For Founders Sake

Em and Shelb
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  • Entrepreneurship
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For Founders’ Sake is where Em & Shelb share the real side of business; the wins, the struggles, and the FFS moments every founder knows too well. Each episode mixes their own experiences with conversations from other business owners, bringing honest insights, fresh perspectives, and a reminder you’re not in this alone.

  1. 1d ago

    #21 Kelly Eastwood - Eastwoods Bermagui

    This week on For Founders Sake we are joined by one of the South Coast's most beloved and remarkable founders - Kelly Eastwood of Eastwoods Bermagui. Kelly's story is one of those that genuinely stops you in your tracks. Before landing in the tiny fishing town of Bermagui, Kelly spent 14 years as a private chef to royalty, Russian oligarchs and some of the world's wealthiest people, before transitioning into television as a food producer and home economist on some of Australia's most iconic shows - MasterChef, My Kitchen Rules, Better Homes and Gardens and The Great Australian Bake Off among them. It was River Cottage Australia that brought her to the Far South Coast, and the rest, as they say, is history. What started as a deli, café and cooking school has been reimagined more times than most of us would have the courage to attempt. Pop-up dinners, market stalls, cooking classes, festival catering - Kelly has never been someone to sit still. And when the Black Summer bushfires of 2019 to 2020 tore through the region, Kelly's kitchen became the beating heart of one of the most extraordinary community relief efforts this coast has ever seen. Over seven weeks, working alongside World Central Kitchen, Kelly led a team of 270 volunteers to produce more than 46,000 meals for affected communities from Mallacoota to Mogo. She was later awarded a National Emergency Medal by the Governor General's Office for her contribution. Then COVID hit. Like every small business owner, Kelly was forced to pivot - and what emerged from that moment was the Eastwoods we know today. A thriving chef-made meal delivery service, operating weekly across the South Coast from Pambula to Batemans Bay, with over $2 million in turnover, 18,000 orders, and 227 menus under her belt. She's a regular on ABC Sydney radio, a Bega Valley Business Award winner, and is now setting her sights on the wholesale market. In this episode we talk about the wild ride that got her here, what it really takes to keep reinventing yourself and your business, the community that carried her through the hard times, and what she's dreaming up next. This is a conversation about food, grit, community and one woman who has never once taken the easy road - and we are so glad she ended up right here on the South Coast. Find Eastwoods Bermagui at eastwoodsbermagui.com.au or follow along on Instagram at @eastwoodsbermagui. Find us on Instagram at instagram.com/for.founders.sake, on TikTok at tiktok.com/@forfounderssakepodcast and on YouTube at youtube.com/@forfounderssake. We'd love it if you subscribed, left us a review, or shared this episode with someone who needs to hear it.

  2. Aug 4

    #20 Suzy Cherub - Psychic Medium

    This week Em and Shelby sit down with Suzy Cherub, psychic medium, author and mum to our previous guest Bec. Suzy has been doing this work for over two decades, and her story starts in the most unassuming way possible, as a kid who used to see and speak with her late grandfather, fully convinced that was just a normal part of childhood everyone experienced. From there the conversation opens right up. Suzy walks us through what mediumship actually is, the services she offers beyond one on one readings, and how she handles the sceptics who book in with her, including how she always manages to bring through evidence about a person's loved ones that she'd have no way of knowing herself. We get into the assumptions people carry about what a psychic medium is meant to look and sound like, thanks to decades of movies and books shaping that image, and the very common comment she gets about being so "normal." Things get a little deeper as Suzy speaks candidly about the responsibility that comes with holding space for people in such a vulnerable state, including stories about times she's known something was coming for a client and how she's found ways to deliver that message without causing panic. She also shares some of the more challenging interactions she's had over the years, plus a memorable story from a stage reading where a spirit came through for someone in the crowd who was, let's just say, still holding a grudge. We hear how Suzy turned this from a side hustle she squeezed into her lunch breaks while working in government, into a full time business, with a near death experience being the moment that made the decision for her. From there she's built out retreats (with a trip to India in the works for next year), authored her own oracle card decks, learned to set firm boundaries along the way, and now runs a program for people wanting to get into this line of work themselves. She even does a live business reading for Shelby, right there on the mic. Shelby and Em are total newcomers to this world, so expect a lot of laughing, a fair bit of disbelief, and more than a few goosebump moments along the way. Trigger warning: this episode briefly discusses suicide and mental health. Suzy's website: https://suzycherub.com/ Follow FFS!Instagram: instagram.com/for.founders.sakeTikTok: tiktok.com/@forfounderssakepodcastYouTube: youtube.com/@forfounderssake

