Badass Bitches in Brand

Debbie Millman is quite possibly the baddest bitch in brand.If you know design, you know Debbie.Designer, author, educator, artist, brand consultant and business leader, Debbie has spent more than four decades shaping the creative industry. She's one of only five women in the 100-year history of AIGA to serve as President, the Editorial Director of Print Magazine, Chair and co-founder of the Masters in Branding program at the School of Visual Arts, and the author of eight books.She's best known as the creator and host of Design Matters—one of the world's longest-running podcasts. For more than 21 years, she's interviewed over 700 of the world's greatest creative minds, earning a reputation as one of the best interviewers in the world.Somehow, the day we recorded this chat i managed to strike up the courage to find my inner bad bitch and flip the mic to interview her.In this conversation, we go on an eras tour through Debbie's incredible 40-year career. We talk ambition, identity, creativity, burnout, success, failure, reinvention, and what it really takes to build a meaningful creative life.There's one thing Debbie is famous for saying:"Anything worthwhile takes a really long time."It's a line I think about often.Debbie started Design Matters because she was burnt out and looking for a creative outlet beyond her day job. She had no idea it would become one of the most influential design podcasts in the world.I think that's the biggest lesson this whole journey has taught me.Your career doesn't have to fulfil every part of who you are. Sometimes the most meaningful thing you'll build exists alongside it.For me, that's been Badass Bitches in Brand. And if this podcast has reminded even one person they're not alone, then it's been worth every second.Before I hand you over to Debbie, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for listening, for sharing these conversations, and to every incredible woman who's trusted me with her story. I look forward to chatting to you all again next season.From one badass bitch to another... please welcome Debbie Millman.ShownotesListen to Design MattersOne of the world's longest-running and most influential podcasts, hosted by Debbie Millman.https://designmattersmedia.com/Follow Debbie MillmanKeep up with Debbie's latest work, writing, artwork and podcast updates.https://www.instagram.com/debbiemillman/Explore PRINT MagazineRead Debbie's latest articles and conversations on design, creativity and culture.https://www.printmag.com/Watch Debbie's TED TalksFrom branding and creativity to finding meaning through design.https://www.ted.com/speakers/debbie_millmanRead Debbie's BooksExplore Debbie's books on design, branding, creativity and life.https://debbiemillman.com/books-writing/

Emily Sneddon is a former Coles checkout chick, part-time investigative journalist, and a designer so good that, at the age of four, her preschool ripped off one of her drawings and made it their very own logo.And who says people don’t value real design?If you know Em, you’ll know exactly what I mean when I say she’s the biggest ray of sunshine. Full of wit, all heart, and fuelled by a genuine passion for making beautiful graphics.Em’s career journey is about as non-linear as they come.Without giving too much away, it starts in Newcastle, takes a wild four-month detour to Mexico for an internship, and eventually lands in Sydney, where she found her feet at some of the best studios in the game, including RE and Christopher Doyle & Co.Then, like a lot of people, Emily lost her job during COVID.Faced with uncertainty, she found the courage to back herself and take a shot at a role she never thought she’d get a look-in for.And sure enough, ten interviews later, she landed a Senior Designer role at COLLINS in San Francisco where she rose to Design Director after almost 4 years —an opportunity that changed her life forever. ❤️In this episode, I sit down with Em to pick her brain about her creative process and the lessons she’s learned from some of the industry’s greats along the way.We talk about going deep on an idea. Following your curiosity. Getting lost in the work.And trusting that sometimes you have to disappear into the process to come back with something worth keeping.We also kick off my new favourite BABIB segment: Hot Chicks Make Fonts™.A segment I built specifically so we could talk about Em’s first typeface, Fran Sans.A love letter to San Francisco, Fran Sans started as a simple idea and quickly spiralled into a full-blown investigation of train nerd culture, all because Em wanted to make something that didn’t exist yet.And that’s what this episode is really about. The beauty of making things. Seeing where they take you. Making your dreams happen.Because sometimes the thing that changes your life starts as one tiny spark of curiosity.Thanks for joining me Em xSHOWNOTESFollow or get in touch with Emily Sneddon on https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilysneddon/Websitehttps://emilysneddon.com/Fran Sans Font & Journey Essayhttps://emilysneddon.com/fran-sans-essayhttps://emilysneddon.com/fransansCOLLINShttps://wearecollins.com/

