100 Episodes In. $500 in My Bank Account When I Started. Here's the Full Story.

100 episodes.
$500 in my bank account when I started.
A $25,000 contract I had no idea how I was going to pay for.
And a rebrand I've been sitting on for over 12 months.

This is it. The full, unfiltered story of how Beauty Industry Leaders went from a post in a Skool community to 25,000 downloads across 1,247 cities, and why the next 100 episodes are going to look very different.

I'm not holding anything back in this one.

I talk about the woman who tried to bully me out of starting this before I'd even recorded a single episode. The $680-per-episode cost of audio-only production when I could barely afford food. Splitting my grandma's meal prep containers into thirds just to make it through the week. Breaking my mic three weeks after it arrived. Recording in my studio apartment with blankets draped over the wardrobe to kill the echo. And the 150+ retakes per episode that nearly broke me.

But I also talk about the friendships that changed my life. The guests who made me cry. The moment I realized long-form content was my superpower. And the identity crisis I've been quietly battling for the last 12 months, wondering if I'd outgrown the very brand I built.
This episode is where I share what's next.

I'm announcing the rebrand. I'm telling you the new name. And I'm sharing why this evolution has been the hardest and most necessary decision I've made since starting this podcast.

In this episode:
→ The full origin story of Beauty Industry Leaders, from the first idea to the first download
→ Signing a $25K contract with nothing in my account
→ The podcast agency journey: what worked, what didn't, and why I brought everything in-house
→ Building a $30K studio on a $3K budget
→ My top five episodes and what each one taught me
→ Why storytelling outperforms strategy content every time
→ The content funnel: short-form to long-form to community
→ The 12-month identity crisis I never talked about publicly
→ The official rebrand announcement and what it means for you
→ And a tease of the family business docuseries that's coming next

If you've been here since episode one, thank you. If this is your first episode, welcome to the most honest version of this podcast I've ever put out.

Here's to being a little bit delusional.

I want to empower women in the beauty industry to create an impact, build an empire, and leave their legacy!

Ready to become an industry powerhouse?
Get more clients, more income, and your time back without burning out. Be among the first to access exclusive scripts, strategies, and systems to get booked, banked, and in demand.
https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/booked-banked-and-in-demand

If you have any questions about the episode, or have a burning question you’d like me to answer on the show, or if you’d like to join our movement of ambitious beauty leaders, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/
https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/ 

Transcript

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I built Beauty Industry Leaders. I committed to it for a hundred episodes, and over time, this massive internal shift started happening, and I could just feel it getting stronger and stronger. That feeling was like putting myself into this box where I no longer felt fully aligned with who I actually was. Why would I continue forcing myself into this box that I feel like I've already outgrown? Because the reality is the people who genuinely support you, they're gonna follow you wherever you go. Not because of the niche, not necessarily because of beauty, but because they connect with you. At some point, people think you're crazy. They don't understand the vision. They can't see what you see yet. And they will question your decisions. They project their fear onto you and they tell you it's unrealistic, it's too risky, it's too ambitious or impossible. But the people who build the extraordinary things are often the ones willing to look a little delusional before the vision becomes reality. The beauty industry leaders have been such a huge chapter of my life and something that I'm incredibly grateful for. But over time I've realized the conversations I'm most passionate about really go far beyond the beauty industry, which is why I'll slowly be transitioning and rebranding the podcast to. Hello and welcome back to the 100th episode of the Beauty Industry Leaders Podcast. I'm your host, Sammy Kennedy. When you think about it, a hundred episodes, like there's not many things that I have done consistently and proudly in my life, but this podcast is definitely one of them. Like I was a pretty big gym junkie, but even this year, with everything going on, I have fallen off track and finally just started getting back into it. And then when I think about how many times I didn't want to show up because I was burnt out, I was jet-lagged, I was sick, whatever it may be, I still showed up. And I just want to thank myself because there's not many things where I'm like, oh Sammy, you did a really good job. But this is one of them because I think when I started this, it really did play on my mind that this is going to be something that you have to commit to. If you have an audience and you're providing them with value, you can't just stop and start, chop and change, you know, go really hard for a bit and then pull back because, oh, I'm exhausted. Like you have to treat podcasting like a marathon. And that's exactly what I've learned to do. It has not been easy. It has definitely tested me, both emotionally, physically, my voice, everything. But I honestly could not be more grateful to have reached this milestone with you. And to give you a bit of an insight of how this podcast is performing, let's just start with what usually happens with podcasts. 90% of podcasts will fail within the first three episodes. And then of the next lot of podcasts that make it up to 20 episodes, 80% of them stop there and they fail. And 100 episodes is just such a cool achievement because not only have we reached 100 episodes and got like one download per episode, we're averaging now anywhere from about 300 to 450 per episode, which is really cool. And we've reached over 25,000 downloads since we started across 1,247 cities globally. So when we look at the demographics of who we're reaching, most of you are in Australia. I'm Australian. We've got 68% of listeners in Australia. We've also been branching out into the US. So we've got 13% of our listeners there. There's 4% in the UK, and then 3% in New Zealand. Now, the most listened cities are Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, and then Brisbane. So we're starting to grow. And it's really interesting because ever since we took the podcast from being just audio only to now being on YouTube, it's very clear to see that YouTube is trying to push us out to a US audience. Whereas everyone who's listening on Spotify and Apple Podcast, they are people that probably already know me, they've seen it on social media. It might have come up in a suggested for you. So now that the podcast has been brought in-house, I have my own team. We are working so hard behind the scenes to make this the best production possible. And I can start seeing the results already. Like we're seeing so much growth. Our listeners pretty much doubled when we expanded to YouTube. The engagement's been going through the roof. We've had some epic guests come on, even flying all the way across from Sydney to come to Perth. And I know how much Sydney people don't necessarily love coming to Perth. So it's pretty special. And before we go into a recap of how we got here and all the things that have happened in the back end, I do need to take a moment to make a special thank you because none of this would happen without you. If you didn't listen to these episodes, if you didn't share them, if you didn't send me messages, I honestly would not even know: is this working? Is it not? Should I keep going? And so the reason why I keep doing all of this is because of you. So thank you for being a part of my journey. Thank you for being a part of my community. And thank you for helping me lead change in a way that I never thought was even possible. Thank you to the guests who have shared so openly and vulnerably. I know it's really scary getting in front of a camera and opening up about your life and your business, but the connections and the feedback that not only I've had from guests coming onto the podcast, but also guests in their DMs from people who have listened, it sparked these beautiful conversations and friendships. And, you know, as much as it's just me sitting in this studio talking sometimes, there has been so much that's happened outside of the podcast studio that would have probably never came to life if I didn't keep going and we didn't reach this milestone. So that's really cool to see. I am so grateful for all my clients, especially ones who have come through the podcast as well, who have listened, they've binge watched and they're like, yep, I want to become a client. Like, thank you. Thank you to my friends, the people that have become clients, that have also become friends, that have come into this podcast studio and helped out, who have come to the community events, the retreat. And also thank you for the opportunities that have come from doing this. I've been able to go speak at different events. I've been able to go on different podcasts. I've gone and stayed with people in Sydney. I've been able to travel to Melbourne. Like this podcast and what we've been building has allowed me to expand my horizons just beyond, well, at