In episode 127 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Dimond talks to the founder of Yours Only, Ashli Templer. When I connect with someone over a love of beauty, whether it’s on this podcast or away from it, the thread or the through line always comes back to a feeling. I think it’s that feeling that separates people who truly love this industry from the people who do view it as solely superficial, and it’s also the feeling that you get from James when you listen to or sit down with...

In episode 126 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Dimond talks to the founder of Yours Only, Ashli Templer. We obviously talk a lot on this podcast about identifying a gap for a product and developing out of a really genuine need, and I think the Yours Only story is probably one of the best examples of that that we’ve covered across all 6 seasons. Ash grew up, in her words, “not being able to eat any cake at birthday parties.” She’s always had many, many food allergies, and things were...

In episode 125 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Dimond talks to the founder of IKKARI, Adrian Norris. I have thought Adrian Norris to be one of the most interesting brand founders in the country for many, many years now, since he co founded fashion house Aje in 2008, and I have loved watching him enter the beauty space upon founding skincare and wellness brand IKKARI last year. There’s so much about this brand and Adrian’s story that I love but one thing in particular that I found so...

In episode 124 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Dimond talks to the founder of Hairification, Jordan Mylius. You’ve heard of Hairification- from a distribution standpoint, they’re the fastest growing haircare brand in Australia having launched into 840 Coles stores in 2023 (that’s 840 retail locations from day one) and, as of last month, hitting the shelves of all 470 Priceline stores. Quick maths- Hairification is available in over 1300 retail locations in less than a year post...

In episode 123 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Dimond talks to the founder of Maison Crivelli, Thibaud Crivelli. I’ve made no secret of the fact that fragrance is probably my favourite category to talk about, particularly from a storytelling perspective. Thibaud talks about fragrance in a way that is unlike anything I’ve ever heard before and that is, again, why I’m so fascinated by this category. I love asking people how they either construct a fragrance or brief it into their...

In episode 122 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Dimond talks to the founders of Sunset Daze, Alessia and Marco Angele. What I love about talking to founders at this stage in their brand’s development (for context, Sunset Daze launched their first product, Liquid Rays, in December of 2022) is that all the really tactile bits that come with a launch are still so fresh in their minds- they’re not looking back on their launch through a wistful lens, there’s no revisionist history, the...

In episode 121 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Dimond talks to the founders of Fresh, Lev Glazman and Alina Roytberg. This is one of the best founder stories I’ve heard in over 5 years of hosting this podcast.  I don’t want to give anything away, but there’s just so much gold in here- particularly a story Lev towards the start of our chat. I could have sat and listened to Lev and Alina talk for a full day, with ease. It was honestly a joy to just facilitate this conversation. We...

We're back- and with a whole new surname! Gemma Dimond (fka Gemma Watts) returns to host Season 6 of the Glow Journal podcast from January 31. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s our final episode for Season 5! I met Dr Rocio Rivera on a La Mer brand trip to Singapore in July and have been trying to get her on the show ever since.  I have had a relationship with La Mer for many years now both as consumer and a working relationship, and even I have found it to be a brand with a lot of mystery surrounding it- I’ve known the products work, I’ve seen first hand what they do for the skin, but it wasn’t until I listened to Dr Rivera speak in Singapore that I really...

In episode 120 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Watts talks to the co founder of Sunnies Face, Martine Ho. Martine Ho comes from a family of artists and performers, so where many people grow up thinking of creative pursuits as hobbies, Martine knew first hand that a career in the arts is entirely possible if you work for it. Born in Manila but largely raised in LA, Martine grew up passionate about photography and graphic design, and even told her classmates that she wanted to own a...

In episode 119 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Watts talks to the founder of Lust Minerals, Stacey Hollands. If you’d told a teenage Stacey Hollands that she’d one day be the founder of the country’s biggest mineral makeup brand, I don’t think she’d have doubted you for a second. What she may not have believed, however, was that in a matter of years she’d grow that brand from one that started in a linen cupboard to one worth over $20 million.  Stacey is one of those founder who’s...

In episode 118 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Watts talks to the founder of Tomorrow-Today Beauty, Indianna Roehrich. If you’ve worked in the fashion, beauty, or lifestyle media space in Australian in the last decade, you know the name Indianna Roehrich.  Indi started her own social media management agency, Simply Social Management , in 2015 when she was just 22 years old. I first met her a little under 10 years ago and she’s always struck me as being ahead of the curve- the concept...

