Bold Ideas

Marianne Marchesi
  • 4.7 (15)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

Are you ready to challenge yourself and think bigger?   Bold Ideas showcases the unfiltered, unscripted stories behind groundbreaking businesses. Entrepreneur, lawyer, and lover of bold ideas, Marianne Marchesi, chats with founders who have launched a disruptive business or who’ve dared to shake things up in their industries.   Whether you’re a budding entrepreneur, fellow disruptor, or simply inspired by innovative businesses, Bold Ideas will leave you motivated to take your next bold step.   IG: https://www.instagram.com/boldideas_au/ LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariannemarchesi/

  1. 5 days ago

    #20 // Greg Rips, Third Wave BBQ // From property developer to four tonnes of brisket a week: building a cult restaurant brand

    What happens when a property developer with zero hospitality background and no kitchen pedigree decides to open a small 35-seat café in Melbourne? If you’re Greg Rips, you end up smoking close to four tonnes of meat a week, creating over-the-top menu items that have earned their own cult vocabulary, and building an organic social media presence pulling in over 200 million views every single month. In this episode of Bold Ideas, host Marianne Marchesi sits down with Greg Rips, the visionary founder behind Third Wave BBQ. Greg opens up about his unfiltered journey from teaching himself authentic American slow-cooked barbecue via YouTube and blogs without ever having tasted the real thing, to tackling hospitality's brutal learning curve head-on. He shares how Third Wave accidentally cracked the code on social media by prioritising extreme content volume over perfection, resulting in franchise lead-generation costs that sit at a fraction of the industry standard. Plus, Greg breaks down his forward-thinking approach to artificial intelligence. [00:00:01] – Introduction: Welcome to Season 2 of Bold Ideas, brought to you by Legalite. [00:01:20] – The Backstory: Leaving property development behind and opening a 35-seat Melbourne café with zero hospitality pedigree. [00:02:40] – Self-Taught Barbecue: Learning American BBQ through TV shows, YouTube, and smoking hundreds of kilos of trial meat without ever tasting the authentic version. [00:04:55] – 200 Million Views a Month: Why organic social content went viral and how putting out 140 pieces of content a week trumps chasing a "viral formula". [00:08:43] – Custom Tech Development: How Third Wave is building custom software to tailor content across Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. [00:09:36] – Converting Reach into Franchisees: Flipping the traditional marketing funnel and using massive brand equity to slash franchise lead costs by up to 90%. [00:12:40] – The Harsh Hospitality Reality: The steep learning curve, navigating transient staff, and why hospitality has the highest business failure rate. [00:17:25] – Systems, Processes & Control: Why Greg works on the business, not in it, backed by a 1,200-page franchise manual. [00:19:39] – Ditching SaaS for Custom AI: Rebuilding Third Wave’s entire tech stack using AI, including custom gift voucher tracking, digital wallet loyalty schemes, and in-venue TV streaming. [00:24:04] – Prompting is Dead: Why you should give AI context and outcomes instead of writing prompts, letting the model construct its own inquiries. [00:27:58] – The AI Job Revolution: Why AI isn't taking jobs—it's creating them—and the rapid rise of the "AI-native" workforce. [00:31:35] – The Vision Ahead: Expanding to 30–50 global venues in the next 3 to 5 years, scaling towards an IPO, and opening a new location every month. [00:34:32] – Bold Advice: How aspiring founders can leverage AI to test MVP ideas and scope business models for free in under 24 hours. Follow Third Wave BBQ on TikTok and Instagram @thirdwavebbq To get in touch, contact us via Instagram @boldideas_au This episode is brought to you by Legalite, where bold ideas thrive. Visit https://www.legalite.com.au to find out how we can help you.

    #20 // Greg Rips, Third Wave BBQ // From property developer to four tonnes of brisket a week: building a cult restaurant brand

  2. 14 July

    #19 // Colleen Callander // From the shop floor at 16 to CEO of Sportsgirl and Sussan + kindness as a superpower

