What happens when you decide to dismantle an 8-year-old global success story to build something leaner, smarter, and more equipped for 2026?

Recorded live at Google Headquarters in Sydney, this special episode of Process takes you inside Thoughtful Minds Connect. In celebration of their 10th anniversary, the elite data and performance minds at Thoughtful invited Arielle to host an intimate, unfiltered conversation with Raquel and Adam, the visionary founders behind cult fragrance house Who is Elijah.

This is not a retrospective look at success; it’s a conversation recorded in the eye of the storm.

While the moving trucks were quite literally at their warehouse, Adam and Raquel revealed the real-time reality of a massive business restructure, the $1.7M mistake that nearly cost them their brand prestige, and their new Top-Down strategy for global retail rollout. This is definitely a masterclass in founder transparency.

So whether you’re navigating a complex supply chain, pivoting your brand positioning, or looking to the best data minds in the country to optimise your performance, Raquel and Adam’s strip-it-back-to-grow approach offers a roadmap for any creative founder feeling the heaviness of a scaling business.

In this episode:

• The $1.7M Lesson: Raquel opens up about a massive retail deal that taught them the danger of a Bottom-Up strategy.

• The Great Restructure: Why they are shutting down their own manufacturing to focus 100% on brand and lightweight operations.

• Top-Down Authority: Why starting with Harrods and Selfridges is the only way to protect prestige in a crowded market.

• AI as an Emotional Agent: Adam’s fascinating off-mic theory on how product data must evolve to serve the emotional human through unemotional AI agents.

• The Thoughtful Edge: How shifting from Meta to Google (with a 40% higher AOV) transformed their performance marketing.

• The Future of Founders: Why the next generation of brands will thrive with teams of just two people and simplified supply chains.

Featured in this Episode:

• Shop Who is Elijah at whoiselijah.com.au

• Brought to you by Thoughtful: Elevate your brand performance at thethoughtfulagency.com or DM Arielle for a direct intro to the team.

  
  

Say Hello!

• Our Guests:

• • Adam Bouris on Instagram @adambouris

  • Raquel Bouris on Instagram @raaaquelbouris
    

• Our Episode Partner: The Thoughtful Agency on Instagram @thethoughtfulagency

• Your host: Arielle Thomas on Instagram @arielle.thomas

• Us: on Instagram @processthepodcast ⁠

New Episode Drops Every Tuesday.

Catch you on the next one!

How do you protect your brand when the unthinkable happens? In this episode of Process, host Arielle Thomas is joined by Sally Branson, a leading Crisis Management and Reputation Management Director. Together, they pull back the curtain on the high-stakes world of protecting a creative legacy.

Sally reveals why a crisis is process-driven rather than just a disaster to be feared. From the volatile nature of influencer marketing to the legalities of product safety, this conversation is an essential masterclass for any founder. They dive deep into the necessity of due diligence, the power of transparency against misinformation, and the heavy emotional impact a public crisis has on a founder's mental health.

Whether you're navigating stakeholder management, rebuilding your SEO reputation, or establishing consumer trust, Sally’s "control the controllables" approach offers a roadmap for maintaining brand integrity in an unpredictable digital age.

In This Episode:

• How to treat your reputation as a tangible asset rather than an abstract concept.

• Navigating the "new rules" of influencer marketing to avoid liability and hidden risks.

• The secret to building unshakable consumer trust through radical transparency and product safety.

• Why due diligence is your brand's best insurance policy against future scandals.

• Managing the emotional toll on founders when facing public scrutiny and high-pressure stakes.

• Mastering stakeholder management to keep partners and investors aligned during a storm.

• Tactical SEO strategies to reclaim your digital narrative and rebuild after a reputation hit.

• The future of brand integrity and how to stay resilient in an evolving creative landscape.

Say hello to us!

You can find us through the links below:

• Our Guest, Sally Branson, on Linkedin Here

• Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram Here

• Process the Podcast on Instagram Here

See you next Tuesday!

