Founder and CEO, Astrid, is a self confessed #NOODIST
After leaving a successful career in finance and working with global leaders like JP Morgan, she followed her passion and started her own business. NOOD revolutionists alternative solutions to traditional bras, to fit the needs of women around the world whilst adjusting to lifestyles, transcending skin tone, and fitting all body shapes and sizes.
I talk to Astrid about shifting gears from corporate to entrepreneurship, and how she's built a successful and sustainable business whilst navigating band wagon trends, the emergence of body conscious movements, and the growing demands of female consumers.
Get insight into navigating jumping from the corporate ship and a very real insight into the ups and downs of starting your own business.
Shop NOOD online at www.lovenood.com and find them on Instagram @welovenood
Season 2 opens with an inspirational chat with Oliver Baillie - CEO of the newest addition to the Middle East e-commerce scene - Plain Tiger.
With a special appeal to me, based on its South African roots, the site combines fashion and sustainability with education, upliftment and so much more!
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Plain Tiger is the global platform for conscious luxury lifestyle products. A first of its kind, the platform curates ethical and sustainable fashion, beauty and home decor brands from across the world.
There is momentum behind this movement, the company already has premium brands from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and the Middle East.
The company’s genesis is as the e-commerce arm of South African creative economy group LMDA. Plain Tiger is female-founded and 70% female. Fueled by its new international leadership team, it has been reborn as Plain Tiger to enable its mission of becoming the leading and most impactful conscious luxury platform in the world.
Stay in touch via the links below;
www.plaintiger.co
info@plaintiger.co
@plaintiger.co / #plain tiger_loves
From a busy and active life as a mum, to planning the most lust worthy holidays, Dani and I sit down on a shared platform podcast to share our travel adventures. Everything from cry-then, laugh-now stories of vomit on planes, to more serious topics like poverty tourism; we dish it all on a long but worthwhile conversation that will make you laugh, cringe and want to holiday plan with us!
Founder of the much-loved beauty brand, Rodial, and author of two books that shares a real and encouraging entrepreneurship journey; Maria talks to me about her journey, her brand and the lessons she's learnt along the way.
Without a background in the beauty industry she created a business that leads the way in both product and marketing. In her books she talks about the reality of building a business, and she shares her unique insight into taking the steadier route to success.
Follow her on Instagram @mrsrodial
Aparna signed up for a show in the queue of an airport that would change the way the world saw her. A villain to some and hero to others, she was one of the most talked about characters of the popular Netflix series, Indian Matchmaking.
Her on screen list of demands, date disasters and articulate nature made her the subject of many debates on addressing cultural stereotypes, and viral internet animation.
But is the person we see on screen a true reflection of who Aparna is?
I chat to her from Houston, Texas and ask all the questions I, and so many of the people who watched the show, had.
Did she find love?
Were producers fully transparent about her role on the show?
Did she really end a date because he ran a podcast, or didn't know what Bolivian Salt Flats were?
Join me on the podcast and be sure you read the blog post on my interview and how as audiences we need to be more conscious of how we consume media. Read it here: www.meetmrsmarty.com
Follow along in Instagram @bewellbranded
South African actor, comedian and TV show host, Siv Ngesi, gets very open and honest about his career and the lessons he has learnt. As a person, his confidence and determination is unapologetic, and he gets very honest with me about how he has built his brand, and maps out his career with the overhanging theme of authenticity.
From hard hitting questions on whether being black allows him to voice his strong opinions, to whether controversy contributes to his brand's trajectory, Siv is open and honest with a very 'like it or not' attitude.
Follow him on Instagram @sivngesi
South African beauty, Demi-Leigh Tebow (née Nel Peters) is by far one of the most down to earth woman you'll hear from.
Miss Universe winner in 2017, she talks to me about her journey through pageantry, how she uses her voice and platform for important causes, and how she's settling in to married life in the USA.
