In Real Time with Millie

She’s been building businesses since she was 17. So what does it actually take to go from a loan from her dad to Shark Tank, and then to launching brands in two of the toughest categories out there?
Briella joins me on In Real Time with Millie to talk about building Blay, her brand changing how we talk about women’s health and perimenopause. We get into why she walked away from an on-air Shark Tank deal, why Blay spent two years building a science advisory board before launch, and what happened when TGA rules and Meta ad bans got in the way. We also touch on K Juliet, her new brand with creator Chloe.
If you’re building a brand in a regulated category, pull up a chair.
✨ Connect with Briella Brown ✨
Instagram:    briellabrown
Website: https://www.biolae.com.au
 
✨ Connect with Kaarme ✨
Käärme Jewels:   / kaarmejewels  
In Real Time with Millie, the podcast:   / inrealtimewithmillie  
Millie:   / millie.kaarmejewels  
 
✨ Wanting to scale your brand? ✨
Ecommerce Equation is where its at: https://ecommerceequation.com.au/inre...
 
Subscribe for honest conversations about building a business while you’re still in the thick of it, and tell us in the comments: what’s been harder for your brand, finding the right product or getting it in front of the right people?
 
#InRealTimeWithMillie #BriellaBrown #Ecommerce
 

Grab a wine, Coffee or cup of tea.... Hot takes with Millie has begun! 
✨ Connect with Kaarme ✨
Käärme Jewels: https://www.instagram.com/kaarmejewelsIn Real Time with Millie, the podcast: https://www.instagram.com/inrealtimewithmillieMillie: https://www.instagram.com/millie.kaarmejewels/
✨ Wanting to scale your brand? ✨ Ecommerce Equation is where its at:https://ecommerceequation.com.au/inrealtimewithmillie 

Welcome to the new In Real Time studio!
Millie shares a Kaarme team update and what this year taught her about leadership. Then she breaks down her full Q4 plan: early Black Friday access for her community, A, B and C launches, and why the real win is what you plan after Black Friday.
✨ Connect with Kaarme ✨
Käärme Jewels: https://www.instagram.com/kaarmejewelsIn Real Time with Millie, the podcast: https://www.instagram.com/inrealtimewithmillieMillie: https://www.instagram.com/millie.kaarmejewels/
✨ Wanting to scale your brand? ✨ Ecommerce Equation is where its at:https://ecommerceequation.com.au/inrealtimewithmillie 

Olivia Jean started selling bags at 15, packing orders and walking them to the post office after school. Years later, she had a bestselling Rover tote, a growing TikTok audience and a business that still wasn’t growing the way she wanted.
In this episode of In Real Time with Millie, I’m talking with Olivia about building a bag brand from her bedroom, finding her hero product and learning that views don’t automatically turn into sales. We get into the months the Rover tote was sold out, taking control of her ads, creating content that shows what a product actually does and giving new launches time to find their people.
Olivia is honest about the decisions behind the growth, including the ones she’d make differently now. If you’re building a product-based business, this one’s for you, queen.
✨ Connect with Olivia Jean ✨
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/byoliviajean/Website: https://oliviajean.com.au/
✨ Connect with Kaarme ✨
Käärme Jewels: https://www.instagram.com/kaarmejewelsIn Real Time with Millie, the podcast: https://www.instagram.com/inrealtimewithmillieMillie: https://www.instagram.com/millie.kaarmejewels/
✨ Wanting to scale your brand? ✨ Ecommerce Equation is where its at:https://ecommerceequation.com.au/inrealtimewithmillie 
If you enjoyed the episode, follow the show and leave a review. It helps more founders find these conversations.

