In this episode of Branded Assets, Kate is joined by Haley MacCosham, Investment Advisor at RBC Dominion Securities, to explore why influencers are becoming founders, investors, and business owners.

From Alix Earle taking equity stakes in brands like Poppy and Cymbiotika to SmartSweets founder Tara Bosch partnering with influencers to launch Snackish, creators aren’t just promoting businesses anymore. They’re owning pieces of them.

But is taking equity instead of cash actually a smart financial move? And what happens when your business depends on an Instagram algorithm or a following that could disappear tomorrow?

Kate and Haley get into:

• The rise of the influencer-investor: Why creators are moving beyond brand deals into ownership and entrepreneurship.

• The gender gap in how we define success: Why have women with thriving creator businesses been called influencers while men are celebrated as founders and CEOs?

• Cash vs. equity: When taking ownership in a brand makes sense, and why angel investing should sometimes be treated more like a donation than an investment.

• Turning influence into long-term wealth: How to diversify revenue, protect your IP, and build beyond your personal brand.

• Why smaller creators can have bigger value: How niche audiences, genuine influence, and measurable sales can matter more than millions of followers.

• When to start thinking like a business owner: From incorporating and investing excess cash to planning for your future.

Whether you’re building a personal brand, earning as a creator, or growing a business, this conversation is about thinking bigger than your next viral moment.

Because influence is real business. The question is, what are you building with it?

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KEYWORDS:

Creator Economy, Influencer Marketing, Business of Influence, Creator Entrepreneurship, Influencer Investing, Building Wealth, Personal Branding, Creator Economy Trends, Female Entrepreneurs, Women in Business, Financial Freedom, Wealth Management for Entrepreneurs, Influencer Business Strategy, Brand Deals, Equity Partnerships, Angel Investing, Alix Earle, Social Media Monetization, Micro Influencers, Building Generational Wealth, Content Creator Business, Branded Assets

In this episode of Rich Girl Rundown, Kate is joined by Samantha Rayner, founder of Maris Dae, a Canadian seaweed-powered skincare and wellness brand, to unpack the business, branding and cultural stories taking over the group chat.

First up: McDonald’s is facing backlash over its AI-powered pricing recommendations. Kate and Sam dig into the controversy, allegations of price coordination, the growing frustration around affordability, and why using technology to maximize profits could come at the expense of consumer trust. Is personalized pricing the future, or have brands gone too far?

Then, they’re talking beauty. Skincare brand Remedy is proudly declaring that its products are full of chemicals, and people are loving it. Sam brings her experience in the beauty and wellness industry to the conversation as they explore clean washing, the science behind skincare ingredients, and why a brilliantly simple billboard campaign might signal a much bigger shift in beauty marketing.

Next, Canadian jewelry darling Mejuri is feeling the pressure of skyrocketing gold prices and tariffs. With its accessible luxury positioning being put to the test, the brand is rethinking everything from materials and pricing to retail expansion. Kate and Sam get into the realities of building a consumer products business, the importance of unit economics, and how even the most successful brands can find themselves at the mercy of forces beyond their control.

Plus, they’re keeping an eye on lululemon’s collaboration with GANNI and whether product innovation can revive the struggling athleisure giant, along with Bumble’s $1.3 billion deal to go private and what it could mean for founder Whitney Wolfe Herd.

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KEYWORDS:

Rich Girl Rundown, Branded Assets podcast, Kate Bouchard, Samantha Rayner, Maris Dae, McDonald’s AI pricing, dynamic pricing, algorithmic pricing, consumer trust, brand loyalty, Remedy skincare, clean beauty, clean washing, science-backed skincare, beauty industry trends, beauty marketing, Mejuri, gold prices, tariffs, CPG brands, brand strategy, brand positioning, product innovation, lululemon GANNI collaboration, Bumble going private, Whitney Wolfe Herd, female founders, women in business, entrepreneurship, business news, marketing trends, brand storytelling, business and branding podcast

We have a visibility bias in entrepreneurship. We see the unicorns. We don’t as often see the graveyard. Or maybe, don’t want to.

After nearly six years building Loba Wellness, raising capital, launching a physical product and technology platform, and investing more than $250,000 of my own money, in mid-2025 I made the difficult decision to close my startup.

