WEBVTT - Samantha Wills Uncut 0:00:12.720 --> 0:00:15.360 Hi guys, and welcome back to Life Uncut. 0:00:15.480 --> 0:00:15.800 Today. 0:00:15.880 --> 0:00:17.800 We are super excited to have a guest on the 0:00:17.840 --> 0:00:20.360 show that has been an inspiration to both of us for. 0:00:20.320 --> 0:00:22.200 Many years and for different reasons. 0:00:22.760 --> 0:00:26.000 This woman has been profiled by Forbes, The Huffington Post, 0:00:26.040 --> 0:00:28.600 The New York Post, The Sydney Morning Herald, the Australian, 0:00:28.880 --> 0:00:32.040 and in twenty eleven was named Breakout Start. 0:00:31.800 --> 0:00:32.960 By The New York Times. 0:00:33.560 --> 0:00:36.479 Known originally for her creative skills in jewelry design, she 0:00:36.640 --> 0:00:41.640 grew her brand to astronomical heights. She had offices in London, Paris, 0:00:41.800 --> 0:00:45.520 New York, Sydney, LA and Tokyo. But on top of that, 0:00:45.560 --> 0:00:48.879 she's a brand ambassador, a well known keynote speaker, is 0:00:49.000 --> 0:00:51.800 currently writing her first book, and has a foundation set 0:00:51.840 --> 0:00:55.480 up to support women in business and gender equality. Living 0:00:55.480 --> 0:00:57.520 between New York and Sydney, some would say she has 0:00:57.560 --> 0:01:00.000 it all, but my favorite part of this story is 0:01:00.080 --> 0:01:02.720 the fact that she came from very humble beginnings and 0:01:02.720 --> 0:01:06.800 from my hometown Port mcquarie. Now that's not inspiration for 0:01:06.840 --> 0:01:08.360 everyone to go out and do more. I don't know 0:01:08.400 --> 0:01:12.120 what is. So, Samantha Wills, Welcome to Life Uncut. 0:01:12.280 --> 0:01:18.280 Thank you, what an intro, and I was like, I actually. 0:01:17.920 --> 0:01:19.400 Felt like I was on a game show. 0:01:19.200 --> 0:01:20.080 Like who could this be? 0:01:20.920 --> 0:01:24.679 She also liked this space. I'm welcome, thanks for coming in. 0:01:24.800 --> 0:01:26.120 Thank you guys so much. 0:01:26.319 --> 0:01:29.679 Samantha. I am genuinely excited to have you here today. 0:01:30.160 --> 0:01:32.800 I have my own jury business and it's something that 0:01:32.840 --> 0:01:35.679 I'm really passionate about and I have a lot of 0:01:35.720 --> 0:01:38.679 that to attribute to you, because going back eight years ago, 0:01:38.800 --> 0:01:42.759 I was reading an article online about this jewelry designer 0:01:42.920 --> 0:01:46.840 named Samantha Whils who had forged for herself her own career. 0:01:47.000 --> 0:01:48.840 And I remember sitting there in my office in my 0:01:48.920 --> 0:01:52.440 job that I freaking hated at the time, thinking I 0:01:52.480 --> 0:01:54.800 could I could do that, Maybe I could do that. 0:01:55.320 --> 0:01:58.080 And I was doing Bondo markets very similarly to how 0:01:58.080 --> 0:02:00.720 you got started, and I ended up quitting my job 0:02:00.760 --> 0:02:03.080 a few weeks later and I've had my business ever since. 0:02:03.440 --> 0:02:06.800 That gives me actual goosebumps. That means so so much 0:02:06.840 --> 0:02:08.200 to me, So thank you for sharing that with you 0:02:09.560 --> 0:02:14.000 or you have achieved. But it's yeah, it's a rare thing. 0:02:14.000 --> 0:02:15.440 I think a lot of people come to me, oh 0:02:15.440 --> 0:02:17.240 we've read your story so many times, but not a 0:02:17.240 --> 0:02:19.080 lot of people say here's how I acted on it. 0:02:19.080 --> 0:02:21.880 So congratulations to you. It's all you that has done 0:02:21.919 --> 0:02:22.200 that well. 0:02:22.240 --> 0:02:23.680 I was worried that you would think I was a 0:02:23.720 --> 0:02:25.720 crazy fan girl, but I'm very happy that you were 0:02:25.760 --> 0:02:26.880 here today. 0:02:27.240 --> 0:02:28.480 It's very happy to be here. 0:02:28.560 --> 0:02:30.560 She actually is a crazy thing. Yeah, that's all right. 