In this episode of Bold Ideas, we sit down with Verity Tuck, founder and entrepreneur behind one of Australia’s most loved gifting brand.

Verity is best known as the co-founder of LVLY, the cheeky same-day flower and gifting business that started in a Melbourne co-working space and scaled into a nationally recognised brand before a successful exit following the pandemic. Now, she’s back with a new bold idea, Goldee, an AI-powered personal assistant designed to ease the mental load for busy families.

In a candid and inspiring conversation, Verity shares the realities of building and scaling a business from scratch, navigating near-failure moments, leading through crisis, and balancing ambition with motherhood.

Plus, listen to the end for a short season wrap from Marianne and a special Christmas announcement!

00:00 – Introduction: Verity Tuck’s journey from co-founding LVLY to launching Goldee

02:18 – The idea for LVLY is born: How frustration with unused ideas at an agency led to redefining modern gifting and same-day delivery.

05:25 – Quitting jobs and starting from the back of the house: The financial and emotional leap of going all in on LVLY.

08:00 – Hard conversations between co-founders: Navigating equity and fairness before it derailed the business

13:15 – COVID hits and everything changes: From near collapse to explosive growth.

14:50 – Scaling from 8 to 450 staff: How LVLY adapted operations, logistics, and leadership during lockdowns

18:00 – Leadership, burnout, and motherhood: Balancing a fast-growing business with raising young children and navigating mum guilt.

22:55 – The decision to exit LVLY: How growth, timing, and an unexpected introduction led to a successful acquisition.

25:45 – Introducing Goldee: Why Verity built an AI-powered assistant to help families manage the mental load of parenting.

28:15 – Building a tech business for the first time: Lessons from moving from physical products to AI and behaviour change.

33:40 – Advice for anyone with a bold idea: Why an honest advisory network matters more than cheerleaders.

36:20 – Season wrap and Bold Ideas: Journal announcement: Reflecting on season one and what’s coming next.

Find Goldee on Instagram at @goldee.ai

To get in touch, DM us via Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boldideas_au/

In this episode, I’m joined by Mel Storey - corporate legal leader turned creator, speaker, and founder of Counsel Media, a modern digital media company helping lawyers and ambitious young professionals design careers on their own terms. Known as the “career big sis” of the legal world, Mel shares what shaped her mission, why she walked away from a stable corporate role, and what she’s building now to make sure the next generation doesn’t have to figure it out alone.

We dive into the realities of the legal profession that often go unspoken - toxic workplace culture, isolation, and the “I had to do it tough, so you do too” mindset - and why Mel believes our generation has a responsibility to be the circuit breaker. She also unpacks the creator side of leadership: showing up online with warmth and honesty, navigating boundaries, and why founders need to “pay the cringe tax” if they want to be known for what they’re here to do.

If you’ve ever felt called to create something bigger than your job title, this conversation is equal parts permission slip and practical guidance, with a powerful final takeaway from Mel’s “85-year-old you” future-trip exercise.

[00:00:00] – Introduction: Meet Mel Storey — corporate lawyer turned creator and founder of Counsel Media

[00:00:42] – Icebreaker: The “limitless credit card” question

[00:01:44] – Career Big Sis Origins: First in family to go to uni/law school, small-town Dubbo to corporate law

[00:03:18] – Passing It On: Why the next generation deserves better (not “I suffered so you should too”)

[00:05:31] – Being the Circuit Breaker: “This ends with us” — generational trauma in the legal profession

[00:07:32] – Purpose vs Being Good At It: Awards, competence, and why that wasn’t the point anymore

[00:08:20] – The Problems She Couldn’t Ignore: Loneliness, isolation, toxic cultures, and a lack of connection

[00:10:21] – normal doesn't mean normalised, and helping early career professionals navigate toxic workplaces

[00:11:25] – Translating Between Generations: “It’s not entitlement, it’s boundaries” (and the balance required)

[00:13:15] – Filling the Market Gap: Making career support accessible beyond high-ticket executive coaching

[00:16:07] – What Makes Counsel Media Different: Fun, warm, inclusive, and meeting lawyers where they are

[00:19:42] – Vulnerability + Boundaries: Oversharing, parasocial relationships, and “share from the scar, not the wound”

[00:26:17] – Advice for Founders: Paying the cringe tax, climbing cringe mountain, and doing the reps publicly

[00:31:08] – Quality Over Virality: Why 50 ideal people beats 50,000 random views

[00:33:07] – Results That Matter: Relief, expansion, and showing people the “menu” of legal career options

[00:36:13] – The Future of Law: A safer, more inclusive industry — led by internal truth, not stale stereotypes

[00:39:18] – Final Advice: Future-trip with your 85-year-old self — let future-you call the shots

Find Mel on Instagram @theinhouselawyer and on LinkedIn at Mel Storey.