In this candid and retrospective solo episode of Branded Assets, I’m sharing the lessons learned from building a consumer product business in Canada, including some harsh realities about entrepreneurship, venture capital and the startup ecosystem that honestly, I wish I understood before getting started.

From the challenges of raising investment for consumer brands and Canada’s obsession with B2B SaaS, to the ridiculous cycles of VC trends (remember NFTs?) and the realities of being a solo founder, I pull back the curtain on an entrepreneurial ecosystem that celebrates risk-taking but isn’t always willing to finance it.

Beyond the more practical business lessons, I’m also sharing personal takeaways and lessons learned during this time of navigating entrepreneurship including discovering a capacity for risk and resilience I never knew I had, developing a significantly lower tolerance for BS, and learning how to separate my identity from being an entreprenuer.

This episode is all about about failure, ambition, and knowing when to walk away. I hope you enjoy it.

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KEYWORDS:

Branded Assets podcast, failed startup, startup failure, entrepreneurship lessons, Canadian entrepreneurship, venture capital Canada, raising capital in Canada, angel investing, startup funding, CPG startup, B2B SaaS, venture capital trends, VC funding, bootstrapping, solo founder, female founders, women entrepreneurs, business failure, entrepreneurial resilience, closing a business, business lessons startup investment

But behind the milestones was another version of the story: debt, declining sales, founder burnout, a factory literally burning down, opportunities that became operational nightmares, changing priorities and the relentless whiplash of entrepreneurship.

After eight years, Karen and her co-founder made the decision to close the business.

In this episode of Branded Assets, Kate and Karen have an unfiltered conversation about the side of entrepreneurship we don’t talk about enough: what it takes to keep a business alive, what it can cost you personally, and how you know when it’s finally time to let go.

Karen opens up about building a business with her best friend (and why they ended up in therapy together), putting motherhood on hold while she built the company, the reality behind landing Oprah’s Favorite Things, the mistakes they made as the business began to decline, and the moment she realized they were “forcing ourselves to drive this car with no wheels.”

They also talk about the complicated identity of being a founder, the pressure to prove yourself through your business, why closing a company doesn’t necessarily mean it failed, and what happens when the thing you built has already served its purpose.

Because sometimes the business you build also builds you. And sometimes success means knowing when you’ve outgrown it.

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KEYWORDS: Karen Lee, LEZÉ the Label, Branded Assets podcast, Kate Bouchard, female entrepreneurship, women entrepreneurs, female founders, seven-figure business, building a seven-figure business, closing a business, shutting down a business, founder burnout, entrepreneur burnout, business failure, startup failure, entrepreneurship realities, behind the scenes of entrepreneurship, Oprah’s Favorite Things, fashion entrepreneur, fashion startup, DTC brand, direct-to-consumer brand, Kickstarter business, co-founder relationship, business partners, founder mental health, founder identity, work-life balance, motherhood and entrepreneurship, knowing when to quit, knowing when to close a business, walking away from a business, business lessons, startup lessons, founder story, entrepreneurship podcast

First up: Sydney Sweeney’s controversial Novig sports betting campaign. Kate and Olivia get into the backlash from female athletes, the male gaze, how men are vulnerable to gambling addiction, Sweeney’s equity stake, and whether outrage marketing is brilliant strategy or a risky long-term play for her personal brand.

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Then, they dig into potential private investment in Canadian airports and why the headlines don’t tell the whole story. From Mark Carney and Canadian politics to clickbait and media literacy, consider this your reminder to actually read the article.

AI is also coming for your shopping cart. Mastercard and Visa are exploring AI agents that don’t just recommend what you should buy, but actually buy it for you. What happens when AI becomes the intermediary between brands and consumers? And are marketers about to go from building brands for humans to building brands for robots?

Plus, Kate and Olivia get into AI slop in Vogue, and what Canada becoming an associate member of the European Union could mean for our economy, U.S. relationship and Canadian identity.

Could the next generation of Canadian ambition look a little less American and a little more European?

It’s business, brands, billion-dollar gossip and a few spicy takes along the way.

Welcome to Rich Girl Rundown in Season 2.