the time, my little studio apartment podcasting there, and then staying stuck in Perth. So it's been really cool. And also, I have to make a special mention to Nick. He has been my number one supporter always. He gives up his weekends to come record with me. He's helped build the studio. He does so much research in the back end. He loves his checklists and all his YouTube videos, and he he does it well. And I also am so grateful because he looks for ways to help me level up. And he's not necessarily like a creative ideas guy, but when it comes to the podcast, I don't know, it's unlocked something different in him. So I'm very grateful for him. I also want to say thank you to my parents, Popon Gungong and my brother. Being in family business with you guys is the coolest thing that I've ever had in my life because it's helped build me into the person I am. It's shaped a lot of my values, and it's also made me realize that when you work together, you can achieve so much more. I think I had a lot of ego in those early days that I had to build myself up outside of family business and do it all on my own and become a self-made millionaire and all of that. But I actually don't want to shut my beautiful family out and bring you on this journey. And I guess spending all my years doing things for you guys and then having you come back here and be able to support me in something that I really love doing has been so special for me. So thank you for that. And I also have two last special mentions. One is to Andre. Ever since I hired you, you have not left my side. And the fact that you've flown all the way from Philippines to Perth and then come down to Albany and lived with me for a few weeks, and then come to Vietnam like you've always been a part of the journey from Sammy Kennedy to beauty industry leaders and then on to the next chapter. Like you have been such an important person in my business and my life, and I'm so grateful for you. And Jade, thank you for being my business bestie. I swear, if I couldn't call you up every day and just have a quick check-in, I probably would feel really lonely in business. But we have been through thick and thin, and we're always going through the same things at the same time. And I've never actually felt alone because I've had you by my side. So thank you to everyone. I know I can't make special mention to every single person that has been a part of this, but if you've listened, if you've shared the show, if you've messaged me, if you've become a part of the community, you've come to an event, thank you. So, what's happened over these last hundred episodes? Well, we've interviewed 33 guests. I've actually had two guests on twice: Isabella, Lon Reagan and Brooke Volinovich, they've come on twice. But the five episodes that really hit close to home for me personally, I've gotta say, Isla, that episode, I cringed because I watched my episodes back right. And I I was listening to the way I was interviewing, and it wasn't my best episode that I'd interviewed in. So that aside, her story was just so raw and real and relatable. I know that every single person has their own journey, but just to hear that no matter how hard she was trying, things just kept falling apart at every stage, and she just kept picking herself up and kept going, and she'd find a solution. And I think sometimes this sounds kind of grim, but sometimes we feel like we're our whole world's falling apart and everything could be bad. But sometimes it's nice to hear other people's stories because it puts things into perspective and makes you go, wow, if she can get through that, then I can get through anything. And Ayla also she had the best golden nuggets. I've got to say, like these little sayings, these little clippable moments where she was sharing quotes or reminders or lessons, that is something that was really great to hear because I think when you're talking all the time, sometimes you've got a story, but if you've got one little lesson that you can start sharing with other people and you can use that as a mantra to keep reminding yourself through life, it makes it a lot easier to get through those hard times. So Isla's my favorite. Another one that really stood out to me was Celine, and that's because she was a guest at the very start, and so much has happened between that episode and where she is now. But I think when you look at someone who has the biggest space in WA and you see on Instagram everything looks perfect, and you just think, wow, how did they get there? And actually, firsthand hearing about the challenges and the budget blowouts and people lying to you and things not working out, and just wanting to crawl into a hole and keep going. I think that, much like Isla's, is just so raw and real, and we don't hear enough of that in the industry. And I think that's what makes the journey so lonely because we're all trying to do these big things, we're all just trying to be accepted, we're all just trying to make money and build a life that we want and just have good people around us. But unfortunately, it's not always that easy. And so hearing from someone who has done a lot, how it does take time, it does take sacrifice, and it's all not always sunshine and rainbows is really refreshing because I don't think I've ever met anyone who's just had like this really perfect trajectory to success. Like it does take time, and it was a good reminder of what can really happen behind the scenes because especially those people in the early stage of businesses that look up to these really established ones, sometimes they forget that there was also a whole journey they had to go on to get to that stage. So Celine would be my next one. Now, another one that, of course, I'm gonna say is a favorite would be Maria. Maria was a really great guest because her story also aligns to a lot of my values around family. And when you look at someone who has pretty much reinvented themselves multiple times, they've built this massive company, they believe in the vision. You know, budget is not a problem. It's the mindset that's a problem if it's not going to meet the budget. Like all these funny little things, I just went, wow. For someone who has made it, I think there's a level that Maria was able to show of how humble you can still remain while you're actually at your peak. Who knows? She might even peak even more. We just don't know. But I really found it interesting to hear about her journey with her mom passing away and her dad. And, you know, when you're in family business and you have that deep relationship and you do everything together and you love each other so much, it kind of opened my eyes up about how short life really is, and to not wait around for opportunities to go out and create them and do the things and tell people how you really feel and make the time for the people that matter because you don't know when those last moments are. So I'm really grateful for that episode because it came at a time where I actually remember I was in the bathroom just before she came in, and I was just, I was so defeated. I just I didn't know what I was gonna say, I didn't know how I was gonna show up in an interview where I had a lot of burnout and other things going on, and just talking to her, it just felt so natural. And it was also the first YouTube episode, which is pretty damn memorable, so can't beat that. Now, I really struggled between these two because I think they were both really valuable episodes. If I was trying to pick like a fourth and fifth or fifth and sixth, because there's there's kind of a tie. Brooke from She Sells, when she was going through all the mindset stuff and the sales and how we as women will revert back to where we feel safe because we've got these blocks in our subconscious mind, and that also ties in a lot with what Jess Martin said about like when Jess came onto the podcast, that whole episode, I was at a very low point in my life, and it felt like therapy. And do you know what's funny? As I'm saying all of this, none of the guests that I had, like it was all perfect. It was always there was some kind of struggle story, and then there was a light at the end of the tunnel. And I think that inspires me because business is not easy. My gosh, it is such a journey. Like, you've got to be okay with just getting punched every single day, and then one day you realize the punches don't stop hurting, but it's that you actually become stronger and you can handle more of them. That is kind of what I've taken away from a lot of these guests, and I think resilience has always been one of my strongest traits and also values, people who are resilient, people who push through, and that's really come through on the podcast. So, Brooke and Jess, they were, I'm pretty sure they were like a tie there for fourth because the amount of messages and people that also found so much value in those, like it was it was clear that they were great guests. And then lastly, I will say Rachel from Love Beauty because she was just so obsessed with skin. I think there's a lot of business owners who will go down all these different paths with they build up the team and the business, and then you know, they'll go into education and they'll go into products. And I'm not saying that she's not doing those things, but you can tell that she has this obsession with skin. And to find someone who is so damn obsessed and like constantly leveling up, like when we talk to her, sometimes, like, you know, come back to Earth and speak English because she's gone and found all the scientific terms, she's done the research, she understands all those processes at such a deep level because she's so committed