Erin is an Australian writer, producer, Walkley-nominated documentary filmmaker, and co-founder of Entropico, a global production company and creative studio built on finding and fostering exciting, diverse voices across in entertainment and advertising.She’s also the co-founder of WOOM, the startup fighting period shame, empowering workplaces, and making period care more accessible.If that wasn’t enough, Erin was also the writer and producer of the 2023 Netflix film ONEFOUR: Against All Odds — a documentary that follows the rise of western Sydney-based drill rap group ONEFOUR.In this episode, we get into Erin’s career journey — from music journalist making film clips with friends on the side, to building Entropico from her literal living room floor, all the way to being named Production Agency of the Year at last year's 2025 B&T Awards.We talk about the lessons she’s learned growing the agency, what it was really like taking on the ambitious challenge of producing a Netflix film, what she actually looks for when repping new talent, and why sometimes you shouldn’t aim for first, but second best.What I love most about Erin is how humble and chill she is. You can tell she’s the kind of producer you’d always want bringing your work to life.She has a genuine ability to see something special in creative people and a real passion for helping diverse stories be told in ways that enrich culture.Through Entropico, she’s creating space for new voices to actually shape the industry - not just exist within it.We need more BABIBs like Erin at the helm, and I can’t wait to see more women like her shine.SHOWNOTESFollow Erinhttps://entropico.com.au/https://erinmoy.com.au/Watch One Four; Against All Odds on Netflixhttps://www.netflix.com/au/title/81485425

You know those mates who, the second you show even a hint of self-doubt, just knock it out of you?That’s my girl, Amy Fraser.Amy has spent 15+ years scaling brands and communities globally, from founding OK Real, a New York–based mentorship platform with global reach and partnerships including TED, Nike, Mattel, and The Washington Post.She then went on to help build Diem, a social search engine powered by inclusive AI. Today, she works as a fractional CMO, advising startups on go-to-market strategy and community-led growth.She’s a natural-born hustler who does a bit of everything - and does it fucking brilliantly.In this episode, we get into Amy’s career journey, on how she realised agency life wasn't for her after getting her first role as an account exec, from how she backed herself by surrounding herself with the right people, the power of asking for help, and how to get out of your own head long enough to actually do it. We also talk about moving past the cringe of building a personal brand and putting yourself out there.So if you’ve got an idea, a brand, a business, or you just need a push to back yourself and reach out to people who might actually help you, I think this one will hit.I’ll be honest, I brought Amy on a little selfishly. When you’re building something, it’s easy to spiral, to not be filled with self-doubt and cringe when putting yourself out there, to to be honest - feel like you’re failing all the time. This was exactly the conversation I needed. I hope it’s what you need too. 🖤SHOWNOTESAmy websitehttps://www.amyfraser.co/Follow Amy on https://www.instagram.com/fr.amy/

Introducing the voice behind the enigma that is Cat Wall.Cat Wall is an independent copy director based in Naarm, and the woman single-handedly responsible for writing a headline so good I purchased 3 lasagnes that i did not need and some of Australia's most distinct and celebrated brand voices such as Dinner Ladies, Nala, Good Pair Days, Tsu Lange Yor.Oh, and a metre-long hotdog. Yes, really.Cat made the rather unusual switch from designer to copywriter on the back of a creative director saying "just give it a go" — and she hasn't looked back since.We also go behind the scenes on Cat’s writing process — and yes, I asked her about twenty-one questions about it.Like, why is it important to say the quiet thing we’re all feeling out loud? How do you still say it beautifully when you only have three to eight words?And how do you name a metre-long hotdog and write toilet product copy in the same 8 hours without the brand voices blurring together?We tackle the age-old question every studio wrestles with: When is the right time to bring a writer into a project? And, of course, we address the AI-sized elephant in every writer’s room. Cat is truly one of a kind, and I’m so grateful she shared so openly in this episode. I hope everyone listening walks away with a deeper appreciation for the craft — and the emotional depth — behind the words writers pour their souls into to make people feel something about brands.This episode is for every writer, every creative, every person who has ever felt like they have nothing worthwhile to say.Cat gets it. And I think after this one, you will too.

Joining me on the pod this ep are two of my favourite industry gals the I now can’t live without -  Rebecca Jarvie Gibbs, COO and co-founder of the earned-led culture agency Example, and Adelle Chang, Business + Design Director at Creatik Design. In this episode, we’re unpacking burnout, hustle culture, the girlboss hangover…. and what it really takes to redefine ambition without burning yourself to the ground.I recently read a piece by the brilliant Zoe Scaman about how our industry’s structure can quietly push women toward burnout, not because we’re not tough enough, but because the expectations can be genuinely unsustainable - and it got me thinking a lot. So in this episode, we sit down and get into the big question I feel like so many of us are quietly asking right now: why do we work like this?Where’s the line between loving what you do and slowly burning yourself to the ground?Where did this pace come from, is this the girlboss era hangover? who does it benefit - and is it actually sustainable?Bec opens up about her burnout journey as an agency owner, and how it collided with her new role as a mum when her son Otis was born. She goes into what it took to rebuild her relationship with work from the ground up, and why she’s on a mission to help as many women as she can redefine their ambition without losing themselves.And Adelle shares what it’s like when your health forces you to rewrite the plan and shares some gems on how she’s trying to figure out how to create boundaries as a working mum of three in our industry while still staying ambitious.Most importantly, we dig into what doing it differently can actually look like - for ourselves, for each other, and for the next generation of women coming up behind us.So if you’ve been feeling tired in your bones… if you’re a people pleaser who struggles to hold any type of boundary (hi, its me)… and you’re craving a version of success that doesn’t cost you your health or your career than you love, then this one if for you.🎧 Linkin bio.SHOWNOTESRebecca Jarvie-Gibbs Podcasthttps://open.spotify.com/show/5NQ2Hm7wp3nxpC6qrPhipbExample Agencyhttps://www.weareexample.com/Rebecca Linked Inhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-jarvie-gibbs-6009a531/Adelle Chang Linked Inhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/adelle-chang-188a2a85/Creatikhttps://www.creatik.com.au/Zoe Scaman Article 'the stories we need now'https://zoescaman.substack.com/p/the-stories-we-need-now

