Off Script, On Brand

Peta Serras is the founder of Professional Babe, the creator of Give Good Email® and the host of the business podcast, The Business Fondle.

With almost two decades of entrepreneurial experience in the bag and all her Virgo wisdom, she’s been described as a business oracle and the go-to for practical and bold business advisory.

In this episode, we chat about:

• Her love of glamour from an early age and how her dad’s advertising agency influenced it
• Growing up in rural NSW and sometimes feeling like she was “too much”
• The business switch: how she showed up in her first business as a Pilates teacher, and how much she was performing. 
• Starting Professional Babe as a blog and creative outlet, where she had the freedom to do and say whatever she wanted
• The job that ended before it even started, after something she wore was seen as “not family-friendly” 
• What she delegates now — and what she’d love to hand over in the future
• Why identity purchases are so important to her, and the purchases that have helped affirm who she’s becoming
• Her take on imposter syndrome — and why she thinks we’re often mistaking it for something else entirely (like nerves)
• How she handles feedback, criticism and other people’s opinions

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/professionalbabe/

Website: https://www.professionalbabe.com/

Kim James pitched her way into her first content marketing role at 24 for one of Australia’s biggest brands. Over the next decade, she worked across corporate brands, government and startups. She’s also an international industry speaker, working with Startmate, RMIT University and the Singapore Government.

We talk about her journey from the corporate world to building her own tech company, the ego and identity death that had to happen along the way, and what those first few years of building a business have actually looked like.

In this episode: 

• Why walking away from a career with massive potential became the right decision for her.
• The reality behind the beautiful facade of entrepreneurship, and how the online version of business can make building something of your own look easier than it actually is.
• Why she works in 90-day sprints, how the 12 Week Year helps her focus, and why thinking in shorter timeframes has changed the way she builds and scales.
• The sacrifices creating her own business has required of her over the last 2 years
• Her thoughts on why women don't have a capability ceiling, but a visibility ceiling.
• Getting more comfortable with visibility, selling and rejection.
• The people Kim chooses to surround herself with, and why having ambitious, driven people around you matters when you have big goals. 

Follow Kim: 

Website: https://buildwedge.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-elizabeth-james

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildwedge/

Suz Chadwick has spent more than 20 years in sales, marketing and branding, and in this episode, she’s sharing the knowledge and big lessons she's learned along the way.

We talk about how personal brands are changing, what actually moves the needle when you’re already an expert, and the mindset shifts you need to grow.

In this chat: 

• How Suz was subconsciously building her personal brand from 19, long before she had a name for it.
• Building a personal brand from scratch — including the power of a borrowed audience and the conference that helped establish Suz in the industry.
• How personal branding has evolved — and why Suz believes we’re entering an era of the anti-expert personal brand.
• The gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it — especially when you’re already an expert in your field.
• What happened when Suz went from $100K months to stepping away from the systems that had helped create that success.
• The story she was telling herself in 2023 — and how that narrative pulled her away from the momentum she’d built.
• Relevance, visibility, ageing, and the fear of becoming invisible — plus why Suz is leaning further into the woo, not just the do.
  

With 20+ years in sales, marketing, and branding, she's the founder of Personal Brand Agency, Bold Vibes Consulting, author of Play Big, Brand Bold, and host of the Brand Builders Lab podcast. Suz specialises in helping ambitious women build magnetic brands that attract dream clients and create profitable businesses.

https://suzchadwick.com/

https://www.instagram.com/suzchadwick/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzannechadwick/

Today’s interview is with Clare Reilly - she’s an adventurer, podcast host, disability advocate, and likes doing things that people say she shouldn't be able to do.

Clare lives with multiple sclerosis (MS), but she refuses to let that define the limits of her life. Instead, she’s encouraging others to embrace micro adventures and sharing the realities of living with MS with honesty, humour, and hope.

In this conversation, we explore Clare's journey from receiving her MS diagnosis to becoming the first person to traverse the Munda Biddi Trail, the world's longest off-road cycling route in Western Australia, using a wheelchair.