Michelle Battersby is one of Australia’s most influential female founders.

From launching and scaling Bumble Australia to co-founding Sunroom, and now leading Peanut, the global social network connecting women through fertility, pregnancy and motherhood, Michelle has built her career at the intersection of tech, community and female empowerment.

In this episode of Process, Michelle opens up about her transition into matrescence, the psychological shift into motherhood that mirrors adolescence, and what it really looks like to lead a high-growth global company while pregnant and postpartum.

We discuss:

• What matrescence actually means, and why no one talks about it

• Why pregnant women in leadership roles matter more than ever

• The realities of startup life behind the glossy headlines

• Building Bumble in Australia and what that taught her about brand and community

• Co-founding Sunroom and taking the leap into entrepreneurship

• Scaling Peanut as a global platform for women navigating fertility, pregnancy and motherhood

• The decision-making frameworks she uses as a CEO

• Risk tolerance, ambition and redefining success as a modern woman

Michelle shares candid insights into balancing motherhood with executive leadership, how identity evolves through different seasons of life, and why representation of ambitious, pregnant women in business is critical.

This conversation is for founders, aspiring entrepreneurs, women navigating career pivots, and anyone curious about the psychological and strategic layers of building community-driven tech companies.

If you're interested in female leadership, startup growth, motherhood and modern ambition, this episode is essential listening.

Find Michelle on Instagram here.

Find your host, Arielle on Instagram here.

Find Process the Podcast on Instagram here.

See you next Tuesday x

In episode four of Backbone, we delve into something every founder discusses, but few assess properly: risk.

Growth requires risk. But not all risks are created equal. Some move your business forward. Others quietly drain your time and confidence.

This week, we unpack how we think about risk in our own businesses, what we’re actively betting on, what we won’t compromise on, and how we decide what’s worth it.

So this week, we cover:

• The real risks we’re currently taking in business and why

• Our non-negotiables before saying yes to a big decision

• How to assess upside vs downside in a practical way

• How to “price” the cost of failure (financially and emotionally)

If you’ve been sitting on a decision and wondering whether to leap or not, this episode is for you.

If you have any questions about risk, feel free to slide into our DMs. We want to keep this conversation going! Find us on the ⁠⁠⁠So Invested Instagram⁠⁠⁠ & Process Instagram, and if you haven’t already, hit follow in your podcast app (it really helps our small businesses grow).

See you next week!

🎙️ Sophie Hood on Building Seoul Tonic: From Australia to New York, Amazon, Retail Strategy & Scaling a Wellness Brand

What does it really take to build a modern wellness brand and have the ambition to take it global?

In this episode of Process, Arielle Thomas sits down with Sophie Hood, founder of cult-favourite tonic brand Seoul Tonic, to unpack the creative and commercial decisions behind moving to New York, scaling through retail, navigating Amazon, and positioning a product for international success.

Sophie is one of Australia’s most exciting women-led founders to watch, and in this conversation, she shares the unfiltered reality of entrepreneurship: from winning Food Stars and landing major retail opportunities, to managing inventory pressure, pitching airlines like Qantas, and building a brand that resonates in the hyper-competitive U.S. market.

This episode is a masterclass in creativity meeting commerce. Perfect for founders, brand builders, marketers and anyone curious about what it actually takes to turn an idea into a global consumer brand.

✨ In this episode, Sophie and Arielle cover:

• Moving from Australia to New York and why global ambition changes everything

• The early creative vision behind Seoul Tonic and finding product-market fit

• What winning Food Stars taught Sophie about pressure and opportunity

• How to position a wellness product for premium retail

• Scaling from independent stores to national distribution

• Inventory, supply chains and the realities of cash flow

• Why community and in-store experience matter more than ever

• The brutal truth about launching in the U.S. market

• How Amazon really works. Seller Central, fulfilment and margin games

• Differences between U.S. and Australian e-commerce

• Pitching to major partners like Qantas

• Launching new product lines and beauty brands

• Why financial modelling is a non-negotiable skill for founders

• Her up-and-coming 2nd business, this time in the beauty space!