My first guest of BABIB 2026 needs no introduction.I was so happy to kick off the year with the badass energy it deserves - by sitting down with my gal,  a total grade A BABIB Gemma Rees, Managing Partner / Founder of FABRIC, to unpack the dark arts of account service.Let’s be real, If there’s one group in our industry that rarely gets the credit they deserve, it’s accounts. The so-called “suits”. The problem-solvers. The ones navigating the clients and creatives, the special personalities and pressures, the budgets and big ideas. All while keeping the wheels turning and asking the right questions along the way while building relationships that keeps the work going and the wheels spinning. Or as Gem coins it perfectly, the ‘therapists with a deadline’.   In this episode, we dive into Gem’s wild, non-linear career journey across account leadership – which is as chaotic, unexpected, and inspiring as they come. We talk about where the origin story behind “the suit” and how wrong it actually kind of it, how to antagonise a brief in the right way to get the best creative work, and what great problem-solving really looks like as a good account service leader when the pressure is on.Gem also breaks down how she immerses herself in her clients’ worlds and the ingredients that separate good account people from the truly indispensable ones. She also shares some genuinely incredible advice for anyone in – or aspiring to – kick it in account leadership.Not going to lie, things get a little silly in this one - so go easy on us. We don’t know what was in the air the day we recorded it, but if you’ve ever been in a room with Gem and me, this will make sense. Recorded in the final week of the year, we fully lost the plot. Lean in and laugh. That’s my completely unsolicited 2026 hot tip.This ep is for or every account person who’s ever felt unseen or overwhelmed. We see you. You’re doing the most and, And let’s be real… the wheels wouldn’t spin without you. 🖤

If you don’t know Beth O’Brien yet, you’re about to fall in love. South Island-raised, Aotearoa-made, self-described shower ideator, Jurassic Park obsessed, politics nerd – and a proudly neurodivergent Creative Director with a brain that works in the most brilliant ways. Beth started as a Colenso intern, learned the craft from the ground up, then took her unique way of thinking global through Droga5 and R/GA in New York and Sydney. She’s helped make seriously culture-shifting work and collected a suite of awards along the way – including New Zealand’s first D&AD Black Pencil and a Cannes Titanium Grand Prix. While in New York she also created Role Models for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, which was hailed by The New York Times as "a masterpiece of political advertising"All of that experience has led her to build something of her own. This year she co-founded Princess alongside three of her great mates, Jonny Berger, Cameron Bell and Sam Dickson, helping brands become a category of one – and unlocking hard-to-find growth through creativity. This chat gets into Beth’s story, from growing up in a small town and figuring out how to fit in, to the art teacher who clocked her creative problem-solving brilliance early on, and those Colenso years where her style of thinking was celebrated as a gift. We also talk carving your own path when the expected one doesn’t fit, moving through creative block, and finding your rhythm as a neurodivergent creative. The 2024 Never Not Creative Mentally-Healthy survey found 10.3% of the ad industry report a diagnosed neurodivergence, rising to 17% in creative and design roles. Beth is living proof of what’s possible when we build better systems and environments for different brains to thrive. What I love most about Beth is her steady sense of self and how humble she is about everything she’s achieved. She knows who she is and celebrates it, she’s worked incredibly hard to get where she is and she’s just as determined to help carve that path for other women too.  The future of our industry feels bright with Princesses like Beth running the show – and I can’t wait to see more of what they create.  LINKS Princess A Creative Company https://www.princess-acc.com/  Linked Inhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/princess-a-creative-company/posts/?feedView=all Connect with Beth  https://www.linkedin.com/in/beth-o-brien-220a375a/  Instagram https://www.instagram.com/princess_acreativecompany  Hilary Clinton Role Models Campaign https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrX3Ql31URA