To get in touch, DM us via Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boldideas_au/

Don Hett is the kind of founder who builds empires from garages. He co-founded Clean Kings in 2012, starting literally out of a garage servicing a handful of hospitality venues. Today, Clean Kings is a national integrated facility services company across Australia, with a team of more than 1,200 staff.

Most recently, Don founded Earthy Tabs, a venture delivering powerful, commercial-grade cleaning solutions through one dissolvable tablet. This bold idea is cutting plastic waste and transport emissions while keeping cleaning performance "sky high".

In this must-listen episode, host Marianne Marchesi chats with Don about his journey from a garage startup to a national market leader.

[00:00:00] – Introduction: Meet Don Hett — founder of Clean Kings and Earthy Tabs, and the garage-to-national-scale entrepreneur

[00:00:35] – The Journey Begins: Growing up in Sri Lanka, arriving in Australia with $2,500 and studying accounting at Deakin

[00:03:35] – Entering Cleaning by Accident: Leaving corporate life, cleaning toilets during uni and learning the industry the hard way

[00:05:31] – Starting Clean Kings: Launching from a garage and solving fragmentation in a saturated cleaning market

[00:08:21] – Scaling Nationally: How Covid forced Clean Kings to diversify from hospitality into 13 industries

[00:12:55] – People, Processes & Culture: Training, systems and why putting cleaners front-and-centre creates high performance

[00:13:47] – Finding the Right Partners: Values, belief systems and Don’s hands-on approach to selection and training

[00:18:29] – What Makes Clean Kings a Bold Idea: Looking at the market differently and delivering tailored, centralised solutions

[00:21:08] – Sustainability Awakening: Growing up eco-minded and feeling responsible to improve business impact

[00:22:51] – Enter Earthy Tabs: Why the chemical industry hasn’t changed in 100 years — and the moment dissolvable tablets clicked

[00:26:07] – Testing, Failures & Breakthroughs: Domestic tablets, powder spills, sheet limitations and the search for true performance

[00:29:44] – Measuring Impact: Building an impact calculator and uncovering 55,000 plastic cans used per year — in one business

[00:31:46] – ESG & Real Results: Helping clients meet sustainability targets with measurable data across eight metrics

[00:35:18] – 6Silo Philosophy: “We live outside the box” — the mindset driving all Don’s ventures

[00:37:07] – Closing Thoughts: Problem-solving, courage and why bold ideas come from doing things differently

Find CleanKings at https://cleankings.com.au/ and Earthy Tabs at

https://www.earthytabs.com/

To get in touch, DM us via Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boldideas_au/

In this episode of Bold Ideas, I’m joined by Kate Save - dietitian, exercise physiologist, diabetes educator and the powerhouse founder of Be Fit Food, Australia’s first scientifically formulated, dietitian-designed whole-food meal program created to deliver rapid, clinically backed results.

Kate’s bold idea came after treating over 10,000 patients and seeing the same problem again and again: people weren’t failing because they lacked knowledge - they were failing because they lacked time. Determined to give Australians a genuinely healthy, real-food alternative to shakes, bars and ultra-processed diet products, she built Be Fit Food: meals made from whole ingredients, designed to shrink the liver, reset metabolism and genuinely improve health - not just weight.

In this episode, you’ll hear the remarkable journey behind Be Fit Food’s creation, why Kate took her idea onto Shark Tank, and the wild, chaotic reality of scaling 1,500% overnight without the investment cheque in hand. Kate also breaks down the truth about weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, what Covid did to the industry, why supermarkets are failing Australians, and her vision for the future of food, health and metabolic disease.

Plus, she shares the one non-negotiable rule she lives by when starting any bold idea - and why looking back is the quickest way to fail.