0:02:30.919 --> 0:02:33.880 I signed this for me before you leave. So let's 0:02:33.919 --> 0:02:36.720 just start off. You grew up in Port McCray. Did 0:02:36.760 --> 0:02:38.399 you grow up as a little. 0:02:38.160 --> 0:02:40.519 Wrap bag running around barefoot like I did? 0:02:40.720 --> 0:02:43.480 I did, indeed tell us about it, so I mean, 0:02:43.520 --> 0:02:45.160 I don't have to tell you about portmcraw but it's 0:02:45.200 --> 0:02:48.000 a very small town on the mid North coast. It's very, 0:02:48.080 --> 0:02:50.640 very idyllic and beautiful, so I think you know, childhood 0:02:50.720 --> 0:02:53.400 was spent growing up at the beach. Peppermint Park and 0:02:53.400 --> 0:02:57.079 Fantasy Glades were like a very poor man's Disneyland back. 0:02:56.919 --> 0:02:57.240 In the day. 0:02:57.280 --> 0:02:59.480 They're all closed down now, but it was just a 0:02:59.560 --> 0:03:02.160 very time. I say, it's country in New South Wales, 0:03:02.200 --> 0:03:04.880 but people argue that it's coastal, which I understand, but 0:03:04.919 --> 0:03:07.200 it's regional New South Wales. You know, going to the 0:03:07.320 --> 0:03:10.200 city was to me going to Coffs Harbor or Newcastle 0:03:10.280 --> 0:03:13.040 for art Express in high school or something, and Sydney 0:03:13.120 --> 0:03:16.520 was the huge, huge city, so it felt very isolated 0:03:16.560 --> 0:03:18.600 in a way. But you know, I was in high 0:03:18.639 --> 0:03:22.119 school in the mid to late nineties, and I do say, 0:03:22.120 --> 0:03:23.520 I'm like, you know, when I was at school, the 0:03:23.520 --> 0:03:26.040 Internet wasn't even around, and I do so let my mum. 0:03:26.080 --> 0:03:28.760 But at Port mcory High School, we had two computers 0:03:28.800 --> 0:03:30.359 that had the Internet at the time, and they were 0:03:30.360 --> 0:03:34.080 both for the computer coding class. So what you saw 0:03:34.680 --> 0:03:36.560 was all you kind of knew. And I think that's 0:03:36.600 --> 0:03:38.360 the best. It was very much like Summer Bay. 0:03:38.480 --> 0:03:40.320 I think, yeah, I often we actually went to the 0:03:40.320 --> 0:03:42.280 same school, so I went to Port High but I 0:03:42.280 --> 0:03:43.640 think we're a few years apart. 0:03:43.760 --> 0:03:45.080 So you had the Internet. 0:03:45.320 --> 0:03:47.360 Well no, I actually remember the internet coming in. 0:03:48.240 --> 0:03:51.600 What a day. What a time to be alive, isn't it. 0:03:51.640 --> 0:03:54.760 But I remember one of one of our classes at school, 0:03:54.760 --> 0:03:58.040 would you believe, Laura was surfing studies, where we picked 0:03:58.080 --> 0:03:59.680 up a surfboard and we walked across the road to 0:03:59.680 --> 0:03:59.960 the beach. 0:04:00.080 --> 0:04:01.600 We used to surf for an hour. Mate, I was 0:04:01.640 --> 0:04:02.720 going to the wrong school. 0:04:04.800 --> 0:04:06.920 We probably dated the same people at some stage. 0:04:06.960 --> 0:04:09.760 Oh god, it's not about you and who you dated. 0:04:09.920 --> 0:04:11.880 Stop always trying to get it back to you. 0:04:12.680 --> 0:04:16.080 So do you take an inspiration when you started making jury? 0:04:16.200 --> 0:04:18.359 Did it come from Port McGrath, from that like idyllic 0:04:18.400 --> 0:04:19.039 beachside town. 0:04:19.600 --> 0:04:21.720 Not so much that I don't think the creative inspiration. 0:04:22.000 --> 0:04:24.279 My mom put me into beating classes in our local 0:04:24.320 --> 0:04:26.240 craft store back there when I was eleven, so I 0:04:26.279 --> 0:04:28.600 was handmaking jewel I learned the basis of jewey back 0:04:28.640 --> 0:04:30.400 then as a kid. And then my mom and dad 0:04:30.400 --> 0:04:32.640 always had small businesses. So my mum had a store 0:04:33.080 --> 0:04:36.120 opposite McDonald's there which is called Near Perfect, which is 0:04:36.120 --> 0:04:39.160 our factory seconds, and she let me have my little 0:04:39.240 --> 0:04:40.920 jewelry stand set up there when I was, you know, 0:04:40.920 --> 0:04:43.039 twelve years old. So i've kind of, I guess the 0:04:44.160 --> 0:04:47.640 entrepreneurialism kind of was learnt from my parents and small businesses. 