Process The Podcast

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1. Your Next 100 Days Decide Your 2027

   3 november 2026 · 18 min

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   “You don’t get in the room by waiting to be invited.” - Arielle Thomas Lees meer

   Feeling lost in your career, stuck, or unsure what to do next? In this Process Petite, Arielle Thomas, motion director, social strategist and founder of Cinema Thom, shares what happened after the biggest contract of her career came to an end and she lost her confidence and her direction. She talks through how one episode with Merit Beauty’s founding CMO Aila Morin changed the course of the podcast. She also explains why she decided no one was going to hand her the next chapter, and how a simple idea about “your next 100 days” reshaped her mindset, motivation and plans for 2027.

   Recorded the night before a four-week, four-city recording trip across LA, New York, London and Paris… This episode is for anyone looking for career direction, motivation or guidance. That includes creatives, founders, freelancers, and anyone in their 30s still figuring out what they want. Arielle covers investing in yourself when there’s no client and no brief, why “don’t ask, don’t get” changed how she cold emails, and admitting when you need help. She also explains why building your own seat at the table beats waiting for permission, and how to figure out what you want by starting with what you don’t. If you need a push to stop waiting and start going after it, this one’s for you.

   INSIDE THE EPISODE:

   00:00 — Intro: Why I’m Leaving for LA Tonight

   00:41 — Losing My Biggest Client & Feeling Lost

   01:24 — The Episode That Changed Everything

   02:34 — No One Is Going to Hand It to You

   04:25 — Your Next 100 Days Decide Your 2027

   05:46 — Don’t Ask, Don’t Get

   07:53 — The Joy of Cold Emailing

   08:38 — Inside a Four-Week Recording Marathon

   10:14 — Investing in Yourself: “I Am the Brief”

   11:10 — Admitting You Need Help

   11:42 — Build Your Own Seat at the Table

   13:55 — Feeling Lost? Start With What You Don’t Want

   14:48 — What’s Next for Process

   Episodes Mentioned:

   Aila Morin

   Estée Lalonde

   Jamie Green

   Coco Mocoe

   E…

2. Estée Lalonde on Building Mirror Water and finally asking for help

   27 oktober 2026 · 1 uur 3 min

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   “I love a trier. It doesn’t matter where it goes. If you are actually out there trying, that’s the special sauce right there.” - Estée Lalonde Lees meer

   Estée Lalonde has spent 16 years as a content creator, building an audience of more than a million YouTube subscribers. When she launched her body care brand Mirror Water, she’d never had a corporate job and had never used a spreadsheet. Five years later, the brand is mostly self-funded and has grown entirely organically, with no paid media until recently. It’s stocked in Space NK, Liberty, Selfridges and Cult Beauty. In this episode, Estée gets honest about the difference between building an audience and building a business. She talks about why followers don’t automatically become customers, why she still doesn’t take a salary from her own brand, and what it really takes to launch a beauty brand on a fraction of the usual budget.

   For aspiring female entrepreneurs and creators who want to build a brand that stands on its own, this is a candid look at creator-led brands and retail. Estée shares the founder mistakes she’d undo (hello, expensive office), how landing her first stockist and one glowing press review changed everything, and why she’s always asking other founders for help. She also covers how she weighs raising investment against staying independent, how she splits her time between Mirror Water and her YouTube channel, and how she’s keeping the brand distinct on an increasingly crowded body care shelf. She also opens up about the year she finally asked for help, why “good enough” isn’t good enough anymore, and why networking in person still matters.