What if the smartest thing you could do for your business was stop chasing what looks successful and start listening to what genuinely feels right?
In this episode of In Real Time with Millie, Millie sits down with actress, entrepreneur and Pass Around the Smile founder Cleo Massey for an honest conversation about building a business through authenticity, intuition and genuine human connection.
Cleo shares how she moved beyond the identity and pressures of the acting industry, followed the unexpected pull toward spirituality and transformed a personal blog into the thriving Pass Around the Smile community.
Together, Millie and Cleo explore the realities of comparison, people-pleasing, scaling a purpose-led business and learning to prioritise peace without abandoning your financial goals. They also unpack why community cannot be manufactured, how to distinguish intuition from fear and why chasing the wrong audience, partnership or version of success will only take you further away from yourself.
In this episode:
Why Cleo walked away from the identity she had held since childhood
Building a loyal community through consistency and real connection
The danger of chasing “cool” customers, brands and opportunities
Choosing heart over money without undervaluing your business
Setting boundaries when your personal brand relies on access to you
Navigating comparison, rejection and self-doubt
How to tell the difference between intuition and fear
Why loosening your grip can create better opportunities
Building and scaling a business without sacrificing its soul
If you’ve been second-guessing your next move, forcing a strategy that doesn’t feel right or measuring your progress against somebody else’s business, this conversation is your permission to pause and come back to yourself.
✨ Connect with Cleo ✨
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cleomasseyWebsite: https://www.cleomassey.com/Pass Around the Smile: https://passaroundthesmile.com/
✨ Connect with Kaarme ✨
Käärme Jewels: https://www.instagram.com/kaarmejewelsIn Real Time with Millie, the podcast: https://www.instagram.com/inrealtimewithmillieMillie: https://www.instagram.com/millie.kaarmejewels/
✨ Wanting to scale your brand? ✨ Ecommerce Equation is where its at:https://ecommerceequation.com.au/inrealtimewithmillie 

Alli and Heath didn’t have a website, a business plan or even a separate bank account. What they did have was a leather bag people couldn’t stop buying.
In this episode of In Real Time with Millie, I sit down with the founders of Sesa Studios to unpack how an unexpected Christmas sell-out became a fast-growing Australian fashion brand.
We get into the realities nobody glamorises: manufacturing delays, cash flow, setting launch dates before the stock exists, reinvesting every dollar, learning Meta ads and building a business while working full-time.
Alli and Heath also share what it’s really like building a brand as a couple, with Alli leading the creative direction and Heath bringing the structure, data and strategy.
Plus, we talk about why creative founders get bored with their bestselling products far too quickly, what it takes to prepare for genuine growth and the question every founder needs to ask: if Beyoncé posted your product tomorrow, could your business actually handle it?
An honest, hilarious and refreshingly real conversation about starting before you feel ready, navigating the inevitable breakdowns and continuing to back the product that’s already working.
✨ Connect with Sesa Studios ✨
Sesa Studios Instagram: @sesa.studiosWebsite: sesastudios.com.au
✨ Connect with Kaarme ✨
Käärme Jewels: https://www.instagram.com/kaarmejewelsIn Real Time with Millie, the podcast: https://www.instagram.com/inrealtimewithmillieMillie: https://www.instagram.com/millie.kaarmejewels/
✨ Wanting to scale your brand? ✨ Ecommerce Equation is where its at:https://ecommerceequation.com.au/inrealtimewithmillie 

I’m back with a solo episode, queens, and we have a LOT to catch up on.
I’m sharing the honest reality of building Kaarme through a season of huge growth, constant change and a little bit of founder burnout. We’re talking about protecting your creativity, putting the right people and systems in place, learning to delegate, and accepting that a business can be successful and still feel fucking hard.
I’m also answering your questions about paid influencers, product launches that flop, comparison, reinvesting in your business, becoming a boss, dating while building a brand, whether I would ever sell Kaarme, and where I see this beautiful beast in five years.
This is business in real time. No polished success story. Just the lessons, chaos, big dreams and honest conversations happening while I’m still in the middle of it.
If you loved this episode, follow the podcast, leave a review and share it with a queen who needs to hear that she is not the only one finding business hard right now.
✨ Connect with Kaarme ✨
Käärme Jewels: https://www.instagram.com/kaarmejewelsIn Real Time with Millie, the podcast: https://www.instagram.com/inrealtimewithmillieMillie: https://www.instagram.com/millie.kaarmejewels/
✨ Wanting to scale your brand? ✨ Ecommerce Equation is where its at:https://ecommerceequation.com.au/inrealtimewithmillie 