to being the best at what she does. And I think that was a really great guest to show you. If you do obsess over the thing that you want to be known for, and you constantly look for ways to upskill and innovate, you will become the best. You will literally become the expert at what you do because there's no other way, there's no more information to learn because you've done it all. So those are my top five episodes. I mean six technically, but anyways, where did the podcast start? I actually was thinking about this the other day, and there was a part of the story that I didn't want to tell because it felt quite negative, but then at the same time, it was exactly the reason why I started. So when I had the initial idea for beauty industry leaders, I put it into this mastermind Facebook group that I was in. Actually, no, sorry, it was on school. And so I went in there and I said, I don't know what's going on in the beauty industry, but I feel like there aren't any really strong leaders, and then you always see the exact same people talking at all the same conferences, and there's never any fresh faces or fresh information. So I have this idea that you know, maybe I'll start a community, or it could become a podcast and a community, and then eventually go into like awards or retreat. And so I had this vision and I put that post out there, and then there was another lady who was also in the beauty industry, she did eyelash extensions, and she saw that post and commented on it. She said it's already been done and it didn't work, and you're just going to segregate the industry, not bring it closer together. And so there were like these little moments where I had this big vision, I knew what I wanted, but then someone like that was in my DMs, then trying to message me and instill this fear. And I remember she would like name drop people, and I've had this conversation with that. And how do you know you're gonna find the experts? And who are you to say, are you just gonna find people with a big following? Because there's other people out there. And I just started to realize that she was projecting, she was probably scared she wasn't gonna get picked, and she was trying to make me feel small so that she would feel better. The reason why I share this is because at that time, if I wasn't true to myself and I didn't believe that what I could do could genuinely make an impact, that probably probably would have stopped me. I probably would have just been like, oh my gosh, don't even bother, it's being done, you know. But then what I started to realize is if someone's trying to tell me not to do it, you know what it's like as an entrepreneur, someone tells you not to do it, you're like, stuff you, I'm gonna do it. It made me realize that it was something that she actually wanted to do, but she was too scared. And so I thought, you know what? This does hag the legs, I can do it with integrity. I need to build out this brand, not just for me, but for the industry. So I went away, I started doing all my research, I started putting the brand kit together, and the vision slowly started coming to life. Now, prior to that, I did actually meet with the podcast agency that I started working with. And my initial vision was to have a podcast where I interviewed all the millionaires that I met doing watches, but I was kind of shut down with that idea because how we meant to monetize it, and you can't really sell, I don't know, coaching programs or resources or anything off the back end of it. Like it's not gonna work. So I kind of pushed down my initial dream and then went, okay, how do I make beauty industry leaders work? And how do I create this podcast that adds value for the beauty industry? So I'll talk about business, I'll talk about mindset, I'll talk about numbers, I can get clients on, I can bring guests in, I can uplift. Aspiring leaders, and then I can also bring on established leaders in the space. And so this whole vision started coming to life, and I was really excited for it. Now, the thing is, at this time, that lady I was telling you about, she had also been copying a lot of what I was doing. And it started off with she bought one of my social media courses, and then the bio changed to Lash Business Coach. And then she sent her staff member in and she took my fully booked formula. And then I started seeing business coach and then my lead generation that I was teaching in there, I started seeing my lead generation framework showing up on different people who I knew weren't my clients, which was really interesting. And then as time went on, it started getting worse. She had taken word for word some of the posts that I'd put up at my old salon and just changed out the business name. And then she would directly target my clients that I was working with and be copying their social media. So it actually got really, really toxic to the point where I was being stalked, I was being copied, and I decided, you know what, I'm gonna, you know, put an end to this. So as I went to bring it up in conversation, what I started to realize is that she didn't want me doing this. And it it got to the point where I was about to start the podcast and I had maybe$1,500 in my bank account at the time. And all of a sudden, she wanted to try get a refund for the course that she'd paid, I think her staff member, unless her staff member just did it of her own accord, to do, which was, I believe,$1,200. And so she really wanted this money refunded because she'd done the course, and this was like six to eight months prior. The training was done live, it was finished, and she wanted a full refund. And so while I was trying to have this big vision for beauty industry leaders, she was putting up posts about me. She was trying to say when someone thinks they're the queen bean of the industry, and I just went, okay, well, she's desperate for money. At this stage, I don't have much money because I was paying for branding shoots and I was paying for podcast equipment. And I remember calling up my dad and thinking, what do I do? This chick is crazy. There is no way that she's gonna stop. Do I just pay out the refund and move on with my life? Or do I just let her keep bullying me and trying to tarnish my whole reputation and name? And as much as I was frustrated and I didn't want to pay out that refund, what I realize is that at the end of the day, this is gonna eat up too much of my time and energy and it's gonna be wasted. And as much as I resent paying her out this refund, I just need to move on with my life. And I had emails of what I'd said to her. I was above board and professional. But if anything were to ever come out, you can clearly see what's been done and what's been said. Not that I would ever put it on social media, but that whole situation ended up meaning I had to pay out$1,200. And I think I had about$500 left in my savings. So, not a great way to start a podcast because when I got the contract back from my podcast agency, it was about$25,000 for 12 months. It was a bit over that, so I had to pay a$3,000 deposit, and I said, I can't afford the deposit. This is my situation, and I just briefly explained. So I put a$500 deposit down, and then I signed this contract, having no idea how I was going to be able to fulfill these. I think they were$1,800 a month or around that payments. So if that isn't having belief in yourself, I honestly don't know what is. So then that's how the podcast started. So I'd let go of that, moved on, blocked her, realized this is the idea, this is the vision, signed this$25,000 contract and had no money in my bank account and thought, all right, we've got to find a way to make this work. And so the first month of the podcast coming out, I was actually quite surprised we had over 600 downloads. And when you look at podcast stats and things like that, you'd be lucky most episodes don't get over 30 downloads. So it started to really become apparent to me that this could be something if I just stick at it. But I guess when you are paying for a podcast studio higher, then you're also paying for the monthly production fees. I did the maths, and each episode, if I was recording at a studio plus the production, was around$680 for a podcast episode to get released. Now, if you look at that and you think that, hey, that's audio only, it's not actually a great way for you to start marketing because you're only on the podcast channel. You know, at that stage, I had to use either my iPhone or I guess the camera on my laptop to then try get reels made up. Like it was just so amateur, but you got to do what you gotta do to get started. So I don't regret it. I just I wish looking back now that I actually just started my podcast with an editor, like a VA, because the cost and where I spent my money, it just didn't bring the ROI that I needed to. And because I'm also smart, like I'm not dumb, I don't sit there and not try things, like I'll use AI if I can't figure out, I'll Google things, I'll watch YouTube videos, like I'm very solution focused. So I guess if what I'm trying to say is I wish that I believed in myself more in those early days because I would just outsource things to who I thought were experts. But then when I look at the experts in the podcasting world, like I really would have needed like five to ten grand a month to be at that expert late. So I kind of went in with like an amateur podcast agency and I was like, all right, let's make this work. But then at the same time, it was absolutely draining my bank account, and I didn't tell anyone about it because I really wanted the podcast to work. So those early days were really hard because I had literally no money, and so each