I think of life like a video game, right, and I think that when you're on level one, it's really really hard for you. You have to beat the baddie at the end to the level to get to level two. And once you beat the baddie or beat the challenge, you're on to level two. And when you're on too, level two, it's also really really hard, and then you have to beat the baddie at the end to level two.
It's harder than it was at level one. But imagine if you saw on level one all of the challenges that you have up and coming, because I don't think the challenges ever end right, Like, level ten is so much harder than level one, but it still feels the same.
Welcome to the Seas the Yay Podcast. Busy and happy are not the same thing. We too rarely question what makes the heart seeing. We work, then we rest, but rarely we play and often don't realize there's more than one way. So this is a platform to hear and explore the stories of those who found lives. They adore, the good, bad and ugly, The best and worst day
will bear all the facets of seizing your yay. I'm Sarah Davidson or a spoonful of Sarah, a lawyer turned untrebernout who swapped the suits and heels to co found matcha Maiden and matcha Milkbar. CZA is a series of conversations on finding a life you love and exploring the self doubt, challenge, joy and fulfillment along the way. Hallo, lovely yahlhood. I have missed you guys so much. Welcome back to the show after approximately ninety two business months
since the last episode. I am so grateful for all of your patients during our extended hiatus. It's actually only been ten weeks since the last episode, but it feels like I've lived ten lifetimes since that time. Feeling a bit haggard and I had planned for a much shorter gap, but we are here now and it is so good to be back. If you've been following along on Social's, motherhood has been my favorite chapter of my life so far, and our little Teddy is just the sweetest boy who
is growing up so fast. He is four months now, and I just can't believe that time has flown by. It's been the best but also the messiest, hardest, and least predictable hence the challenges recording until now that we're finding our feet a little bit more and can predict
when an audio recording will be possible. I will save more of a little life update for our next days of our lives chat with and and also assume most of you follow on one socials anyway, so don't want to completely turn every platform into a teddy shrine, although that kind of is what my life has become. But I will keep today to come back with a bang. I couldn't have picked a better first guest back than
Matilda Murray. As you'll hear, she is pretty much a walking embodiment of Cca and articulates everything that's in my head, but better and in a way that you haven't already heard me parent on about before a million times. I was actually really nervous before this one. I think I say it to Matilda at the start because it's been such a long time and I've been in such a different headspace. I was feeling really dusty at the start.
As you know, on the show, we love to lean into discomfort and we've to see nerves as a good sign that we're not complacent. But I did find it so invigorating to hear some of my favorite life philosophies about discomfort in a new way from her. It's almost like she was exactly the person that I needed to hear, So I hope that she is that for some of you guys as well. I followed Matilda for many years now and got to meet her a couple of years ago with her partner Don at an event I was
hosting in Brisbane. Actually, and of course I found a girl. Her path y eight represents so many things that we love on this show. She and her partner Don are now the brain's behind multi million dollar active where brand Stacks and Second Left. You've probably heard of both. It's pretty hard to go outside without seeing someone drenched in one or the other. They are living their dreams, showing the brands in Paris at Fashion Week and opening new
stores left, right and center. But Matilda didn't finish school, even though she's the child of two parents in education. She started off in a career that she didn't love. That life lasted many years. I think it was eight or nine years before the chapter that she's in now, and in an industry that isn't necessarily related to the one she's in now and Stax was actually born as a pivot from an originally failed business, which you would
not guess from the outside unless you already knew. And it's the perfect example of the quote I always bagne about about not needing to see the top of the staircase. You just need to take the first step. Except Matilda has a way better analogy that absolutely blew my mind. And again it was the quote I needed to hear. It's about video games, a little bit unexpected, but I'm sure you will write it down when you hear it.
Matilda has also become an institution in and of herself, and you'll soon understand why the masses hang on to her every word about business, about fashion, and about lifestyle. I just love this chat so much, getting to know the person behind both the business and her personal brand, and it gave me so much love back for the show, so I hope it does for you guys too, and I hope you enjoy Matilda. Welcome to Cca.
Hello, my love, Thank you for having me.
Oh, thank you so much for joining. I am so excited about this one, so nervous because, as I mentioned, this is the first episode back in like maybe twenty five weeks or more, and I'm nervous.
I got cheester, you were nothing to be nervous about.
Well, I'm so glad that it's you. I couldn't think of anyone better to break the drought with. You have such an incredible story and I can't wait to get into it. I am a long time follower, first time caller, and can't wait to get into all the details of your incredible journey. But as you've listened to the podcast, which is so flattering and all our listeners know, I definitely want to make our way to the incredible chapter
you're in now with Stax and Second Left. I'm actually wearing my Stack sweater right now.
I was going to compliment it.
You're great the comfys thing I own. You'd be hard pressed to go outside now without seeing somebody adorned in Stacks or Second Left. But I love to take it right back to where you started, because I think that doesn't get as much air time, and it's much more reassuring to hear that everyone started somewhere as a young kid without knowing where they'd end up. And I know that you know you and Don had like a very humble beginning. It didn't sort of start as a multimillion
dollar business. So can we go back to childhood, Matilda. I know that you were the daughter of a high school principal and teacher, so very much education focused and had a whole career before Stack. So what we like as a kid.
It's so funny. I was actually telling some of my team the other day that I was so antisocial as a kid, like I did not you know, when your parents will take you to like their parent friend's house and you have to play with the kids. I would never play with the kids. I just wanted to hang out with the parents all the time. And I used to have like a star chart, and if I was like nice to children, like I wasn't rude or a bullied kids, I just didn't want to hang out with them.
And I used to get like star charts and or stars in my chart, and then like every ten stars, I think I would get a Barbie doll. So I was working for a Barbie doll. I feel like I've always made like very goal orientated. I knew I wanted Barbie doll, so whatever it took, but I used to have to do that. And I have a sister who's fourteen years older than me, So I kind of grew up as like an only child. So it was just
like me and my barbies all the time. I like was very independent in that sense, I would say a bit of a loner. I went through school and I left when I was fifteen sixteen, so I didn't finish high school, which considering my parents are both school teachers, my dad's principal mum was a school teacher, that was quite shocking. Like my parents were fine with it. They've always been fantastic and always been like whatever makes you happy, you do that, like you don't have to follow that path.
But it was definitely, like now looking back, a decision that I don't think they would have taken, like too lightly. Maybe like I don't want to do school anymore. So I left school in year eleven and then I went and did beauty therapy. And I did beauty therapy for a year, like the course, and then I started working as a beauty therapist. But like I was a bit of a party girl, Like that was just like getting me through, Like literally it was just buying.
My alcohol CARDI breezes.
And then my mum and dad said to me one day, They're like, you got to get your shit together, Like we're not spending the weekends like drunk Monday, hungover, go to work for a couple of days, and then do it all again, like if you left school. You told me you left school for a reason, Like let's do it, Like, let's do something. So I ended up getting a receptionist job in recruitment. Looking back now, I think the only reason I got it is because I was the only
person that would take the salary. It was so I think it was nineteen thousand dollars a year. Oh, I don't even know if that's legal. Like I swear to God. The reason I think I got the job, I had no skills, nothing, was because I accepted the right. But this was many, many years ago. I'm showing my age now.