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KEYWORDS:

Sydney Sweeney, Novig, sports betting, outrage marketing, celebrity branding, brand strategy, AI shopping, AI agents, Mastercard AI, Visa AI, agentic commerce, consumer behaviour, brand discovery, Vogue, Canadian airports, Mark Carney, Canadian politics, Canada EU relations, Canadian identity, Canada US relations, media literacy, marketing podcast, women entrepreneurs, Rich Girl Rundown, Branded Assets podcast

In this first episode back, I share some personal updates from the summer break. PLUS what’s in store for Season 2, including more guests, a new rotating co-host format for Rich Girl Rundown episodes, and a few of the smart, funny women who will be joining me this season.

I also revisit some of the topics discussed in Season 1 and ask: what happened next?

From my admittedly very satisfying Cineplex prediction and the return of movie theatres, to Sleep or Die founder Lauren Sudeyko turning a viral moment into a $1M raise, we’re revisiting some of the brands and trends I’ve had my eye on.

I’ve also been noodling about what’s next for leisurewear and fitness, and how venture capital and health-tech startups are finally paying attention to women’s health.

Of course, because it’s Virgo season, I’m also taking a little credit where credit is due.

Consider this your official welcome back! Thanks for being here.

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They also break down one of the smartest marketing moments of the World Cup, as Levi’s turned FIFA’s attempt to hide its logo into a viral social media campaign that generated even more attention than traditional sponsorship.

Plus, they gossip what Justin Trudeau’s relationship with Katy Perry says about legacy, leadership, and the growing overlap between celebrity and politics.

In this episode:

• Why Etsy’s anti-Amazon campaign is sparking debate

• Is anti-billionaire branding a smart strategy or a risky one?

• How Levi’s turned a logo cover-up into a viral marketing win

• Gillette’s response to the FIFA rules and whether it was as effective

• Why creative, quick thinking often beats sponsorship dollars

• The difference between creating ads and creating cultural moments

• Justin Trudeau, Katy Perry, and the politics of public image

• Immigration trends in Canada and their potential impact

• Polaroid’s analog, out-of-home, anti-AI campaign hits New York streets

• Kate and Ada’s Rich Girl takes on what today’s brands are getting right

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And don’t forget to follow Branded Assets on Spotify or Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode.

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It was spontaneous. I didn’t put much thought into it in advance. My mom was visiting for a few days to help with our son, and I wanted to use that temporary gift of time wisely. I was tired of constantly picking up my phone and instinctively opening Instagram just because it had become a habit.

I’ve had Instagram notifications turned off for years. My phone doesn’t light up when someone likes a photo, comments on a post, or sends me a message.

Still, opening the app had somehow become a reflex.

When you own your own business, social media can be a powerful tool for getting in front of new audiences and reminding existing ones that you’re still here.

Or at least, that’s how it used to feel. Today, many entrepreneurs, including myself, find it frustrating.

I’ve flirted with leaving Instagram entirely but never gone all the way.

As a marketer whose team supports thought-leadership clients, there’s always a Reel that needs trending audio attached to it or a post that could use amplification. Social media is where people see your work, your perspective, the conferences you’re attending, the campaigns you’ve launched, the things you’re building, and what you care about.

For years, the equation seemed straightforward: You post. People engage. You build community. You grow an audience. Business opportunities follow.

Today, the equation feels different.

Over the last 4-5 years, I’ve watched engagement and discoverability steadily decline on Instagram. Not on my own account, but across the platform as a whole. Even when a video does rack up hundreds of thousands of views, it barely moves the needle on follower growth. Whenever I see an unknown creator’s post blow up, I click through to their profile to see what happened next. Often it’s very little.

Effort and outcome seem increasingly disconnected in the space. And yet, there’s no arguing that awareness is capital for entrepreneurs.

The founder who becomes synonymous with their industry. The creator who turns an audience into a business.

I’ve seen it firsthand in my own career. Clients have discovered Armature through social media. Speaking opportunities and networking invitations have landed in my inbox because someone happened to come across a post at the right moment.

On an early Branded Assets episode, I talked about a new brand called Sleep or Die, founded by Lauren Sudeyko. Her bold visual identity and sexy packaging caught my attention. I don’t know Lauren personally, but many people in my network do, and I’ve been fascinated to watch what happened next.

That post reached more than 200,000 people in just four days. A few months later, she’s moved to Los Angeles and has now raised more than $1 million from investors.

Awareness matters.

