Process The Podcast

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!

Most people think music supervision is just "picking cool songs." 
Winslow Bright is here to prove it’s actually a high-stakes chess match involving seven-figure budgets, complex copyright laws, music language translations, and ego-management of the world’s top directors, to the creatives and individuals who own the projects. 
From her origins of running iPods for Wes Anderson, burning CDs, to her current role as Co-President of Premiere Music Group, Winslow has navigated the most complex licensing deals in the business. 
In this episode, we deconstruct the invisible labor behind the world’s most iconic sonic moments, from advertisements for Tiffany & Co to the races of pushing out content for the Met Gala. 

In this Episode: 
A long-standing creative friendship.

The Wes Anderson era: Running iPods and early lessons.

Defining the Role: What does a Music Supervisor actually do?

Creative Deciphering: Turning a director’s vague reference into a perfect track.

The Money: Budgeting and licensing costs for "Big Music."

Case Study: The Tiffany Campaign and reimagining "Happy Together."

The Met Gala: The race to create viral fashion reels.

The Toolkit: Why platforms like Disco and FrameSet are essential.

Featured in this Episode:
The Making of Tiffany and Co. Happy Together 

Agency: Premiere Music Group

Platforms we’re loving:  Disco Platform | FrameSet

Say hello! 
Our Guest: @winslowbright

Your host: @arielle.thomas 

Us: @processthepodcast

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!