#13 // Marianne Marchesi, Travel Tots // Rethinking family travel: an untapped market built around zero mental load

#13 // Marianne Marchesi, Travel Tots // Rethinking family travel: an untapped market built around zero mental load

In this special episode of Bold Ideas, we are completely flipping the script. Our host, Marianne Marchesi, is putting herself in the hot seat to share the story behind her own brand-new venture. Joining her as guest host is expert podcaster and brand strategist Sherien Wissa to unpack Marianne’s exciting new business: Travel Tots. Launched in February 2026, Travel Tots is a game-changing service born out of Marianne's own frustrations travelling with two young kids under four. The core promise? One easy booking, zero mental load. Travel Tots goes ahead of families to their holiday destinations—whether it’s a hotel, Airbnb, or even the grandparents' house—and sets up everything they need, from portacots and prams to toys, wipes, and the parents' preferred brand and size of nappies. Literally all parents have to do is pack their kids' clothes and go. Marianne shares how she identified an untouched gap in the market, how she leverages her strengths as an experienced founder and lawyer, and why she is so passionate about disrupting the family travel space to help parents make precious, stress-free memories. She also opens up about the reality of diving back into "startup land," building resilience through the "no's," and why mums shouldn't wait until their kids are older to take that dream holiday. If you have a bold idea keeping you up at night, this episode is your ultimate sign to go hard, lean on your networks, and execute it. In this episode, we discuss: - The spark behind Travel Tots: Marianne’s nightmare hotel cot story that started it all. - What "zero mental load" actually means for mums and dads carrying the invisible burden of family logistics. - The strict Australian safety and hygiene standards behind Travel Tots’ carefully selected equipment. - How Marianne balances being a present mum of two while running multiple businesses. -Transitioning from a professional services business (Legalite) to the travel industry, and the challenge of pivoting your marketing. -Marianne’s bigger vision for Travel Tots: becoming a full family travel solution including car seat installation, nanny services, and local attractions. -Why a good idea doesn't pay the bills -and why execution, resilience, and collecting your first "no's" is the real secret to success. Follow Travel Tots on Instagram at @traveltots_au or visit https://www.traveltots.au [https://www.traveltots.au] To get in touch, contact us via Instagram @boldideas_au. This episode is brought to you by Legalite, where bold ideas thrive. Visit https://www.legalite.com.au [https://www.legalite.com.au] to find out how we can help you.

#12 // Verity Tuck // Flowers, Exits and AI: From Scaling LVLY to Building Another Bold Brand in Goldee

In this episode of Bold Ideas, we sit down with Verity Tuck, founder and entrepreneur behind one of Australia’s most loved gifting brand. Verity is best known as the co-founder of LVLY, the cheeky same-day flower and gifting business that started in a Melbourne co-working space and scaled into a nationally recognised brand before a successful exit following the pandemic. Now, she’s back with a new bold idea, Goldee, an AI-powered personal assistant designed to ease the mental load for busy families. In a candid and inspiring conversation, Verity shares the realities of building and scaling a business from scratch, navigating near-failure moments, leading through crisis, and balancing ambition with motherhood. Plus, listen to the end for a short season wrap from Marianne and a special Christmas announcement! 00:00 – Introduction: Verity Tuck’s journey from co-founding LVLY to launching Goldee 02:18 – The idea for LVLY is born: How frustration with unused ideas at an agency led to redefining modern gifting and same-day delivery. 05:25 – Quitting jobs and starting from the back of the house: The financial and emotional leap of going all in on LVLY. 08:00 – Hard conversations between co-founders: Navigating equity and fairness before it derailed the business 13:15 – COVID hits and everything changes: From near collapse to explosive growth. 14:50 – Scaling from 8 to 450 staff: How LVLY adapted operations, logistics, and leadership during lockdowns 18:00 – Leadership, burnout, and motherhood: Balancing a fast-growing business with raising young children and navigating mum guilt. 22:55 – The decision to exit LVLY: How growth, timing, and an unexpected introduction led to a successful acquisition. 25:45 – Introducing Goldee: Why Verity built an AI-powered assistant to help families manage the mental load of parenting. 28:15 – Building a tech business for the first time: Lessons from moving from physical products to AI and behaviour change. 33:40 – Advice for anyone with a bold idea: Why an honest advisory network matters more than cheerleaders. 36:20 – Season wrap and Bold Ideas: Journal announcement: Reflecting on season one and what’s coming next. Find Goldee on Instagram at @goldee.ai To get in touch, DM us via Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boldideas_au/ [https://www.instagram.com/boldideas_au/]