But I worked really hard in that job, Like I worked my ass off, and I ended up moving into like an admin position and then recruiter, and then I went to a different a couple of different recruiter companies and ended up being like account manager and doing all this and build myself up in that position. So yeah, it was very like left high school. Beauty there he
was the goal in the dream. And then I realized that partying was my goal in my dream, and I had to do something a little bit more mature eventually. And yeah, so I did recruitment and then I met Don. He was working in a supplement store. I was working recruitment literally next door. This is in Perth as well. I saw this, this is the lunch break, this is.
The lunch break where.
Yes, so he worked in a supplement store and I just went in and bought a protein bar off him. I literally went in and I complained about the price, like I was such a bitch, Like I literally bought dan. Then I was like this is too expensive, Like I could get this from coals, And I think he said, well go to coals then, and like that was our first conversation, and then I left and I.
Was like, yeah, bye.
I was like, he's kind of cute. So the next day I put my heels on to go and get my protein bar. I'd sit in the office and we'd all be wearing flats, but before my lunch break, I would always go and put my heels on and go flirt with a cute supplement store boy next door, who years later is my husband. Now. So it's just crazy. It's crazy how life like you can't really plan anything, Like life just works out the way it's supposed to it as wild.
Oh oh my god, that's the SoundBite for the whole episode. You can go now like you've already proven my exact point in this entire show. And that's why I love going back to the beginning to people's you know, like very very first ideas of who they might be. You've already said in hindsight a couple of times or looking back, and I think it all makes sense. The dots all connect when you look backwards, but at the time you
don't know that. You don't know that it's going to work out, Like leaving school is a huge departure from the conventional pathway to success and what everyone around you in society is telling you you should do or what you know the pathway that you should, like all the shoulds, you didn't have a guarantee that it would work out then, but you're just trusting that taking the next step one day, you'll end up somewhere and look back and all the
dots will connect, even if they don't make sense forwards. So I love that you've already had that, like we're at the start of stacks, let alone where you've gotten to now, and none of that really makes sense in order going forwards, but it kind of does when you look backwards.
I'm so big on that as well. I'm so big on trusting the process, knowing that there's a bigger plan, taking all the lessons that you've learned from any of the mistakes sort of things that have gone wrong. Dohn says, like, I'm just way too optimistic, like he gives him the dick sometimes because I can always find it positive in every situation, like I can. That's like my I've always been able to do that. I can always flip a
negative to a positive, and it pierces people off. I totally get that, but it's just the way that my mindset works, Like I just I am that person who's like I am very logical as well. If I'm in a situation, I could think, okay, like what's the next step. This is where we are, Like, let's take the emotion out of it and let's fix it. But then when I'm out of it, I'm always like, Okay. So this happened because it was supposed to teach me this at this time to prepare me for this.
Oh, I love that. I think that's exactly my mindset, that you either win or you learn, like either things do go exactly how you planned or they go completely the opposite. But it taught you what you needed to know for the next chapter, which you could have had no idea was going to work out the way it did. But somehow it was what you meant to do, maybe not you plan to do. And I love that. Have you ever found that there is such an emphasis? And I think it's getting a lot better, but there is
such an emphasis. Like what we look at in this part of the podcast is always people's pathways and the pressures they had to be pulled in different directions, versus the thing they actually ended up doing, which is the thing they love. Did you find that not finishing school and not kind of taking that conventional step. I'm so glad that your parents didn't put that pressure on you,
But was there other societal pressure along the way. Did people ever kind of discount you because you didn't do that, or underestimate you because you didn't have your full education?
I mean I lied about it a couple of times, like in interviews amazing to get my recruitment job. I didn't lie about it, but I just never I just kind of left that off my resme or I didn't mention it or so I don't think I've ever been like, to answer your question, no, I don't think so. I think I've like I always have just kind of had confidence in myself, that a belief in myself that I can do I can do things, I can do what's
expected and hopefully more. I've always had that kind of mindset where like, if I put my heart and soulider, I will be able to achieve it. And I don't think i've ever I think it's come down to a lot of like my parents as well, because like they're the ones that kind of you would expect to keep me in school, keep me in this, and do this
and do that. But they always said to me, like, whatever makes you happy to like, it's not about the money, it's about like you being happy and like fulfilling with your dream and your passion. So I've always had that mindset, and I've always just been very lucky in a sense that I've had a true sense of who I am and myself and what I can do, And I think that's been like really better visual. I don't know if that really answers the question, so to speak, But I've
never kind of underestimated or doubted myself in that sense. Like, of course, imposter syndrome is a real thing being in a room where you don't necessarily think that you're qualified to or belong. But again, me being annoyingly positive, I look at impositive room, that's something really great. Like I don't think you should be in a room where you think you belong and you're the smartest person in the room,
because like how do you grow from that? Like you should constantly be in a room where you're out of depth, because that's where the magic will happen. Like you should feel imposter syndrome, Like you should be nervous about things, you should be excited for things, you should feel a little underqualified for something, because that's like that's the next level of life. Like if we just stay on that same level, like you'll just become like stale, right.
Yeah, one hundred percent. I always say that the minute that the self doubt goes, I kind of take that as a sign that I'm complacent and that I'm not learning anymore, and I'm not invested in doing a better job. So I'm like, oh, maybe it's time to step up to the next level of discomfort, because obviously the comfort zone is caught up with me. The nerves are telling me something, which is a good sign. And I'm the
same as you. I'm annoyingly positive. And my husband also finds that really frustrating because he's a little bit more reserved. And like, I think in a business you need both sides of the brain. You need like a risk averse person to be able to see one side, but you need a really optimistic person. And I want to get into that as well. There's skills sharing when it comes to going into business with a loved one and how
you guys divide those tasks. But first I just wanted to say how refreshing it is that I think a a lot of the time, so much of people's stories is consumed by self doubt, imposter syndrome, barriers, sphere of failure, and it's really refreshing that you weren't pulled in so many directions that you did always have, like it's possible to have a pathway where you don't know where you're going to end up next. But you're also not completely lost either. You weren't like, who am I what am
I going to do? You were just I'm in this, while I'm in this. Your recruitment career was not what you ended up in. But it's okay that you did the best you could at the time. Did it teach you things that now you're glad that you have.