   INSIDE THE EPISODE:

   00:00 — Intro: Meet Estée Lalonde

   02:26 — The Year She Finally Asked for Help

   09:48 — Nobody’s Coming to Save You

   12:59 — Why You Have to Be in the Room

   18:45 — Why “Good Enough” Isn’t Good Enough Anymore

   23:16 — Founder Mistakes, Motherhood & Having It All

   30:07 — Falling Back in Love With YouTube

   33:07 — How Mirror Water Started

   37:09 — …

3. How Saie Built a Diehard Beauty Community

   20 oktober 2026 · 49 min

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   “The audience comes last, so that they can come first.” - Erin Starkweather Lees meer

   How does a beauty brand that only launched in November 2019 end up selling one Glowy Super Gel every 10 seconds at Sephora? Erin Starkweather, Creative Director of Saie Beauty, has been there even before day one. She started out packing boxes in her apartment on Sunday nights, and today she shapes every visual touchpoint of the brand. Before Saie, Erin worked at Cap Beauty in New York and as a beauty consultant, until founder Laney Crowell brought her in. In this episode, she takes us inside the creative world of one of beauty’s most-loved brands: “easy, effortless and elevated” makeup for skin that looks like yours, only better.

   Erin breaks down how a beauty campaign comes together, from the product brief and mood board to the Super Suede Eyeshadow launch starring Helena Christensen, inspired by 90s Steven Meisel imagery. She explains why Saie shoots its baked powders in Italy, how she plans Sephora fixtures and visual merchandising a year in advance while staying nimble, and how often the team shoots to keep content fresh. She also shares how Saie built a diehard community through events, its Clean Beauty Crew, an arts and culture program, and its livestreamed Makeup Class, plus advice for small beauty brands growing a fandom on a low budget. Rounding it out: what it’s like to choose in-house over consulting, what she learned from Laney about not taking no for an answer, and what’s next as Saie launches in Sephora UK. If you work in beauty marketing, brand building or creative direction, or you just love Saie, this one’s for you.

   INSIDE THE EPISODE:

   00:00 — Intro: Meet Saie’s Creative Director

   02:55 — How Saie’s Creative Process Works

   08:18 — Why “The Audience Comes Last”

   09:43 — Why Saie Shoots in Italy

   11:13 — From Packing Boxes to Planning a Year Ahead

   15:54 — Super Suede Eyeshadow & the One-Shade Look

   18:47 — Behind the Helena Christensen Campaign

   25:15 — Let’s Build a Beau…

4. Shared Stages: Does Engagement Make Money with Sally Obermeder

   14 oktober 2026 · 39 min

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   “Likes are a beautiful vanity metric... but if your wallet’s not killing it, why are we doing it?” — Sally Obermeder Lees meer

   This episode was a part of a juicy panel at the Social Summit Manly 2026. We can’t wait to take you behind the curtain with Sally Obermeder, founder of Ziish (formerly Swiish)!

   Can you actually get paid for likes on Instagram, TikTok or Facebook? Does 100k likes mean you’re making money? Sally Obermeder, former Channel 7 entertainment reporter turned co-founder of wellness brand Ziish (formerly Swiish), says the answer is no, not on their own. After a stage three cancer diagnosis the day before giving birth, Sally and her sister turned a green smoothie blog into one of Australia’s best-known wellness brands. It now has around 20 products, stocks in all 500 Priceline stores, and launched into Boots in the UK. Recorded live at Social Summit, this fireside chat with Arielle closes the gap between likes, engagement and real sales.

   Sally breaks down exactly how to monetize your social media following and turn engagement into revenue. She covers why the algorithm is “pot luck” and why your email list is the land you actually own. She also shares how she builds lead magnets that cost $0 (including the dopamine menu that landed her on Sunrise), how ManyChat comment automations grow your audience, and why “the best way to sell is to not sell.” Other topics include how to collab with bigger brands, how she tests content organically with trial reels before spending on Meta ads, what makes a video ad a “banger,” and how to run IRL events on a small budget. It finishes with live audience Q&A, where Sally gives on-the-spot marketing advice to a small business florist and a B2B consultant. If you’ve ever wondered how creators and small businesses really make money online, this one is for you.

   This episode features a big shout out to our friends at Many Chat! If you loved the sound of Many Chat in this episode, use our link to get your first month FREE with Many…

5. Jamie Green is strapped to a rocket ship, from mag covers to Oprah

   6 oktober 2026 · 1 uur 2 min

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   "It's all relationships... learn the camera, definitely. But then invest your time in relationships." — Jamie Green Lees meer

   Jamie Green didn't pick up a camera until 2017. Before that, he was building a social enterprise sleepwear label in Melbourne. A move to Byron Bay, photos of his wife for Instagram, and one brand asking "can you do that for us?" turned into a whirlwind career. He has shot campaigns across Europe, a GQ cover with Cody Simpson, Oprah for People, and celebrity work for Netflix, all while being based in a small surf town in Byron Bay.