Find Be Fit Food at https://www.befitfood.com.au and on Instagram @befitfoodaustralia

To get in touch, DM us via Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boldideas_au/

In this episode of Bold Ideas, I’m joined by Carla Groves, co-founder of GUESTPIX - the simple, no-app way to collect and share memories from any event. Carla’s bold idea is reinventing the photo guest book for the modern era, transforming the once-frustrating QR code into a frictionless, joyful experience that even the least tech-savvy guest can use.

Carla shares how she and her husband Warwick took a scrappy MVP built from their kitchen table and turned it into a global platform trusted at over 150,000 events. You’ll hear about the moment they realised they had first-mover advantage, how they validated their early pricing and positioning without a playbook, and the relentless 24/7 hustle behind scaling a product across countries, languages and event types.

Plus, stay tuned for the powerful discussion on self-belief — and the unshakeable confidence required to transform a bold idea into a worldwide business.

[00:00:00] – Introduction: Meet Carla Groves, co-founder of GUESTPIX — bringing a new era of shared event memories

[00:00:42] – The Spark: QR codes, post-Covid behaviours, and the timing that propelled GUESTPIX forward

[00:02:10] – From Marketing + Tech to Events: How Carla and Warwick identified a market gap without prior event experience

[00:04:55] – The Early MVP: A lean, scrappy build that validated the concept and shaped the future product

[00:07:40] – Progress Over Perfection: Why going before you’re ready is essential for founders

[00:10:12] – Listening to Customers: How community, candid feedback and real event behaviour shaped the product roadmap

[00:13:00] – No-App by Design: The deliberate choice to remove barriers and avoid app fatigue

[00:15:25] – The Vision From Day One: Knowing GUESTPIX could go global and choosing not to pigeonhole the product

[00:17:50] – Short-Term Launch vs Long-Term Vision: Making decisions with a big-picture roadmap in mind

[00:19:45] – Winning Strategies: AB testing, digital experimentation and finding their ideal customer

[00:22:30] – The Challenges: 24/7 global support, hiring the right team and scaling sustainably

[00:25:55] – Going Global: Cosmopolitan France recognition, 10 languages, compliance and supporting diverse event types

[00:28:40] – The Bigger Vision: Revolutionising the guest experience and capturing life’s most meaningful (and sometimes hardest) moments

[00:31:10] – Advice for Founders: The unshakeable self-belief required to bring a bold idea to life

Find GUESTPIX at www.guestpix.com and on Instagram at @guestpix

To get in touch, DM us via Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boldideas_au/

In this episode, I’m joined by Jess Colgan, co-founder of GingerSnap and CEO of All Things Equal - two social enterprises transforming how we think about disability, inclusion and employment in Australia.

Jess’ bold idea began with her brother Brett, who is profoundly deaf. Seeing the barriers he faced at school and in the workplace led Jess to build ventures that showcase the talent, capability and creativity of people with disabilities - from a disability-led patisserie to a scalable hospitality employment model.

You’ll hear how GingerSnap became a platform for both beautiful products and powerful advocacy, how All Things Equal is creating award-wage pathways across Melbourne’s hospitality scene, and why inclusive workplaces benefit everyone. We also talk about real inclusion, meaningful support, and the five-year vision that unexpectedly landed Jess on stage at the Age Good Food Guide awards.

[00:00:00] – Meet Jess Colgan - social enterprise leader, co-founder of Ginger Snap and CEO of All Things Equal

[00:02:00] – Growing up with Brett: Profound deafness, cochlear implants and early experiences of exclusion and bias

[00:06:00] – When support shifts everything: Deafness awareness training, simple workplace accommodations and why the “problem” is rarely the person with a disability

[00:11:00] – The spark for GingerSnap: A vegan, gluten-free, nut-free celebration cake, untapped talent and a gap in truly inclusive patisserie

[00:15:00] – Disability-led leadership, limitless potential and centring lived experience in every decision

[00:20:00] – The reality of family business: Pride, pressure, multi-generational involvement and why the wins outweigh the hard parts

[00:25:00] – How a search for partners led Jess to the CEO role and a perfect intersection of hospitality, disability and social enterprise

[00:31:00] – Workforce shortages, 100+ people on a waitlist, and the business case for inclusive hiring and retention

[00:37:00] – The three-stage pathway model: Pre-employment training, award-wage roles at the café, and mainstream jobs with partners like W Hotel and major caterers