Oh my god, so much Like it's funny when you're in a situation that you might not love. Like I mean, there was days where when I had met Don and we were working on stacks bts, you know, before work, after work, on my lunch breaks, where my boss wasn't looking things like that. There were days in the morning where I'd be crying because I didn't want to go to work. Like I knew what my passion was, and my passion was stacks. But at that point John had
quit his full time job. He was just working on stacks, and I was paying the rent. I was doing all this for us, so I had to keep going and I hated it, Like that was really tough, and that was a tough time because like I knew what I wanted to do, but I had to, like put on like apts every day, you know, like show up and be the best version of myself and give this job that I didn't want to do my all and I
hated it so much. But now looking back, like that firstly taught me resilience, my like interpersonal skills and the way I'm able to chat with people. I definitely learned that from recruitment because a lot of the time in recruitment, like I've worked in every industry, I had no idea what these like super high level CEOs were doing, but I had to take them out for coffee and find out about their job and then hopefully find them another job, and I just had to wing it. Being able to
wing it has taught me a lot as well. I can interview people I know hr, so like there's a lot of stuff that I didn't realize I was learning. But now I look back and I'm like, oh, wow, like that time in recruitment, because I was that's like I did recruitment for like eight years or something. So it definitely I learned a lot in my time, and I spoke to all different people of all walks of life, and yeah, looking back now, there are so many lessons
I didn't realize I was learning. I'm so grateful that I did.
Like, eight years is a hefty chapter of your life to be doing something that you know is not going to be your forever job. And I think that often people give advice in business podcasts or motivational podcasts about that positivity mindset that you know, they give advice for you when you're in the good times, like once you've found your passion, this is how you hustle, this is how you set goals, this is how you time manage.
What I think a lot of people need is advice before they've found that when they're in a chapter that they don't like. Because a lot of people are in a chapter that isn't necessarily the one they want to end up in. They don't know that their stacks might be around the corner, because sometimes you do have to stick with that for eight years or ten years. Like my legal career was like ten years. I knew I didn't want to be there forever, but I didn't have
my next step. And nothing is ever a waste, Like even if you don't love where you are, there's something that you can get out of it. It might take you eight years I don't think many people looking at you now would know that you were doing a job for eight years that you didn't love before stacks, And it's like, how did you get through that? It's easy to get through. It's not easy, but it's easy to go to work every day when you love what you do,
when you do it with your husband. But it wasn't easy for eight years you cried at your job, but you got through it because you were learning something. So I love that. It's like you can stick with something you don't love, but as long as you're learning something along the way, you never know when it'll be useful later.
Yeah. I heard someone say something and they're talking about using your job as like your side hustle. So like your nine to five is your side hustle, so that is what is supporting your you know how they say like nine to five and then you're five to ten, So five to ten being like a passion or what it is that you love. And it's like looking at your nine to five as a side hustle that is supporting that job, and it's teaching you lessons, and so the side hustle that could be the education you are
picking up. So many different things from that job that you don't realize that will be supporting you in the long term. And I also think there's this big like stigma that people need to know what their passion is. It's like, if you're listening to this and like you are working a job that you don't love, but you also don't know what the job will be that you
will love, that's okay too. Like I own an active web brand, and I didn't necessarily grow up loving Acts of War, like I ended up like falling into it without looking. And I think when you're open to opportunity and you're just like genuinely like attracting things and you're in that mindset where like things will work out, you just have to be open to it, I think that's when like these opportunities start presenting themselves. So if you are feeling like you really don't know what is next
or like what your passion is, like, that's cool. It's fine. Live life, enjoy life, find out what you love, and just be open to opportunities.
Oh, I love that so much. When I was sort of in that same space just before we had our first business idea, and I wasn't loving what I was doing. My mom said to me, if you don't know what you want to do, you still have to do something, Like the time is going to pass anyway, so you might as well enjoy the ride, Like if you're always waiting for this passion to kind of drop out of the universe into your lap, like, that's not how it happens.
It's by trying things, by meeting people, by having conversations, and like, yeah, like I said before, no job is ever a waste if you're getting closer and closer in towards a thing that you love. And part of that is finding out that you don't like something. I think is just as important as finding out what you do like,
because that's also a piece of the puzzle. It's like seizing the Ya to me, is a big jigsaw puzzle, and each experience, you're either getting new pieces that you didn't know about or you're getting rid of old pieces that don't serve you anymore. And it's okay that that's evolving the whole time. It's not meant to be this one jigsaw puzzle and it stays like that forever. So now that we get to the Stacks chapter, what I
also love is that at the beginning. Like now we look at your jigsaw puzzle and it's enormously like wildly successful online, multimillion dollar business. You're opening new retail stores. In real life you've got second left, like you're in Paris doing amazing things. But again, I think people forget that you guys started in like storerooms where you couldn't
afford electricity. And I was reading that Don would pack pick and pack orders with a torch on his head because you couldn't afford the light to be on like that. You know, it's cliche that started a garage, but it's cliche because that's how things grow. They grow from humble beginning. So talk us through the bit that wasn't as easy and wasn't as glamorous, and that was just like that messy grind at the beginning.
Yeah. Absolutely, So when I met Don, he had Stacks already and it started as a supplement store, and that's why he was still working in Stucks. He wasn't owning this store that he was working at, but he had worked for a store previously called Muscle Stacks, so he owned muscle Stack. Sorry, And then the supplement side of things didn't go too well, and he ended up just losing the muscle. I say, but the door's like, hey, no, I still have muscle. No, no, no. He took the
word muscle away and then he just had stacks. So he started stacks and he was selling like a few hoodies here and there. And I always thought, like, I was like, okay, cool, Like I will be the sugar mama in my recruitment corporate job, and like you can sell your like it's fine, babe, like whatever, had no interest in it. Cute kid, Yeah, I was like, cute,
don't worry, I'll meet the money. It's fine. That's so when I met him, he had started that, and then he was just doing that from his mum's spare room, and we ended up dating, and then I started being opinion needed about the things that he was doing and the products that he was releasing. Or I would be helping out the photoshoots and he would be getting me to bodel some of the products. And then I started, like,
like I said, having an opinion on things. So we ended up moving in together and his little spare room I was going to say warehouse, but absolutely wasn't. His little spare room went to my dad's spare room. We lived with my dad and then we had like the spare room. Then we eventually moved out and we pretty much just like lived and breathed in this warehouse space. We were in an apartment, but it was majority of it was just taken up by boxes and it was
just like stax boxes, So that was everywhere. And that was when I was still working in recruitment. And then it got to a point where we had like no room to eat dinner because that was just like boxes everywhere. And we were pickpacking twenty four to seven. And then that's when he got this storage unit. We had electricity in Perth, but but not Sydney. Yes see he's very expensive.
So we moved across the Sydney with a couple of our boxes and like we had the smallest storage, you know, the smallest department in Perth, Like there wasn't a lot of stuff. Like, we moved across the Sydney and I was still working in recruitment. That's how we were able to afford to move to Sydney's I got a transfer with my work, moved across the Sydney and I was still working full time. And then Don was doing full time stacks and in this storage unit. There was no
electricity in the storage unit. So yeah, he used to wear like one of those like the miners hats with the light on them, and that's how he packed the orders. And there was no reception either, so he'd have to like pack one order and then go outside lift his phone up like you know, like when people stand on mountains so you get electricity. That's what a school camp.
Whatever.