month, money for podcast studio hire come out, money for podcast production came out. You know, my mic that I bought was out of stock everywhere, and then I finally found it, and it took six weeks to come. And then three weeks after having it, I broke it. I accidentally was like moving my whole desk around in my studio apartment, and then it fell off the side, and I went to go use it and kaput, like absolutely destroyed. So there were things like that that ended up costing me more money, and I was taking advice about what equipment to get, and Nick would be doing research on YouTube, and he would be reading all these different forums and Reddit and all the things, and he would make a suggestion, but then I'd be like, No, my podcast agency said this, and then I'd buy it, and then it wouldn't work, or it wasn't the right thing. So then we were doubling up on things we were buying, and it just it was a bit of a situation. So when I would set up my podcast studio at home, I would have my bed here, my desk here, the balcony here, and then the kitchen. And so my whole desk would have to get flipped around, so then the background was the curtains shut on the exit to the balcony, and that's how I recorded all my episodes, and then eventually it ended up being the desk just did a 180, so then I had the white background, and then on top of that, I would have to put up all these blankets on top of the wardrobe because with the mirrors and the glass, if you don't cover them, then the echoing and the acoustics on the microphone sounds terrible. So every single time I went to go do a podcast episode, it felt like a half an hour painful setup time. And then if you're not in the zone and you're recording these podcast episodes and you do like 140 retakes, you just you just can't be bothered anymore. And so there were some days where I would spend five hours recording podcast episodes and I wouldn't make it past the first two sentences, mostly because I was a perfectionist. And those were some of the most painful days because I wasn't necessarily always organized enough to have like six weeks of episodes pre-recorded. So the pressure was on that I would need to record a podcast episode on the Sunday before it's due on the Monday, so that it could get edited for that week and then go out the following Monday. Now, I also take full responsibility and will say I was not the best podcast client to work with in those early days, and actually, probably up until the first 18 months, because I always had so much going on. Like when the bowling alley was getting built, we were almost going bankrupt, like working in there every day, trying to get a website set up, coaching clients, and then I've got to do this podcast. I specifically remember one day I had no energy and I knew I needed to record one. And my hair was so oily and disgusting. And I went into the shower, I washed all my hair, I came out, and I went to go pick up the hairdryer, and I just went, I don't have the energy for this. And I had to record an episode to get into bowling to set everything up, and so I just recorded it as is like my hair was all wet, it was pretty piss-week performance, and I didn't look my best, but that was how committed I was because I just went, you know what, I can't go a week without a podcast episode coming up. There were some other really funny times, like one time I was recording a podcast episode in the bowling alley because I had these geese at my parents' house in Albany, and they just would not stop honking. Like I would sit down, I'd be all ready, did my hair and makeup, got dressed, lighting's good, let's record an episode, and then they were just like honk, honk, honk, honk, and they were so annoying. So I had to leave. And then I wanted to record an episode at bowling, but it echoes so much, and someone decided that they were gonna start using the angle grinder and grinding things, and I just absolutely lost my shit. I just said, just please give me like one hour, no one's allowed to walk in or out, you have to be quiet, and I feel like that was probably not my best work, but you know, we got the podcast episode done. There's been other times where poor Nick has had to give up his Sunday with the boys where they go watch UFC or whatever, never cricket, hates cricket, thank goodness. But seeing that happen, where he's had to kind of give up those times and come help out, I'm like, oh, thank you. I know it's not easy. Now, those are some of the negative things, which look, they are gonna happen. But on the positive side, the friendships that I've made outside of this podcast studio have been absolutely incredible. And I don't think I would have the quality of the relationships that I do today without this podcast. And it's funny because before I did feel really lonely and I felt like I was really misunderstood that other business owners kind of had all these networking events and there were these like little clicky groups, especially in Perth. But through the podcast, I've met people on a one-on-one basis. We've really connected, we go out for coffee, for dinner, you know. Sometimes we've gone off to Sydney, other times they come onto the retreat, and it's just made me realize that there are actually really incredible people in this industry and in this community. I just, I really got into a negative mindset. I thought the beauty industry was really toxic. I thought that everyone had to be like these Botox Barbies and, you know, look at my awesome life on Instagram. And like I just I thought that that was what it always was. But I realized through the people and the conversations that came through this podcast that that is not the case. And I think part of that is also putting out what I believe in and what I value, and then other people are drawn to that. And without putting that out, then other people don't feel safe to come. I don't feel like enough of us come together and go, hey, we don't have to do this. Like, you know, I don't want to do a TikTok dance. I don't want to have to do all these weird, entertaining reels that don't even align with my brand just because, you know, someone on social media says, use the training audio and do that. Like I think that my rebellious nature has kind of attracted people who are also like that. So I am grateful for the connections that have been developed throughout this podcast. Another really cool thing that has happened is just seeing people who probably would have never shared their story come out of their shell and confidently own their journey, confidently own their expertise, and you know, giving a spotlight to people who may not always get recognized on social media, they might not have the biggest following, but their story is so important for other people to hear, and it's it's genuinely impactful. Like when I look at how the podcast has progressed and evolved, I think in the early days I was really heavy on strategy and wanting to make sure that like there's always value to be taken away, and there's all these steps and strategy and system and whatever it may be, a framework, so that you felt like you're getting value. But then as I've evolved and I've gone through these different things and I'm looking at the stats and what gets the most downloads and shares, I've realized sometimes we don't always need to have another strategy. Like getting told what to do all the time is quite overwhelming. And some of the people that have been long-term listeners on the podcast, like I've had these conversations where they just check out because they don't want to be constantly feeling like they have to go implement this strategy and go do this thing and set up this AI. It just gets overwhelming. And so adding more of a conversational aspect into the podcast with a lot of storytelling and just relatable things, I know it's not always kind of the direct, tangible value where you're going to go take this thing and do it, and then you're going to get this result, but it's more just creating that community where we're talking about topics that aren't really spoken about. For example, we've got this lady coming up, uh, she's really struggled with burnout and some of the deep challenges that come within that and the hard decisions that you have to make. And I think we all talk or we're aware of burnout to like close people, but on a deep level, how much that can impact some of the people in this industry, especially. It will be a hugely relatable and eye-opening podcast. And then also looking at like some of the fertility issues or people having staff all leave on them, social media, like there's just all these different angles that I think when we go through it at the time, it feels so lonely. But now the podcast has created this community and it's also created a platform for people who may not already be in the spotlight, but their story deserves to be heard. Now, when I think back to what truly inspired me to start a podcast, I actually remember it as if it was yesterday. I got asked by two comedians in Perth. So it was John, and I honestly cannot remember the other guy's name. Oh my gosh. But the podcast was called Kings and Vagabonds. Yeah, really weird. But basically, this guy I went to the gym with, his cousin was a videographer, and he his name is Aaron. Aaron asked me if I would be interested in sharing my story because I've done all these different family businesses and started my own businesses, and I was, I felt a little bit like important for a moment, and I was like, what? And I actually remember getting into the podcast studio, it was the Hen House Studios, and sitting down, put the headphones on, had the mic there, and I was sharing about all the