#11 // Mel Storey // Big Sis to Early Career Professionals, and Building a Powerful Personal Brand

In this episode, I’m joined by Mel Storey - corporate legal leader turned creator, speaker, and founder of Counsel Media, a modern digital media company helping lawyers and ambitious young professionals design careers on their own terms. Known as the “career big sis” of the legal world, Mel shares what shaped her mission, why she walked away from a stable corporate role, and what she’s building now to make sure the next generation doesn’t have to figure it out alone. We dive into the realities of the legal profession that often go unspoken - toxic workplace culture, isolation, and the “I had to do it tough, so you do too” mindset - and why Mel believes our generation has a responsibility to be the circuit breaker. She also unpacks the creator side of leadership: showing up online with warmth and honesty, navigating boundaries, and why founders need to “pay the cringe tax” if they want to be known for what they’re here to do. If you’ve ever felt called to create something bigger than your job title, this conversation is equal parts permission slip and practical guidance, with a powerful final takeaway from Mel’s “85-year-old you” future-trip exercise. [00:00:00] – Introduction: Meet Mel Storey — corporate lawyer turned creator and founder of Counsel Media [00:00:42] – Icebreaker: The “limitless credit card” question [00:01:44] – Career Big Sis Origins: First in family to go to uni/law school, small-town Dubbo to corporate law [00:03:18] – Passing It On: Why the next generation deserves better (not “I suffered so you should too”) [00:05:31] – Being the Circuit Breaker: “This ends with us” — generational trauma in the legal profession [00:07:32] – Purpose vs Being Good At It: Awards, competence, and why that wasn’t the point anymore [00:08:20] – The Problems She Couldn’t Ignore: Loneliness, isolation, toxic cultures, and a lack of connection [00:10:21] – normal doesn't mean normalised, and helping early career professionals navigate toxic workplaces [00:11:25] – Translating Between Generations: “It’s not entitlement, it’s boundaries” (and the balance required) [00:13:15] – Filling the Market Gap: Making career support accessible beyond high-ticket executive coaching [00:16:07] – What Makes Counsel Media Different: Fun, warm, inclusive, and meeting lawyers where they are [00:19:42] – Vulnerability + Boundaries: Oversharing, parasocial relationships, and “share from the scar, not the wound” [00:26:17] – Advice for Founders: Paying the cringe tax, climbing cringe mountain, and doing the reps publicly [00:31:08] – Quality Over Virality: Why 50 ideal people beats 50,000 random views [00:33:07] – Results That Matter: Relief, expansion, and showing people the “menu” of legal career options [00:36:13] – The Future of Law: A safer, more inclusive industry — led by internal truth, not stale stereotypes [00:39:18] – Final Advice: Future-trip with your 85-year-old self — let future-you call the shots Find Mel on Instagram @theinhouselawyer and on LinkedIn at Mel Storey. To get in touch, DM us via Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boldideas_au/ [https://www.instagram.com/boldideas_au/]

#10 // Don Hett // From the Garage to an Empire + Why the Future of Cleaning is Planet Positive