0:04:48.120 --> 0:04:50.120 And I think that, like I said before, that kind 0:04:50.160 --> 0:04:52.600 of isolation. I'm also an only child, so I think 0:04:52.640 --> 0:04:56.520 you naturally somehow have to be creative in that realm. 0:04:56.680 --> 0:04:59.640 So I think the creativity and how big that I 0:04:59.680 --> 0:05:02.080 would think, and how crazy of a journey my mind 0:05:02.080 --> 0:05:05.200 would go on sometimes in creative wise, I think has 0:05:05.360 --> 0:05:07.240 been a huge part of my journey. 0:05:07.320 --> 0:05:09.880 Yeah I'm jumping or well ahead huge Okay, so a 0:05:09.880 --> 0:05:11.839 few years in the future. But something that I have 0:05:11.960 --> 0:05:16.240 always found really inspirational from what you created was your 0:05:16.400 --> 0:05:19.359 Bahemian Buddo ring and the fact that it became this 0:05:19.520 --> 0:05:23.080 cult staple and a collectible atom. And I was always curious, 0:05:23.160 --> 0:05:26.560 is this something that was strategically implemented or is it 0:05:26.600 --> 0:05:29.640 something more that just happened by happy chance and happy circumstance, 0:05:29.760 --> 0:05:31.760 and then you were like, hey, I'm onto a good 0:05:31.760 --> 0:05:33.440 thing here and we know what to make out of it. 0:05:33.640 --> 0:05:35.440 It's a great question because usually people like, you know, 0:05:35.480 --> 0:05:37.440 how do you get your products on celebrities? But I 0:05:37.480 --> 0:05:40.640 think there's such a dichotomy to celebrity placement, so especially 0:05:40.680 --> 0:05:42.960 with jewelry, so the products, you know, is so small 0:05:43.080 --> 0:05:46.200 or secondary to the apparel. You need to firstly be 0:05:46.240 --> 0:05:47.839 able to get it into the hands of the celebrity 0:05:47.920 --> 0:05:50.400 or the stylus. Then the celebrity has to be you know, 0:05:50.640 --> 0:05:52.479 hot at that minute, being like they've got a movie 0:05:52.480 --> 0:05:54.480 out or something's going on that they're in the press. 0:05:54.760 --> 0:05:56.159 If it's a ring, it has to be turned around 0:05:56.200 --> 0:05:57.799 the right way. If it's earrings. How it can't becover. 0:05:57.960 --> 0:05:59.440 There's so many things that can go right or wrong. 0:05:59.480 --> 0:06:02.200 So that's just like getting a photo of on the celebrity. 0:06:02.400 --> 0:06:04.800 The second thing is once it hits, once you get 0:06:04.839 --> 0:06:07.560 the image of it, it's only good if you've got 0:06:07.560 --> 0:06:09.240 only good for you as a business if you've got 0:06:09.320 --> 0:06:12.320 product in the warehouse, because people are they want it now. 0:06:12.480 --> 0:06:15.520 So for us, and the placement that I think really 0:06:15.520 --> 0:06:18.120 skyrocketed the bohemim Batto for us was the Eva Mendez 0:06:18.160 --> 0:06:21.720 placement and it was completely unplanned, like we were doing 0:06:22.040 --> 0:06:25.359 seventy SKUs, so seventy styles per collection. At that point, 0:06:25.360 --> 0:06:27.640 there was only four collections a year. At our people 0:06:27.680 --> 0:06:31.240 doing twenty collections a year, And I just designed it 0:06:31.279 --> 0:06:34.359 like any other piece and just as a segway. But 0:06:34.400 --> 0:06:36.400 I think with business, you know, everyone's like, oh, it's 0:06:36.400 --> 0:06:38.840 a creative company, or it's a design company. Design and 0:06:38.880 --> 0:06:42.040 creative was the smallest division within our company, like your 0:06:42.120 --> 0:06:45.520 very warehouse and logistics heavy finance was a big division. 