businesses we'd had. I shared about getting hit by a car by a teacher the day before my school ball. And that was the one episode like that was the one clip of the episode that got a lot of shares and comments and people talking. And the initial feeling of being on someone's podcast was like pure anxiety. Like my heart was racing, and I was like, what if I step up my words or I don't say the right thing, and then I want to go back and I think of something later that I should have said. And the conversation just flowed. And as much as I was nervous, there was a part of me that went, This is what I'm meant to do. So I asked Aaron, I was like, How do you start a podcast? And what do you do? And then, you know, relative to different people and things that are said to you along your journey. I also have this moment that I remember at a business conference where there was this lady, her name was Lenita, and she was selling$80,000 coaching programs to schools, helping parents and kids communicate and connect in the hard teenage years. And she said to me, Sammy, you need to build a stage. If you build a stage, the people will come, and you will not realize how many opportunities will come until you've done it. And so that advice when I think about a stage, you know, think about a physical stage. Like if you've got an event, think about a podcast, it's a stage. Think about your social media, it's a stage. And I didn't really know what it meant at the time, but now that I have the podcast and I built the stage, I'm like, whoa, okay, this is what she was talking about. So those were two things that just really I think I've always had an interest in speaking, and I've always loved asking really controversial questions or diving deeper into people's stories. I've had this curious nature about me. And a lot of the time people go, You can't ask that. That's rude, that's that's personal, you know. But then at the same time, I think that's what's made me good at what I do because asking those questions and having these conversations with people, the things that we don't talk about, drugs, sex, and money, maybe, and they're the three most important things that will ruin a marriage or something like that. I don't know. But basically, all the things that we don't talk about are also key to building the life that we want, or having boundaries about the things that we don't want. And when I looked at money, I I came from debt, I came from struggle, I came from wishing that I had an easier life. But then I don't wish that that changed because having that desire for creating something so much bigger than what I've ever known is what ultimately drives me to have the ambition, to have the determination and the resilience that I do today. And so when I would see all these people who are watch clients and I would see millionaires, and I would see people on stage, I'm like, how did you get there? What did you do? And the more I start to realize is that every single person starts at the same place. It's just some people go harder, some people are smarter, some people are better connected, and it's up to you to do those things if you want to get there. Because we all start as a baby and then we start to grow. And like obviously, there's gonna be some advantages, there's gonna be other disadvantages, but ultimately as an adult, the best thing is if you take personal responsibility for your life and you go out and do things that you want to do, and you connect with people and you make those moves, and you don't just sit back and let life pass you by, then the opportunities are limitless. One of the coolest things about podcasting is that you get to create a deeper relationship with your audience. Now, I used to be one of those coaches in the early days before every single person was a coach. And it was easy to stand out. If you had a valuable tip, if you had a great hack, or you had a strategy, you could share that and people would start to see you as a leader. But as AIs come into play and we've got everyone jumping on the coaching bandwagon, it was really hard for me to stand out, other than having premium branding, investing in good branding photo shoots, trying to level up my storytelling so that everything was coming from my own personal experience. And that's when I realized that like podcasts. And having that long form content was a way to stand out from my competition and really connect with my audience on a deeper level. Now, this is where I believe the future of content is going. I don't know about you, but when I go onto Instagram, like there's so many different videos of people to tell you to do this and try this and that won't work if you want to build this, and it just feels like no matter what you're doing, it's never enough. And sometimes that's really overwhelming, and you just don't want to listen to that content. So I found even my behaviors have been switching to five to ten founders, business owners, entrepreneurs, experts that I really love consuming their content and watching 20-minute videos to up to three hours for some of them. And I found it a lot easier to just focus on that one person. I built a deeper relationship. I trust them, and it's not overwhelming. And I can take that information on board and I can go and implement it. There's not, you know, a hundred videos of all these cool tips that I should probably go into implement, save, and then you never see again. So what I'm trying to say to you is with content, I do believe that there's a whole funnel now where it's like you post short form content, you get new eyeballs, you build that audience up, and then you convert some of them to your long-form content where they start to consume all your knowledge, they see that you're an expert at what you do, they listen in on these conversations you have with other experts, and you are seen as the authority. And then from that long-form content, the people who truly know, like and trust you and they want to work with you, they're raving fans, they will actually become part of either your community, they'll come into your programs, they'll buy your product, they'll buy your service, they'll be a sponsor, they'll advocate for you. Like this is where those deeper relationships are going to be formed. And on social media, everyone looks like they've got everything perfect, but then now you're competing with Chat GPT. And so there's all this perfect content, there's AI, there's great captions that all have the M-dashes in them, and then you've gone, that's not actually how you talk. And so the people who are taking all the shortcuts and not using them strategically, they're going to struggle to stand out from the people who are actually leveraging their own IP. They're still having that level of personalization or personality coming through in the content. And they're still trying to do things that are truly innovative for their brand. When you copy everyone else and you do the exact same thing, like you're going to get the same result. And so the more you invest, the more you trial and test, didn't even mean for that to rhyme, the better results that you're going to possibly be able to get because you've got to trial and test, you've got to do different things. And this podcast has been the best thing that I've ever done. Like, I swear by it. And to give you an idea of how much I believe in this podcast, that contract that I signed in the early days was$25,000. Now, the next six months, when I was given another contract, they wanted, I think it was about$4,000 a month, which would have mean each episode would be$1,000. And I just couldn't afford it. I was like, no, there's no way. And then they ended up renegotiating and we got it down to, I think it was about$12,493 for the next six months. So I was paying a little bit more. And at that time, I kept the podcast going. I kept improving it where I could. I ended up doing a lot of the episodes on Riverside because I just couldn't sustain paying for the podcast production, plus also having the podcast studio hire. Like it just wasn't sustainable for me. There were a lot of, you know, what's funny? There's a lot of um stories about entrepreneurs having like two-minute noodles and trying to get through their times in business. And I always joke because poor Paul used to do meal prep for me. And then in the container, there'd be three containers, I would like split them into thirds, and I would have like one third of a container for a week. Like I seriously had an eating disorder just because I was trying to pay for everything. So that's how much I believed in it. And if you don't think that's that's actually probably not a um, it's probably not the healthiest advice to follow, but that's how committed to the cause I was. Fortunately, now I do have my meal plan and my meal prep every week, and it's more than a third of a container, but you gotta do what you gotta do in the times where you truly believe in something. Now, as prices kept going up for the podcast, I realized that I wanted to bring it in-house, but the agency that I was working with, they obviously still wanted my business, and I managed to negotiate that we could handle some of the graphics because they weren't really up to the standard I wanted them to be. So I was then paying about 2,180 a month, and I was under the impression that I was on a month-to-month contract. And as time went on, I'd realized through the retreat that there was no way I could do hiring. I was so overwhelmed with doing so many different things. And then I got back from hosting the business retreat, and I remember I sent an email to say that I won't need your services after this date because I'd been