Married to New York Mets player and former NFL quarterback, Tim Tebow, Demi shares how she's teaching him her native language of Afrikaans and enjoying newlywed bliss in quarantine.
Keep notepads ready at the end too, for Demi's pizza picks in NYC!
Having worked with the chloédigtal team, I can say that being a CD babe rocks!
But how can the support and membership base of the CD team build your online presence and brand?
I chat to Chloe Watts, the beauty and brain behind CD and she shared her story and so much more!
Get your notepads ready!
About chloédigtal
chloédigtal is the premier tech support and digital strategy membership for influencers. Team CD use technical expertise, industry knowledge and passion to help influencers build and maintain their online presence. The technical training and strategy provided by CD is offered to empower content creators, grow businesses and scale influence.
Founded in 2014, CD remains the leading technology membership for influencers helping over 1000 talented people worldwide grow their digital businesses.
Being the mother to one, two or three kids can be tough enough, but American philanthropist, Maggie Doyne, is a mother to over 50 beautiful Nepalese children and her own biological daughter, Ruby.
She began adopting orphan children in Nepal from the age of 19, and has since developed an impressive ecosystem of support, education and development for the entire community in Surkhet, Nepal.
She won the CNN Hero of the year on November 2015. Her project now runs a school, children's home, women's centre, and safe house for girls.
Maggie joins me to talk about her organization, Blink Now, and how she separates the humanitarian side of the work she does, from the business goals necessary to keep it all going.
'Be bold and do things differently.' - Shukri on risk vs. caution.
Shukri Toefy is an entrepreneur, strategic advisor, investor, speaker, film producer, and CEO of Fortified Group. On this podcast he shares useful insight into how we can find opportunity in crisis, and come out the other end thriving. As an award winning personality, and entrepreneurship expert at Said Business School (University of Oxford), Shukri is the best in the business to be offering new perspectives and advice on how you can navigate the next few months with your business or brand.
About Shukri
At present, Shukri is a Special Advisor and Ambassador to the G20 World Policy Forum. He has chosen to sit on a carefully curated list of boards, and is chairman of Southfields Group. He is also a guest lecturer at a number of universities around the world.
As a strategic advisor, Shukri has consulted to some of the most exciting brands on the continent and globally around business strategy, communication and growth. Recognized as one of the top creative minds on the African continent, he has frequently spoken at industry events such as Cannes Lions, a festival of creativity and the meeting place for the entire creative industry.
He has been profiled in various publications including Forbes Africa, Huffington Post, GQ, Marketing Week, Creativity and AdAge, and has been named a Top 40 CEO by Under40CEOs, and one of Fast Company’s Most Productive People.
Miss Australia 2013, Erin Holland is a force to be reckoned with. Not only does the former beauty queen have killer looks, she also knows a thing or two about sport. Her remarkable knowledge of the game of cricket has landed her the role of leading lady for many international tournaments, and most recently a place on one of Australia's leading television networks, Channel 7.
Erin is one of the most hard working women I've met. She 's built a successful profile that has caught the attention of leading international brands like Sephora and Qatar Airways, and is regularly flown all over the globe to lead the discussion on and off the pitch. As a qualified opera singer, it seems her talents are never ending.
I chat to Erin about her journey from pageantry to the pitch, and all the lessons she's learnt along the journey so far.
When engineer and former Miss India, Prachi Mishra, met South Indian movie star, Mahat Raghavendra, they wouldn't have guessed that in the not too distant future they'd become Mr & Mrs.
When two strong personal brands come together, the union usually extends to more than just hearts.... it's brands, audiences and influence that need to make room for the other. In this case, Prachi's move to Chennai meant winning over the market, and exploring a completely unique space; while Mahat smoothly transitioned from being an eligible bachelor to a doting husband.
So, how did their fans and markets react?
Listen in on my casual chat with these somewhat still newlyweds in lockdown.
The world has erupted in the last week around racial prejudices, with specific focus on black lives following more incidents of police brutality in the USA. So many of us took to social media sharing black squares, and voicing our alliance or support for people within the black community with hopes of contributing to the cause of improving lives and bringing equality to the world we live in.