   In this episode, Jamie and Arielle get into the side of photography that has nothing to do with settings. They cover why building trust with talent matters more than a technically perfect shot, how he burnt out shooting five days a week through Covid and stepped back from his career, and the beach swim that led to shooting Oprah. He also explains how meeting Greg Williams changed his whole approach, and what "rolling the dice" on a Paris trip actually looks like. It's an honest look at building a global photography career on relationships, the long game, and the myth of overnight success.

   INSIDE THE EPISODE:

   0:00 — Intro: Meet Jamie Green

   01:10 — From a Sleepwear Label to Shooting for Spell

   04:50 — The Covid Boom, Paris & the GQ Cover Call

   08:09 — How Jamie Builds Trust with Celebrities

   12:39 — Tethering, Burnout & Building the Byron Barn

   17:30 — Hitting Pause, Then Shooting Oprah

   21:27 — Greg Williams & Going Documentary-Style

   24:44 — Rolling the Dice in Paris

   29:12 — The Long Game: Seeds, Euros & Family Travel

   35:26 — Fluid Style, Big Goals & Proving Doubters Wrong

   41:39 — Artists, Brands & Reading the Room

   45:07 — Shooting for the Archive with Sam

   48:56 — NYC Time & the Overnight Success Myth

   53:45 — The Netflix Airport Dash

   56:54 — Where to Find Jamie, Film Plans & "Stills Only"

   Connect with our Guest:

   Jamie Green on Instagram: @jamie_.green

   Jamie's website: jamiegreen.com.au

   Enjoyed this Episode?Jo…

6. Styling for Prada, Cartier & Bvlgari: The Many Hats of a Celebrity Stylist with Jess Pecoraro

   29 september 2026 · 57 min

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   Jess Pecoraro didn't know what a stylist was until she walked into the Cosmopolitan fashion cupboard. By 23, she had worked her way through some of Australia's biggest magazines. Then she walked away from her dream job with no clients, no title and no safety net, betting she could build something bigger on her own. Today she's one of Sydney's most in-demand celebrity stylists and fashion brand consultants. Her work spans Fashion Week runways, GQ Men of the Year, NGV x Cartier Gala, luxury trunk shows, brand consulting and private clients on retainer. Lees meer

   In this episode, Jess breaks down the many hats a stylist wears beyond the clothes themselves. On a runway she's across the fittings, castings, hair and makeup briefs, music and lighting. Brands bring her in before a collection is even designed ("700 tops for one pair of pants"), and she tells her favourite clients to "just tell me the budget." She's honest about cash flow, the Covid-era business she launched and closed, learning to be on camera, and why she kept her second pregnancy quiet to protect her client base. It's a rare, candid look at building a service business in a small market, and what "effortless" style really takes behind the scenes.

   INSIDE THE EPISODE:

   00:00 — Intro: From Cosmo Intern to Stylist

   04:11 — Quitting at 23 to Go Freelance0

   9:04 — The Money Side Nobody Teaches

   11:34 — A Covid Business & Camera Fear

   16:16 — How Stylists Really Get Paid

   19:10 — Why Brands Need a Stylist

   23:13 — Big Projects & Private Clients

   28:18 — Inside Fashion Week & GQ

   39:09 — Motherhood Without Losing Clients

   44:58 — The Effort Behind "Effortless"

   48:49 — Can a Styling Business Scale?

   54:08 — Fave Aussie Brands + Where to Find Jess

   Connect with our Guest:

   Jess Pecoraro on Instagram: @jess_pecoraro

   Jess on Substack: @bluejeansanddiamonds

   Brand & business enquiries: jess@jesspecoraro.com

   Enjoyed this Episode?Join our Community!

   Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram, @arielle.thomas

   Us, on Instagram, …

7. Founder and Expert-Led Video Content: The Complete Framework for 2026

   22 september 2026 · 37 min

   Afspelen
   If you're a founder, business owner, or the person on the marketing team who keeps getting told "we need more founder videos" , this episode is the actual framework, not just the advice why & how to do it. Lees meer

   In this Petit, Arielle breaks down exactly how she produces founder-led and expert-led video content for her own retainer clients, including real case studies from Sheila the Label and McMullen & Co. She covers two filming methods (the interview approach and the "chat-to-camera" method), why founder-led content is becoming the biggest competitive edge a small business has against AI-generated content and fast-fashion-style brand positioning, and closes with 15 specific content prompts you can use immediately free download linked below.

   In this episode, you'll learn:

   Why founder-led video content is becoming essential for SEO and AI-search visibility, not just social engagement

   Two proven filming methods for founder and expert-led videos — no crew or script required

   How one interview becomes 5+ pieces of content (hero video, B-roll, trial reels)

   15 ready-to-use prompts for founders who don't know what to say on camera

   A real distribution and posting cadence you can actually stick to

   INSIDE THE EPISODE:

   00:00 — Intro: Why Founder Videos Matter Now

   03:36 — The Market Shift: Why Brands Like Zara Are Repositioning

   05:18 — The Emotional Reality of Showing Up on Camera

   09:40 — Method One: The Interview Approach

   09:51 — Case Study: Alice McMullen — One Sitting Becomes 5 Videos

   14:44 — Case Study Two: Claire & Sheila the Label

   18:38 — Method Two: Chat-to-Camera ("Yapping")

   20:07 — The Real Secret: Answer, Don't Announce

   22:37 — The 15 Prompts, Part 1: Curiosity, Opinions & What You See Differently

   27:16 — The 15 Prompts, Part 2: Credentials, Principles & the Future You're Building

   31:59 — Distribution: Post Everywhere, Test & Commit to One a Week

   32:53 — Recap & Call to Action

   Get the Free Founder Video Prompt PDF here: https://bit.ly/4jfri4E

   Enjoyed…

8. Why Fashion Still Chases Film: Inside Brydie Mack's World

   22 september 2026 · 1 uur 6 min

   Afspelen
   Most photographers shooting fashion campaigns today work in digital, instant previews, instant safety net. Brydie Mack, known to her audience as Wolf Cub, doesn't. She shoots everything on film: three to four rolls per look, five different cameras on set as backup, and a vague idea of what she's actually got until the lab sends it back. Lees meer

   In this episode, Brydie breaks down exactly what it takes to specialize in film in an industry that's mostly moved on from it, the real cost and risk of every shoot, why brands are chasing the medium-format, hand-printed look right now, the airport scanner mistake that can ruin a week of work, and her honest take on why AI is about to make "handmade" the new luxury. She also opens up about stepping back from photography as her next chapter, and gives us the first real look at Lens, the film photography course she's building to pass on everything she knows.

   INSIDE THE EPISODE:

   00:00 — About Brydie and the Wolf Club Origin

   04:47 — On-set Politics

   08:03 — The Cost & Risk of Film Photography

   09:11 — Photography Heroes

   13:52 — Anatomy of a shoot

   15:49 — Camera Recommendations for beginners

   18:56 — Film Stocks and Flying with Film

   22:43 — Managing Shoot Days

   24:33 — Dream Clients & US Visa Problems

   29:08 — Life Outside Work

   34:16 — Boundaries on travelling for work

   35:58 — A Photographer’s Dream Model

   39:21 — Pitching Jobs

   40:20 — Photography Inspiration

   44:59 — Shooting Nudes

   52:53 — AI in Photo & Film Industry

   59:34 — Szilvesztre Mako

   1:00:29 — Film Lab Recommendations

   1:03:36 — Advice for aspiring film photographers

   1:04:15 — Connect with Brydie

   Join the Waitlist for Lens:

   Brydie's upcoming Film Photography Course

   Connect with our Guest:

   Brydie Mack (Wolf Cub) on Instagram @wolfcubwolfcub

   Website: brydiemack.com

   Enjoyed this Episode?

   Join our Community!

   Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram, @arielle.thomas

   Us, on Instagram, @processthepodcast

   Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast

   Follow us to get not…

9. The Story Behind Persona's Debut Issue, with Bella Freud

   22 september 2026 · 1 uur 14 min

   Afspelen
   "It's an object of obsession about one woman... you genuinely get an intimacy that you cannot find anywhere else." — Grace O'Neill & Paulina Paige Lees meer

   Grace O'Neill and Paulina Paige have built magazines and campaigns for some of the biggest names in fashion media. But this time, they threw out every rule they knew and started from zero with no guardrails, no existing audience, no safety net. The result is Persona: a biannual, single-subject magazine that reads more like a coffee table book than a glossy, with its debut issue built entirely around Bella Freud.

   In this exclusive interview, Grace and Paulina walk through exactly how Persona came together, the cold email that convinced Bella Freud to say yes, the unpublished 90s photo archive they talked a photographer into handing over, getting the rights to a Lucian Freud portrait, and the real numbers behind launching a $75 magazine with zero followers. It's a rare, honest look at what it actually takes to build a print product from scratch in 2026 - the creative risk-taking, the budget conversations, and the trust it takes to hand a stylist "a little kernel of an idea" and let them run the thing.

   INSIDE THE EPISODE:

   00:00 — Intro: Grace & Paulina The Lead-Up to Persona

   05:27 — From Massive Infrastructure to Doing It All Themselves

   07:41 — What They Knew Going In

   14:26 — What If a Magazine Had No Rules?

   16:47 — Deciding on Bella Freud

   18:52 — The Cold Email That Got Bella Freud on Board

   22:08 — The Moment They Knew It Was Really Happening

   22:57 — Building the Book Around What They Had

   31:35 — Is It Really an Australian Magazine?

   34:16 — Talking Budgets: Landing Dior & Reframing Beauty With Mecca

   42:14 — What It Actually Takes to Print

   44:18 — Production vs. Printing

   48:23 — The Launch Gamble

   53:32 — How Much Room Does This Take Up in Your Life?

   58:24 — Partnership

   1:00:29 — Where the Creative Stimulus Comes From

   1:04:00 — Second Issue?

   1:08:32 — Where to Find Them

   1:10:15 — Persona Launch Party

   T…

10. Allow me to reintroduce myself: The story behind Process the Podcast

    22 september 2026 · 32 min

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    "My parents owned a five star luxury hotel that they built when I was ten... it formed me in a way that I cannot even comprehend." — Arielle Thomas Lees meer

    For over 140 episodes, Arielle's been the one asking the questions. This week, she turned the mic on herself. With so many new listeners joining after the Merit episode went viral, it felt like time to rewind the tape, who she actually is, how Process the Podcast came to exist, and where her seven-figure production company, Cinema Thom, stands today.

    From growing up behind the scenes of her parents' five-star hotel, to a teenage sales job at Scanlan Theodore, to acting school in New York, to directing a Kmart TikTok vertical that helped drive enormous value for shareholders.

    This is the full, unfiltered walk through everything that built the person behind Process. It's personal, it's honest, and it's the episode to send anyone who's ever asked, "wait, how did you get into this?"

    INSIDE THE EPISODE:

    00:00 — Process the Podcast and Arielle's Origin Story01:45 — Growing Up in Hotels: The Lyall03:42 — Learning the Value of a Dollar05:20 — Moving to New York for Acting School06:00 — Coming Home & Arielle's Acting Career08:17 — Behind the Camera with Meat and Potatoes10:54 — Working with Kmart14:09 — The TikTok Era17:45 — Global Expansion: Anko Philippines19:43 — How Process the Podcast Came to Be21:21 — Process Today27:52 — Cinema Thom Today28:30 — What's Next?

    Enjoyed this Episode?

    Join our Community!

    Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram, @arielle.thomas

    Us, on Instagram, @processthepodcast

    Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast

    New here? We're now on YouTube with a companion panel alongside the video, worth a watch if you're a visual person! Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday.

    See you at the next one!

    This episode references past projects (Meat and Potatoes, Deadline Gallipoli) discussed for personal/educational commentary. All rights and ownership belong to their respecti…

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