looking for a video editor. Unfortunately, I'd come across a couple that I was really liking. I had to look at portfolios, I had to look at their profiles, I'd seen reviews, and I just had this really, really good feeling about this one guy. And I found his website and then I sent an email through on a Saturday. And I remember getting the email back from him. And ever since that moment, we had the interview, he'd come on board, like his editing, his attention to detail, his experience, his care factor, it went above and beyond. And so if you're listening to this, thank you, Sean, because you've literally changed my life. Sean and his wife have come into my team and they've just been so incredible for the podcast. And I think the hardest part of like making that transition is that when you have a podcast agency, you think, okay, well, if I'm on a month-to-month contract, I'll finish up my contract and give a month's notice so that I can finish up the contract. But no, it was meant to be two more pay cycles from the next pay cycle that I owed. And I was just like, Are you serious? So you want another$6,000 for no content. And I really, at the time, I I was absolutely fuming because doing this podcast studio cost, I thought it was gonna cost two to three grand. It cost$30. And I was constantly having to buy new things and things were going wrong, and I just it just felt like they were taking free money. And then when I actually questioned about what is this money going towards, it was like, oh yep, it's just going towards the production costs for this month. And I'm going, well, I've always paid a month in advance. This just isn't adding up. And once again, like the first situation that I shared at the start of this episode, I feel like I've been a bit of a pushover and I should have been a lot stronger in standing my ground. But I just paid out a month and then we ended on good terms. And I think looking back now, I'm grateful that the podcast agency got me to where I am. But then I think I really did hold myself back a lot by not hiring a team in-house because now that I have the productions improved, our reach has improved so much, our engagement, you know, like everything has just absolutely skyrocketed. And I just wish that I made that decision earlier because I was in such a position where I thought, I don't have the time, I don't have the energy, this is easier, it's more comfortable. But I guess you don't really know what you don't know until, you know, you start to experience more things and you have that knowledge and you have that foresight. But at the end of the day, like everyone is just trying to make things work. And I think when you're producing these episodes and you're having some conversations on social media and showing behind the scenes, like people don't really understand how much goes into it. And like someone asked me the other day, like, how long do you spend to produce an episode? I'm like, well, depends. Like, if it's a solo episode or a guest episode, usually you're looking at like one to two hours of researching, and that means going and looking on websites, going and looking on LinkedIn, looking on Reddit, going and researching statistics. I have actually one time gone into a rabbit hole for five hours looking at journal articles, trying to find statistics and look at different studies. Takes me back to my uni days. There's also other times where I might be scripting, and sometimes, like definitely in the early days when I was burnt out, I was using ChatGPT to ask a lot of questions and like, okay, how do I do this? And what am I thinking? And then I realised that everyone else is using Chat GPT and they all sound the same. And the gift that I have is being able to ask people questions and to come up with topics and ideas myself. And so there was parts of that that I outsourced to AI, but then I had to bring back to me doing it. And so, what might have taken 10 minutes because I was lazy and I didn't have the time and I was just trying to make things work. Now, if I'm intentionally planning, sometimes it can take one to two days, and that's me sitting at the coffee shop for about like four to six hours, then leaving it and then coming back to it again. So that takes time. You then obviously got setting up the podcast studio or my studio apartment back in the day, and that will take anywhere from half an hour to about 45 minutes, depending on how complex the setup is. I've got a lot better at it now. So if the studio is already semi-set up and we're just putting cameras in, doing checks, we can get it down to 15 minutes. But if I'm going from doing like a solo episode to like two guests or one guest, then we have to redo the room. And that does take time to nail. And when it comes to the actual recording of the episode, a lot of people think, oh, you speak so well and it's so easy. And I just go, no, you have no idea. Like, if you could see the amount of retakes I've done since I've started at episode one to now, you would see that they're easily over like 2,000. Like there was a period in time where I had maybe, I think six episodes would have easily had over 150 retakes. Now, I if I have more than 20 retakes, I just stop and I just go out, have some water, go to the toilet, sit, don't go on your phone, don't doom scroll. That just that completely will make it worse. But just bringing yourself back in, grounding, breathing, being in the moment, you know. This whole episode, I wrote out a script, I pulled out the teleprompter, and I thought, you know what? I'm gonna make sure that I get this right and I hit all my points. I went to do six retakes, and then I got to this point I went, I I can't even use the damn teleprompter, that's how bad I am, because I like to add value or go on this tangent. So here we are, completely unscripted. And I know that when I watch this back, I'll be thinking, oh, that didn't really tie in with this topic and it didn't flow. And I hope that they could keep up with the story. But I also think that that's probably part of the reason why a lot of people listen to me because funnily enough, a lot of my clients that come through the podcast all have ADHD and they all have a million ideas, and when we have these conversations and bounce from one topic to another, they just get it. So if you're not like that, I'm sorry. Maybe this podcast isn't for you. Now, that's getting a podcast episode recorded. Like, what does it cost to build a podcast studio? That is a question that I've had from a fair few people. Like I've said, absolute budget blowout. Didn't really know what I was in for. So one of these mics, they're just under$900. I've got three of them. And then for a mic, you need a cable. Cables aren't too much. I think they're about$30. And then these mic stands, they're about$150 each. Don't love these, need to get them replaced. Once again, if I want to get them replaced, then I've got to look at another$350 per mic stand that we're looking at. So$700,$1,050, you know, more money. Um, these fake plants, there's two of them. I think they were actually like$350. These slats, they are a hard one. I can't actually remember the price of it. I think it was like$1,200. But then once again, like I said in previous episodes, they sent too many. These chairs, they were$350 or$400 each. Then you've got to add$200 for shipping. And then I bought this really nice side table, but it's way too big. But it's okay because we put the roadcaster and everything on that. The roadcaster, that was$1,050. I actually have two of those. So one's at home and one's here. There's this green light behind me. That was$190 or$200 something dollars. This was from IKEA. I can't remember how much this was. Each camera, the cameras for the FX30s, I've tried to get on sale or price match deals, but I can't remember what prices I paid. But they're about three and a half grand each without a lens. And so then you gotta buy a lens as well, which is another like$500 to$2,000 or$3,000, depending on what lens you get. Bought a teleprompter, that was about$450. We have the lights, so the lights alone were about$400 per light. I have three. Then you've got to put a soft box on it, which they're about$180 each. And then I've got three, but then one of them's different. The light stands, they were about$200 each. So got two of them. Tripods, got three tripods. Um, Nick's camera. We were using that at the start. All up, body and lens over five and a half grand. That I'm just trying to think. There's so many more other things that I'm not even considering right now. But just off the top of my head, that's why it also took five months. Because A, we were dealing with delays with the slats and then also delays with the lighting, because that company went bust and then a whole bunch of things happened, had to get a refund, and then yeah. So that all happened. And then I also bought these Sony ZV E10 cameras, which I didn't realize they can't handle more than half an hour of recording. So I bought them, I spent probably about two and a half grand, and then they would just shut off. And funnily enough, I literally just had one shut off because I haven't been able to afford the third FX30 camera yet. So as I'm recording this, the camera shut off. I've had to go outside, go get the second one, change over the lens, get it back set up. And so there's all these like little things in the background that when you think a podcast episode runs smoothly, I can assure you 90% of the time it doesn't. But having a great editing team, having a great support team behind the scenes, that's what brings it all together and makes it look like it's the real deal. Now, when I think