  3. Jul 21

    #19 Bec Cuzzillo - Spiritual Business Coach

    Today we're joined by Bec Cuzzillo, a spiritual business coach who blends intuition with strategy to help women build businesses that actually feel good to run. In this episode we chat about what it really means to be a "spiritual business coach," why intuition deserves a seat at the table alongside strategy, and how to start trusting your own instincts even if you're the most practical person in the room. We get into money blocks, self-worth, and the sneaky ways business owners hold themselves back without realising it. We also talk about the stuff that doesn't always make it into the highlight reel: mum guilt, hustle culture, imposter syndrome, and having babies while running a business, and how different that experience has looked for Bec each time around. Plus, what success actually feels like once you stop measuring it by what it looks like. ----------------------------------------- Connect with Bec:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bec_cuzzillo/Website: https://www.beccuzzillo.com/Free Money Making Strategy Playbook: https://www.beccuzzillo.com/moneyguide Connect with us:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/for.founders.sakeTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@forfounderssakepodcastYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@forfounderssake

  4. Jul 7

    #18 Anke Zet - GP, Author & AI music producer

    Today we’re joined by Anke, local GP, author, and proudly “crazy German”, for a conversation that’s as real as it gets. We talk burnout, boundaries, and why putting your health first might feel selfish but is actually the smartest thing you can do. Anke shares the personal moments that reshaped how she sees health and creativity, and what it means to truly look after your body, because you only get one. She opens up about finding the confidence to share snippets of her writing, and how that turned into a published book. We also get into her latest creative obsession, using AI to turn her poetry into music, plus an honest chat about AI in medicine, self diagnosing, and perseverance through perimenopause. As Anke puts it, creativity is a drug she can’t live without. Check out Anke’s books: https://ankezetbooks.com.au/deception/ Follow For Founders Sake: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/for.founders.sake TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@forfounderssakepodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@forfounderssake

  5. Jun 23

    #17 Tom & Terri - Arcus Advisory talking EOFY & Tax time

    Tom and Terri from Arcus Advisory in Moruya started their business during COVID, with young kids, a recent move, and a few curveballs along the way. No big deal, right? What began in the rumpus room grew fast enough to need a real office and a proper team and Terri stepped in to make sure it didn't all fall apart. Together they're a pretty unbeatable team. Tom's the calm, steady one, Terri brings the energy and the structure, and somehow it all works. Today we're getting into EOFY prep, the numbers that actually matter, and what it's genuinely like to run a business with the person you share a Netflix password with. Turns out they're both very passionate about Vanderpump Rules. We didn't see that coming either. About Arcus Advisory Tom and Terri run Arcus Advisory, a family owned accounting and advisory firm located on the NSW South Coast, based out of Moruya. Tom is a Chartered Accountant and registered tax agent with over 10 years of experience in tax and accounting, with a real passion for small and medium business. Terri keeps the whole operation running. She joined the business as it experienced rapid growth, stepping in as the organiser and the backbone that allowed Tom to keep doing what he does best. What started in a rumpus room is now a proper firm with an office in town, a growing team, and a reputation as one of the most popular accounting practices on the South Coast. They offer a full range of services including taxation, business advisory, bookkeeping, and corporate governance and were recognised as the #4 Most Popular accounting firm in the Illawarra & South Coast Region for 2024. Visit: arcusadvisory.com.au | Unit 3/51 Vulcan Street, Moruya NSW | (02) 4410 0214 In This Episode We Cover Starting a business during COVID, with young kids, a recent move, and health challenges thrown in for good measureFrom rumpus room to real office, how rapid growth changed everything and brought Terri into the businessWhat it's actually like to run a business with your partner, and how Tom and Terri balance each other out (spoiler: Tom's the calm, Terri's the chaos coordinator in the best possible way)How they set boundaries so work doesn't follow them home, or at least knowing when to call itDelegating and trusting new people, the balance between training properly and giving your team space to growAdapting to budget changes and what that means for the tax advice they give clients right nowEOFY prep: practical things you can do right now to make tax time less stressfulRapid fire: Claimable or Not 🎯And their not so secret shared love of reality TV, specifically Vanderpump Rules, and we're not even a little bit surprised Tom knows every cast memberConnect with Arcus Advisory 🌐 arcusadvisory.com.au📍 Unit 3/51 Vulcan Street, Moruya NSW📞 (02) 4410 0214📧 info@arcusadvisory.com.au Find Us 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/for.founders.sake🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@forfounderssakepodcast▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@forfounderssake For Founders Sake is a podcast for and about the founders of the NSW South Coast, real stories, real businesses, no filter.