    What happens when you throw the traditional corporate playbook out the window and back yourself completely? In this episode of Bold Ideas, host Marianne Marchesi sits down with one of Australia’s most celebrated retail executives, Colleen Callander. From leaving school at 16 for a casual summer gig to spending 13 brilliant years as the CEO of iconic fashion giants Sportsgirl and Sussan, Colleen has completely redefined what powerful leadership looks like. Forget the old-school, aggressive corporate tactics of the 90s and 2000s. Colleen shares how she turned values like kindness, authenticity, and empathy into her ultimate business superpowers to create high-performing, safe team cultures where magic actually happens. Marianne and Colleen dive deep into her decision to step away at the top of her game in 2020, how she turned the disruption of a global pandemic into a launchpad for her purpose, and why building your confidence muscle is the ultimate key to bringing your own bold ideas to life. [00:01:06] – Choosing the road less travelled: Leaving school at 16 for the retail shop floor. [00:02:05] – The sliding door moment: How a manager spotting her potential changed everything. [00:04:34] – Stepping into the helm: 13 years leading Sportsgirl and Sussan. [00:05:17] – The evolution of leadership: Ditching the aggressive "treat 'em mean, keep 'em keen" era. [00:08:24] – Kindness as a superpower: The distinct difference between being nice vs. being kind in the boardroom. [00:11:09] – The 2020 reset: Resigning right as a global pandemic hit and finding a deeper purpose. [00:13:06] – Mentor Me Women: Creating an accessible, affordable community for women to thrive. [00:16:30] – The flipped corporate equation: Why people, purpose, and passion must always come before profit. [00:18:04] – The Power of Confidence: Inside Colleen's latest book and overcoming self-doubt. [00:21:59] – Doing the "confidence reps": How to build your confidence muscle every day. [00:24:37] – Colleen's top piece of advice for anyone sitting on a bold idea. Follow Colleen on Instagram at @colleen_callander or buy her latest book, The Power of Confidence, on Amazon and select book stores. To get in touch, contact us via Instagram @boldideas_au This episode is brought to you by Legalite, where bold ideas thrive. Visit https://www.legalite.com.au to find out how we can help you.

    #19 // Colleen Callander // From the shop floor at 16 to CEO of Sportsgirl and Sussan + kindness as a superpower

  3. 7 July

    #18 // Tara Jarrett, @pilates 24/7 // Building the world's first 24/7 reformer Pilates franchise: why the future is tech-driven and member-led

    In this episode of Bold Ideas, host Marianne Marchesi sits down with Tara Jarrett, the brilliant entrepreneur behind the disruptive wellness brand, @pilates 24/7. Spending three decades wearing multiple hats in the fitness industry, Tara spotted a gaping market void during the middle of COVID lockdowns from the regional Victorian town of Kyabram: women who desperately wanted to move on their own terms but felt completely alienated by the traditional "Pilates princess" environment. Armed with four reformers, a 16-year-old son acting as her amateur videographer, and zero formal tech background, she backed her unique concept. Within a staggering pre-launch phase, she successfully built a proof of concept that exploded into rapid member uptake. A few years down the line, @pilates 24/7 has scaled into a booming international powerhouse with over 50 studios across Australia and New Zealand, capturing more than 20,000 loyal members. Tara joins Marianne to share her incredible journey through what she affectionately calls "the world's longest apprenticeship," navigating devastating pandemic lockdowns that shut fitness doors for 286 days, and managing the rapid-fire scaling of a global franchise. They dive deep into what it really takes to disrupt a deeply traditional wellness market, how to blend sophisticated AI data and technology with high-touch customer service , the strategic brilliance of launching quietly in regional pockets before hitting major capital cities , and the mechanics of expanding into the highly litigious US market with an imminent launch in Miami, Florida. [01:22] The Longest Apprenticeship: How three decades of diverse business hats and professional grit laid the resilient foundations for building a wellness empire. [03:07] Ditching the Pilates Princess: Moving past intimidation to cater to an ignored demographic of everyday women craving low-impact movement without judgment. [31:18] Spotify for Reformer Pilates: Introducing custom workout playlists and Allied Health cross-overs that give the ultimate programming power back to the user. [35:20] Running Business in Tandem: Balancing a 30-year marriage and business partnership by contrasting big brand visions with highly grounded operational implementation. [39:14] The American Blueprint: Conducting extensive international due diligence ahead of late-2026 targets to trigger organic, cross-continental expansion in the southern US states. [45:04] Rejecting Ghost Memberships: Breaking the typical 24/7 gym trap of banking on non-attendance, focusing instead on combating churn and protecting current member satisfaction. [47:37] Find Your True Point of Difference: Tara’s fundamental piece of wisdom on stepping out of the comfortable white noise instead of just applying a different lipstick to an old concept. Follow on Instagram at @pilates.247 or visit https://atpilates.studio/ To get in touch, contact us via Instagram @boldideas_au This episode is brought to you by Legalite, where bold ideas thrive. Visit https://www.legalite.com.au to find out how we can help you.