  
  

  Find Sophie on Instagram here.

  Find Seoul Tonic on Instagram here.

  Find Process the Podcast on Instagram here.

  Find your host Arielle Thomas on Instagram here.

  
  

  See you next Tuesday!

In episode three of Backbone, we get into the numbers that actually keep your business alive: cash.

Profit might look good on paper, but cash is what pays your bills, your team, and you. And yet, cash flow is one of the most misunderstood (and least confidently managed) parts of running a business.

So this week, we cover:

• Why profit ≠ cash, and how profitable businesses still run out of money

• Why cash flow is the most important metric to understand as a founder

• How to think about managing cash flow day-to-day (not just at tax time)

• Practical measures to safeguard your cash flow as your business grows

• A simple walk-through of the key line items in a cash flow statement — and what they actually tell you.

If you have any questions, about cash slide into our DMs.

We want to keep this conversation going!

Find Process the Podcast on Instagram here.

Find So Invested on Instagram here.

And if you haven’t already, hit Follow in your podcast app (it really helps our small businesses grow)!

See you next Thursday for our last episode of Backbone!

x

In this special petit episode of Process, Arielle Thomas shares what’s next for the podcast and why it’s evolving into something much bigger than conversations behind a microphone.

From building a recognisable visual identity to creating a physical creative space in Sydney, Arielle reflects on the realities of podcasting, the importance of consistency, and her long-term vision for cultivating a thriving creative community.

She opens up about the challenges and rewards of running a creative podcast, how collaboration has shaped the journey so far, and why hosting events and bringing listeners together in real life is the natural next step for Process.

This episode is an invitation into the future of Process: a place where ideas are exchanged, careers are sparked, and creativity is treated as a shared practice, not a solo pursuit.

✨ What You’ll Hear in This Episode🎧 About Process

• Why podcasting is both an art and a long game• The vision for Process as a leading creative podcast• Plans to build a physical creative hub in Sydney• How community and collaboration drive growth• The role of visual identity in building a recognisable brand• Creating spaces that feel welcoming and creatively charged• Why consistency matters more than perfection• How listener engagement shapes the future of the show• Hosting events and real-world creative gatherings• Where Process is heading next

🎧 About Process

Process explores the journeys behind creative careers — from fashion and media to design, publishing, film and entrepreneurship. Each episode unpacks how ideas are built, how brands evolve, and what it really takes to create meaningful work in today’s cultural landscape.

To learn more about the clubhouse, head to cinemathom.com/clubhouse

Find Process the Podcast on Instagram here.

Find Process the Podcast on Tik Tok here.

Find your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram here.

See you next Tuesday!

Welcome to episode two of Backbone! The four-part mini series where we discuss the financial side of building a business.

Today, we get into the structures that sit underneath your business and the tax impacts of each!

Whether you’re just starting out, running a side hustle, or transitioning into something more complex, the way your business is set up has real implications for tax, cash flow, and risk. And yet, this is one of the least openly discussed parts of being a founder.

So, this week, we have the candid tax conversation that no one seems to be having.

In this episode, we cover:

• The common business structures available to new and growing business owners

• How and when structures tend to change as your business becomes more complex

• The tax realities founders often avoid (and why that’s risky)

• Our perspective on when to bring in an accountant, bookkeeper, or advisor and what to look for.

This episode is brought to you by Notion - and by far one of our favourite tools, Notion Agent. Notion Agent is fundamentally different from typical AI tools. Instead of just suggesting or chatting, it completes tasks end-to-end, turning days of manual work into minutes.

It acts like a Notion super user that understands your workspace, your working style, and how you like things done - helping you stay organised, clear, and accountable as you build.

Let Notion Agent do the heavy lifting for you at ⁠Notion.⁠