What’s the difference between using a trend strategically and simply copying what every other brand is doing?
This week, Millie sits down with fashion trend, colour and design strategist Rachel Ussher for a raw, gin-fuelled chat about fashion, creativity and building a brand people can recognise without even seeing the label.
With more than 20 years of experience across fashion design, brand ownership, Cotton On Group and trend strategy, Rachel knows how to cut through the noise and turn global trends into products that actually make sense for your brand and your customer.
They unpack why blindly following trends is one of the fastest ways to lose your brand identity, how to use data without killing your creativity, and why every decision should be filtered through your brand DNA. Rachel also shares what’s coming next in fashion, from ’80s-inspired silhouettes and unexpected colour combinations to the return of craftsmanship, artistry and intentional design.
Plus, Millie gets honest about Kaarme’s wins, flops and the products she knew in her gut weren’t quite right.
If you’re a founder, designer or creative trying to build something distinctive in a sea of sameness, this episode will remind you that your greatest advantage is your own creative fingerprint.
✨ Connect with Rachel ✨
Rachel Ussher: @rachel.ussherWebsite: https://www.rachelussher.com/
✨ Connect with Kaarme ✨
Käärme Jewels: https://www.instagram.com/kaarmejewelsIn Real Time with Millie, the podcast: https://www.instagram.com/inrealtimewithmillieMillie: https://www.instagram.com/millie.kaarmejewels/
✨ Wanting to scale your brand? ✨ Ecommerce Equation is where its at:https://ecommerceequation.com.au/inrealtimewithmillie 
Love the episode? Follow In Real Time, share it with a founder who needs to stop chasing every shiny new trend, and leave a review so we can keep bringing you more unfiltered conversations with incredible guests!

Millie finally gets her longtime friend and unofficial marketing oracle, Taren Anderson, behind the mic. With more than a decade of experience marketing some of Australia’s biggest beauty brands, Taren is usually the woman behind the scenes helping brands grow, rebrand and figure out what the fuck they’re actually doing.
Over a bottle of chilled red, they unpack what makes great marketing work, from balancing data with gut instinct to setting realistic revenue goals and creating a Black Friday strategy that doesn’t destroy your profit margin.
They also get into knowing your numbers, building a team that can operate without everything living inside the founder’s head, why brands need to stop throwing their entire budget at Meta, and the power of strong storytelling, creative differentiation and genuine customer connection.
Whether you’re planning your next launch, preparing for Black Friday or wondering why your marketing isn’t hitting like it used to, this episode is packed with honest insights you can actually use.
No gatekeeping or polished marketing bull. Just two gals talking business, beauty and what it really takes to build a brand people give a shit about.
✨ Connect with Taren ✨
Tren Anderson: @tarenanderson
✨ Connect with Kaarme ✨
Käärme Jewels: https://www.instagram.com/kaarmejewelsIn Real Time with Millie, the podcast: https://www.instagram.com/inrealtimewithmillieMillie: https://www.instagram.com/millie.kaarmejewels/✨ Wanting to scale your brand? ✨ Ecommerce Equation is where its at:https://ecommerceequation.com.au/inrealtimewithmillie 
 

In this episode of In Real Time, Millie sits down with Tahni, founder of Chilli & Charli, one of Australia’s fastest-growing bamboo sleepwear brands.
Tahni launched the business in late 2024 after struggling to find sleepwear she genuinely loved as a new mum. With four children under four, including eight-month-old twins, zero fashion experience and a full-time corporate job, she somehow decided it was the perfect time to build a brand from scratch.
Tahni shares the unfiltered reality behind Chilli & Charli’s incredible growth, from ordering hundreds of units before knowing what would sell to navigating unpredictable sales cycles, backing her gut and eventually leaving her corporate career to go all in, baby!
Then the tables turn as Tahni asks Millie the questions she’s currently facing in business. They get honest about knowing when to hire, building a team before you feel ready, creating content that actually connects, handling copycats and staying focused on your own lane as the brand grows.
This episode is freakin' packed with honest founder lessons, practical advice and the kind of conversations normally happening behind closed doors. If you’re building a brand, sitting in the messy middle or wondering whether anyone else is riding the same emotional business rollercoaster, this one is for you.
✨ Connect with Chilli & Charlie ✨Käärme Jewels: https://www.instagram.com/chilliandcharli_sleep
✨ Connect with Kaarme ✨
Käärme Jewels: https://www.instagram.com/kaarmejewelsIn Real Time with Millie, the podcast: https://www.instagram.com/inrealtimewithmillieMillie: https://www.instagram.com/millie.kaarmejewels/
✨ Wanting to scale your brand? ✨ Ecommerce Equation is where its at:https://ecommerceequation.com.au/inrealtimewithmillie