    #18 // Tara Jarrett, @pilates 24/7 // Building the world's first 24/7 reformer Pilates franchise: why the future is tech-driven and member-led

  4. 30 June

    #17 // Mia Klitsas, Moxie // From Tampons in Tins to Australia's First Endo Pad: 20 Years of Progressive Period Care

    In this episode of Bold Ideas, host Marianne Marchesi sits down with Mia Klitsas, the brilliant, multi-award-winning entrepreneur behind the iconic period care brand, Moxie. Starting the business in 2005 at just 22 years old, Mia was an intern who simply couldn’t stand the corporate grind and had a personal pain point: tampons constantly rolling around in her handbag. Armed with zero industry experience but a massive dose of ambition, she went up against massive global multinationals. Within just 12 months, she backed herself, ordered a full container of stock, and successfully pitched her way into Woolworths shelves nationwide. Two decades later, Moxie is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Mia joins Marianne to share her incredible journey from bootstrapping a startup to building an international brand known for leading progressive conversations on intimate health, pulling off massive viral moments on TikTok, and constantly iterating its products. They dive deep into what it really takes to disrupt a traditional market, why a bit of youth and naivety is actually an entrepreneur's greatest superpower, the gutsy commercial decision to shut down their e-commerce store to protect consumer pricing, and the imminent launch of Australia's very first Endo Pad designed specifically for people living with endometriosis. [01:22] The Corporate Catalyst: How a miserable corporate internship sparked the desire for something different, leading directly to the birth of Moxie. [02:30] Solving the Handbag Pain Point: Moving away from standard blue liquid ads to tackle a real female reality: tampons loose in handbags and the creation of the signature refillable tins. [04:26] The Tampon Up the Sleeve: Confronting the historical shame and taboo surrounding periods in male-dominated workplaces. [09:01] Cracking the Woolworths Code: The rapid-fire story of landing a major national retailer within 12 months by completely backing the idea and ordering a container of stock upfront. [16:33] Peak 2000s Nostalgia: The viral TikTok resurgence of the vintage Moxie tins and the announcement of their limited-edition return. [17:19] The Evolution of Progressive Period Care: Moving past stagnant concepts to embrace sustainable zero-waste paper wrapping and organic materials. [25:38] Introducing the Endo Pad: Tuning into consumer data to launch Australia's first dedicated pad for endometriosis and pelvic conditions after noticing customers using postpartum pads for heavy bleeding. [32:58] Progress in the Schoolyard and Workplace: A look at how education is changing for Gen Alpha, moving the needle on period poverty, and the push for official menstrual leave in Australian workplaces. [38:29] Why Moxie Turned Off the E-Commerce Store: The transparent, tactical decision to shut down their online shopping cart in the face of soaring Australian postage costs to ensure retail prices stay down. [43:25] Just Bloody Start: Mia's ultimate piece of wisdom for anyone sitting on a bold idea but waiting for everything to look perfect. Follow Moxie on Instagram and TikTok at @moxiehq or visit moxie.com.au. To get in touch, contact us via Instagram @boldideas_au This episode is brought to you by Legalite, where bold ideas thrive. Visit www.legalite.com.au to find out how we can help you.

  5. 23 June

    #16 // Tom Ormerod, Luxico & Staylonger // Building a Home Hotel Empire + Why the Future of Stays is Longer

    Almost 13 years ago, Tom Ormerod walked away from a lucrative 20-year real estate career after a blunt intervention forced him to admit he was miserable. In this episode of Bold Ideas, host Marianne Marchesi sits down with the serial entrepreneur and co-founder of Luxico and Staylonger. Alongside his wife Alex, Tom pioneered Australia's first "home hotel" concept with Luxico - giving VIPs, families, and affluent travellers 24/7 concierge support and high-end local experiences. We dive into the chaos behind his hospitality empire, including how it became the unscripted Binge reality show Billion Dollar Playground. Tom shares the logistics of intense people management, handling demanding high-net-worth guests, and how reality TV propelled his team to global stardom. He also unpacks his latest venture, Staylonger, a flexible mid-term accommodation platform built to bridge the gap between Airbnb and traditional real estate - and how he's navigated tough capital raises with a former Airbnb chief as chairman. If you're sitting on a business concept but feel frozen by the barriers to entry, this is an essential guide to leveraging digital tools, ignoring naysayers, and testing your market fast. In this episode, we discuss: - The real estate intervention that ended Tom's corporate career - Spotting the home hotel gap after bizarre key-hunting experiences - Building a premium Sorrento network of celebrities and Grand Prix drivers - Behind Billion Dollar Playground: filming, pressure, and overnight stardom - How Staylonger maximises homeowner yields in the 30-day-plus market - Warm capital raising: relationships, MVP proof, and advisory networks - Building a rejection muscle and mining gold from investor "no"s - Going international via BBC success into Ibiza and London - Using tools like Replit to spin up MVPs before spending big - Avoiding founder traps like personal guarantees on leases Follow Luxico on Instagram at @luxico or www.luxico.com.au To get in touch, contact us via Instagram @boldideas_au This episode is brought to you by Legalite, where bold ideas thrive. Visit www.legalite.com.au to find out how we can help you.

