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In today’s episode we talk to Elliot Midalia and Shaun Greenblo, the joint Managing Directors of Boody.

Boody is an Australian owned and run business who design and sell soft and functional everyday essentials made from organic bamboo. They offer affordable and luxuriously soft basics, designed to stand the test of time and be worn often while treading as lightly as possible on the planet and its resources. 

Through popularity and customer inspiration, the brand has continued to expand its offering. Their collections have expanded to the entire wardrobe; including socks, underwear, tops, and leggings, and recently, they launched their own activewear and lounge collections: Boody Active and Boody Lounge. 

During our conversation today with Shaun and Elliot we discuss:

• The businesses creation and how the brand has grown with the customer and the changing of hands from the “Founder Father’s” to their sons;
• The importance and significance of using Bamboo as their material of choice, and the benefits this has on the planet;
• Their professional backgrounds and how past experience in business lead to their ongoing success at Boody;
• The challenges that Boody faced during 2020;
• Continued international expansion and the struggles in going global;
• And , finally, what The future holds for Boody.

A huge thank you to Elliot and Shaun for joining us. We hope you enjoy this conversation!

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

If you would like to learn more about Shaun & Elliot and Boody:

• Boody
• Boody (Instagram)
• Elliot Midalia (LinkedIn)
• Shaun Greenblo  (LinkedIn)
• Boody (LinkedIn)

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In today’s episode we talk to Matt Alexander who is the Co-founder & CEO at Neighborhood Goods.

Neighborhood Goods is a new type of department store, featuring an ever-changing landscape of thoughtful, exciting, and contemporary brands, stories, and events. More than that, Neighborhood Goods strives to be a place for community, bringing people together to shop, eat, discover, and learn across their growing number of stores throughout the country. They currently have 3 stores across the US – One in New York’s Chelsea Markets, one in Austin and one in Plano. Plus, they have big plans to continue their expansion across the US and internationally.

Matt is also the co-founder of not-for-profit retail experiment, Unbranded, an advisor to a number of start-ups and accelerators, a member of SMU's Executive Board, and also co-hosts Bonanza! on Relay FM. 

During our conversation today we discuss:

• The motivation behind creating Neighborhood Goods;
• The unique relationship between brands and store and how these relationships come about;
• Upcoming brand partnerships and store openings;
• The strategies and plans Matt implemented during the height of the pandemic;
• Team culture and how this is maintained whilst working remotely 
• And finally, what the future holds for Neighborhood Goods.

A huge thank you to Matt for joining us. We hope you enjoy this conversation!

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

If you would like to learn more about Matt and Neighborhood Goods:

• Neighborhood Goods
• Neighborhood Goods (Instagram)
• Matt Alexander  (LinkedIn)
• Neighborhood Goods (LinkedIn)

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In today’s episode we talk to Andrew Davies.

Andrew is the CEO at B Lab Australia and New Zealand, who's aim is to transform the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet. They are leaders in economic systems change, their global network creates standards, policies, and tools for business, and they certify companies—known as B Corps.

During our conversation with Andrew, we discuss:

• What B Corps are and what the certification process looks like;
• How and why you would become one;
• The meeting of capitalism and sustainability (and how they are mutually beneficial);
• How accelerated consumer behaviour increase the number of businesses applying for certification;
• Interesting brands and business who recently joined, such The Body Shop, Aesop, Citizen Wolf and Good Day Girl;
• And what the future holds for B Lab.

A huge thank you to Andrew for joining us once again. We hope you enjoy this conversation!

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

If you would like to learn more about Andrew and B Lab:

• B Corporation
• B Corporation Australia & NZ (Instagram)
• B Lab (Instagram)
• Andrew Davies  (LinkedIn)
• B Lab Australia and New Zealand (LinkedIn)
• McKinsey Report - Purpose: Shifting from why to how
• Torrens University: Introduction to B Corps
• Australian Institute of Company Directors - "Directors must face the challenge of serving all stakeholders"

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In today’s episode we talk to Laura Beres.

Laura is the Senior Director of Strategic Portfolio Delivery at Ulta Beauty. This is the second time Laura has been a guest on our podcast, but boy, have Ulta been busy in the 7th months since we last spoke. 