Do you think they ever ran out of service? Though? Those phones can do it all.
I don't know, they're bricks. I'm like, now, you could just like go to space and just hold you knock here out and then still get signal.
Literally, you still wouldn't have had to charge it since like you ready, yeah.
I know, I still it'd still work if I found it now and turned it on totally totally.
So he would go there and like lift his phone up and get the next order and then go back in. So like that was absolutely not glamorous. I never saw that because he was too embarrassed that that was where like our you know, the room was, so I never
saw him do it. He sent me selfies, but I never actually went into that one and then yeah, I was still working full time and we eventually then got into a warehouse and I remember you could just fit a car in the warehouse and like this, I was like I lost my mind, Like I couldn't believe us any photos to everyone I knew about it, And yeah, then COVID happened, so those dreams were put on hold for a little while, and it was just like the two of us, like we had to I did the modeling,
he did the photo shoots, and yeah, it was actually such a crazy time to think. The way I say it sounds so casual, but I mean this was like many many years in the lead up. And then the only way we were able to move across to Sydney, which has a lot more opportunity than per had, was because I was still working full time, so I was still having to support Don having to turn up every day for this job which I had to keep because that was our source of income, but knowing that it
wasn't what I wanted to do long term. So it was definitely a journey. But to think we went from like his mum's spare room to the warehouse space we're here in Sydney now, it blows my mind.
Oh my gosh, I love it and I love reading like that's the bit that makes me the most excited is reading about those early days when I think about you two kind of in the trenches, having no idea where it could end up. That's what makes me excited because people hearing about that makes them believe that they could get to where you are now. Like I feel like now is amazing and it's so it's so wonderful
to talk about that. But for someone who's like earlier in their journey, it's so hard for them to conceive that they could end up where you are. But reminding everyone that you did start with like a miner's hat, that Don was so embarrassed off that he wouldn't actually let you do the work with him, that's so cute,
it's so sweet. Yeah, And I think it's probably easy for you to forget as well, that that's kind of where you began, and that you began without finishing school, without either of you having like proper business training, that neither of you had a family member who is in manufacturing or that had any kind of in with active way either. Do you think that that was maybe the naivety kind of helps you. Like I said, think sometimes if you don't know better, it's actually good for you.
Oh my god, one hundred percent. Like if I knew all the problems that we'd have to solve, like I probably wouldn't do it because it's just it's a bit scary to look at it like that. One let's start, No one would do anything if you knew what was
coming up, You just wouldn't do it. Because the thing is, I think of life like a video game, right, and I think that when you're on level one, it's really really hard for you, and you are on level one, you have to beat the baddy at the end of the level to get to level two, and once you beat the baddy or beat the challenge, you're on to level two. And when you're onto level two, it's also really really hard, and then you have to beat the baddie at the end to level two. It's harder than
it was at level one. But imagine if you saw and level one all of the challenges that you have up and coming, because I don't think the challenges ever end, right, Like you're like, yeah, sure, I like level ten is so much harder than level one, but it still feels the same. Oh yes, you still have to beat the baddie, right Like, it doesn't get easier, it's just a different challenge, and you're more equipped because of what you did in
the lower levels. So I think if you were like to be given like a crystal ball and see all the things that you have to it would be too much like naivety. Is like is bliss in that sense because even like Don and I are first generation entrepreneurs, right, like neither of our families like have like done anything
like this before, So we're just winging it. We're still beinging it now, and I think that's like one of the best We don't have mentorships or we don't have mentors or anything like this, so I think that it's definitely meant that we've learned a lot of lessons that probably could have been avoided, but we had to go through the trenches in order to learn the lessons properly.
I think sometimes if you're just told what to do all the time, you're not really equipped to beat the baddy on the next level when you're left by yourself. And that's something that Don and I are really great for us that like we've learned how to level up on every single level, just the two of us every time. And so yeah, no, I think if I knew what was coming, it's been amazing. But if I knew what I had to go through, you Dunny, I'm just being recruitment, like it's fine.
Oh my god, I love that so much. I'm so glad that you were the first guest back because you're pretty much all the things that are in my brain that I've been saying on the show for so long. You're just saying them in a more eloquent, articulate way and hammering it home because I always I say that too. I feel like you think that. So I left law and went into business, and I felt that that was
like that that was one level. It was like I went from A to B. I took a leap the end, Like that's the end of getting out of the comfort zone. I'm set for life. I'll never have another version of me. Tick found my passion. And then I realized the video game thing, and I kind of refer it to it as a staircase, but video games with a baddie is way more fun. I'm totally using that for the rest of ever, yes, but I always say, like, you don't have to see the whole staircase to take the next step.
In fact, you're not supposed to see staircase like step ten. You're meant to start at one and then do two, and then do three and again. If I'd seen step ten, never would have left my job for step ten, because holy shit, that looks awful, like amazing, but way too hard and if you don't do all the tiny little steps along the way, you'd never get to ten. So the video game thing is amazing.
The game doesn't end right, yeah, it.
Just goes forever.
It goes forever. But it's fun. It's like we love video games. It's like the perfect I think we're gamers. We're gamers. Everyone is. I love I love just Sims. It's so funny, Like Don and I always think as well, when there's so much going on, like we've got a million problems to solve, it feels like everything's against us. We always say it's because we're at the end of
our level. Like all the baddies that you are, they're all like, these are all the things, and proof isn't the pudding Because if you're listening to this and you feel like everything is against you right now, because sometimes it does get like that. It just means that you're at the end of your level and you're about to level up and DoD and I I think we're probably still going through it now. The last couple of days.
It's been hard for us, but it just means because it's happened so many times before, and it will continuously happen for the rest of our I was gonna say careers, but the rest of our lives, they'll be like, you know, when it rains at pause, but when it's pouring, it means that the rain will stop and then there's sunshine, and then you're on the next level. And the next level is really fine at the start, and then you get really good at the level, and then it starts
to rain again. But there'll always be another level, like you'll always get through it. So I know, like we kind of again I'm like spinning it into positivity, but we kind of thrive in this kind of chaos as well, because we're like, it's okay, we've gotten through something similar before, we can do it again.
I think you've just genuinely changed so many people's lives with the video game analogy, because once you can conceive of what's happening to you, it's not nearly as hard to deal with. Like, I think that's the key to having a positive mindset is being able to see it in the broader Like if you just focused on what you're feeling right now, which is shit, chaos or full tied exhausted failure, you know, you wouldn't be able to see that in the broader scheme of things. It's cause
you're at the end. It's because all the baddies are hitting you just as you're about to step up to the next level. So I think that's so that's just the best analogy I've ever heard for that ongoing like the comfort zone catching up with you and you do you get to this complacent bit where it's all chill, and that's usually when I'm like, wait, oh my god, something's about to happen, Like this can't last too long
because it's just too good to be true. Along the way, for you, guys, what would you say have been the
biggest baddies? So what have been the things that really particularly working as a couple, Because it's you fell in love at the same time as you went into business and then you got married in COVID, So there's always been this like positivity but like adversity at the same time, and going into each other's professional arenas is a huge challenge as well, when the dynamics are you out earning him at the start and then it being his business to begin with, and you're kind of coming into his space,
Like how did you guys navigate the emotional dynamics?