0:06:45.600 --> 0:06:49.120 So I was kind of, you know, churning through these 0:06:49.120 --> 0:06:50.960 designs to meet these SKU counts. And it is a 0:06:51.000 --> 0:06:53.080 matrix that you're feeling when you're designing to kind of, 0:06:53.120 --> 0:06:55.360 you know, fill out these collections. So I just kind 0:06:55.360 --> 0:06:58.159 of put it in. We were working with a PR 0:06:58.240 --> 0:07:01.880 agent in the States at the time who knew Rachel 0:07:01.960 --> 0:07:03.960 Zoe the style list, and Rachel was working with Eva, 0:07:04.160 --> 0:07:06.719 so she placed it there and then we had this 0:07:06.839 --> 0:07:09.040 placement and it just went berserk. But it was kind 0:07:09.080 --> 0:07:11.200 of a the stars aligned with it because we got 0:07:11.200 --> 0:07:14.520 this great photo. Eva had just done a stint in rehab, 0:07:14.600 --> 0:07:15.920 so she just come out of rehabit. It was her 0:07:15.920 --> 0:07:18.520 first event, so everyone wanted a photo of her, which is, 0:07:18.600 --> 0:07:21.640 you know, not an ideal thing. You know, she was 0:07:21.720 --> 0:07:24.120 very photographed. The ring looked great on her. We had 0:07:24.200 --> 0:07:26.440 stock somehow, which was very well because usually you give 0:07:26.600 --> 0:07:28.680 product out in advance of having stock in the warehouse. 0:07:28.840 --> 0:07:31.280 Everything aligned and then we're like, wow, that sold out 0:07:31.280 --> 0:07:33.040 in like twenty four hours. Let's do it in another 0:07:33.040 --> 0:07:35.280 color and another color, and in the end it came 0:07:35.320 --> 0:07:38.960 in three hundred and sixty six colorways. People were collecting them, 0:07:38.960 --> 0:07:41.400 like one lady owns nearly two hundred and sixty year. 0:07:42.760 --> 0:07:44.800 I had to be honest. It was sort of the 0:07:44.880 --> 0:07:47.080 go to present when I was that age. 0:07:47.160 --> 0:07:48.360 Yeah, yeah, all my. 0:07:48.360 --> 0:07:49.600 Friends would just buy each other. 0:07:49.680 --> 0:07:51.560 Those presents well, when we closed, we did in a 0:07:51.600 --> 0:07:54.600 mini style, so we in the six month lead up 0:07:54.600 --> 0:07:57.040 to the closure, we did one more collection of them 0:07:57.080 --> 0:07:59.240 and they just they were selling out within minutes and 0:07:59.240 --> 0:08:01.480 then that'd end up on EVA Like it was even 0:08:01.520 --> 0:08:03.560 to me. Now you know, we had that sku in 0:08:03.600 --> 0:08:06.320 our business for ten years. We sold over one million 0:08:06.400 --> 0:08:09.440 of them in over five different tiers. So there was 0:08:09.480 --> 0:08:11.680 the entry price point and went all the way up 0:08:11.680 --> 0:08:13.800 depending what stones and things we'd use. But it was 0:08:13.840 --> 0:08:16.040 the backbone of our business. It never once left our 0:08:16.080 --> 0:08:16.880 best sellers list. 0:08:17.120 --> 0:08:19.280 For me, and coming from a jury background, for me, 0:08:19.320 --> 0:08:22.120 that was so incredible and so inspiring. And I thought, now, 0:08:22.320 --> 0:08:25.480 did you do this strategically or I thought maybe it's 0:08:25.480 --> 0:08:27.320 just one of those things where you get lucky by chance. 0:08:27.360 --> 0:08:29.600 And so to hear that, it's amazing. 0:08:29.320 --> 0:08:31.240 And it's I mean, if I if you could do 0:08:31.320 --> 0:08:34.280 that by strategic I would, but I don't even know 0:08:34.320 --> 0:08:36.360 if you can do it without you know, it was 0:08:36.520 --> 0:08:37.640 we couldn't have even planned. 