During our conversation with Laura, we discuss:

• Ulta Beauty latest partnership with TerraCycle called “Loop by Ulta Beauty” where customers can access beauty and person care products in returnable packing;
• The latest on their Conscious Beauty by Ulta Beauty Program, where the brand has pushed into clean beauty;
• Opening physical stores during a pandemic;
• Their exciting partnership with Target and how this is being rolled out across more than 100 stores during 2021;
• And lastly, we discuss what the future holds for Ulta Beauty.

A huge thank you to Laura for joining us once again. We hope you enjoy this conversation!

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

If you would like to learn more about Laura and Ulta Beauty:

• Ulta Beauty
• Loop by Ulta Beauty
• Conscious Beauty by Ulta Beauty
• Ulta Beauty (Instagram)
• Laura Beres  (LinkedIn)
• Ulta Beauty (LinkedIn)

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In today’s episode we talk to Kristy Chong, the Founder and CEO of Modibodi.

Modibodi began in late 2013 after almost 2 year of testing and fine-tuning the Modibodi product. Kristy consulted with over to 100 textile engineers and fibre companies both in the USA and Australia, and conducted close to 1,000 scientific tests. Plus, the company worked with leading Australian lingerie designers and manufacturers to create their patented finished product – good looking, sustainable, comfortable, leak-proof, period underwear!

 Modibodi has come a long way since then – they now make 8 different styles of underwear, with varying absorbencies, as well as sleepwear, maternity wear, activewear and now swimwear!

 During our conversation today we talk to Kristy about:

• Modibodi committing to ending Period Poverty through their “Give a Pair” campaign where they will be donating 100,000 pairs of period undies;
• Their launch of activewear and how their customers responded;
• New products they have in the works;
• Changing consumer behaviour due to COVID and how this drove sales;
• The challenges Modibodi faced whilst trading through a pandemic;
• Facebook banning their recent campaign “The New Way to Period” and how a topic that should be normalised has become forbidden – and how the affects future generations.
• And lastly, Kristy gives her advice to start-ups wanting to enter the retail game.

A huge thank you to Kristy for joining us. We hope you enjoy this conversation…

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

If you would like to learn more about Kirsty and Modibodi:

• Modibodi
• Modibodi (Instagram)
• Kristy Chong  (LinkedIn)
• Modibodi (LinkedIn)

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In today’s episode we talk to Erica Berchtold.

Erica is the CEO of Australian online marketplace, THE ICONIC.

THE ICONIC was launched in 2011 and has quickly become the number one online destination for fashion and lifestyle purchases both here in Australia and New Zealand. They carry over 60,000 items from over 1000 well-known brands across such categories as Women’s, Men’s, Kids, Beauty, and more recently, toys.

During our conversation with Erica, we discuss the challenges COVID brought to the business and what strategies were put in place to solve these problems. We also talk about COVID as an accelerator, the possibility of THE ICONIC moving into the rental market, and their recent crowing as Best Online Retailer of 2021. Erica also discusses their charity partnership with Thread Together, how launching beauty took off with their customers, their plans for a sustainable, diverse and inclusive future and, finally, her advice for businesses looking to enter the retail game.

A huge thank you to Erica for joining us. We hope you enjoy this conversation!

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

If you would like to learn more about Erica and THE ICONIC:

• THE ICONIC
• THE ICONIC (Instagram)
• THE ICONIC MEN (Instagram)
• THE ICONIC SPORT (Instagram)
• THE ICONIC KIDS (Instagram)
• THE ICONIC BEAUTY (Instagram)
• Erica Berchtold  (LinkedIn)
• THE ICONIC (LinkedIn)

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In today’s episode we talk to Michael Elias. 

Michael is the Founder and CEO of circular subscription and textile recycling company, UPPAREL. 

UPPAREL, formally MANRAGS, was born from Michael’s own love of socks (a self-confessed “Sock Addict”) and the realisation that each pair he owned had a lifecycle which, at that time, concluded in landfill. He then began a sock subscription and added the ability for customers to return their unwanted / damaged socks to be recycled, re-used or repurposed.

To date UPPAREL has recycled over 1.7 million textile garments, of which 65% has been deemed re-usable and the remainder have been recycled into “new” socks or garments.

During this conversation we discuss:

• The creation and evolution of the brand and how they become leaders of the circular subscription economy;
• The need for businesses to take responsibility for their product’s entire lifecycle, including instilling recycling in their ethos; 
• Their partnerships with businesses such as Into Carry, KITX by Kit Willow, HoMie and many more;
• Partnering with Westfield to create their first ever Pop-Up Store in Southland Shopping Centre and how this partnership inadvertently drove foot traffic;
• The business’s long journey to becoming B Corporation Certified and what this means to them. 