  6. Jun 9

    #16 Beck Thompson - Dating & Relationship Coach

    Beck Thompson is a dating and attachment coach, podcast host, and author behind The Relationship Circle — and this conversation goes deep. Beck shares how her background in social work and trauma led her to specialise in relationships and dating, and why trusting your intuition as a business owner — even when it means turning down a client — is one of the most powerful things you can do. We talk about the juggle. The very real, very exhausting balancing act of showing up for your relationship when you're also running a business, raising kids, and trying to keep your head above water. Because your business doesn't pause for your relationships — and your relationships don't pause for your business. Somewhere in the middle of all of that, a lot of us are quietly wondering if we're doing enough. Beck's take? Balance isn't the goal. Doing the best you can in any given moment is. We get into attachment styles: anxious, avoidant, anxious-avoidant, and secure — what they actually mean, how they show up in your relationships, and what it looks like to move toward something healthier. And then there's social media — the curated highlight reel that has us quietly measuring our relationships against something that doesn't exist. Beck unpacks why that comparison is so damaging, and brings it all back to self-worth: knowing what you deserve, and actually holding that standard. Whether you're navigating the dating world, deep in something complicated, or happily settled in a long-term relationship — Shelby and I both walked away from this one with something. It's equal parts validating and eye-opening, no matter where you're at. This one will stay with you. Connect with Beck: 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_relationship_circle Follow For Founders Sake: 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/for.founders.sake 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@forfounderssakepodcast ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@forfounderssake

  7. May 26

    #15 Claire Wood - Mogo Bookstore, The bookstore she bought o Facebook

    What do you do when a business you love isn't doing what a business needs to do - make money? That's exactly where Claire finds herself right now. Owner of Mogo Book Store on the NSW South Coast, Claire is in the middle of one of the most emotionally loaded decisions a founder can face: close, sell, or find a reason to keep going. But spend five minutes listening to Claire talk about books and you'll understand why this decision isn't simple. This isn't a hobby she picked up casually. Claire is someone who feels books. The old ones, the rare ones, the ones that have lived a whole life before they reach her shelves. There were moments in this conversation that genuinely gave us goosebumps. That kind of love for what you do makes everything else a whole lot harder to walk away from. In this episode, we sit down with Claire for a conversation that is equal parts honest, funny, and genuinely moving. She doesn't have it all figured out and she doesn't pretend to. What she does have is six kids, a full-time government job in Canberra, a deep love for books, and a very clear sense of what Mogo Book Store means beyond the bottom line. In this episode we talk about: The decision Claire is currently navigating - whether to close or sell Mogo Book Store, and everything that makes that so complicatedHow she bought the store off Facebook - while working full time and raising six children - and what happened when the dream met realityExpectations vs reality: what we imagine owning a beautiful little bookstore in a small town will look like, and what it actually looks like day to dayWhat it's like to listen to someone speak about something they truly love - and the goosebumps that came with itThe moments of pure joy - opening the store, breathing in the smell of books, sitting with a chai latte - and how those moments make the hard ones feel even harder to walk away fromThe moments when you're ready to give up, and what pulls you backThe impact of big chain retailers on small independents like Mogo Book Store - customers conditioned to expect prices that simply aren't possible for a small business to matchClaire's extraordinary connection to her customers - she learns who they are, worries about them when they haven't been in, and on scouting trips, keeps specific clients in mind when she spots something they'd loveThe guilt of not having enough time for everything and how Claire found ways to bring her family into the business rather than pull herself away from themLife with a blended family of six children, and how the chaos is very much real and very much woven into the fabric of the storeWhat working a shift at Mogo Book Store means for each of Claire's younger kids, and why it feels completely different for each one of themMogo Book Store's point of difference: this isn't a new bookstore. Claire sources and restores books, many of them rare or old, and there's a whole world of people who care deeply about thatThe shift in Mogo - once a buzzy tourist destination on the South Coast and what that change has meant for small businesses in the villageHonest reflection: what Claire would do differently if she started again; getting things in writing, finding a good accountant from day oneTaking risks, and the truth that they don't always work out and why having a go is the only way you'll ever find that outThe quote that stayed with us: "After all, tomorrow is another day." - Gone with the WindThis episode is for you if: You've ever kept something going for reasons that don't show up on a spreadsheet. Or you're in the thick of deciding whether a risk that didn't quite pay off was still worth taking. Or you just need a reminder that tomorrow is, in fact, another day. 📍 Find Mogo Book Store in Mogo, NSW South Coast 📲 Follow us on Instagram: @for.founders.sake 🎵 TikTok: @forfounderssakepodcast ▶️ YouTube: @forfounderssake