We also chat about:

• Clare's life before multiple sclerosis and how big adventures were a core part of her identity
• Why she kept her diagnosis private early on 
• Why she started her podcast, MS Understood, and how listening to others expanded her understanding of how differently MS affects each person.
• What gradual acceptance looked like as her mobility declined
• Why she's passionate about encouraging people to embrace micro-adventures
• The inspiration behind tackling the 1,000km Munda Biddi Trail
• What 18 months of preparation looked like for such an enormous challenge
• The conversations she hopes her journey sparks around accessibility, inclusion, and reimagining what's possible

Clare is an adventurer, storyteller, and passionate advocate for people living with multiple sclerosis. Originally from Portarlington, Victoria, she loves proving that the things people say are impossible are often worth attempting anyway.

Whether she's hunting for roadside honey stalls, hiding away in native cottage gardens, recording her podcast, writing her memoir, or tackling ambitious outdoor adventures, Clare brings humour, curiosity, and determination to everything she does.

Through her advocacy, podcast MS Understood, and her incredible Munda Biddi Trail expedition, which is also raising funds for medical research, Clare hopes to inspire people to think differently about adventure, disability, and what's possible.

You can learn more about Clare and support her fundraising journey at wheelchairmeetswilderness.org.

Follow Clare on IG: https://www.instagram.com/clare.reilly/

Today I'm chatting with Jacqui Maloney — a public speaking and presence coach who works with CEOs, founders, and entrepreneurs who are done playing small.

Jacqui’s 20-year career as a professional actor and voice-over artist forms the foundation of everything she teaches, giving her clients access to performance-based techniques used by working actors to command attention, hold a room, and land every word.

In this conversation, we explore what visibility really means, why so many women struggle to be seen even when they have powerful things to say, and how presence, voice, and authenticity shape the way we are perceived in business and in life.

We go behind the scenes of Jacqui’s own recent experience with stepping back from visibility — what was happening for her personally, what it cost her to hide, and how she reconciles being an expert in presence while navigating her own seasons of withdrawal.

We also chat about: 

• Jacqui’s journey and how she came to specialise in visibility work
• Common patterns she sees in women who have something powerful to say but still hold back
• What was happening behind the scenes when she stopped showing up publicly
• Why hiding can feel safe — and what it actually costs us
• the unexpected benefits to going quiet for a period of time
• The role of body language and self-presentation in how we are perceived
• How to balance vulnerability with professionalism in business and life
• Practical strategies to overcome fear of being seen and show up with more confidence

About Jacqui

Jacqui is a visibility expert who has spent over two decades studying and teaching the art of presence — helping women and professionals understand how to communicate with confidence, command attention, and show up more authentically in both life and business.

Her work explores the intersection of mindset, identity, and expression, supporting women to move through fear, self-doubt, and visibility blocks so they can step into their next level with clarity and confidence.

She is passionate about helping women stop shrinking, start showing up fully, and own the space they’re meant to take up.

Follow Jacqui:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacqui-maloney/

https://www.instagram.com/jacquimaloneycoaching/

This episode is proudly sponsored by Bec Thompson.

If you've ever had to leave town and found yourself worrying more about your pets than your actual trip, Bec is the person you need to know. Through her house and pet sitting service, she provides a calm, reliable presence for your home and the animals you love most, so you can head away knowing everything is being looked after.

You can find Bec on Instagram at @btnohome to learn more about her house and pet sitting services and see if she's the right fit for you and your furry family.

Welcome back to another episode of Off Script, On Brand. 

Today I have the pleasure of chatting with Dante Amato - a mentor, speaker, facilitator, and the founder of The Community: a global community for women who are ready to create lives that feel aligned, meaningful, and fully their own.

In this convo, we chat about identity shifts, nervous system safety, and what it really takes to evolve into the next version of yourself, especially when life looks “good on paper” but feels completely misaligned. 

Dante shares her journey of stepping out of the traditional business coaching space when she realised her work wasn’t just about strategy, it was about deeper inner transformation. What her clients actually needed wasn’t more tactics, but the courage, safety, and self-awareness to change. 