John and I were talking about this the other day. Actually, we were saying, like money has never been an issue for us, Like it was never weird that I was out earning him at the start, or that it was his business or that he predominantly like he's the CEO, and I'm fine with that, Like I don't know. We have a really fantastic relationship and a fantastic balance. We also have different, very different personalities and very different roles within the business. So I do a lot of the
front facing stuff. I do all of the pr I do the socials, I do this kind of stuff, and Don like does the design work. He does the hiring. Like it's funny he does like the recruitment side of things, Like I don't manage any of the start.
Yeah, that's so interesting.
Yeah, I'm out. I'm out, Like I like to see everyone's big sister, right, Like I'm the personality higher. That's what I say.
She's for culture.
Literally, I don't want to have to do that. And so I'm lucky that Don thrives at that. Like we have a really great balance of what we do and don't like, and they seem to like be the opposites, which is amazing. Yeah, And in terms of like the baddies between Don and I are like navigating the relationship, I think we're very lucky that we have the same goal.
So like, even if we are having a disagreement on something, we know that we're passionate about it because we have the same goal and the same like we want the business to do well. We want it to be a good business decision. We definitely bicker and we'll fight about things, but we always know that we have the same goal at the end of the day, and we just keep
working until we come to a solution for it. And we're very much like if he is super passionate and he just knows this will work, and I'm like, oh, I'm not sure, but it's not like my if it's his passion, will do it. If it's my passion, we'll do it. Do you know what I mean? Like, if someone really wants to fight for it and believes in it, then we have each other's back. I'm your number one
supporter and vice versa. So I don't think that's like that for everyone, Like I don't think everyone should go into business with their husbands like, but sometimes it just works. Yeah, sometimes it just works, and we are very lucky that it does for us. Then we just have that level of respect and faith and trust in each other and our decisions that we will always just do what is best for us and what is best for the business.
I love that you guys can maintain that perspective because there's also so much ego I think tied up in your livelihood, like your productivity, and for a lot of people, there is a lot of traditional gender roles and money does play a really big role. And it's amazing that from the beginning it wasn't sort of a big obstacle
for you guys, and it shows. I think it shows that you guys are such a strong team, Like you're in it together as a couple that works together, but also as a couple like your personal life as well, that you've kind of, yeah, just got so much respect for each other and each other's different skill sets when you do have like conflict resolution. Do you guys have a take on the split between your work life and personal life? Like some people even work life balance. Some
people don't think that's a thing. It's all just one big beautiful mess. How do you guys treat that? When you're traveling all the time and often your holidays are work holidays, Like you're in power for work, Like, how do you find time for just the relationship or is it all one?
I think it's a beautiful mess. I would say, like there's no like you can't just like switch off from work. But like I'm very lucky because I love my work, so I don't necessarily want to be switching off. And like, sure, we'll be in Paris for like and have to do work, but we're in Paris, Like it's.
Okay, you know what I mean.
Like I'm like, so you wake up in the mornings like when we travel, and we'll work for like the first like four or five hours in bed, But like I mean that's Okay, I'm having a croissant, and I'm like, like, I've never put on an out of office and I've never we've never been able to completely switch off, like well, we never have an off day. But like there's so many things that I'm so grateful for the fact that, like you know, for example, I'm in bed eating a
croissant and drinking a coffee and doing my emails. I mean, things could be worse. So it's like there's like sacrifices that you have to take, Like it's give and take, right, But when it comes to like work life balance, I don't think I mean Don and I aren't like discussing accounts at like ten pm or we're not like we definitely know the boundaries. So I think we do have a work life balance. Now. At the start, we probably didn't because it was like go go go twenty four
to seven. Whereas now, yeah, I would say we do have a work life balance without trying. Like we don't like switch off at a particular time. It's just kind of naturally gone that way. But in saying that, sometimes I like watch True Housewives of Beverly Hills and they're wearing stacks and I'm like, this is work, Okay, now, well okay cool, do you know what I mean? Like that's fun. Like there's definitely there's shitty times at work that I don't want to bring home, but sometimes you
just have to. Like sometimes you don't get that balance, but you do get a lot of ups and downs always.
I think it's like give and take. Totally, yeah, totally. I feel like, honestly, we spent the biggest part of most episodes on the batties, on the negatives, on the challenges, and you're like the most well adjusted person I've ever met, And I think it does come down to that seeing the positives, Like there is always a positive even in the shittest times. There's like a silver lining that you can look for of what you learned for them next chapter,
and it serves you really well. It means that you have a beautiful life because every even the shit bits, you can kind of see in perspective.
I think you're able to make much clearer decisions as well, Like when you're not like so emotional about things, I think that's so important is just being able to take emotions out of situations. Look at them, they are what they are let's train make the best out of it, or let's work out how we will go forward.
Yeah, one hundred percent. So when it comes to Stax and Second Left, there are I have so many questions for you, Like I could literally speak in five hours, but I know there's a lot of podcasts and materials that have gone through the actual business mechanics, so I don't want to spend too much time on that and
spend more about them behind the scenes. But just for anyone the one or two people living under a rock who don't already know about Stacks and Second Left, it's amazing that you guys entered a market, went through COVID, didn't have a foot in the door, and in a very like otherwise quite saturated market, which is usually what people say is like a big no no as a startup, like, don't go into something where there's eighty five urs people
already there. You've still managed to cut through and make huge amount of noise when there's already huge players in the game that had bigger resources, more experience boards and whatever. If you're giving someone like a one liner who'd never heard of Stax, what makes you guys different and special? What do you think has been the key to the global success. Like literally Real Housewives, you watch it, your product is on them, that is insane. And then second
left as the little sister. How would you describe that to someone who had no idea?
So Stacks so we make the best black tights. That's my one liner. I would say we make the best active way in Australia. And we are the most size inclusive brand as well, so we're the first active web brand to go for twenty sizes, so it's extra extra small to size for itself which is a size Australian four to an Australian twenty four. So we are inclusive. We make a fantastic product. Don and I are very
hands on with the business. We believe in our product and yeah it's been like almost ten years now of Stacks and we're so proud of it and we truly believe we have the best product out there. So our nandex range is amazing. We've got our premium seamless. We also do a lot of like sweats and tracksuits and things like that. What you're wearing now, Yeah, we have the best product. That's what I think is the standout
key and the difference. And then Second Left is our global brand, So we want to be able to expand our ranges, expand you know, go into fashion, go into different things as opposed to just gymwear and active wear, which is what STACKS is. So Second Left is like our little baby at the moment. It's really exciting because it's definitely like small fish, big pond situation, right like, or we get to put all of the things that we've learned with STACKS into play with Second Left and
just like do it a little bit differently. So second Left means when everyone tells you to go right or to go one way, you go left, but you take the second left and you're just doing things the way that you want to do it, dancing to the beat of your own drum kind of thing, which is something Don and I am very passionate about. So that's the global brand. STAS is the Australian homegrown best active weares Australia. So that's the difference between the two.