  8. May 12

    #14: Clare Lovelace - The Studio She Never Planned to Own

    This week on FFS! we sat down with Clare, the founder of Soul Tribe Yoga Studio right here in Batemans Bay - and honestly, this one had us thinking for days. Clare’s path to owning a yoga studio is anything but linear. It starts with backpacking and late nights, winds through a quarter-life reckoning, a coin flip on the side of the road, and a wild story of how she came to acquire the studio that we absolutely did not see coming. There were plenty of laughs along the way, but underneath it all is a really honest conversation about what it takes to build something meaningful in a small, seasonal town. For two hosts who run on structure and to-do lists, Clare’s heart-led approach to business was equal parts refreshing and genuinely thought-provoking. If you’ve ever questioned whether you’re doing things the “right” way - this one’s for you. In This Episode We Cover: From backpacking and big nights out to finding yoga - and how that shift actually happenedWhy turning 30 made Clare feel like she needed to get “serious” (and what that looked like)The truth about her early days of teaching - she hated public speaking and regularly wished the floor would swallow her wholeHow she ended up in Australia, and then specifically on the NSW South CoastThe coin flip that decided her direction (no, really - north or south?)The unexpected, chaotic, and honestly kind of wild story of how she came to own the studioWhat it’s really like running a business in a small, seasonal town - the adversity, the quiet periods, and the reality checkWhy showing up consistently matters, even when it’s just one or two people on the matBehind the scenes of what actually goes into running a yoga studioHow Clare built a space that feels welcoming to everyone - not just the people who already look like “yoga people”Running a heart-led business while still holding firm on boundaries About Clare Clare is the founder and owner of Soul Tribe Yoga Studio in Batemans Bay, NSW. She’s built a community-first space on the South Coast that’s as much about belonging as it is about the practice itself. 📍  57 Beach Road, Catalina NSW 2536 🌐  soultribestudio.com.au 📧  hello@soultribestudio.com.au 📸  @soultribestudio Connect With Us 📸  Instagram: @for.founders.sake 🎵  TikTok: @forfounderssakepodcast ▶️  YouTube: @forfounderssake Got a story worth telling? We want to hear from you. For Founders Sake is brought to you by two founders, for founders — and honestly, for anyone who’s ever taken a leap and figured it out on the way down.

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About

For Founders’ Sake is where Em & Shelb share the real side of business; the wins, the struggles, and the FFS moments every founder knows too well. Each episode mixes their own experiences with conversations from other business owners, bringing honest insights, fresh perspectives, and a reminder you’re not in this alone.

Information

  • Creator
    Em and Shelb
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    21
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Em and Shelb
  • Show Website
    For Founders Sake

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