Don Hett is the kind of founder who builds empires from garages. He co-founded Clean Kings in 2012, starting literally out of a garage servicing a handful of hospitality venues. Today, Clean Kings is a national integrated facility services company across Australia, with a team of more than 1,200 staff. Most recently, Don founded Earthy Tabs, a venture delivering powerful, commercial-grade cleaning solutions through one dissolvable tablet. This bold idea is cutting plastic waste and transport emissions while keeping cleaning performance "sky high". In this must-listen episode, host Marianne Marchesi chats with Don about his journey from a garage startup to a national market leader. [00:00:00] – Introduction: Meet Don Hett — founder of Clean Kings and Earthy Tabs, and the garage-to-national-scale entrepreneur [00:00:35] – The Journey Begins: Growing up in Sri Lanka, arriving in Australia with $2,500 and studying accounting at Deakin [00:03:35] – Entering Cleaning by Accident: Leaving corporate life, cleaning toilets during uni and learning the industry the hard way [00:05:31] – Starting Clean Kings: Launching from a garage and solving fragmentation in a saturated cleaning market [00:08:21] – Scaling Nationally: How Covid forced Clean Kings to diversify from hospitality into 13 industries [00:12:55] – People, Processes & Culture: Training, systems and why putting cleaners front-and-centre creates high performance [00:13:47] – Finding the Right Partners: Values, belief systems and Don’s hands-on approach to selection and training [00:18:29] – What Makes Clean Kings a Bold Idea: Looking at the market differently and delivering tailored, centralised solutions [00:21:08] – Sustainability Awakening: Growing up eco-minded and feeling responsible to improve business impact [00:22:51] – Enter Earthy Tabs: Why the chemical industry hasn’t changed in 100 years — and the moment dissolvable tablets clicked [00:26:07] – Testing, Failures & Breakthroughs: Domestic tablets, powder spills, sheet limitations and the search for true performance [00:29:44] – Measuring Impact: Building an impact calculator and uncovering 55,000 plastic cans used per year — in one business [00:31:46] – ESG & Real Results: Helping clients meet sustainability targets with measurable data across eight metrics [00:35:18] – 6Silo Philosophy: “We live outside the box” — the mindset driving all Don’s ventures [00:37:07] – Closing Thoughts: Problem-solving, courage and why bold ideas come from doing things differently Find CleanKings at https://cleankings.com.au/ [https://cleankings.com.au/] and Earthy Tabs at https://www.earthytabs.com/ [https://www.earthytabs.com/] To get in touch, DM us via Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boldideas_au/ [https://www.instagram.com/boldideas_au/]

#9 // Kate Save, Be Fit Food // From 2 years to an Overnight Success and Busting Food Myths

In this episode of Bold Ideas, I’m joined by Kate Save - dietitian, exercise physiologist, diabetes educator and the powerhouse founder of Be Fit Food, Australia’s first scientifically formulated, dietitian-designed whole-food meal program created to deliver rapid, clinically backed results. Kate’s bold idea came after treating over 10,000 patients and seeing the same problem again and again: people weren’t failing because they lacked knowledge - they were failing because they lacked time. Determined to give Australians a genuinely healthy, real-food alternative to shakes, bars and ultra-processed diet products, she built Be Fit Food: meals made from whole ingredients, designed to shrink the liver, reset metabolism and genuinely improve health - not just weight. In this episode, you’ll hear the remarkable journey behind Be Fit Food’s creation, why Kate took her idea onto Shark Tank, and the wild, chaotic reality of scaling 1,500% overnight without the investment cheque in hand. Kate also breaks down the truth about weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, what Covid did to the industry, why supermarkets are failing Australians, and her vision for the future of food, health and metabolic disease. Plus, she shares the one non-negotiable rule she lives by when starting any bold idea - and why looking back is the quickest way to fail. Find Be Fit Food at https://www.befitfood.com.au [https://www.befitfood.com.au] and on Instagram @befitfoodaustralia To get in touch, DM us via Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boldideas_au/ [https://www.instagram.com/boldideas_au/]