[00:45:00] – Challenging misconceptions: “Lack of motivation,” masking, and why asking “Do you even want to be here?” is the wrong question

[00:51:00] – Using NDIS funding as an engine for real jobs, better retention and stronger businesses

[00:57:00] – A first step for employers: How to start tomorrow by asking your current team who needs support and how

[01:00:00] – Jess’ North Star exercise, why you should write it down

Find GingerSnap and All Things Equal on Instagram at @gingersnap_patisserie and @allthingsequal.org.au

To get in touch, DM us via Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boldideas_au/

In this episode of Bold Ideas, I’m joined by Susan Toft, the founder of The Laundry Lady - the world’s first online marketplace for laundry services. What began in her spare room while juggling new motherhood has grown into a national network empowering hundreds of “laundry ladies and lads” with flexible work, while lightening the mental load for families across Australia.

You’ll hear how Susan left a corporate career, learned every job in the business, and documented those learnings into the playbook that enabled scale. We dive into why she chose a contractor model over franchising, how COVID became an inflection point, and the scrappy no-code beginnings that ultimately led to building her own platform, Time Boss. Susan also opens up about raising ~$1m through angels and government support, and why she recommends delaying capital until you truly need it.

[00:00:00] – Introduction: Meet Susan Toft and The Laundry Lady’s origin story

[00:05:20] – The early days: doing pickups, ironing, and building community at the doorstep

[00:09:15] – Documenting everything: turning hands-on learning into a scalable knowledge base

[00:12:25] – Why a contractor model (not franchising): lowering barriers and widening access to flexible work

[00:16:40] – No-code scrappiness: stitching off-the-shelf tools to mimic “Uber for laundry”

[00:20:30] – Life curveball: single motherhood, side-hustling, and keeping the spark alive

[00:24:00] – COVID inflection: recommitting to the vision, expanding into Melbourne, and essential-service impact

[00:29:45] – Building the product you wish existed: Time Boss and the 18-month “new startup” feeling

[00:35:30] – Team, traction & recognition: scaling the HQ while staying values-led

[00:38:40] – Capital with purpose: ~$1m raise (angels + grants), what changed, and what didn’t

[00:44:10] – Going global: why Canada first, the UK next, and staying true to flexibility

[00:48:20] – Grants, accelerators & practical pathways for founders

[00:52:00] – Parting wisdom: don’t overthink - start, test, and build the next step

Find The Laundry Lady at https://www.thelaundrylady.com.au or on Instagram @laundrylady_aus

To get in touch, DM us via Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boldideas_au/

In this episode, I’m joined by Emma Stallworthy, co-founder of Your Reformer - the brand bringing the full studio Pilates experience into homes and commercial spaces across Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. What began as Emma’s personal shift from HIIT to Pilates during a challenging fertility chapter became a bold idea in lockdowns: studio-grade, design-led reformers paired with an on-demand class platform.

You’ll hear how Emma and her husband Ben sold their Melbourne gym chain, bootstrapped early content (including shoots while 35 weeks pregnant!), and built an “affordable luxury” product that people are proud to keep in their living rooms. We get into manufacturing, thoughtful brand and app design, scaling via D2C and fast-growing B2B partnerships, and the realities of building a global company with your life partner. Emma shares how passion is operationalised in their team - and leaves us with two powerful takeaways for anyone with a bold idea.

[00:00:00] – Introduction: Meet Emma Stallworthy, co-founder of Your Reformer

[00:04:10] – The Spark: Fertility struggles, nervous-system balance, and discovering Pilates

[00:07:45] – Strength from Stillness: Movement as meditation

[00:13:40] – Lockdowns & Opportunity: Renting reformers, Zoom classes, and on-demand insights

[00:17:25] – The Leap: Selling the gyms, a week on Hamilton Island, and a new mission

[00:20:05] – Building the Machine: Finding the right manufacturer; foldable but durable

[00:26:15] – Brand in 3D: Premium visuals, app + website cohesion, and an iconic photoshoot

[00:29:50] – Values in Action: Hiring for passion, training every new starter, living the guidelines

[00:33:10] – D2C vs B2B: Why studios & gyms adopt reformer + software (yield, retention, referrals)

[00:37:25] – Going Global: AU/NZ to U.S., local hubs, and smart market sequencing

[00:45:20] – Vision & Next 12 Months: Software roadmaps and measured expansion

[00:48:10] – Advice for Bold Ideas: Start before you’re ready - and find someone to lean on

[00:50:00] – Where to Find Emma & Your Reformer

Find Your Reformer at https://yourreformer.com.au/ and Instagram @yourreformer

To get in touch, DM us via Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boldideas_au/

In this episode of Bold Ideas, I’m joined by Tobi Skovron, the trailblazing founder and CEO of Creative Cubes - Australia’s most dynamic coworking ecosystem that puts people and purpose at the heart of work.