    #16 // Tom Ormerod, Luxico & Staylonger // Building a Home Hotel Empire + Why the Future of Stays is Longer

  6. 16 June

    #15 // Anita Siek, Wordfetti // A Way With Words: How Anita Turned Authenticity into a Scalable Business

    In this episode of Bold Ideas, host Marianne Marchesi sits down with long-time friend and creative powerhouse Anita Siek, the founder of Wordfetti. Anita’s journey is anything but traditional. After ditching a secure career in corporate law to find where "the confetti had gone," she navigated multiple side hustles before building one of Australia's most distinctive brand messaging and copywriting agencies. But when rapid growth led to peak burnout and a serious reality check, Anita had to completely disrupt her own business model to regain her freedom. Marianne and Anita dive deep into the messy, rewarding reality of shifting from a service agency to a digital powerhouse with Wordfetti Club. They unpack how the sudden boom of AI in 2024 forced a massive pivot, how Anita built her own custom AI tool (FettiBot) to work with human brilliance rather than replace it, and why you should never fully outsource your customer touchpoints. Plus, Anita shares a beautifully raw look into how welcoming her daughter, Charlie, healed her relationship with work, blended her masculine and feminine energies, and gave her a ruthless clarity on what she will - and won’t - tolerate. If you are currently feeling trapped by your own success, struggling to find your authentic voice, or wondering how to leverage AI without losing your human edge, this spicy, honest, and value-packed chat is exactly what you need to hear. In this episode, we discuss: -The Law to Copy Pivot: How the delicate choice of words connects legal drafting to high-converting copywriting. -The Trap of "Success": Why landing a major corporate promotion left Anita feeling completely meh, and the sudden loss that triggered her leap into business. -Side Hustle vs. All-In Energy: The logistical realities of backing yourself, managing a mortgage, and watching demand snowball. -The Reality of Scale & Burnout: Why building a big team and signing a commercial lease conflicted with Anita's core value of location freedom. -Surviving the 2024 AI Disruption: How Wordfetti repositioned its messaging when AI threatened generic template models, and how Anita upskilled to build FettiBot. -The Expert vs. The Intern: Why AI should be used as your execution assistant, not your strategic replacement. -Why You Shouldn’t Outsource Your DMs: The controversial reason why founders need to stay close to the data and conversations in their inbox. -Motherhood & Business Abundance: Overcoming the negative "just you wait" narratives, blending masculine and feminine energies, and how children provide a laser-focus lens on life. -Knowing When to Quit: Making decisions based on the business or person you want to be, rather than the one you are trying to maintain. Follow Wordfetti on Instagram at @wordfetti or visit https://www.wordfettigroup.com To get in touch, contact us via Instagram @boldideas_au This episode is brought to you by Legalite, where bold ideas thrive. Visit www.legalite.com.au to find out how we can help you.

    #15 // Anita Siek, Wordfetti // A Way With Words: How Anita Turned Authenticity into a Scalable Business

  7. 9 June

    #14 // Jemma Downey, Overe // From the corporate ladder to building a brand for energetic wellbeing