Oh my gosh, I love that. Do you look back and think, like, holy shit, in a decade, look what you've done, Like, do you ever stop and celebrate those huge milestones?
It's so crazy like, I wish we did it more. Sometimes it's hard, Like sometimes you look back and it's like, I don't know if I feel disconnected from it, but because there's like so much going on all the time, and I'm so like, I think everything's like an analogy, right,
like a bicycle. So if you're like, you can't really stop riding the bicycle because then you'll fall off, Like you have to keep heading, and so sometimes I feel like you just keep padling and you don't really look back, and then when you do look back, I'm like, wow, like it is crazy, but I'm not gonna lie. I do sometimes feel a little bit disconnected to the journey
because there's always so much going on. Like I wish I was better at reflecting and being like, holy shit, we did so much about I'm very like in the moment kind of girl, which definitely serves its purpose, But that is something I wish I was better at as well. Was was just like reflecting and celebrating.
I think that's quite a common reflection of business people, and it's just because you're in it all the time in the trenches, and if you did stop and celebrate, you probably lose the momentum that you want to have to improve on the next iteration of who you are, and like, as you said, the next video game level has started. It's not going to wait for you to have a party at the end. But still, like if you did look back, are there any moments that really
stand out to you? Like the Perth couple who started in the warehouse with a like minus torch on your head? Are there moments where you stop and you think, holy shit, like seeing it on TV placed on like the biggest celebrities in the world, Like what are some of the coolest things that have happened that stand out to you? And then what are some of the shittest moments that you've had as well?
You know, the coolest things are still going to be the spottos every day, like Don and I. I feel like it sounds cliche, but Don and I will be like walking down the street and we'll like, we like try and play cool just in case, like the people wearing it don't know who we are and don't like want anything. Who are these weirdos like staring at me or getting.
Excited staring at my butt?
Actually, oh my god, Don used to do that. He used to be like nice tights or like the baby. You can't say that to the babe, leave that to me.
Okay, let's not say anything unless you're providing context. That's not going to come across the way that you mean.
So like we're like like tap each other or like we get like so giddy and excited. So to be honest, that is like, that's my favorite thing is just like seeing it like in the wild, seeing people out on the street wearing our stuff and loving our stuff and just like raving about the product. That's my favorite. Like the celebrity placements are so incredible they pinch me moments, but my absolute fate is literally just like spotting it
in the wild. And then my least favorite bits are just having to like make all these grown up decisions that no one really tells you you have to make. And like, for example, when COVID hit, no one had ever been through something like that before, Like no one knew what was going on. And I remember we were doing premium scen unless the second version two, like the second edition of it, and we had empty out our bank accounts and we put all of our money towards
this collection. And the collection was on a ship and it was on its way over to Australia and then the world run into lockdown.
I read about this and you lost the container.
Yeah, we had no communication with anyone, and that was all about money ownership and like it was lockdown. Don and I are in this empty warehouse. This is the warehouse where you could put the car in. Don and I are in this empty house, like sitting on.
The floor, empty car space.
Literally we're like, what the fuck do we do? We have no idea where any of our like, how do we know what happened next? Because you don't know what happened to next. No one knew what was going to happen next, and that was so stressful, Like just to re emphasize, we put in all of our money into this hoping this contained, like expecting the container to arrive like normal. Didn't arrive. We couldn't do the photo shoots because the world had gone into lockdown. So that's when
John ended up. Don's like a self trained, self taught photographer, so he took photos of me in a warehouse and I'm not modeled by any chance, but we made this work. We posted the picks and thankfully the container did end up arriving and we sold out of the whole collection in sixty seconds, and it blew a mind the moment like thank god, like thank god everything happened the way
that it did. But that was petrifying. And then it was like a huge range of emotions, right, we didn't know what the hell was going on, and then next minute to sell out and we were like, because you don't know what people are going to be doing during lockdown either, like everyone was online.
Thank god, we're wearing leggings.
I didn't know. I had no idea, so like to go from one extreme to another, that was like absolute madness. And then it's still just selling out and it's still just Don and I sitting in this empty warehouse. We're like, okay, cool, Like cool, guys, it's crazy, Like it's crazy to think like something like that can happen, like a sellout or like all this productor and then it's still just like little Don and I behind the scenes in like an empty room. We're like, okay, cool, Like I guess we
should pack some orders. Like it's so funny. I mean like if it gets like this whole big thing and then you're like, oh, it's just two little humans, like trying their best behind the scenes.
Yeah, it's like when you say the team at this business is so excited to bah blah blah, and when we were saying that, it was like two of us in our undies, like packing matcha into bags, like breaking bad. Yeah, it's so funny that you kind of have to fake it to your make it. But that's why I love going through this stuff because before social media, you couldn't see the behind the scenes of a business. You didn't
know that it was just two people sharing that. You know, it can look really big on the outside, but it doesn't always start that way. You don't always have a warehouse. And if anyone is listening and is really interested in some of the business mechanics of the sellouts, there's a lot of articles out there and I had so much fun last night reading about how you guys do pre launch and how you sold like one jillion units off
one sms, like those kind of strategies. If you guys want more business focus stuff, there's a lot of material out there, and you guys are absolute geniuses with the way that you market. It's insane, but one of the awesome things that has come out of this as well is that Matilda Murray has kind of become an arm of the business as well, because we are in an age where the story behind and the person kind of
brand can also be part of the business. And I love when you do your Q and a's because some of the questions that come out, it's just like people are so interested in every single thing that you do. Like it's obviously you get the normal ones like where did you get that singlet? Or where did you get those earrings or whatever, but then there's like what fold
of a crosshant do you like? Or like there's very very specific what is Matilda Murray doing in her life kind of questions and all just I don't think that like, I'm sure there have been moments where some of them are weird and creepy, but most of them come across just like people are so interested in you. They're so interested in who you are outside of the business, and that's what I'd love to spend the rest of the episode on. So one of the things that I learned
is that you're severely allergic to bananas. What else is quirky and interesting about you that people ask about or that people don't ask about like, I'm sure your identity doesn't get separated from stacks as much in real life, but if you could do it here artificially, like who are you when you're not in the business?
Okay, Well, I'm really good at song lyrics, very good. I can probably tell you all the lyrics back. Like I just I am very good at song lyrics. I'm very good at picking up typos. Like it's actually so crazy, it's I wish that I had that skill like that, How good I am at that was like related to something else because you can put like a whole sign in front of me typo like I know it immediately, like it throw me and my staff hate it because like I will pick up anything and everything and it
kills me. Song lyrics, typos. What else can I do? I was going to say that my dog is my whole world, but you would already know that.
Yeah, which I love, adorable.
