Deanna is the founder of Lingo the Flamingo, a natural rubber teether thoughtfully designed without holes to prevent mould and bacteria build-up. She began developing Lingo while on maternity leave with her son, during a period of deep grief following the sudden loss of her mother and her stillborn daughter. What started as a way to channel that heartbreak into something meaningful has grown into a nationally recognised brand, stocked by some of Australia’s leading retailers and trusted by thousands of families.

In this episode, Deanna shares how a 1am lightbulb moment turned into a two-year product development journey, including sketching designs herself, studying flamingo anatomy to create a more realistic silhouette and working closely with a manufacturer via Alibaba to perfect the mould, firmness and signature peach tone. We talk about negotiating a lower minimum order quantity from 3,000 down to 1,000 units, investing over $20,000 to bring her first production run to life and securing The Memo as a wholesale partner before the product had even officially launched. Deanna walks us through the early hustle of sending samples directly to buyers, connecting with retailers via LinkedIn and landing national stockists including David Jones and Seed Heritage.

We also explore her grassroots marketing approach, personally gifting product to influencers, hand-delivering teethers to mums at local cafés, launching with a small Instagram following and reinvesting quickly after selling out. Deanna shares why she chose to focus on one hero SKU rather than rushing into product expansion, how she introduced complementary pieces like a puzzle and animated brand song to keep momentum, and the digital tools she uses to run the business including Shopify, Klaviyo and Starshipit. This is a powerful conversation about resilience, creativity and building something meaningful alongside motherhood.

Discover Lingo the Flamingo online and join the community growing around this beautiful brand.

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Imogen is the founder of jeanie baby, a premium stainless steel baby tableware brand created after she started solids with her first born. With so much noise in the feeding space and growing concerns around silicone, plastic and bamboo alternatives, Imogen set out to design a safer, more durable option for everyday mealtimes.

In this episode, Imogen takes us through the journey of bringing jeanie baby to life while working part time and navigating early motherhood. We talk about validating the idea through surveys and search data, researching materials and why stainless steel stood out as the safest option for babies starting solids. Imogen shares how she approached finding a manufacturer through Alibaba, narrowing suppliers based on quality, communication and trust, and navigating multiple sampling rounds to get the materials, silicone grade and finishes right.

We also explore the realities of launching lean. Imogen breaks down her initial investment of $30k, the trademarking learning curve and how she balanced perfectionism with moving quickly when unexpected demand hit. She shares how founder-led content on TikTok and Instagram helped build early awareness, the organic moment that led to a major influencer sharing jeanie baby before launch and why she chose to open pre orders earlier than planned. We chat about Meta ads, email waitlists, influencer gifting, reviews and the tools she relies on to run the business, including Shopify, Klaviyo and Judge.me.

You can explore jeanie baby online or follow as Imogen continues to grow the brand alongside motherhood.

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After more than a decade in agency life, Victoria found herself facing a very different kind of brief once she became a mother. Her toddler refused to wear shoes, despite her investing in well known brands, and that daily battle led her to question how children’s footwear was being designed in the first place. That question became Little SOHLS, a children’s shoe brand built around healthy foot development, comfort and design that parents can trust.

In this episode, Victoria walks through the realities of building a footwear brand from scratch without prior industry experience. We talk about educating herself alongside paediatric podiatrists, cold emailing manufacturers, navigating multiple sampling rounds and knowing when to walk away from a factory that couldn’t meet quality standards. She shares how the business was initially bootstrapped with a modest budget, why she launched using existing moulds and how reinvesting early revenue allowed her to later create custom designs.

The conversation also explores what growth actually looked like in the early stages. Victoria reflects on launching without a formal marketing plan while caring for a newborn, building community through direct conversations with customers and personally collecting reviews to strengthen trust. We discuss the role of Shopify, review incentives, Meta advertising, brand collaborations and trade shows in scaling the business, alongside the unexpected moment Vogue reached out just months after launch. You can explore Little SOHLS online or follow along as the brand continues to grow here.

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