being diagnosed autistic and ADHD as an adult: the years of being told she was too direct, too bossy and lacked empathy, the anxiety and depression labels that never fit, and the moment a therapist asked a question that changed everything.

In this episode:

• Behind the Brand: bigger businesses are noticing Better Collective, organic leads with no paid ads, and the tax bill that slapped Abbie across the face
• The high-achieving kid who could make friends but couldn't keep them, and why "there's something wrong with me" became the story for 15 years
• Self-diagnosing ADHD at 25, the systems that didn't work, and the unregistered car and pile of fines behind a business that looked like it had it together
• Going to the GP for medication and being sent to therapy instead, being offended when autism came up, and the podcasts about AuDHD women that made the penny drop
• Grieving for your younger self, masking, and why direct doesn't mean unkind
• What changed after the diagnosis: self-compassion, the healthiest relationship of her life, friendships, family, and finally understanding the loud-cafe thing
• Medication, the honest first few weeks, and why a diagnosis isn't a trend or a label to be ashamed of
• Do Better: three days in Bali, screens off, fully present

If you're a woman who has ever felt like the world around you doesn't quite make sense, this one's for you. Send Abbie a DM or voice note on Instagram if it resonates; she'd love to hear from you.

Abbie is sharing her own experience, not medical advice. If any of this sounds familiar, talk to a GP or psychologist.

Follow Better Brand, Better Standard and send this to someone who needs to hear it. New episodes weekly. Find Abbie on Instagram @abbiemay.

The Better Standard is now Better Brand, Better Standard, and in this first episode back Abbie May explains why the show changed, what happened in the year it went quiet, and what it took to go from a one-woman hustle to an agency with a full-time team in 18 months.

In this episode:

• Why Abbie left the agency world and built Better Collective to do the opposite of the tick-box method
• The luck formula: consistency, opportunity and action, and why most people turn down the opportunities they've been waiting for
• How Better Collective's clients are getting millions of views and building loyal brand followings without huge ad budgets
• The bodybuilding show that proved what discipline can do, and why "better standard" is the whole point of this podcast
• Life behind the brand: the small circle, the long-distance relationship, the diagnosis she's dedicating a full episode to, and building a business as a young female founder
• What's coming this season: Behind the Brand every week, guests from business and sport, and the Do Better close

Stick Around tip: stop watching your life from the passenger seat. Get in the driver's seat and take the wheel.

This week we Do Better at: showing up here every single week. No more disappearing.

Follow Better Brand, Better Standard, and send this to someone building something big. New episodes weekly. Find Abbie on Instagram @abbiemay.

In this episode of The Better Standard, I sit down with Joey Fin – founder of Anti-Social Marketing and a creative force who’s lived more than one life. From chasing a footy career, to starting a clothing label out of a warehouse job, to helping streetwear giant G’d Up become a cult brand, Joey’s story is one of backing yourself, doing the hard things, and leaning into what makes you different.

We talk about:

• Leaving behind comfort for opportunity, even when it feels scary or “cringy.”

• The mindset shifts that turn setbacks into stepping stones.

• Why building a personal brand matters more than ever – and how Joey helps others do it.

• Imposter syndrome, resilience, and showing up authentically in rooms you once thought you didn’t belong in.

• How to design a life that’s bigger than just “paying bills and dying.”

This is a raw, unfiltered conversation about chasing better, making bold choices, and proving that your background doesn’t define your future.

If you’re building a business, personal brand, or just trying to step into your next level, this one will hit home.

In this episode, I sit down with my friend and client Bianca — founder of Be the Buzz content agency — to unpack what it really takes to leave corporate, back yourself, and build a business in the crowded world of social media.

Bianca shares how she spotted a gap in the market, rebranded her entire business around organic content, and built momentum with viral videos that have hit 54 million views. We talk about:

• The messy middle no one shares — self-doubt, scary money moves, and hiring your first employee.

• Why clarity and focus matter more than being a “jack of all trades.”

• How to create content that doesn’t just get views but drives real sales.

• The mindset shifts required to keep showing up when entrepreneurship feels overwhelming.

If you’ve ever thought about starting your own business, building a creative agency, or simply want an honest take on what it means to chase opportunity, this conversation is packed with raw lessons and practical wisdom.

👉 Subscribe, share, and send this to a friend who’s ready to go all in on themselves.

In this episode, I sit down with Cassie Sanderson to talk about what it really means to own your worth — in business, in yourself, and in dating. We go deep on feminine and masculine energy, raising standards in relationships, and the mindset shifts that change everything. Cassie shares her journey from hustling behind the desk to building a coaching business, stepping fully into her power, and learning to hold high standards in dating and life.

If you’ve ever questioned whether you’re “too much,” struggled with imposter syndrome, or found yourself settling in love or business — this episode is your reminder that you get to have it all.

In this episode, I sit down with Ash — founder of The Reset Podcast and Reset Retreats — to talk about the reality of chasing big goals while building a life that actually feels good. We dive into the idea of work–life sway (and why balance is a myth), the shifting timelines of relationships, careers, and having kids, and the mindset shifts every ambitious woman in her 20s or 30s needs to hear.

We get real about:

What happens when the woman teaching confidence is quietly battling depression behind the scenes?

In this raw, powerful episode, I sit down with Maheen Bhutta, founder of International Posing Academy, client and dear friend to uncover the reality behind the brand.

She may be the bright light leading an entire generation of bikini competitors, but for the first time, Maheen opens up about the moments that nearly broke her: being hospitalised during one of IPA’s most successful weeks, losing touch with herself, and questioning her self-worth while running an international business.

We talk about:

• What it’s like to feel completely alone while being surrounded by people

• The pressure to be “the strong one” as a leader and older sibling

• How she reconnected with her passion and identity after losing it

• Building a community you always wished you had

• The identity crisis of business owners: who are you without your brand?

This episode is for every high-achieving woman who’s silently struggling, for every coach who’s held space for others while crumbling inside — and for anyone who needs a reminder that you’re allowed to take off the mask.

💌 Follow IPA on Instagram @internationalposingacademy and find Maheen on Instagram @theflowposingcoach
🧠 Listen, tag us, and share if this hit home. We see you.

Please note the podcast name was changed after time of recording. Find us

🎙️ @thebetterstandardpodcast