What else is there about me? Yeah? Severely allergic to bananas, which is actually heartbreaking. I got my allergy at eighteen, so I know what I'm missing out on.
Oh so you know, oh god, yeah, so you would have had a banana since then?
Like ever, I have like here and there, and then I've like ended up very sick. But yeah, it's actually crazy, So that's a hard rating. Yeah, it's a tough.
I know, babe, You're just doing it so tough, I know.
But it's so funny though on socials because sometimes I want to be like so polished and so like chic, and then other times I feel myself like waxing my nostrils and I'm like, I want to what the people are here for, like like I'm not scaring them away.
I think that's why people do love you so much though, because you do see this super polish like, like you said, doing emails, having a cross on in bed in Paris at a hotel, showcasing your own brand, which is super glam and it is actually part of your life so it's not not reality. But then at the same time you're like, guys, I had to literally get rid of
these nostril hairs before I'd made this appearance. Like I think that's what they come for, the fact that you do share and you don't expect it either, Like I feel like you know a lot of mum accounts, you kind of expect a little bit more of the like milk everywhere, mess of child, you know, having children around
or whatever. But at this stage in your life where you do have such polished clam moments, you don't necessarily think that you would feel comfortable enough to show the messy bits, but you always do and it's so endearing.
Thank you. Okay, cool, I'll continue to write my honest with that camera.
Yeah, like my weds, I always post my bloopers. It's like if I post a really polish, pretty photo in a nice outfit, I have to find the ugliest one in the thousand that we all take to get a nice photo and post it next to it because otherwise, like if you're not laughing at yourself, I feel like I'm taking myself too seriously. And that content does better than any other content, Like the nice polish stuff doesn't do well ondred percent.
Because people want to see like reality. But I think as well they do want to see a bit of like a bit of the polish stuff.
Yes I do. Yeah, So what are the questions? Like you do your Q and as quite often, what are the things that come up the most? Like what do people really want to know about your life that you might you know, not be sharing enough of that they want more of.
Is it just your day to day Yeah, day to day stuff, work life balance. People want a lot of my day in the life content, which I try to do so badly, but then I end up just like in meetings, like back to back meetings. Today is a busy, busy day, and I mean six meetings or something today, and I'm like, I can't film any of like I don't know what to film, you know what I mean.
Yeah, that's boring.
It is boring. But I would love to be able to share more of that kind of stuff, but sometimes I can't until it happens, you know what I mean. I'm big on the evil eye as well, Like I'm big on like not putting things out there. Oh my god, you guys have to be careful because I've told people things that have happened before they've happened, and then they haven't happened, and it's happened like recently, I've been an oversharer and then things have fallen through.
Yeah, okay, So you're like keep it guarded until it's locked in. Yeah, yeah, interesting, which is hard. Yeah. What about the fact that, like, do you find it surreal that you have kind of become like I know, it's a strange age where the traditional idea of a celebrity has changed so much, Like people are interested in you guys to the same extent as they would be to like a Hollywood celebrity, and that's unusual because it's never been like that before where you could start a business
and then propel into this like whole fan base. Do you find it weird, Like do people come up to you?
Yeah, people do come up to me. I absolutely love it. I love it. I love chatting to people. I love meeting new people. So yes, I'm all about it. I love it. It makes my day. Unless they're wearing another active web brand. Then that confuses.
Yeah, you're like rude, don't have a change and come back and say, hell.
Yeah, I'll wait for you. No, I'm kidding. I'm pidding, But it's good. A lot of my followers as well have like kind of the same sense of humor as me, so they know that I'm joking if I said something like that, or it does blow my mind, especially with like the questions and stuff that I get when people want to be like so they want the details of my life, I'm like, really, do you care about that, like what Deodo and I use or I don't know, Like I'm trying to think of a funny question that
I get. But like when they want like the ins and outs and all the specifics, and I'm like, yeah, I'd love to share, like I'd love to chat so I can tell you anything you want. But yeah, it blows my mind that people are so like intrigued. But I love it and I'm so flattered by it, and yeah, it's so much fun. So always say hi if you see me public, no matter what brand you're wearing.
What would you say if? Or what would don say? Actually, I feel like it's easy to answer from a partner's point of view. Are like your three strengths and then your three the pet peeves he would have about you that are annoying.
Okay, one pet peeve is my positivity. I know that.
I feel like that's such a strength though, although yeah, I get what you mean. Sometimes Nick's like it's not all fucking rainbows they're are.
Yeah, he just wants to have a bitch and I'm like, I'm not the person for it. Like I was like, I'm busy, Like my strength, I would say, can I say that positivity one as well, what positivity. I think I have a good sense of humor. I have a very clear mindset, like I'm not an overly emotional person, Like I'm very into stoicism as well, like being stoic and seeing things for what they are. Yeah, I think my ability to like I don't really overreact to things.
I think that's probably one of the good things. Three negatives. Okay, so.
You know, just like weird things. Yeah, Like like one are the things that he'd be like, oh she snores or.
Oh yeah, he tells me my snoral. Sometimes he does tell me I stonal. Sometimes I can pick up all of his typos, so that's a good one. He doesn't use spell check.
If he pisses me off, oh I can't.
Oh no, you should never talk to don agay. You won't understand anything that he's saying if you're testing no, no, no idea. And then I'm pretty messy. I leave my things around like I would come back and clean really, but he's a neat freak. Like he is so clean.
He's like very Pinterest like you can't imagine like someone like a Pinterest board like his like area is set up and it looks like a Pinterest board, and like you open his bag and everything is so well organized and like every single thing is gorgeous in there, whereas I'm just like kind of like am I gonna rush? I'm a messy girl, Like everything is just like shoved in. I do go back every couple of days and tidy
my space, naturally. My clothes are like just left on the floor after a shower and things like that.
See, I feel like your shelf is always like so beautiful. But have you just organized some days.
That I've cleaned, Yeah, okay, every couple of days and cleaning.
Oh well, the very last question, which I forgot is part of the show until right now, because my brain is the fact that again, like I mentioned, it's really hard to separate our identities from our work, and sometimes you don't even want to, Like it doesn't need to
be this artificial like work Matilda and play Matilda. But I think you're a better business owner or you're a better worker or whatever, you're a better athlete when you do something that's not your work or that's not your productivity, like when you switch your brain off and watch a shitty show or have a hobby that's you don't have to be really good at and it's not about success and goals and that's just a fun How do you unwind?
Or if you have like ten minutes or half an hour an hour to spend that you're not allowed to spend on work, what would you do?
I have to work out every single day, Like that is so important to me into my mindset, Like I'm a much better person when I've worked out. So definitely need to work out. I'm a big podcast listener and at the moment, I'm all about like I love Tony Robbins, I love ed My Lair, I love Mel Robins. Not related to Tony, I love a podcast like that. When it comes to switching off, donn and I watch Criminal Minds every single night. I watching Criminal mind Yes, do you watch Criminal Minds?