What I’ve started questioning isn’t the value of awareness. It’s the price of admission.

Instagram rewards constant presence. When I put time, energy, money, and effort into creating content, I see an uptick in views, impressions, and engagement. When I’m on the app constantly throughout my work day, liking, engaging, and commenting on others’ content, I can easily reach 40,000 or 50,000 views in the last 30 days. For an account with less than 2,000 followers, that’s a decent reach.

But how much of ourselves should we hand over to the algorithm before we decide the exchange rate isn’t worth it anymore?

After Mom returned home and the weekend came to a close, I wasn’t craving that hit. I stopped picking up my phone and mindlessly scrolling through. Something shifted in me. Instagram started to feel more like Facebook - an account I still technically have, but rarely look at and don’t feel compelled to stay long.

The problem? I truly still need it for work.

So, I decided to use my desktop internet browser to login to Instagram during specific and short periods during the work day. Reply to messages or comments. Get in, get out. Do it consciously and with intention. If I needed to post a Branded Assets clip to Stories or help with a client campaign, I’d download the app, do what I needed to and delete it again.

Now, I love a good meme. Relatable parenting moments. Anything that trolls the Trump administration with a sense of humour. (Readers, the Reflection Pool’s algae is back and the American Flag blue paint is already peeling. Can you believe it!?)

After the cortisol spike that comes with getting my kid to bed, sometimes I need a bit of scrolling to release the stress. I have missed that.

I’m not sure it’s social media I’m sick of. I’m sick of caring about it.

I’m sick of wondering whether the Reel I put an hour into creating is going to result in any measurable upside. Sick of feeling pressure to create content that will somehow break through. Sick of spending mental energy on metrics that often feel disconnected from actual business results.

Visibility is absolutely a business asset. But exposure is a personal liability.

As founders, we’re increasingly encouraged to build in public. Share your journey. Tell your story. Show your personality. Let people get to know you.

For women, that line becomes especially blurry.

I’ve found that male entrepreneurs often build authority around ideas. Female founders frequently seem expected to build authority around themselves.

Their face. Their family. Their personality. Their lifestyle. Their appearance.

The line between professional visibility and personal exposure gets blurry, fast. Having a public profile can get you exposure but it’s also exposing - opening you up to judgements, criticisms, malintent, and honestly, the occasional miserable person looking for someone else to blame their issues on.

I’ve spent years sharing small pieces of my life online. Some of those posts have led to opportunities. Many have created meaningful connections that I’m grateful for today. Some have reminded people that I exist when they need marketing support.

All of it comes with a cost. The emotional ROI just isn’t what it used to be.

I’m tired of the pressure to talk about myself, promote myself, and ask people to share my business, like a post, or buy a product. I’m tired of feeling like I need to translate my life into content for any other reason that I just feel like sharing.

I roll my eyes more than I’d like to admit at LinkedIn posts that start with ridiculous statements like “What my toddler taught me about B2B sales”, wellness influencers documenting their “hydration journey” as though they’ve discovered a revolutionary concept. (It’s water. You’re drinking water.), and performative authenticity (“I’m so excited about my new business I just had to pull over on the side of the road and post right away!”).

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Sometimes I wonder whether entrepreneurship now requires building a business, or simply documenting one…

Having said that, I do understand the role visibility plays. I own a marketing agency. I host a podcast. The reality is that I’ll keep using social media.

Awareness still matters, but I’m becoming increasingly protective of my attention, and where I spend my time.

A month later, the “delete then reinstall” method paired with weekday desktop check-ins, is working well enough. But I’m not posting in-feed, which means account views have dropped off. Simultaneously, I have been formalizing a 1:1 Founder Coaching offer and planning a digital product launch, unsure of how to go about promoting when the time comes.

So, the question I’ll continue to ponder is this: How do I leverage the benefits of social attention without surrendering so much of my own?

Maybe someone copied your product. Maybe you received a cease and desist letter. Maybe you’re fundraising and realize your defensibility is thinner than you thought.

In this episode of Branded Assets, I break down the world of intellectual property in plain language, sharing real lessons from building Loba and navigating patents, trademarks, filings, lawyers, timelines, and the realities of enforcement.