It is important to note that UPPAREL were named number 22 on the E-Commerce Top 50 List for 2020 and labelled “One to Watch” by Inside Retail for 2021 + they were awarded Australia’s Sustainability Champions for 2020 by the National Retail Association!

 A huge thank you to Michael for joining us. We hope you enjoy this conversation!

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

If you would like to learn more about Michael and UPPAREL:

• UPPAREL
• UPPAREL (Instagram)
• Michael Elias  (LinkedIn)
• UPPAREL (LinkedIn)

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In today’s episode we talk to Jess Sepel. 

Jess is the Director at JSHealth.

Jess began her career as a clinical nutritionist, after battling with fad diets and a negative relationship with food from a young age. It was through her studies that she developed her love and appreciation for nutrients and minerals, so she started a very successful food blog, where her loyal community continued to grow and soak up her knowledge and recipes. 

Fast forward to today and Jess is a successful international best-selling author, the voice behind health & wellness brand JSHealth, including the popular JSHEALTH App, and the creator and owner of her world-renown vitamins, JSHEALTH Vitamins.

During our conversation with Jess we discuss the creation and history of her business, the motivation behind creating the JSHealth App and the co-incidental timing of Australia’s first lockdown during COVID and the 2.00 launch of the JSHEALTH at home workout and recipe App. We also talk about what effect COVID had on the growth of her business and on their customer, plus future partnerships plans. 

 A huge thank you to Jess for joining us. We hope you enjoy this conversation!

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

If you would like to learn more about Jess and JSHEALTH:

• JSHEALTH 
• JSHEALTH Vitamins
• JSHEALTH (Instagram)
• JSHEALTH Vitamins (Instagram)
• Jessica Sepel (LinkedIn)
• JSHEALTH (LinkedIn)
• JSHEALTH (App Store)

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In today’s episode we talk to Ed McManus. 

Ed is the Australia CEO of popular food delivery empire, Deliveroo. 

The business was founded by William Shu in London in 2013, and after its first successful capital raise of $140m in 2015 the successful delivery service was introduced to Australia – and boy was it popular. Deliveroo Australia now has over 8,000 riders and drivers and services more than 14,000 restaurants country wide. And it’s no surprise that COVID only made this service more popular than ever.

During our conversation with Ed we discuss the effects of COVID, interesting consumer trends, Deliveroo’s partnerships with restaurants + shopping centres and how they have supported them through the pandemic. We also talk about Deliveroo’s Editions Kitchens, the decision to purchase carbon offsets on behalf of their customers, the culture of the business and how they “maintain the magic”. Finally, we explore Deliveroo’s upcoming business plans for 2021 and what Ed believes the future of retail holds.

A huge thank you to Ed for joining us. We hope you enjoy this conversation!

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

If you would like to learn more about Ed and Deliveroo:

• Deliveroo (website)
• Deliveroo (Instagram)
• Ed McManus (LinkedIn)
•  Deliveroo (LinkedIn)
• Deliveroo (App Store)

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In today’s episode we talk to Adam Levene. 

Adam is the founder of HERO - the world leader in conversational commerce, meaning it’s a virtual platform that helps connect online shoppers with a live expert, often in a retail store nearby. HERO aim to give customers the same experience they would get in a physical store but from the comfort of their own home – either via video or text. Adam’s goal has always been to combine the IRL experience with e-comm to give customer’s the human connection that they expect from a retail experience.

Adam began his HERO journey in 2017 in the UK, and over the course of four years he has seen this space evolve so quickly, but he truly believes this technology is the future of retail – and after this conversation, we’d have to agree!

During this conversation we discuss:
- The motivation behind the creation of the company and Adam's long history in customer service
- How the HERO technology works and the retail categories this technology has been implemented in which great results
- The company's partnerships and huge success 
- Their partnerships with brands such as Accent Group, Levi's, Herman Miller, Mecca, Incu, Camilla & Marc and many more
- The creation of  'Shop-able Stories'
- And what he believes is the future of retail and the retail associate  

 A huge thank you to Adam for joining us. We hope you enjoy this conversation!

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

If you would like to learn more about Adam and HERO:

• HERO (website)
• HERO (Instagram)
• Adam Levene (LinkedIn)
• HERO (LinkedIn)
• HERO (App Store)