0:08:37.800 --> 0:08:39.520 The stars just aligned, Yeah they did. 0:08:39.640 --> 0:08:42.679 And speaking of the celebrities, so was there ever a 0:08:42.679 --> 0:08:45.920 celebrity that you saw wearing one of your pieces where 0:08:45.920 --> 0:08:47.640 you were just like, what, I. 0:08:47.600 --> 0:08:50.720 Can't believe this, I mean, all of them. It still 0:08:50.720 --> 0:08:51.520 blows my mind. 0:08:51.960 --> 0:08:52.160 You know. 0:08:52.200 --> 0:08:54.680 When we actually had this bag, we did a little 0:08:54.679 --> 0:08:58.160 collection of clutches with jewelry pendants on them and we 0:08:58.200 --> 0:09:01.240 sent them out to you know, giftelebrities and stylists in 0:09:01.280 --> 0:09:03.319 the States, and then about a year less so you 0:09:03.440 --> 0:09:04.920 kind of like there's a life cycle on it. When 0:09:04.960 --> 0:09:06.679 you gift product're kind of like, alright, in the next 0:09:06.760 --> 0:09:08.400 three months, we'll keep an eye on photos to see 0:09:08.400 --> 0:09:10.280 if they were And then so after about a year, 0:09:10.480 --> 0:09:13.400 Beyonce showed up carrying it and I was just it 0:09:13.559 --> 0:09:15.839 was it just literally blew my mind. Her and Jason 0:09:15.920 --> 0:09:17.240 they used to photograph and they went out on their 0:09:17.280 --> 0:09:19.040 date nights on her Instagram, and then she was just 0:09:19.080 --> 0:09:20.800 there holding it. And so it's another thing where you 0:09:20.800 --> 0:09:23.360 could have every aspiration of wanting to dress a certain 0:09:23.440 --> 0:09:26.040 celebrity and then it just it just kind of happened. 0:09:26.120 --> 0:09:28.079 So yeah, and then we had Taylor Swift on the 0:09:28.120 --> 0:09:30.679 cover of seventeen magazine. But before she was massive and 0:09:30.720 --> 0:09:32.920 I'm a huge Shareless Swift fan now. At the time, 0:09:32.960 --> 0:09:34.560 I was like, oh, this new emerging artist and now 0:09:34.559 --> 0:09:36.160 I'm like, oh my god, that was incredible. Yeah. 0:09:36.200 --> 0:09:41.360 I've seen her, yeah three times in concerts. Samantha Willis 0:09:41.440 --> 0:09:43.360 was so much more than just jewelry. It was a 0:09:43.440 --> 0:09:45.959 cult brand, and it was storytelling at its heart, and 0:09:46.440 --> 0:09:48.520 it was you. What was the most challenging part of 0:09:48.600 --> 0:09:49.920 being held up as an inspiration? 0:09:50.440 --> 0:09:53.280 You guys are making me really emotional today. It was 0:09:53.320 --> 0:09:54.240 a beautiful reflection. 0:09:54.679 --> 0:09:56.720 We are very emotional women. True. 0:09:57.280 --> 0:09:59.440 That's a very lovely way to say it. Thank you, Sorry, 0:09:59.480 --> 0:10:00.080 What was the quest. 0:10:02.000 --> 0:10:05.120 You're telling you? How wonderful? What was the most difficult 0:10:05.160 --> 0:10:07.199 part of what is the most difficult part of being 0:10:07.240 --> 0:10:08.640 held up as being an inspiration? 0:10:09.559 --> 0:10:11.280 I think when you have a brand that you're so 0:10:11.440 --> 0:10:14.720 modestly named after yourself at twenty one years of age. 0:10:14.840 --> 0:10:16.360 I do also like that you used to model for 0:10:16.440 --> 0:10:18.400 your brand as well afford to pay. 0:10:18.679 --> 0:10:19.839 So I was like, oh, give this a crack. 0:10:20.120 --> 0:10:23.800 I had your catalogs and I was like, she could 0:10:23.840 --> 0:10:25.319 do it everything. 0:10:24.880 --> 0:10:26.880 You know, I couldn't afford to the paid one. I 0:10:27.000 --> 0:10:28.959 think when you have a brand that is your name, 0:10:29.040 --> 0:10:32.400 it naturally is the DNA of you, and it has 0:10:32.480 --> 0:10:34.720 to tell your story because if not, you're not telling 0:10:34.760 --> 0:10:38.480 authentic stories. So I think the hardest part about that 0:10:38.760 --> 0:10:41.240 is is the duality of what you then share with 0:10:41.360 --> 0:10:44.400 yourself or share with people verse what you keep yourself 0:10:44.520 --> 0:10:48.000 versus what you have to be transparent