about what I've actually learned and who I've become throughout this entire process, I think when I first started the podcast, I didn't trust myself or believe that I had any value to offer. And so I really tried to get as many guests on as I could, and then I started doing more solo episodes. I had Ellie on as a co-host for a bit as well. Like there was just a lot of times where I didn't know if anyone was listening or liking it, or if it was even going to be worth it, especially with all the money that was going into it. But then what I started to realize is that sometimes people don't know what they want. And so your creativity and your ideas and your passions, that's what's going to help people stay. And as time went on, I realized it doesn't matter what you do, as long as the as long as you're consistent, then you will start to figure it out. You will start to see what works and you will find your people. Sometimes it feels like one day you're on top of the world and you're absolutely killing it, and then the next day you're sitting there riddled with imposter syndrome, doing all these retakes and just wondering why you can't speak properly. Sometimes that happens to be mid-episode, and honestly, it is the worst because when you're with someone, you can ask them, What was I saying when your mind goes blank? But when you're on your own, different story. Becoming a podcaster has taught me to be more prepared as a person. Go and do your research, go and have the conversations beforehand. Make sure you always do an interview, don't just bring a guest on off a whim. You need to make sure that you have an idea of what topics you want to cover, what value you're going to extract from them. Otherwise, it just becomes a bit of a gas bagging conversation and it doesn't really serve the audience. I also know that my whole personality has been very type B, and I'm like, go with the flow and you know, see how it goes. And it doesn't matter, like, we'll figure it out. But the more that you do prepare and you are intentional, the better quality of the output that you will have, and therefore the better results you will get. Because sometimes there are some episodes where it's just great to come on, have a conversation if you feel so sure about what you want to talk about and what you want them to take away. But if you just sit down and start trying to record off a whim, it does not work. And that's another thing that I've learned. Like the more prepared you are to the point where it's like you already know what you want to do, where you want to go, and how you're gonna do it. You don't need the cards, you don't need the teleprompter, you just know what you're gonna show up and say. That level of preparation that makes it look like you haven't had to prepare at all, that is the sweet spot. And that's why, with my guests, like I obsess over them. I look at their website, I look at their social media posts, I have a conversation with them. Like the intention behind it is so insane. Is that's why I think the episodes actually do well. Now, if you're ever looking at doing a podcast, let me tell you, the first 12 months are going to be the hardest because you don't necessarily see like this nice upward curve. Like some months have four weeks and others have five. So you feel like, oh yeah, I'm getting more downloads and then brrrrr it goes back down because you're only getting four, and then oh, this week, this month has five weeks in it and then it goes back down. And it's a very big journey. You can't let the stats mean something about you, but you can take it as very valuable information to know what topics you need to focus on, which episodes really resonate with your guests, and then you use that as inspiration for the future content that you want to create. Another really important thing is that audience always comes first. Audience always comes first. Like, think about the value, think about a story that they're gonna resonate with, thinking about where they're at in their journey right now, what do they need to hear from you today? That is how you create incredible content. And I'm not just talking about podcasting here, like think about your social media. Don't think about what's gonna impress everyone else and sound really cool. Think about your dream client. Where are they at in their life right now? What's going through their mind? How are they feeling? What are they struggling with? What are the problems that they wish they could have solved? What would be just nice to hear from someone who gets it? Because that is the key of why this podcast succeeds, is because I just understand who my audience is, what they want, and where they're heading. Now, if you are someone who tries to outsource everything because you just hate marketing or social media, I'm a huge advocate for podcasting. I used to burn out so much trying to do all the short form content, scripting, filming, editing, and now to just do one piece of long form content that then gets repurposed into carousels and reels. It's actually changed my life. And I know before I was talking about how long it takes to actually produce an episode because there is a lot of thought and intention that goes into it, but I love it. Like I threw. I love getting into that research mode. I love thinking about how I can make this episode tie in with like a previous one and how can we build off it and what do people want to know? And can we create resources? And I know podcasting isn't for everyone, but let me tell you, if you were someone who feels a little bit cringe trying to keep up with all the trends on social media, podcasting might be a really good avenue for you because you can create quality, engaging, long-form content and then repurpose that. Blogs, email marketing, carousels, reels, stories, you could go and pitch that to someone else. Like you can leverage it as much as you want over and over again. And then, you know, three months, six months later, if you need some content, just go back to the transcript, grab out another piece, whip up a carousel, and there you go. And that is why I'm really excited for the Leaders Lounge. Because after spending so much time trying to do content through all these pretty Canva carousels and everything, like I have been incredibly, I don't want to say lazy because I still put time into it. But my carousels, I just make on Instagram stories. Like I grab a photo out of my camera and I use the Instagram text, save it, and then I post that as a carousel. Boom, done. I put time and energy into creating the podcast episodes, and they do really well because I am intentional with what I want to share. But to do all these short form videos, especially if you're trying to be a thought leader, an expert in your space, you want to be on more podcasts, you want to be speaking on stages, you want to build that authority, having some kind of long-form content in your strategy will be an absolute game changer for you. Because like I was saying before, people can connect with you on that deeper level. And when they feel that connection, they already know like and trust you. And so when they're ready to work with you, they don't have to sit there and try to get convinced by you. Like I remember how many times I used to have conversations with people who were interested in working with me, and they'll be like, oh, I'm not really sure. And oh, money, and oh, I think about this, and have you done this? Whereas if they listen to the podcast, they already know my story, they already know what value I have to offer, and they realize, well, if this is how much she gives away for her free stuff, imagine what her paid stuff is like. And this can be possible for you and your business model as well. Now, over these last 100 episodes, I have been battling this identity crisis of who I am and how I want to help people and where I want to go. And it's funny because earlier I was saying in the podcast that my initial dream was to sit down and interview all these millionaires and business owners that I had met through the watch world and business because they were really interesting. And I got told that wouldn't be viable, which I understand why that was told to me as well, and that I wouldn't be able to monetize it and that I should focus on beauty instead. And so I did. I built beauty industry leaders, I committed to it for a hundred episodes, and over time this massive internal shift started happening, and I could just feel it getting stronger and stronger. That feeling was like putting myself into this box where I no longer felt fully aligned with who I actually was. When I was studying at uni to become a doctor of Chinese medicine, when my degree got cancelled and I was running the beauty salon, like beauty was always like the safety net, but it was never the thing that I was truly passionate about. And the thing I'm truly passionate about has been business. I've come from family business, I've been in so many different types of businesses across different industries. You know, we've had the bowling alley, go-karts, drive-in cinema, rodeos, music festival. I've run a beauty pageant, I've had a beauty salon, I've done modeling, marketing, I've also done podcasting. Like there's just so many different avenues that I've gone down in my life. And I realize that what makes me good at what I do is the experience across multiple industries. It's being able to take the strategies, the systems, and the ideas from one business model and then adapt that to another industry and create something completely different that no one else is doing. That's my real skill set. And so eventually I had to ask myself this hard question: why