Tobi’s bold idea was born from his experience as an entrepreneur in Los Angeles, where the power of community transformed his business - and his life. Determined to bring that same magic home, he created Creative Cubes: a thriving network of spaces designed to “enable success and deliver happiness.”

In this episode, you’ll hear how Tobi built an ecosystem that champions connection over competition, what it really takes to create a winning culture, and how optimism, authenticity and a jelly-like mindset can carry you through the darkest days of entrepreneurship. Plus, he opens up about his new venture, Rise Network, and why the future of work is all about belonging.

[00:00:00] – Introduction: Meet Tobi Skovron – founder of Creative Cubes and champion of community-driven entrepreneurship

[00:02:15] – The Spark: From LA coworking to creating Australia’s most connected workspace

[00:07:40] – Building Creative Cubes: How culture, community and “delivering happiness” became the mission

[00:14:10] – Lessons in Leadership: Why ego kills culture and service drives success

[00:21:30] – Scaling Up: The acquisition of Workspace365 and the birth of Cubes Co

[00:28:45] – Corporate vs. Creative: Evolving the brand to meet different mindsets

[00:35:00] – Rise Network: Going deeper into community and redefining connection for ambitious leaders

[00:41:20] – The Future of Work: Flexibility, belonging and earning the commute

[00:47:00] – Founder Mindset: Optimism vs. realism and how to “be jelly” when business throws curveballs

[00:53:15] – Advice Corner: “Just do it” - Tobi’s no-nonsense take on turning ideas into action

[00:56:50] – Legacy and Purpose: Building spaces - and lives - that enable success

Find Cubes at www.cubes.co, or on Instagram at @creativecubesco

To get in touch with us, DM us via Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boldideas_au/

In this episode of Bold Ideas, I’m joined by Chloe Walker, the founder of Pirk - Australia’s first cosmetic surgery concierge.

Chloe’s bold idea was born from her own experience navigating an industry filled with confusion, mixed messaging, and a lack of transparency. After struggling to find trusted information and qualified surgeons, she set out to create Pirk - a platform that connects clients with vetted plastic surgeons, demystifies pricing, and supports them through every step of the decision-making process.

In this episode, you’ll hear how Chloe went from corporate sales leader to founder, what she discovered mystery-shopping over 150 clinics, and how she’s tackling the stigma and misinformation surrounding cosmetic surgery. Plus, stay tuned until the end for a look at Pirk’s exciting next chapter - from AI-powered support to nationwide expansion.

[00:00:00] – Introduction: Meet Chloe Walker, founder of Pirk – Australia’s first cosmetic surgery concierge

[00:01:15] – The Spark: A personal experience that exposed major flaws in the cosmetic surgery industry

[00:05:05] – From Corporate to Founder: Lessons from leading high-growth teams at iSelect

[00:08:30] – Building Trust: Mystery-shopping 150 clinics and setting new safety standards

[00:12:45] – Plastic vs Cosmetic Surgeons: Why the distinction matters for patient outcomes

[00:17:20] – Transparency & Education: Making pricing clear and empowering client choice

[00:21:10] – Beyond Vanity: The real reasons people seek surgery – confidence, comfort, and wellbeing

[00:25:30] – Early Traction: 50,000+ visitors, 2,000 guided conversations, and 250+ consults

[00:29:00] – Raising Capital: Navigating a regulated, misunderstood market as a female founder

[00:37:40] – Future Vision: Expanding across Australia and redefining the cosmetic journey

[00:41:15] – Advice to Founders: Trust your intuition, validate deeply, and move boldly

Find Pirk on Instagram at @pirk.au and online at https://pirk.au

To get in touch, DM us via Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boldideas_au/