with and things 0:10:48.040 --> 0:10:51.240 like that. It's really so An example is people in 0:10:51.320 --> 0:10:53.760 the office when they felt we'd calling me some out 0:10:53.760 --> 0:10:55.439 of the wills because they're like, no, that's a brand name. 0:10:55.520 --> 0:10:57.320 So that's how I got the name s W because 0:10:57.320 --> 0:10:59.920 they needed to differentiate, because you do become so infused 0:11:00.120 --> 0:11:02.880 in that way. I don't know. I think the rest 0:11:03.040 --> 0:11:06.520 is like, it's not difficult if if you're being truly authentic. 0:11:06.600 --> 0:11:08.440 If you're posting something being like does it sound authentic, 0:11:08.520 --> 0:11:09.120 then it's probably not. 0:11:09.480 --> 0:11:11.360 Well. I think that also comes back to your Instagram 0:11:11.400 --> 0:11:13.680 as well. You use that as a very authentic channel 0:11:13.800 --> 0:11:16.480 to not only have the communication of what the brand 0:11:16.559 --> 0:11:19.400 Samantha Will's was, but also for what you stand for. 0:11:19.760 --> 0:11:21.800 How are you using that now moving forward since you're 0:11:21.840 --> 0:11:24.960 moving away from jewelry into this personal brand space. 0:11:25.720 --> 0:11:27.480 Well, I say everyone is a brand, whether you've got 0:11:27.480 --> 0:11:29.040 a product or a business. Like if you've got an 0:11:29.080 --> 0:11:32.199 Instagram feed, you're a publisher. Your CEO of brand. You think, 0:11:32.280 --> 0:11:34.880 when we know better, we do better. And as you 0:11:35.000 --> 0:11:38.440 evolve as a person, you start to evolve your thought 0:11:38.520 --> 0:11:42.400 process and what was once acceptable to you no longer 0:11:42.559 --> 0:11:44.599 becomes that. So you can kind of see over my 0:11:44.679 --> 0:11:46.439 Instagram and I think I've tried to be very vulnerable 0:11:46.440 --> 0:11:48.839 with that, where I used to post outfits in a 0:11:48.880 --> 0:11:51.760 mirror that I had in my house, I know the one, 0:11:51.840 --> 0:11:56.000 you know, So I would post it, and you know, 0:11:56.000 --> 0:11:57.520 I was doing it to kind of show how I 0:11:57.600 --> 0:11:58.920 was starting. I had to find a way to show 0:11:58.960 --> 0:12:01.160 how I was wearing the jewelry in a consistent basis, 0:12:01.679 --> 0:12:04.160 and then then they get lots of likes, but the 0:12:04.240 --> 0:12:06.360 reality was, you know, I was being loan a lot 0:12:06.400 --> 0:12:07.800 of the clothe some of the closure of mind, but 0:12:07.840 --> 0:12:10.200 a lot of them were loans. I'm a creative director, 0:12:10.240 --> 0:12:12.000 so I know how a lighter shot like it just 0:12:12.120 --> 0:12:14.160 wasn't like if people are looking at that, going why 0:12:14.280 --> 0:12:16.960 don't I have those type of clothesal, why doesn't don't 0:12:16.960 --> 0:12:18.640 myself is in the mirror look like that. It's because 0:12:18.720 --> 0:12:20.520 you know, I know professional lighting, and I know all 0:12:20.559 --> 0:12:23.240 these things and so and the reason I actually took 0:12:23.320 --> 0:12:25.240 all of those off my Instagram is when I was 0:12:25.280 --> 0:12:28.760 watching the Royal wedding of Meghan and Harry and the 0:12:29.000 --> 0:12:31.040 commentary was, I can't believe that Kate's were in the 0:12:31.080 --> 0:12:34.079 same dress twice, like she's throwing shade to Meghan and 0:12:34.200 --> 0:12:37.040 all this, and I was just like, that is so ridiculous. 