This episode is a grounded, honest look at what it means to outgrow versions of yourself, your work, and even the people around you, and how to navigate that without losing yourself in the process.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The defining moment in her life when she had “everything” on paper but felt deep guilt and shame for not feeling happy
• Why she made the intentional decision to step away from traditional business coaching to fully honour her deeper transformation work
• How her own identity shifts and personal evolution that led her to support other women through theirs
• Why identity shifts can destabilise certainty, and how women often respond by either freezing or becoming impulsively reactive
• The importance of making grounded decisions instead of reactive ones during times of change
• Why nervous system safety is essential when moving through big life transitions
• How she creates spaces where women feel safe enough to unravel, be seen, and reconnect with their truth
• The belief that not everyone is meant to come with you into your next chapter—and why outgrowing people is a natural part of evolution
• Why she created a community specifically for women in their 40s navigating major identity and life transitions

Dante Amato is a mentor, speaker, facilitator, and the founder of The Community: a global space for women ready to create lives that feel aligned, meaningful, and fully their own.

Her work blends neuroscience, belief work, emotional intelligence, identity transformation, and grounded real-life strategy to help women reconnect with themselves and step into their next chapter with clarity, confidence, and self-trust.

Through events, retreats, online programs, private mentoring, and her global community, Dante creates spaces where women feel seen, supported, challenged, and deeply connected—to themselves and each other.

Her mission is simple: to help women stop abandoning themselves and create lives they are genuinely obsessed with—from the inside out.

Instagram: Instagram
Website: The Community
Inquiries: [email protected]

Welcome back to another episode of Off Script, On Brand. I’m your host, Leslie Carvitto, and today I’m sitting down with Chela Edmunds, the creative force behind Takeawei.

Chances are you’ve heard of Takeawei — you may even have one of their beautiful mugs or bowls in your kitchen — but you probably don’t know the story of the woman who created it.

Based on Victoria’s Surf Coast, Chela is a ceramic artist and designer whose work spans functional ceramics, glaze development, and small-batch collections. 

In this conversation, we explore Chela’s creative evolution — from working in New York’s fashion industry to building one of Australia’s most recognisable ceramics brands, as well as her IVF journey, becoming a mother, and how that’s shifted her creative practice. 

In this episode, we explore:

• Chela's life and career in New York's fashion industry
• The transition from textile design to ceramics after discovering pottery in Brooklyn
• Returning to Australia and building a creative business from the ground up
• Opening her own retail store in Melbourne
• How the business evolved during COVID
• Her IVF journey and becoming a mother at 40
• The decision to grow her family from one to two
• The realities of balancing motherhood and a creative business
• Finding flow and protecting time for creativity
• How her confidence as an artist and business owner developed over time
• What life and business look like in this current season

Chela Edmunds is a ceramic artist and designer based on Victoria's Surf Coast and the founder of Takeawei, a practice specialising in functional ceramics, glaze development, and small-batch design collections.

Her work is defined by a thoughtful approach to form, colour, and materiality, from the humble mug to expansive tableware collections and a growing focus on lighting for residential and commercial spaces.

To follow along with Chela's work head to: www.takeawei.com and https://www.instagram.com/takeawei/

Chela also hosts an AirBnB: airbnb.com/h/sunsetjanjuc

Welcome to Season 2 of Off Script, On Brand.

We're doing things a little differently for this first episode. Instead of me asking the questions, my friend Julia (from Season 1, Episode 1) is turning the mic around and putting me in the hot seat.

We talk about the winding path that led me here—from falling in love with photography as a kid, to leaving corporate life, building a business from scratch, navigating visibility, and sharing more of the personal experiences that have shaped who I am today.

We also dive into entrepreneurship, vulnerability, growth, and one of the most personal chapters of my life: infertility. This one’s close to my heart. I’m glad you’re here.