In this podcast interview I chat to Masego (Maps) Maponyane, a young, black South African male who travels the world for work and leisure. Maps and I have a conversation about the global movement of 'Black Lives Matter'; what it's like walking through the world as a black man, and how everyday people can mobilize to make a change.
*WELL BRANDED EXCLUSIVE*
Something special happens at the end - Maps shares a very personal piece of creative writing with us that gives us an incredible perspective into a world many of us will never fully understand.
The art of the perfect 'flat-lay' is something that is part science and part art.
Donna Roper, Founder of Donna Hearts Beauty on Instagram, talks to us about how she does it. Donna's story is real - it's an inspiring account of how she turned a forced corporate career slow down into a thriving content creation business, and did it with pure heart, and a small following.
From large international brands across fashion, beauty and lifestyle, she not only offers a true look into how to nab the big brand names, but also shares her insider apps and tips to creating, polishing and sharing content for the purpose of business and brand.
Follow Donna on Instagram @DonnaHeartsBeauty
Australian fashion illustrator, Megan Hess, burst on to the scene as the cover illustrator for Candace Bushnell's book, Sex and the City. Since then she has gone on to illustrate for some of the world's leading luxury brands, celebrities and personalities, as well as build a personal brand empire of illustrations, homeware, fashion and so much more. As a multiple award winning author, she has extended her brand into the world of children's books with her chic and well traveled character, Claris the mouse, who is as fashionable as she is inspirational.
After working with Megan for just over 6 years I am always fascinated by her. Her effortless style, incredible talent and admirable down-to-earth personality has made a remarkable impact on me, but also allowed me to grow and challenge myself whilst working on her brand in the Middle East and briefly in South Africa. In 2016, we hosted an intimate influencer launch event with The Plaza, New York which was the cherry on the top to several inspiring years of working with Megan.
I chat to Megan about her brand journey, her vision for her personal brand as well her ever-stylish little mouse and what we can expect from her next.
Follow Megan's journey on Instagram at @meganhess_official and be prepared to fall in love!
I pulled this audio off an Instagram LIVE chat I had with Michael Nagy of Fairmont Rio. We talked about the travel industry, what the future holds for travel and how we see the destinations we visit, as well as expectations of travelers from the properties and brand they invest in. Despite the odd general knowledge question thrown our way, and my little one popping in (at 1am Dubai time) mid-sleep... it's a great chat that fuels the travel bug within!
All the way from Montreal, Canada, I chat to Lidija of Lidija's Kitchen who has transformed the way we see culinary experiences with her breathtaking gowns, and ever stylish high heels. Step into the kitchen with her of some of the best restaurants in Dubai and beyond, and hear first hand the success and challenges of marrying the world of fabulous cuisine with the some of the world's leading fashion brands.
In March 2020 my husband and I traveled to Rio De Janeiro. What we found there fascinated us.
This interview was pulled from a video interview done with the Director of Sales and Marketing, Michael Nagy, when I asked him to tell us more about the fascinating destination, and tourism in Rio. From popular misconceptions, to insider tips on places to see off the beaten track... as a South African born, British raised, proud Carioca... Michael gives us the low down on this fantastic city by the sea.
Rio Carnival was one of the most incredible experiences of my life, and I definitely would love to see more visitors to Brazil which really does have so much to offer!
*** Apologies for the grainy audio due to the busy space we chatted in.
Take a front row seat as I chat to Dale Herbst of That Food Guy SA - a South African publishing and advertising agency.
After a recent big launch event, I ask Dale for his expert opinion on publishing - the criteria, the numbers, and the brand story that he looks for before bringing a book to life.
If you've dabbled with the idea of becoming an author, interested in what makes one book successful from the next, or simply curious about the world of food and publishing this is for you.
You can find Dale on Instagram @ThatFoodGuySA or online at www.thatfoodguysa.co.za
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