would I keep building something that I'm no longer fully passionate about just to avoid disappointing people? And it's really hard to have that question answered. Like, why would I continue forcing myself into this box that I feel like I've already outgrown? Because the reality is the people who genuinely support you, the people who truly value your perspective and what you bring to the table, they're gonna follow you wherever you go. Not because of the niche, not necessarily because of beauty, but because they connect with you. And there's plenty of podcasts out there, there's so many different ways that people do things and provide value, and I think what people want is someone that they can actually trust, and I think so often we get caught up in being perceived in a certain way or making things such a big deal in our heads, like this has been going on back and forth in the back of my mind for so long. Like, what will the rebrand look like? What direction do I want to go? Do I want to stay in the beauty industry? And I've loved how the beauty industry has helped me get to where I am today. And it doesn't mean I'm cutting it off and it's like, see, I'm never talking to you again, but I've realized that as I've grown and evolved, I also can support and make an impact outside of the industry as well. Like I've been working with a bookkeeper, I've been working with a PT, I've been working with a hospitality venue, like there's all these different businesses that have started coming to me. And so many of them were scared to reach out because they would keep seeing this like beauty industry leaders, and they would listen to the podcast, and they're not even in the beauty industry, and they're like, you're just my person. So beauty industry leaders has been such a huge chapter of my life and something that I'm incredibly grateful for. But over time, I've realized the conversations I'm most passionate about really go far beyond the beauty industry, which is why I'll slowly be transitioning and rebranding the podcast to delusional. Because the more founders, entrepreneurs, and high performers that I speak to, the more I realize that there's a shared experience that almost all of us go through. At some point, people think you're crazy. They don't understand the vision. They can't see what you see yet. And they will question your decisions. They project their fear onto you and they tell you it's unrealistic, it's too risky, it's too ambitious or impossible. But the people who build the extraordinary things are often the ones willing to look a little delusional before the vision becomes reality. Now, I thought long and hard about this. Do I do, you know, the Sammy Kennedy show? Do I do this delusional? Is it a bit controversial? Is it negative? Is it gonna make people feel like I'm a little bit weird? But to me, delusional represents the journey of believing in something bigger than your current circumstances. It's about having a vision so strong that you keep moving forward even when nobody around you fully understands it yet. And honestly, I think so many people stay trapped because they become too attached to a certain identity or too worried about how they'll be perceived, myself included. I've spent so much time overthinking what this rebrand should look like and what direction I should take, whether people will understand it, whether I'm allowed to evolve beyond the niche I started in. Because I constantly kept getting told by coaches like you got a niche and you got a niche down, and it's just I felt trapped. But sometimes I think we make these decisions feel so much bigger in our heads than what they actually are in reality. And the reality is the content itself probably won't drastically change. I'm already making the motions, I'm already having the conversations with people outside. I've always been relating it back to beauty, but I also believe that service-based businesses, products like coaches online, like restaurants, bowling alleys, like all of these different businesses. We all have, yes, these different things that make them unique to that specific industry. But at the end of the day, business is still business. You've still got your strategy, you still need leadership, you still will have growth, systems, branding, psychology, entrepreneurship, like all of those things is what you will experience if you do start a business, no matter what industry you're in. And I'm having all these experiences through my own lens of like starting a new business with the podcast studio, building Wild West Bowling up, having coaching and consulting clients. Like I'm always learning and adapting and evolving. And the difference is that now I'll be opening up the door to conversations with founders, specialists, and entrepreneurs across multiple industries who can bring incredible value, perspectives, and experiences to you as the audience. And I think this evolution feels far more aligned with who I truly am, my story, where I want to go. And like I've said before, this won't be some overnight knee-jeck pivot. It'll be a gradual transition, a natural evolution. Because at the end of the day, the people who have been with me since the start, I feel like they've also grown with me, they've felt this coming, and it's not coming out of shock. Like if you're new to the podcast and this is the first episode you listen to, I'm so sorry because I've literally rambled about so many different things. But before I wrap up, I want to say a genuine thank you. If you have listened, if you have shared, if you've sent me a message, if you've supported the podcast, if you've recommended a guest, if you have believed in the vision, or simply had me playing in the background while driving to work or cleaning the house or doing clients or walking the dog or building your own business, I am honored that you have stayed on and listened to all of this and been a part of the journey. Because hitting 100 episodes honestly feels surreal. And when I first started this podcast, I had no idea where it would lead me. I didn't know if I was good at speaking. I didn't know if people would care about the conversations I would have. I just knew I had something inside me that I wanted to create more. And over these 100 episodes, this podcast has become much more than content. It's become a platform, it's become a community, a creative outlet, a place for honest conversations, and a place where people can feel seen, understood, and inspired to think bigger about what's possible for their life and business. This journey has challenged me financially, emotionally, mentally, and creatively more times than I can count. But at the same time, it's also brought some of the most meaningful opportunities, relationships, and moments into my life. And I'm genuinely believe that we're only just getting started. What's coming next feels deeper. It's definitely more aligned and more expansive, and you can expect more honest conversations around business. Not just the highlight reel, but the real stories behind building something like this. I mean, if you've listened to this whole episode, you can tell like it's not all sunshine and rainbows. It is hard work, but we do a damn good job at it. There are going to be some epic failures, the moments where business falls completely apart, and so do you, and you just got to rebuild yourself. There's lessons that only come through pressure, risk, and experience. And also hearing about how other people create success. I have my whole family will be coming onto the podcast, and we're going to do a series talking about each of the businesses that we've owned over the years. And, you know, for me, beauty industry leaders just didn't fit that category anymore. And I think you always hear about like the tech giants and the AI startups, and like, whoo, multi-millions, and I got all this seed funding, but guess what? We learnt business the hard way, and there are so many epic failures and just incredible lessons that we'll be sharing. So I don't want to give all of it away, but that is a taste of what's going to come. In terms of guests upcoming, we have a PR expert coming on to break down exactly how to build credibility, authority, and trust in the public eye, especially in a world where perception matters more than ever. And then I've also had a beautiful woman reach out to me who has gone through multiple miscarriages and had to make the incredibly difficult decision to downscale her business, let go of her team in order to prioritize her health, reduce her stress levels, and start a family. So there's some really powerful things that will come through the next few episodes. We've also got the Wasaba Awards, which is very exciting. I've got a couple of the founders, Elka and Rach, coming on. Unfortunately, Laura can't make it just because at the time of recording she's in Vietnam. So for my beauty people, there is still going to be a lot of value in here for you. Don't run away. But also, if you've got friends, if you've got people outside of the industry that you know would love this podcast and would find so much value in it, please make sure you share it with them because the more this podcast grows, the better the guests get, the better the opportunities get, and the more we can grow together. We can be a part of this. It's been such a ride, and I'm so grateful that you've been here. Thank you for growing with me. Thank you for allowing me to evolve and thank you for being part of the first hundred episodes. Here's to the next chapter as we slowly transition and move into the next phase for the next 100 episodes. Here's to being a little bit delusional. I'll catch you next week. Bye.