Process The Podcast

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

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

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

INSIDE THE EPISODE:

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

00:41 — Losing My Biggest Client & Feeling Lost

01:24 — The Episode That Changed Everything

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

04:25 — Your Next 100 Days Decide Your 2027

05:46 — Don’t Ask, Don’t Get

07:53 — The Joy of Cold Emailing

08:38 — Inside a Four-Week Recording Marathon

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

11:10 — Admitting You Need Help

11:42 — Build Your Own Seat at the Table

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

14:48 — What’s Next for Process

Episodes Mentioned:

Aila Morin

Estée Lalonde

Jamie Green

Coco Mocoe

Enjoyed this Episode?Join our Community!

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

Us, on Instagram, @processthepodcast

Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast

Got someone you’d love Arielle to interview on this trip? Comment down below or DM us on Instagram.

Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday.See you at the next one!

This episode includes references to third-party brands, books, publications and public figures discussed for educational commentary. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please contact hello@cinemathom.com
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“I love a trier. It doesn’t matter where it goes. If you are actually out there trying, that’s the special sauce right there.” - Estée Lalonde

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

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

INSIDE THE EPISODE:

00:00 — Intro: Meet Estée Lalonde

02:26 — The Year She Finally Asked for Help

09:48 — Nobody’s Coming to Save You

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

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

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

30:07 — Falling Back in Love With YouTube

33:07 — How Mirror Water Started

37:09 — A Brand That Never Tells You to Do More

41:03 — Raising Money vs Staying Self-Funded

44:42 — Running a Brand and a Channel at Once

47:45 — Why Followers Don’t Equal Customers

50:33 — What Moved the Needle: Stockists, Press & Founder Friends

53:55 — Standing Out on a Crowded Shelf

56:32 — Setting the Tone for What’s Next + Where to Find Estée

Connect with our Guest:

Estée Lalonde on Instagram: @esteelalonde

Mirror Water on Instagram: @mirrorwater.earth

Enjoyed this Episode?Join our Community!

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

Us, on Instagram, @processthepodcast

Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast

Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday.

See you at the next one!

This episode includes references to third-party brands, retailers, creators and publications (including Space NK, Liberty, Selfridges and Cult Beauty) discussed for educational commentary. Nothing in this episode is financial or investment advice. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please contact hello@cinemathom.com
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“The audience comes last, so that they can come first.” - Erin Starkweather

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

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

INSIDE THE EPISODE:

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

02:55 — How Saie’s Creative Process Works

08:18 — Why “The Audience Comes Last”

09:43 — Why Saie Shoots in Italy

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

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

18:47 — Behind the Helena Christensen Campaign

25:15 — Let’s Build a Beauty Campaign

28:55 — How Saie Built a Diehard Community

34:13 — What Moved the Needle: From Launch to Sephora

38:01 — In-House vs Consulting & Not Taking No

41:58 — Launching Saie in the UK

44:43 — Saie’s Makeup Class & Where to Shop

Connect with our Guest:

Erin Starkweather on Instagram: @erinstarkweather

Saie on Instagram: @saiebeauty

Shop Saie: saiehello.com

Enjoyed this Episode?Join our Community!

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

Us, on Instagram, @processthepodcast

Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast

Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday.

See you at the next one!

This episode includes references to third-party brands, retailers, publications, campaigns, and photographic works (including Sephora and the work of Steven Meisel) discussed for educational commentary. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please contact hello@cinemathom.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

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

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

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

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

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Get the free Beyond the Likes checklist: 6 steps to turn social media attention into revenue

INSIDE THE EPISODE:

00:00 — Intro: Meet Sally Obermeder

02:57 — Likes vs. Money & Owning Your Audience

07:45 — Lead Gen That Costs $0: The Dopamine Menu

10:30 — Reaching “Sally”: Wellness-Adjacent Content

13:19 — ManyChat, Collabs & Dating Up in Business

17:39 — Giveaways, Email & the Art of Not Selling

22:21 — Ads: Test Organically, Then Back Winners

26:04 — What Makes a Video a Banger

28:50 — IRL Events: Spend Where It Matters

33:19 — Live Q&A: Sales Advice for Small Businesses

Connect with our Guest:

Sally Obermeder on Instagram: @sallyobermeder

Ziish on Instagram: @ziishofficial

Enjoyed this Episode? Join our Community!

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

Us, on Instagram, @processthepodcast

Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast

Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday.

See you at the next one!

This episode includes references to third-party brands, platforms and retailers (including Instagram, TikTok, Facebook/Meta, ManyChat, Priceline and Boots) discussed for educational commentary. Nothing in this episode is financial advice. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please contact hello@cinemathom.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

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

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

INSIDE THE EPISODE:

0:00 — Intro: Meet Jamie Green

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

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

08:09 — How Jamie Builds Trust with Celebrities

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

17:30 — Hitting Pause, Then Shooting Oprah

21:27 — Greg Williams & Going Documentary-Style

24:44 — Rolling the Dice in Paris

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

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

41:39 — Artists, Brands & Reading the Room

45:07 — Shooting for the Archive with Sam

48:56 — NYC Time & the Overnight Success Myth

53:45 — The Netflix Airport Dash

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

Connect with our Guest:

Jamie Green on Instagram: @jamie_.green

Jamie's website: jamiegreen.com.au

Enjoyed this Episode?Join our Community!

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

Us, on Instagram, @processthepodcast

Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast

Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you at the next one!

This episode includes references to third-party publications, brands, celebrities and photographic works (including the work of other photographers) discussed for educational commentary. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please contact hello@cinemathom.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices