Glow Journal

• Felicity Evans | Founder of Imbibe

  In episode 144 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Dimond talks to the founder of Imbibe, Felicity Evans. Felicity’s founder story is really different to my usual guests in that she never really set out to create a “brand.” I thought this was a wonderful opportunity to show you how many different shapes the startup journey, so to speak, can take.The short version- Felicity wanted to overhaul her health, so she started making probiotic drinks in her kitchen. Her friends and family saw a change in her skin, her hair, her energy, and her health, so she started making up batches for them. Word spread, local retailers started asking if they could stock her products, and over a decade on Imbibe is a fully fledged beauty and wellness brand with SKUs spanning ingestible and topical skincare.There’s a lot you can take from this, but what I find the most interesting is the finding-the-right-manufacturer piece- if you set out specifically with the goal of becoming a “brand founder,” hearing the word “no” time and time again (a startup inevitability) would be really disheartening. In Felicity’s case, she didn’t necessarily want to start a brand, so hearing a “no” was kind of a straightforward “okay, well you’re not the right manufacturer.” Business wasn’t her primary motivator- her primary motivator was just getting a shelf stable version of her product to the people who wanted it.In this conversation, Felicity shares why the hotel space has become one of her most interesting and fruitful distribution channels, the many ways inflammation can show up in the body, and why she’s always used her customers as her biggest influencers. Read more at glowjournal.comFollow Imbibe on Instagram @imbibelivingStay up to date with Gemma on Instagram at @gemdimond and @glow.journal, or get in touch at [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Bree Johnson (Returns) | Co Founder of Frank Body

  In episode 143 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Dimond talks once again to the co founder of Frank Body, Bree Johnson. This is something I’d been thinking about doing for a while and, for whatever reason, season 7 feels like the right time to do it. I had Bree and her Frank co founder, Jess Hatzis, on the podcast back in 2018, season 1- back when I thought this would just be a miniseries on the business of beauty. What I’d been wanting to do is bring back previous guests from the first few seasons and look at not just how their brand has evolved in the 7 or so years since I last interviewed them, but also get their take on the evolution of the beauty industry as a whole since we last did a deep dive and compare their answers from then to now. Bree was the perfect founder to do this with. She was SO down to compare her previous answers to today’s feelings, I’ve worked with Bree and the larger frank team a lot over the last decade, I MC’d their newest launch on Monday so it has been really fun to just immerse myself in the Frank world this week. On top of that, Bree is a branding and beauty MASTERMIND. So few brands have been able to achieve what Frank has achieved, globally, so this was a really fun chat for me not just from a beauty perspective but from a marketing perspective. Something I loved talking to Bree about was how she knew it was time to step away from her day-to-day role at Frank Body. Bree is still on the advisory board at Frank but isn’t there day-to-day anymore, so she’s got some really beautiful insight to share on knowing when the time is right for such a big change, navigating that change, and the identity piece that comes along with it.In this conversation, Bree shares her thoughts on how new businesses can cut through the noise on social media with a 2025 lens, why frank body has moved away from novelty launches and has moved into high performance body care, and we compare her take on the state of the beauty industry with the answers she gave me back in season 1. Read more at glowjournal.comFollow Frank Body on Instagram @frank_bodStay up to date with Gemma on Instagram at @gemdimond and @glow.journal, or get in touch at [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Sophie Marcoux | Founder of Ficifolia Fragrances

  In episode 142 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Dimond talks to the founder of Ficifolia Fragrances, Sophie Marcoux. Ficifolia Fragrances is only two and a half years old, in which time Sophie has launched 6 individual perfumes as well as the fragrance Flight Deck- a first-to-market offering that I consider one of the most a beautiful examples of thinking outside the box when it comes to converting customers, regardless of industry, that I’ve come across.I had some questions for Soph about brand building, as that’s really the cornerstone of her professional background. She said that for her, it’s about “creating a world that people want to return to.” I made note of that while she was speaking and it’s stuck with me. That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? I think this was the perfect episode to start the season with because as much as we do talk about beauty and how that space lights us up, there’s so many business nuggets in here- why your journey to starting a brand doesn’t have to be linear, why the market circuit is so beneficial for startups, we talked a bit about the natural vs synthetic debate (which, as you can imagine, I have a lot of thoughts on)… just a really juicy but fun chat about a fragrance brand that I am personally obsessed with. In this conversation, Sophie the importance of bringing in someone objective to assist with making decisions that may be too close to your brand, how she’s giving e-commerce customers a tactile entry point to the world of Ficifolia, and we both share some of our thoughts on beauty dupe culture. Read more at glowjournal.comFollow Ficifolia Fragrances on Instagram @ficifoliafragrancesStay up to date with Gemma on Instagram at @gemdimond and @glow.journal, or get in touch at [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Season 7 baby! A life update from Gem

  We're back!I'm back on mic and it feels good. It feels different, and I feel different, but it feels good. Here's an update on why I've been so quiet on here since November, plus a little bit of a listener Q&A on ageing, botox, everything showers and switching off.Season 7 baby, let's do it. Stay up to date with Gemma on Instagram at @gemdimond and @glow.journal, or get in touch at [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Gem on New Meds, New Beauty, and New Year's Resolutions

  Wrapping up Season 6 with another solo episode!To wind up an incredible incredible year I'm answering your questions- we're talking my semi-recent PCOS diagnosis, 2025 beauty predictions, New Year's Resolutions and a few more career questions for good measure.Thank you once again to everyone who submitted such thoughtful questions. I will see you next year for Season 7 (!) of the Glow Journal Podcast!Stay up to date on Instagram at @gemdimond and @glow.journal, or get in touch at [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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