Perspective X with Pauline Fetaui

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Bryony Cole is the founder of Future of Sex and Sex Tech School, and a global authority on the intersection of sexuality and technology. In this episode, she shares how she left a career in corporate tech to build the sex tech industry from the ground up.

She opens up about the personal rebellion that drove her early experiments, from living in a forest commune to launching a podcast that evolved into a movement. Bryony unpacks what it really took to pioneer a taboo space – from getting censored and locked out of banks, to renting out her apartment to fund live events.

The conversation also explores how AI, loneliness, and digital saturation are reshaping intimacy and identity. Bryony shares her view on what’s coming next – not just in sex tech, but in how people relate to themselves, each other, and the tools around them. She calls it the “Future of Self.”

For founders building against the grain, creators navigating cultural friction, or anyone questioning what connection looks like in a hyper-digital world, this is an episode full of clarity, conviction, and originality.

03:12 – Why Bryony left Microsoft to explore the edge of sex and tech

07:30 – From commune living to global stages: Breaking the “good girl” mold

12:50 – Creating an industry brick by brick (and Airbnb’ing her place to fund it)

18:40 – Show your work: What creative momentum really looks like

25:10 – Launching Sex Tech School and building a global founder community

32:40 – Startup hacks: Overcoming censorship, banking blocks, and stigma

39:00 – Sex tech vs. adult: Rebranding the category and gaining legitimacy

43:12 – Deepfakes, AI porn, and the loneliness epidemic

51:00 – Dating the algorithm: AI companions and emotional outsourcing

59:40 – Future of sex, future of self: The coming shift in intimacy and identity

01:08:12 – Burnout at 26: What it reveals about modern culture

01:14:00 – From scale-at-all-costs to self-integration: Rethinking founder culture

01:16:30 – Through-topia, not utopia: What’s next for humans and tech

01:20:15 – The next podcast? Bryony names it on the spot

👩‍💻 Bryony Cole’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryonycole/

🎙 Future of Sex - https://futureofsex.com/

🌐 Sex Tech School - https://www.sextechschool.com/

Deel:

Global hiring and payroll can be a headache. Deel brings HR, IT and payroll together in one platform, helping companies including Shopify, Revolut and ElevenLabs scale internationally.

Ready to expand your business?

Build your global team with Deel at deel.com/dayone.

To learn more, join our newsletter to be notified of new Perspective X episodes and upcoming shows.

Mentioned in this episode:

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Win $2,000 in credits with the Day One Network — take our 2-minute audience survey before 30 June: dayone.fm/survey

Eden Shirley, founder and CEO of AutoGuru, shares how he turned a near-collapse during COVID-19 into a high-growth B2B success story with FleetGuru. Eden breaks down how AutoGuru evolved from a consumer marketplace for car servicing into a powerful SaaS platform processing over 35,000 fleet transactions a month across Australia and New Zealand. He explains how strategic product pivots, a relentless focus on financial discipline, and embracing embedded payments technology unlocked new revenue streams and transformed the business model.

He reveals hard-won lessons on surviving financial crises, why raising startup capital before you need it is critical, and how founders can successfully scale by empowering their teams. This episode covers everything from navigating startup funding challenges and investor management to building a scalable B2B SaaS platform and leading through market uncertainty. If you’re exploring business model transformation, growth strategies for SaaS startups, or the leap from founder-led operations to sustainable leadership, this conversation is packed with actionable insights for long-term business resilience.

02:04 – The adolescent startup mindset: Why AutoGuru still feels like day one

09:55 – COVID hits: Facing near collapse and the “Great Pivot”

17:07 – The real story behind raising capital during a crisis

23:35 – Bootstrapping vs. raising, why timing is everything

27:10 – Building a culture of warriors: How Eden kept his team together

35:00 – The B2B pivot: Launching FleetGuru and unlocking hypergrowth

42:33 – Processing $1M a day: Scaling B2B transactions and embedded payments

46:00 – Letting go of control: Transitioning from founder-led to scalable leadership

53:00 – Managing investor pressure and recapitalizing the business

59:10 – Health, burnout, and the personal cost of startup life

01:03:00 – Building a global-ready SaaS platform: The leap to New Zealand

01:10:00 – Growing from 50 to 100 employees: How Eden is planning for scale

01:18:11 – Why optimism is critical at the scale-up stage

01:22:41 – The key metrics every founder should track (and why revenue per employee matters)

01:29:00 – What’s next for Eden: The exit vision and building a global business

🚗 AutoGuru – Australia’s leading car servicing marketplace - https://www.autoguru.com.au/

👥 Connect with Eden Shirley on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/edenshirley

Deel:

Global hiring and payroll can be a headache. Deel brings HR, IT and payroll together in one platform, helping companies including Shopify, Revolut and ElevenLabs scale internationally.

Ready to expand your business?

Build your global team with Deel at deel.com/dayone.

To learn more, join our newsletter to be notified of new Perspective X episodes and upcoming shows.

Mentioned in this episode:

Mighty Partners_PX_May 2025

Vanta_PX_May 2025

Deel x PX_Script 1

Win $2,000 in credits with the Day One Network — take our 2-minute audience survey before 30 June: dayone.fm/survey

What drives bold decisions, intentional leadership, and the courage to create something entirely new?

In Perspective X, host Pauline Fetaui dives deep into conversations with extraordinary entrepreneurs and leading innovators to explore not just their successes—but the overlooked decisions, mindset shifts, and personal turning points that sparked their greatest breakthroughs.

This show is about the ripple effect of choice: how deep accountability enables us to respond intentionally to life's challenges, rather than simply reacting. If you're curious about the inner journey behind meaningful achievements and how leaders evolve through adversity, this podcast is for you.

Join us on Perspective X, where we move beyond the highlight reel and into the pivotal moments that changed everything.

Launching on the 12th of May, wherever you get your podcasts.

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