You’ll learn:

• The difference between utility patents, design patents, and provisional patents

• What “patent pending” actually means

• How trademarks work and why many names can’t be protected

• Why patents and trademarks don’t automatically stop competitors from copying you

• The real cost, timelines, and challenges of protecting IP

• How intellectual property impacts fundraising, valuation, and credibility

• Common mistakes founders make when approaching patents and trademarks

• What every entrepreneur should understand before investing in IP

I also share the behind-the-scenes story of Loba’s patent and trademark journey, including the surprising reality that some trademark registrations took nearly five years to complete.

Whether you’re building a startup, launching a product, creating a brand, or simply curious about how intellectual property works, this episode offers a practical founder-focused introduction to patents, trademarks, and protection strategy.

Know an entrepreneur, creator, or business owner who should understand the basics of IP? Forward them this episode. It could save them significant time, money, and headaches down the road.

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Then, the conversation shifts to AI and advertising. Why are brands pre-emptively showing behind-the-scenes footage to prove their campaigns were made by humans? From Apple to LEGO to Aerie, brands are now defensively “showing receipts” as audiences become increasingly skeptical of what’s real online. Plus, Kate shares a wild rabbit hole involving a potentially fake AI-generated Toronto fashion boutique.

Finally, the ladies dive into the numbers signalling a shift back to movie theatres. From Wuthering Heights and The Devil Wears Prada 2 to Margot Robbie’s fashion-fuelled press tours and the growing desire for offline experiences, are cinemas seeing pre-COVID levels and growing revenue figures?

Plus:

• The rise of human-first marketing in the AI era

• Wealthsimple’s next moves and the future of trading culture

• KOHO getting into crypto trading

• The latest drama surrounding Lululemon, Chip Wilson, and leadership at the company with the announcement of a new CEO

This episode is part business analysis, part cultural commentary, and part rich girl group chat. Listen now!

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In this solo episode, I break down a perspective that might surprise you.

Despite being a founder and entrepreneur for the past 8 years, I don’t think you should start with being self employed.

Before building two companies, I spent 12 years working inside corporations. From global aviation, to advertising, to marketing in healthcare. I credit that time as the foundation for everything I’ve built since.

This episode is a strategic, behind-the-scenes look at what “working for someone else” actually teaches you. Not tactically, but at a level most founders skip.

In this Branded Assets episode, I share the three biggest lessons I use every day:

• How to influence (in rooms that actually make decisions)

• How to build a team culture people want to be part of

• How to develop strategy that scales beyond guesswork

PLUS:

• Why corporate experience might be the fastest way to learn how businesses actually work

• The financial advantages most people overlook (RRSPs, education, benefits)

• Why this isn’t a binary choice. and never has to be

Plus, a I share thoughts on a community question about how small business owners should think about retirement. Sharing my honest approach to money, financial planning, and building long-term freedom (without the traditional “retire at 65” mindset).

This episode is for you if you’re:

• Early in your career and feeling the pull toward entrepreneurship

• Thinking about leaving corporate, or going back to it

• Trying to build a career that actually supports your life, not the other way around

Because the goal isn’t just financial success. It’s the freedom to make choices!

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We’ve all heard it. We know the stats about how difficult it is for women to raise capital for early-stage startups. It’s almost not worth repeating at this point. There’s an article every week. A panel at every conference.

And the advice is always the same: get in front of as many people as possible. Go to the events. Say yes to the dinners. Take the meetings. Get on the plane. Be everywhere.

Statistically, it makes sense. If 1 in 100 people you meet might have an interest in investing, then it’s a numbers game. Meet 1,000 people, and suddenly you have 10 potential investors. That’s how companies get funded. That’s how momentum builds.

So you show up. You put yourself in the rooms. You say yes. The most successful start-up founders do just that.

In a recent podcast episode, I sat down with publicist Sarah Mawji from Venture Strategies to talk about how we used PR to build visibility for my wellness tech startup, Loba.

We were discussing what it actually takes for early-stage founders to get seen, and how as women we’re exposing ourselves differently than male founder counterparts.

I shared a blatantly inappropriate interaction I had with angel investor who when introduced to me, said he had two wives and was looking for a third if I wanted to talk about my business.

As I’ve been thinking about it since, something else started to surface for me. Series of moments I shrugged off, or simply moved past without much analysis, started to feel less like isolated incidents and more like part of a pattern I hadn’t fully named.