0:12:37.200 --> 0:12:39.200 And then I thought about it. I'm like, wait, maybe 0:12:39.280 --> 0:12:42.040 I'm adding to that problem by posting these outfits once 0:12:42.120 --> 0:12:45.120 and it's the intention wasn't for that, but it was, 0:12:45.200 --> 0:12:48.000 you know, about the jewelry. But when I step back, 0:12:48.040 --> 0:12:50.839 I'm like, hang on, no, you're perpetuating that problem. So 0:12:51.040 --> 0:12:53.120 I was just like enough, you know you, as I said, 0:12:53.320 --> 0:12:55.679 once you have that realization, it's then the responsibility to 0:12:55.760 --> 0:12:56.439 do something about it. 0:12:56.640 --> 0:12:59.000 People do connect with you as a person. You have 0:12:59.120 --> 0:13:01.880 more to communicate now as an individual than just as 0:13:01.960 --> 0:13:03.720 a brand that's connected to a product. 0:13:04.320 --> 0:13:06.200 Definitely, I think more to communicate. But I think there 0:13:06.280 --> 0:13:09.640 was a time when Instagram came out and aspiration was 0:13:09.679 --> 0:13:12.959 the word rather than inspiration. And I still don't I 0:13:13.000 --> 0:13:14.920 don't use that word. I don't use word inspiration as 0:13:14.960 --> 0:13:17.120 associated to myself. But I think you know, you look 0:13:17.160 --> 0:13:19.840 at and it was it was it was this new 0:13:19.960 --> 0:13:22.120 platform that was kind of this very polar The whole 0:13:22.120 --> 0:13:24.559 thing was around filters, so you know, it was around that. 0:13:24.679 --> 0:13:28.240 But I think now people are just oversaturated with that 0:13:28.440 --> 0:13:31.160 kind of messaging, Like people want connection. 0:13:31.880 --> 0:13:32.000 You know. 0:13:32.080 --> 0:13:34.880 The best brands of female brands, I think are when 0:13:34.920 --> 0:13:37.079 women can when it can alleviate a pain point for 0:13:37.160 --> 0:13:39.679 a person. So if that means that something me is 0:13:39.720 --> 0:13:42.760 seeing something on your Instagram makes me feel connected to you, 0:13:43.040 --> 0:13:46.959 then that's that's the goal in that authenticity space. 0:13:47.280 --> 0:13:49.120 We still have a long way to go, I think 0:13:49.760 --> 0:13:53.240 in getting everybody to a point where you don't have 0:13:53.360 --> 0:13:55.959 to feel ashamed to put a photo up that isn't filtered, 0:13:56.320 --> 0:13:59.000 isn't photoshop, doesn't have perfect lighting like I literally I 0:13:59.080 --> 0:14:01.840 just had when I had a facial today, you look great, thanks, 0:14:03.080 --> 0:14:06.079 But I had this peel as well, just giving you 0:14:06.200 --> 0:14:09.599 all my info here, And I took a selfie of 0:14:09.640 --> 0:14:11.439 my skin because it looked so good, and I went 0:14:11.480 --> 0:14:15.880 to put it on Instagram, no makeup at all, no filter, nothing, 0:14:15.920 --> 0:14:17.400 The lining wasn't even great, and I put it on. 0:14:17.520 --> 0:14:19.040 I went to post it and oh, I can't post 0:14:19.120 --> 0:14:21.280 that I look gross, And then I deleted it for 0:14:21.440 --> 0:14:25.160 one second and then I thought, how ridiculous that I 0:14:25.360 --> 0:14:26.760 just said, I can't put this up, so I put 0:14:26.800 --> 0:14:29.800 it back up. But just that second of insecurity that 0:14:29.880 --> 0:14:33.840 someone will judge you for being so raw made me 0:14:33.920 --> 0:14:34.400 feel sick. 0:14:34.520 --> 0:14:36.600 I guess it's also comes down to personal development and 0:14:36.640 --> 0:14:38.480 getting to a point where actually it doesn't matter what 0:14:38.600 --> 0:14:40.880 other people think, and being true and authentic to yourself. 0:14:41.320 --> 0:14:44.000 And I think that that's part of everyone's own personal 0:14:44.080 --> 0:14:47.520 journey and getting there. And you have definitely come closer 0:14:47.600 --> 0:14:49.560 to what it is that you're trying to achieve on 0:14:49.840 --> 0:14:52.120 social media, and I just I really think that that's 0:14:52.160 --> 0:14:55.240 something that is now very aspirational and inspirational at the 0:14:55.240 --> 0:14:55.640 same time. 0:14:55.800 --> 0:14:59.080 Yeah. No, And I think firstly, I think everyone thinks that. 0:14:59.160 --> 0:15:02.400 I don't think it's isolated issue whatsoever. So I think 0:15:02.520 --> 0:15:04.720 that and you're right, it does come down to ourselves. 