Oh my god? So criminal Minds? Any Like all of the Law and Orders n cis, all of those shows are out like every night. At the moment, we're on like Chicago Med because I finished Chicago p D. No, I'm on Chicago Fire and fall asleep to them like everyone's like sleep hygiene, Tony screens off. I need to fall asleep to television. Yeah, to murder, yeah, to like really messed up stuff.
Like people try and read into it, and I'm like, don't, don't analyze, and oh my gosh, because I have an aora ring, right, so like I can track from all that stress. So I'm laying in bed and it was Don's like, we're watching criminal and he's like, what did your or ring say about this? Because I tell him all the day, all day long, I'm like, I'm stressed right now. Or if we if I wake up in the morning and he hasn't asked about my sleep score, we're in a fight.
I'm like, oh, yeah, okay.
I'm so passionate about my urr ring at the moment, it's only meed as you can tell. And I lay in bed watching Criminal Minds and he says he's a good man. He says, what's your stress score? At the moment? I look at it relaxed, watching Criminal Minds.
And saying like crime podcasts, True crime. I'm like, why is the last thing I listened to a true murder story? Like why? Yes, what's the reason?
You know why? It's because it's the only time that something doesn't relate to our life.
Yes, that's what I say.
One hundred percent. So we're laid down, we're watching Criminal Minds in bed, and I don't relate to any of it. I can disconnect and I can just watch the show and be like engulfed in the show, whereas like reality TV, you know, it's react. I say that loosely, it's reality or you know there might be a spotto, which is amazing, but it relates to my life. Or if I'm watching some me and for watching the news, it relates to
my life. Like if I'm watching things that relates to my life, but something like that, it is so far fetched. That's when you can actually switch off. And it's not an overly like peaceful show by any means, but it does like it enables you to disconnect from reality, which I think is so important.
Oh my god, we're like the same person.
We actually are.
I tried to cut myself off once because I've read all those studies about how it shows that you've got like psychopathic tendencies if you watch them at night for enjoyment and blah blah blah, and then I was like, you know what, it is the most relaxed I am all day, because it's a one time. Yeah, where it's like a universe that is so foreign to you. Nothing's
triggering me to my to do list. It's so yeah, engrossing that like you can actually unwind, and yet there's like probably something a little bit like damaging around it, but I just don't overread into it. It's fine, it's fine. We're well adjusted human beings.
One hundred percent. And what I always say is that I think my life is stressful. Look at their life. They're running away from the cops, have done all this bad stuff. Life is a breeze in comparison, So I'm like.
Oh, yeah, gratitude, it's a gratitude practice. Yeah, it's so weird. I've like come to peace with it now. I'm like, you know what, it's fine. I'm just going to embrace that side of me. And it's weird. People find it really weird because I'm such a positive life is beautiful. Everything happens for a reason. They're like, how do you unite those two things? And I think it's because they
don't unite, Like that's why. It's like, it's not trying to tell me something motivational that I could work into a podcast. It's just yeah, separate worlds. I love that. That's the crux of the Plata's that it's meant to be something completely separate. So if you find a new good show, because I'm kind of like rapidly running out of shows, kick it over.
I have so many.
You know how you just did your La and Paris Rex. Oh do like a crime show Rex post done.
I'll do it just for you. You got it?
Just tag me in it. We can do a co lab post for all my crime girlies. This is what we need.
Let's do it. Let's do it. We're gonna have to hang out in real life so we can get a picture together.
I yeah watching it though, like in our track, is in our matching sets?
Done?
Oh well, thank you so much, my love. This has been so wonderful. You are such a breath of fresh air. I loved you before, I love you even more now. I didn't ask what's coming up next for you? Guys. You've opened a lot of stores and had a lot of things going on. What is the next step? What shall we be looking out for?
Yeah, we've got a lot of stores in the pipeline. Oh my god, we're doing the best collection that we've ever done. And I don't know how much time I like to say about it because of the evil eye stuff that I just.
Like, Yeah, I was gonna say, Yeah, why do I even ask that question?
No, No, I can tell you that much because I'm actually well, I did a steep peek on my story, so a lot of people already know. But I have like been very hands on with a particular collection that's coming up. It's in my favorite colors, there's new style. It's got to be the best thing we've ever done. So I'm so excited for that specifically.
It's coming soon amazing. Well, I'm sure there is somewhere that people can sign up to be on the VIP list, which is the amazing model that you guys are using, so I will pop that in the show notes. Thank you so much for so generously sharing your time. I know you're a very very busy human being, and for keeping us all comfortable and stylish.
Thank you so much for having me malve well.
I wouldn't say that was the most eloquent I've ever been. I definitely felt a bit dustier than usual, but I just was so nervous. I couldn't believe how nervous I was, but I guess done is better than perfect, as we always say, and Matilda more than made up for it with her wisdom and eloquence. I just have so much passion for people's stories and getting inside their brains, and
I've missed it so much. I hope you guys loved this first one back as much as I did, and if you did, please share the episode so that we can keep spreading the neighborhood again as far and wide as possible, and tag Matilda to thank her for her time. I think guests always love hearing what landed most with you. I think a lot of you will find the video game thing as valuable as I did, so yeah, please
do share, and Tagger if you've found any takeaways. I think she'd love to hear it, and I'll also share links to Stacks and Second Left so you can check out their incredible range. There's a reason that I've been living in both for years and that they've grown so exponentially since they began. I'd also love to know what you guys want to hear. Any tweaks that you want to suggest for format or questions, or guests you want
a request or anything now that we're back again. You guys know I love to make sure the neighborhood is getting exactly what it wants, so never stop hitting up my DMS or emailing so that we can always make
sure this is a yighborhood production. Next up, we are going to be doing an Olympic Spotlight because it is that magical time every four years or every whatever years, given the last couple of times have been a bit thrown by the pandemic that shall not be named, but it's such an emotional and exciting time for the world. I just oh, there are so many dreams and stories and people and the idea that talent just surpasses all
geographical and cultural boundaries. I get so emotional during the Olympics, I always have. So we're going to be doing an Olympic Spotlight of throwbacks because we've been so lucky to have so many Olympians on the show who are now doing so well in Paris and interesting they're not actually allowed to record audio video interviews from the Olympic village because we had a few lined up we will now
be hearing from after their Olympic campaigns. But I thought it'd be interesting to go back and listen to some of them at the time we recorded them, because it was well before some of the milestones they're hitting now, and just reflect on how far they've come. So we'll do a little throwback series. Yeah, I think there's seven or eight Olympians who we've had on who are now over the in Paris. And we'll also follow up with a yeas of our lives catch up with and I'm
recording that in the next couple of days. We actually did record one for you guys already a couple of weeks ago, and we lost the entire file, which is maybe better. It was pretty unhinged, but I guess they always are. It was really funny. We laughed a lot and I'm so sad we couldn't bring it to you, But we will do another one so that you get a bit more of a life update. And in the meantime, I hope you guys are having an amazing week. Everything
is going well. You're all safe, healthy and happy and are seizing your yay. Reginent from German regained from the m