In episode 117 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Watts talks to the founder of People Haircare, Katherine Ruiz. Katherine never pictured herself starting a beauty brand, but she has always had an interesting relationship with her hair, and that relationship was sort of a visual representation of the relationship she had with herself. Katherine has naturally curly hair but, as so many of us do, wanted hair she didn’t have so she grew up straightening it, slicking it back, whatever she...

In episode 116 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Watts talks to the co founders of Elemis, Noella Gabriel and Oriele Frank. This is probably the best example of serendipity that we’ve had on the show in the way that Noella, Oriele and their third co-founder Sean Harrington were brought together, each with a complementary skill set, the combination of which was precisely what the brand needed, but also with no real understanding of what they were saying yes to. By no means did the...

In episode 115 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Watts talks to the founder of Naked Sundays, Samantha Brett. Samantha Brett has always loved beauty but, despite a brief stint as a beauty writer during an internship, she only ever wanted to be a news reporter.  Sam worked as hard as she possibly could to achieve the dream she’d held onto since she was 14 years old, and once she got there it was a job she truly never pictured herself walking away from. That was, until, the 2019 to 2020...

In episode 114 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Watts talks to the co founder and creative director, respectively, of Mr. Smith Hair, David and Freda Rossidis. Freda Rossidis is an industry legend. Freda tells me that being a migrant to Australia, very few of her earliest memories are centred around beauty. She had no idea what she wanted to be when she grew up, she fell into hairdressing, and grew to love it over time. As that passion grew, so too did Freda’s resume, as she directed...

In episode 113 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Watts talks to the founder and CEO of Kat Burki Skincare, Kat Burki. Kat had studied Healthcare Law and Health Policy at university and was working happily in the industry, occasionally picking up passion projects in interior design as a creative outlet. Upon completing an interior for her brother-in-law, she decided she wanted to sign off the project with a signature scent. She met with some people who worked in the beauty industry...

In episode 112 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Watts talks to the founder of ROBE Haircare, Lauren Mackellar.  In 5 seasons of this show, Lauren Mackellar is the most inspiring guest I’ve had the joy of sitting down with.  Lauren Mackellar was one of Australia’s most in demand hair stylists. In early 2022, following years of intense migraines that she’d chalked up to her work, she took herself to the emergency ward and was diagnosed with a brain tumour. She went into surgery a day and...

In episode 111 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Watts talks to the co-founder of Sundae Body, Lizzie Waley.  Imagine not just trying to get customers on board with a new brand, but getting them to entirely change the way they’ve done something for their entire life. That is precisely the task Lizzie Waley was faced with on launched Sundae Body.  Lizzie had had a conversation with her business partner about how bath time is so fun when you’re a kid, and by adulthood it’s totally lost...

In episode 110 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Watts talks to the CEO and founder of Gem, Georgia Danos.  This conversation is essentially a marketing masterclass. One of Georgia’s earliest roles was at Remedy Kombucha. Now, we all know what kombucha is now, but keep in mind this was in 2014, before the brand was even on Instagram, so Georgia’s job wasn’t just to build the brand’s social media presence- she was more or less responsible for bringing the product to mainstream...

In episode 109 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Watts talks to the founder of YŌLI and En Gold, Steffanie Ball. Steffanie Ball’s ties to beauty come through YŌLI, a brand centred around “elevated bathing rituals” that was launched in December of last year with a range including luxury towelling (emphasis on the word luxury), a scent range and a dry body brush. You’ve likely heard of Steff’s first business, furniture and homewares brand En Gold, which began as an Instagram account...

In episode 108 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Watts talks to the founder of Vida Glow, Anna Lahey.  Vida Glow is the number one marine collagen brand in the world, with one unit sold every four seconds.  Anna doesn’t hold her cards close to her chest. From sharing the brand’s Shopify launch strategy, what goes into developing packaging and sourcing ingredients, how many products Vida Glow have discontinued and the rationale behind the brand’s 2021 rebrand, Anna sincerely believes...

In episode 107 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Watts talks to the co-founder of ABHATI Suisse, Shirin Dörig. A British-born Indian who now lives with her family in Switzerland, Shirin’s mother Anju has been described as a serial entrepreneur. She studied sociology and ethnology, she worked as a social worker in the UK, and was instrumental in setting up a shelter for victims of domestic violence.  Her interest in beauty began in the same way her daughter, Shirin’s, did, with both...

In episode 106 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Watts talks to the founder and CEO of VIOLETTE_FR and Creative Director of Makeup for Guerlain, Violette Serrat.  Violette has been a bucket list guest of mine since Season 1 as I became aware of her work at something of a pivotal time, career wise, for me.  Violette realised she wanted to become a makeup artist at the age of 19 after applying glitter to a friends face ahead of a party. She promptly moved to New York, with no training...