The Lazy CEO Podcast with Jane Lu

This week on The Lazy CEO Podcast, Jane sits down with Hannah Vasicek, CEO and co-founder of Francesca Jewellery, the Australian jewellery brand she built alongside her sister Rachel. Hannah started making jewellery at 12, was selling at markets by 16, and somehow grew the business while completing a double degree in science and law. She's since led Francesca from a weekend market stall to one of Australia's most recognised jewellery brands on the global stage.

In this episode, they dive into:
The burnout that put her in hospital and the wake-up call that completely rewired how she leads and runs the business.
Why jewellery is one of the hardest categories to scale, and how Hannah cracked it anyway.
How she went from managing 60 direct reports to building systems that actually work.
The decision to launch charity collections, what drove it, and how it reshaped the entire Francesca brand identity.

Connect with us:Follow The Lazy CEO podcast: @thelazyceo_podcast @thelazyceopodStay updated with Jane Lu: @thelazyceoConnect with Hannah: @hannah.vasicek Follow Francesca Jewellery: @francescajewellery
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In this episode of Help My Small Business, Jane is joined by Brittney Saunders, founder of Fayt The Label, who built one of Australia's most engaged fashion communities from the ground up and scaled it into a multi-million-dollar retail brand with stores across the country. Now she's bringing that brand-building firepower to review Monika's business, IQM Store, an Australian online retailer of curated educational toys, games, and gifts designed to spark creativity, imaginative play, and skill development in kids.
By the end of this episode, you'll learn:
How to stand out in a crowded market, even when your product isn't unique, by leaning into storytelling, content, and clear positioning
How product discovery, curation, and testing can differentiate your brand and double as engaging, trust-building content
Why sometimes the best thing you can do for your business is rebrand, and how a fresh identity or positioning can breathe new life into a company
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Connect with us:Follow The Lazy CEO podcast: @thelazyceo_podcast @thelazyceopodStay updated with Jane Lu: @thelazyceoConnect with Brittney Saunders: @brittney_saunders Follow Fayt The Label: @faytlabelCheck out Brittney's Podcast!: @bigbusiness_podcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Lazy CEO Podcast, Jane sits down with Michael Porter, Founder of Skin Control, the Aussie pimple patch brand that became Australia's number one acne care brand, selling over 4.8 million packets in 2025 alone.

Growing up around his family's Four Seasons Condoms empire, Michael had entrepreneurship in his DNA. But nothing could prepare him for what it actually took to get Skin Control off the ground.

In this episode, they dive into:
How growing up around family businesses like Four Seasons Condoms shaped his entrepreneurial mindset and led to the creation of Skin Control.
The strategy behind standing out in a crowded skincare market, landing major retailers, and scaling a brand that now dominates both retail and e-commerce.
His best hustle stories as proof that no matter the business size, sometimes the founder needs to get their hands dirty to make shit happen.

Connect with us:Follow The Lazy CEO podcast: @thelazyceo_podcast @thelazyceopodStay updated with Jane Lu: @thelazyceoConnect with Michael: @michaelwporterFollow Skin Control: @skincontrolau
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After 15 years of building Showpo, Jane’s learned a lot about hiring, scaling, and leadership but nothing really prepares you for people leaving. In this solo episode, she unpacks one of the hardest truths of building a business: no matter how experienced you get, resignations never really get easier.

In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why resignations feel exactly like breakups and the different exits every founder will recognise - from people leaving for “hotter” opportunities, to ego hits, to the ones that just quietly fizzle out
How to deal with the hard ones: blindsides and losing people you genuinely love working with
Why letting people leave is actually part of scaling and how to stop taking it so personally
Connect with us:Follow The Lazy CEO podcast: @thelazyceo_podcast @thelazyceopodStay updated with Jane Lu: @thelazyceo

Leave a comment letting Jane know if you like this style of solo episode and send any questions you want her to unpack further to [email protected]!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Lazy CEO Podcast, Jane sits down with Dr. Philip Mathen, founder of Veritas Executive Health, Australia’s leading clinic for high-performing founders, executives, and athletes.

With 38 years of hands-on medical experience, including years in Intensive Care, Dr. Mathen shifted his focus to preventative medicine over 16 years ago. Today, he helps high performers optimise their health, extend their longevity, and sustain peak performance without burning out.

In this episode, they dive into: • Whether CEOs and founders actually age faster and what chronic high performance does to the body. • The biggest misconceptions high performers have about health and what actually works instead. • The daily habits, key metrics, and simple adjustments that drive energy, resilience, and performance. • Science-backed strategies to extend healthspan and improve long-term vitality.

If you’re constantly juggling work, life, and everything in between, this episode will help you step back, rethink how you’re operating, and give you practical tools to feel sharper, more energised, and more resilient.

Connect with us:Follow The Lazy CEO podcast: @thelazyceo_podcast @thelazyceopodStay updated with Jane Lu: @thelazyceoConnect with: Dr Phillip MathenFollow Veritas Executive Health: @veritasexecutivehealth & LinkedIn
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.