There was also that happy hour I agreed to, where halfway through I could feel the conversation shift. What had started as a professional meeting slowly revealed itself to be something else entirely, with subtle questions about my personal life and whether I was seeing anyone.

Or a Facetime meeting with a man who was wearing short-shorts, which I should never have known about but became aware of when he turned the camera around to his lap to show me a product he was holding. Awkward but, okay… until followed by the comments on how nice my manicure was. How he had been dating someone who didn’t take care of hers and had found that unattractive. How he appreciated a woman who did.

Individually, each of these moments is almost easy to file away. Uncomfortable, yes. Bizarre, yes. But not necessarily something you stop to interrogate further. Yet something about my conversation with Sarah made them resurface differently for me. Not as anecdotes, but as data points.

After sharing on the podcast, I received a number of messages from friends and listeners. Some were surprised, others horrified, with women saying they had similar stories. And it made me realize this topic deserved more space. Because there’s lots to unpack here.

Before I had a chance to release the episode, this LinkedIn Post came up in my feed. Take a moment to read it, and meet me on the other side:

Sydney Robinson is talking about a very real problem here.

Personally, I’ve been less concerned about “how it looks” and more concerned about my time being wasted if I learn intentions are anything other than to evaluate an investment opportunity.

Because each of those meetings costs me something. An hour here. An evening there. The mental load of preparing, showing up, staying sharp. And then the added layer of recalibrating in real time when you realize the dynamic isn’t what you expected.

Do you redirect the conversation? Do you exit early? Do you stay polite and see it through?

All of that is energy that doesn’t go back into the business.

Not to mention that I likely paid a babysitter $100 for me to be there, or left my partner home alone another night with a 6 month old, him carrying the load of childcare and another debit made in our “relationship account” that I need to find energy to deposit a “credit” in later.

The comments on that LinkedIn post mentioned the term “invisible constraint”.

And honestly, that’s perfect language to use. Because it’s something I don’t see men thinking about, let alone spend any amount of energy on when they’re raising for their own companies.

There’s no extra calculation. No background processing running. For them there’s just the meeting! Just the opportunity!

For women, it is rarely just that.

There is an additional filter applied to every interaction, an ongoing assessment that becomes so normalized it almost disappears into the background.

It’s taken me this long to even process these interactions and the invisible tax of it all in my own mind.

But it is still there, quietly shaping decisions about which opportunities to pursue, which rooms to enter, and how often you’re willing to put yourself in situations that may or may not be what they initially appear to be.

So, another drain of energy. And another waste of time, as every meeting with someone like that could have been time spent with someone worthwhile.

When we talk about women getting access to capital, we tend to focus on the visible barriers - the pitch opportunities, warm introductions or who gets into the room. But there’s a layer underneath that.

This isn’t something that shows up in funding reports or diversity statistics, but it does have a real impact on how the process unfolds.

If the primary advice for raising capital is to maximize the number of interactions, and the quality and intent of those interactions are uneven, then the playing field is not as level as it might seem even when we do get the opportunity to be in the right room.

None of this is to suggest that women should opt out of the process, or that meaningful connections aren’t being made every day. They are.

There are so many men I’ve interacted with during this process that felt safe, authentic, and whom I have ongoing friendships and mentorships with to this day.

But if we’re serious about understanding why access to capital remains unequal, it requires looking beyond the surface-level advice and acknowledging the less visible dynamics that shape how that advice plays out in practice.

I wonder if this is part of why we’ve seen founding teams with a mix of genders raising more capital than they used to. It’s a good news story that woman at least are on these founding teams! But solo female founders haven’t been receiving more capital than they used to. In fact, it’s been quite stagnant.

We need a more honest conversation about what networking actually entails, and who, exactly, is paying the hidden costs of playing that game.

I don’t have the answer at the moment. There are many things about being a woman in this world I don’t yet know how to navigate. Maybe someone smarter than me will figure it out a few generations from now.

What I do know is that society is missing out on billions of dollars of opportunity, better cash flow efficiencies, higher profitability and more money going back into communities from female founders being at the helm.

Honest conversations surely must be a good place to start.

First, Sephora enters Formula 1 through a partnership with F1 Academy, and it’s not just about beauty. With women now making up a growing share of the F1 fanbase, this move signals a much bigger shift in where brands are finding relevance, influence, and future growth.