In this episode, we cover:

• Following curiosity, adventure, and my hunger for life
• Building a business through scrappiness, resourcefulness, and saying yes to opportunities
• The corporate career I left behind and what came next
• How photography became my creative outlet and eventually my business
• Creating safe, empowering experiences for women in front of the camera
• The off-script moments that have shaped my business journey
• Navigating a season of growth, expansion, and reinvention
• What authentic visibility actually looks like
• Why business owners need to think beyond social media
• My evolving relationship with vulnerability
• My experience with infertility and the perspective I'm carrying today

Follow Leslie:

www.lesliecarvitto.com

@lesliecarvitto.photography

PS - I’m running a 5-Day Visibility Sprint! This is for founders, creatives, and business owners who want to get seen, take action, and build momentum - without burning out on social media. Over the week you’ll get daily visibility challenges to do in real time, and accountability and support inside a private group. This is all about expanding your ideas around visibility and what it can do to grow your brand. We kick off June 15th. Join here: https://www.lesliecarvitto.com/visibility-era

What happens when you’ve poured 6 years of your life into a business… and then have to let it go?

Not pivot or scale back, but actually close the doors.

In this episode of Off Script, On Brand, I sit down with Sian Murray, founder of Pleasant State, for an honest conversation about what that looked like.

We talk about the reality of shutting down a business after years of building it from the ground up — the grief, the identity shift, the pressure to stay optimistic while things weren’t going well behind the scenes, and the moment she and her business partner admitted it was time to close.

But this episode is also about redefining failure, untangling your worth from what you’ve built, and what happens when you stop gripping onto something because you’re scared to let it go.

In this episode, we explore:

• The emotional and practical reality of closing a business
• The pressure of continuing to “show up” while struggling behind the scenes
• Why optimism kept her going through the hardest seasons
• The decision to be transparent with her community — and the response that followed
• Motherhood, identity, and how her perspective has shifted
• What “failure” means to her now
• Moving into the next chapter with far less fear

This one is raw, reflective, vulnerable, and incredibly important for anyone who’s ever tied their identity to what they create.

Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. 

PS — this is the final episode of Season 1
If you’ve been here since the beginning, thank you. You're a legend!  And if you’re new here, welcome — there's another 9 episodes waiting for you to binge.

To follow along on Sian's journey head to: https://www.instagram.com/sianleee/

To work with Sian, email: [email protected]

Welcome back to another episode (the second to last of season 1!) of Off Script, On Brand!

Today's episode is with Retreat Yourself Founder and Director Kate Williams.

In this episode, Kate and I talk about the journey behind building a purpose-led, multi-million dollar wellness brand, and the life experiences that shaped it.
 

From spending seven years travelling the world after high school, to navigating a quarter-life crisis that led to a one-way ticket to Melbourne and a jump into corporate life, Kate shares how each chapter played a role in defining what she truly wanted, which is helping people actually enjoy their lives.
 

This conversation dives into her core belief that tomorrow isn’t promised, and how that philosophy became the foundation of her brand. We also get into the realities of leadership and what it looks like to run a growing team as a deeply empathetic person. Kate shares openly about the challenge of separating emotion from decision-making, learning to compartmentalise stress, and leading a business without letting it consume her.
 

In this episode, we explore:

• How forgoing university and seven years of travel shaped her
• The quarter-life crisis that led to a one-way ticket to Melbourne and a move into corporate
• Building a team with flexibility and hiring from diverse walks of life
• The challenge of leading as an empathetic person and making decisions without emotion
• Learning to compartmentalise stress while running a multi-million dollar business
• Balancing business growth with being a present mother to her two young kids
• Her intense season of burnout and how it reshaped the way she approaches life, work, and success
• Nervous system regulation habits that helped her manage pressure and responsibility
• Why she's choosing to show more than just the highlights on social media
  
  Follow Kate & Retreat Yourself

Retreat Yourself: retreatyourself.com
Retreat Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/retreatyourself_box/
Kate's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katebuchannn/

Use "OFFSCRIPTONBRAND" to get 20% off Retreat Yourself gift boxes!!