0:15:04.720 --> 0:15:06.120 And I think the other thing is like other people 0:15:06.240 --> 0:15:08.160 really don't give a ship, Like we're so focused on 0:15:08.240 --> 0:15:09.760 like what is people going to think about me? And 0:15:09.840 --> 0:15:11.960 everyone's just I'm just like, no one's thinking about you, 0:15:12.120 --> 0:15:16.160 like no one really cares. You sit there and be 0:15:16.240 --> 0:15:17.920 like what field looks all what? And it was just 0:15:18.000 --> 0:15:19.000 like no one really cares. 0:15:19.120 --> 0:15:21.720 So it's it's girl straight past you and then you've gone. 0:15:21.840 --> 0:15:24.000 I mean, yeah, and although probably like it looks great, 0:15:24.080 --> 0:15:26.160 like I don't know. I think we spend so much 0:15:26.240 --> 0:15:29.240 time worried about the response from other people, and everyone's 0:15:29.240 --> 0:15:32.320 just so worried about themselves. So it's it's yeah, it's 0:15:32.320 --> 0:15:34.000 a bigger deal than we think it is. The skin 0:15:34.040 --> 0:15:35.720 looks great. I'd post it for sure. 0:15:35.800 --> 0:15:37.240 I mean, I have makeup on Now. 0:15:39.880 --> 0:15:42.600 Were there ever one defining moment where you sat back 0:15:42.640 --> 0:15:45.440 in your career and thought, holy shit, I have made it. 0:15:46.400 --> 0:15:48.160 No, that's not because I think once you think that 0:15:49.000 --> 0:15:51.760 your career is done kind of thing. And I also like, 0:15:51.840 --> 0:15:54.480 I don't think there ever is an end point, because 0:15:54.480 --> 0:15:56.520 if there is, then you've probably been quite lazy in 0:15:57.760 --> 0:16:00.920 your dreaming. I guess I think that you know. The 0:16:01.080 --> 0:16:02.960 question I do get asked similar to that is, you know, 0:16:03.000 --> 0:16:05.680 when you made it, you know it was life great 0:16:05.920 --> 0:16:08.280 kind of thing. I was like, No, it's when you're 0:16:08.280 --> 0:16:10.880 in startup. The problems are just big and you don't 0:16:10.880 --> 0:16:13.160 really know how to you know, tackle them, and it 0:16:13.200 --> 0:16:15.680 could be probably a financial issue. And the more so 0:16:15.800 --> 0:16:17.520 then once you take finances out of it and you're like, 0:16:17.520 --> 0:16:20.880 all right, now we're a very financially viable business. But 0:16:21.120 --> 0:16:24.120 the problems just get bigger. You just get more equipped 0:16:24.120 --> 0:16:26.800 to be able to deal with them. Sure, so it's 0:16:26.880 --> 0:16:28.640 never that it goes away. I think you just mature 0:16:28.680 --> 0:16:31.840 and you know a lot more. I think that there's 0:16:31.840 --> 0:16:34.920 definitely been times where things have happened and I'm like, 0:16:35.000 --> 0:16:37.680 I couldn't have even dreamt that we could do that. 0:16:37.880 --> 0:16:40.040 So I think that's probably the closest answer I can 0:16:40.120 --> 0:16:42.800 give to have you made it. I'm like I never 0:16:42.840 --> 0:16:44.440 thought that, but I was like, wow, like this is 0:16:44.480 --> 0:16:45.720 bigger than I could have ever thought. 0:16:46.000 --> 0:16:48.240 I think as things grow as well, you then have 0:16:48.480 --> 0:16:51.200 the problems that occur. Have such a higher level of 0:16:51.280 --> 0:16:53.920 responsibility because you're responsible for so many people, and so 0:16:54.360 --> 0:16:56.720 sometimes it's almost like ignorance is bliss that gets you 0:16:56.800 --> 0:16:58.600 through things. That stuff you're like, oh, I can do that, 0:16:59.040 --> 0:17:01.720 and then as you become more aware of what's at stake, 0:17:01.800 --> 0:17:04.520 it's almost like you can be less inclined to take risks. 0:17:05.320 --> 0:17:07.440