Then, Nike teams up with Louis Theroux to promote Air Max, just days before his “Manosphere” documentary drops on Netflix. We unpack whether Nike is trolling internet masculinity culture… or mastering attention in real time.

And finally, Quince quietly builds a $10+ billion brand by rethinking luxury altogether. With a manufacturer-to-consumer model, “luxury for less” positioning, and lawsuits from legacy brands piling up, we get into what their rise says about consumer behaviour, brand value, and the future of fashion.

Plus, we get into:

• The “Netflix effect” and how entertainment is reshaping entire industries

• Why masculinity has become a branding battleground

• The psychology behind scarcity, dupes, and Gen Z spending habits

• And the subtle shift from brand obsession → value obsession

This episode is a fun one all about brands that know exactly where culture is going next.

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When I was raising for Loba, I kept hearing the same thing: “You’re everywhere.”

But behind that perception wasn’t a big budget, it was a strategic (and relentless) push for visibility.

In this episode, I sit down with PR strategist Sarah Mawji of Venture Strategies to unpack what actually goes into building that kind of momentum during a fundraise.

Using Loba as a case study, we break down:

• The PR and media strategies that helped build credibility without a big spend

• How to use earned media to get in front of the right investors

• Why smaller publications can sometimes drive more results than major headlines

• And what founders should be doing before they start raising

But this conversation goes beyond strategy.

I also share the side of fundraising that rarely gets talked about:

• Taking investor meetings while postpartum and running on adrenaline

• The pressure to constantly be “on” — pitching, posting, showing up

• Being told to get out there and network… while navigating inappropriate behaviour from male investors and wasted meetings

• And the reality that you can be “everywhere”, and still not close the round

We talk about burnout, visibility fatigue, and the mental toll of building in public, alongside the unexpected upside: confidence, clarity, and growth.

If you’re preparing for a raise, in the middle of one, or reflecting on the process, this episode will give you both the strategy and the reality check.

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After 15 years in marketing and eight years running my own agency, I share why so many founders skip strategy, jump straight to visuals, and end up building brands on vibes instead of clarity.

From the “canvification of brands” to logos made in Microsoft Word, this episode is a candid look at what happens when convenience replaces intention.

You’ll learn:

• What a brand is not

• Why brand strategy is a strategic asset, not a nice-to-have

• How a strong brand makes hiring, partnerships, marketing, and scaling easier

• The real difference between brand strategy and visual identity

• Why skipping this work early will cost you more later

We walk through my own early-stage approach, from validating market demand and defining the problem to researching materials, manufacturing, and competitive positioning.

If you’re sitting on an idea and feeling overwhelmed about intellectual property, this section of the pod is for you.

Whether you’re a startup founder, small business owner, or creative building something new, this episode is a reminder that your brand is the emotional connection people form with you over time. And that connection starts with clarity, not Canva.

If you’re interested in joining the waitlist for our upcoming Brand Strategy Workbook, visit armaturecollective.com and scroll to “Get the Brand Workbook.”

Subscribe, leave a review, and share your biggest takeaway. The early support for Branded Assets means more than you know.

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They cover:

• Kindred’s $125M raise and the rise of home swapping as consumers shift from ownership to access

• Frida’s resurfaced marketing controversy and what it reveals about brand longevity, cultural shifts, and crisis response

• The rise of experiential retail — from Aritzia’s massive new Vancouver flagship to Netflix’s move into real-world “Netflix House” experiences

• Why brands are investing in IRL experiences as digital fatigue hits a tipping point

Plus, in the “brands we’re watching” segment:

• The risks and rise of prediction markets like Polymarket

• And why MrBeast entering financial services might signal a much bigger shift

This episode explores the intersection of consumer behaviour, brand strategy, and cultural power—and what it all means for the future of business.

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If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to follow Branded Assets on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube, and share it with someone who’s building, investing, or simply paying attention.

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In this solo episode of Branded Assets, I break down why celebrity alone is no longer enough to build a successful brand. From Hailey Bieber’s billion-dollar Rhode exit to the quiet shutdown of Kim Kardashian’s SKKN by Kim and the struggles facing brands like Fenty and Good Clean Goop, the reality is clear: fame may open doors, but it doesn’t build loyalty.

We explore why so many celebrity consumer brands are failing despite massive audiences and marketing budgets.

I also shares what actually drives brand success today, including product quality, authenticity, audience alignment, and strong execution.

Plus, in this episode’s community question, I answers a common founder concern: How do you share a startup idea without worrying someone will steal it? I attempt to explain how trademarks, patents, and NDAs work in practice ,and why execution matters far more than protecting the idea itself.

If you’re a founder, marketer, or brand builder navigating today’s attention economy, this episode breaks down the real lessons behind celebrity-driven businesses.

In this episode:

• Why celebrity brands are becoming oversaturated

• The difference between hype and sustainable brand building

• What Rhode did right compared to other celebrity brands

• Why brands like SKKN by Kim and Good Clean Goop struggled

• The real drivers of loyalty in consumer products today How founders can protect their ideas while still building publicly

Key Takeaway:

Celebrity opens the door. But authenticity, product quality, and brand story are what keep customers coming back.

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Subscribe today for more insights on brand strategy, modern wealth, and the business behind cultural moments:

Subscribe now

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This week, we’re asking:

• Is analog officially the new luxury flex?

• Are Kate’s Bumble shares ever recovering… or is it time to cut losses?

• And are brands still selling through influencers — or is the real action happening in the group chat?

• From Porsche’s hand-illustrated holiday campaign to Hermès and Valentino leaning into human craft over AI, we unpack why luxury brands are distancing themselves from “AI slop” and why scarcity, effort, and energy might be the new status symbols.

• Then we get into Bumble’s 90%+ stock drop, Whitney Wolfe Herd’s return, dating fatigue, and the cultural shifts impacting modern relationships. Is this a product problem… or a culture problem?

We also break down:

• Why influencer marketing isn’t converting like it used to

• The rise of affiliate partnerships and referral codes

• How Reddit threads, mom groups, Slack chats, and private DMs are quietly driving real revenue

• Why brands need to double down on customer service and social listening
  

Plus:

• The Shay Mitchell skincare controversy and what it teaches us about brand positioning

• The trad wife era, soft girl energy, and what women might actually be striving for in 2026

• Brands on our radar: Sleep or Die and Wealthsimple’s $750M marketing blitz
  

Smart. Opinionated.
Think dirty martinis at midnight, but make it brand strategy.

Welcome to the Rich Girl Rundown.

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No trust fund. No tech-bro boyfriend. Just a mortgage, hard-earned equity, and the courage to take a real risk.

I walk through the transition from corporate into entrepreneurship, the life changes that forced me to reassess everything, and the decision to remortgage my condo to fund the early stages of Loba. I breaks down not just what I did, but what I stood to lose in the process.

This episode pulls back the curtain on the financial realities founders rarely talk about — lifestyle trade-offs, personal guarantees, debt, and knowing when you’ve reached the edge of your risk tolerance.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How real estate equity helped fund my startups

• The risks behind remortgaging a home to build a business

• Why lifestyle and obligations matter when taking financial bets

• How to think through worst-case scenarios before you leap

• When to spend money, incorporate, and seek professional advice

This is a story about courage, calculated risk, and using what you already have to build something new, even when the outcome isn’t guaranteed.

Pull up a chair. Let’s talk about the bets no one sees.

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We’re going behind the scenes of 15+ years in advertising and branding, and the rollercoaster journey of launching a wellness tech startup, Loba — raising hundreds of thousands, investing my own capital, pitching while pregnant and postpartum, and navigating the world of venture capital, funding, media, and the messy middle no one warns you about.

This episode is honest, personal, and a bit vulnerable, including a look at the lessons I wishes she’d known earlier, and the experiences that shaped everything the Branded Assets podcast stands for.

If you’ve ever felt like the world of finance, investing, power moves, or startup culture wasn’t built with you in mind… this podcast is for you.

Consider this your invitation to take a seat at the table.

In this teaser episode:

• The story behind Branded Assets

• Why I hesitated to start a podcast

• Why these conversations matter for women — now more than ever

• What you can expect from Season 1

Branded Assets is here to demystify the business world for women — and make these conversations feel as normal as discussing fashion or reality-TV gossip.

Thanks for being here. I’m so glad you joined us.

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