    In this episode of Bold Ideas, our host, Marianne Marchesi, sits down with Jemma Downey - global corporate leader turned specialised kinesiology practitioner, energetic well-being expert, and co-founder of Overe. After two decades leading massive commercial and marketing teams around the world for powerhouse brands like Apple and Asahi, Jemma experienced a profound personal shift that changed everything. Jemma shares what shaped her mission, why she walked away from a highly successful executive career, and what she’s building now to normalise energetic health and give it a well-deserved seat at the wellness table. We dive into the realities of the corporate world and the personal struggles that often go unspoken - from navigating reoccurring pregnancy loss to realising how subconscious patterns can actively block our goals. Jemma unpacks the concept of "signal artifacts" - the adaptive habits like overthinking or risk aversion that we mistake for personality traits, which are actually just old safety mechanisms our systems forgot to update. She also tackles the scepticism around energetic wellness, why we need to dismantle the "woo-woo" label, and how to build a strategic plan so you have a soft landing when backing your own bold idea. If you’ve ever felt like an invisible barrier is holding you back from your full potential, this conversation is equal parts permission slip and practical guidance, with a powerful final takeaway from Jemma on how to navigate the fear of regret. In this episode, we discuss: -The corporate red thread: Why numbers are fundamentally meaningless if you don’t take care of your people, and how senior leadership sets the cultural tone. -The trigger for transformation: Jemma’s raw and personal journey through pregnancy loss, and how kinesiology rewired her entire system for motherhood. -Signal artifacts vs. personality: How to identify overthinking and risk aversion as outdated protective mechanisms rather than permanent traits. -Energetic intelligence in the age of AI: The risk of outsourcing our cognitive load while neglecting our internal bodily signals and innate knowing. -Transitioning past the "healing paradigm": Why Overe focuses on active creation and stepping into your agency rather than staying stuck in endless loops of trying to be "fixed". -Dismantling the "woo-woo" bias: Respecting energetic wellness as a lifestyle choice grounded in physics and timeless, traditional sacred wisdom. -Building a global collective: How Jemma and her business partner, Zoe Bosco, scaled their ecosystem to support a global network of practitioners from corporate, legal, and medical backgrounds. -Tactical advice for bold ideas: How to pass the "regret test", assemble your personal board of directors, and strategically design a soft landing before leaping out of corporate life. Follow Overe on Instagram at @overe.co or visit https://www.overe.co To get in touch, contact us via Instagram @boldideas_au This episode is brought to you by Legalite, where bold ideas thrive. Visit https://www.legalite.com.au to find out how we can help you.

    #14 // Jemma Downey, Overe // From the corporate ladder to building a brand for energetic wellbeing

  8. 2 June

    #13 // Marianne Marchesi, Travel Tots // Rethinking family travel: an untapped market built around zero mental load

    In this special episode of Bold Ideas, we are completely flipping the script. Our host, Marianne Marchesi, is putting herself in the hot seat to share the story behind her own brand-new venture. Joining her as guest host is expert podcaster and brand strategist Sherien Wissa to unpack Marianne’s exciting new business: Travel Tots. Launched in February 2026, Travel Tots is a game-changing service born out of Marianne's own frustrations travelling with two young kids under four. The core promise? One easy booking, zero mental load. Travel Tots goes ahead of families to their holiday destinations—whether it’s a hotel, Airbnb, or even the grandparents' house—and sets up everything they need, from portacots and prams to toys, wipes, and the parents' preferred brand and size of nappies. Literally all parents have to do is pack their kids' clothes and go. Marianne shares how she identified an untouched gap in the market, how she leverages her strengths as an experienced founder and lawyer, and why she is so passionate about disrupting the family travel space to help parents make precious, stress-free memories. She also opens up about the reality of diving back into "startup land," building resilience through the "no's," and why mums shouldn't wait until their kids are older to take that dream holiday. If you have a bold idea keeping you up at night, this episode is your ultimate sign to go hard, lean on your networks, and execute it. In this episode, we discuss: - The spark behind Travel Tots: Marianne’s nightmare hotel cot story that started it all. - What "zero mental load" actually means for mums and dads carrying the invisible burden of family logistics. - The strict Australian safety and hygiene standards behind Travel Tots’ carefully selected equipment. - How Marianne balances being a present mum of two while running multiple businesses. -Transitioning from a professional services business (Legalite) to the travel industry, and the challenge of pivoting your marketing. -Marianne’s bigger vision for Travel Tots: becoming a full family travel solution including car seat installation, nanny services, and local attractions. -Why a good idea doesn't pay the bills -and why execution, resilience, and collecting your first "no's" is the real secret to success. Follow Travel Tots on Instagram at @traveltots_au or visit https://www.traveltots.au To get in touch, contact us via Instagram @boldideas_au. This episode is brought to you by Legalite, where bold ideas thrive. Visit https://www.legalite.com.au to find out how we can help you.

    #13 // Marianne Marchesi, Travel Tots // Rethinking family travel: an untapped market built around zero mental load
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Ratings & Reviews

4.7
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

Are you ready to challenge yourself and think bigger?   Bold Ideas showcases the unfiltered, unscripted stories behind groundbreaking businesses. Entrepreneur, lawyer, and lover of bold ideas, Marianne Marchesi, chats with founders who have launched a disruptive business or who’ve dared to shake things up in their industries.   Whether you’re a budding entrepreneur, fellow disruptor, or simply inspired by innovative businesses, Bold Ideas will leave you motivated to take your next bold step.   IG: https://www.instagram.com/boldideas_au/ LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariannemarchesi/

Information

  • Creator
    Marianne Marchesi
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    20
  • Rating
    Explicit

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