Wild Hearts

In this episode we cover:✅Challenges of creating a hardware product✅Helping people overcome shame and stigma✅Building a brand beyond a visual identity✅Investing in your own mental health✅Reaching your audience where they areWith its range of sex toys and sex education resources, NORMAL has reimagined the sex shop into an online experience that is fun and informative, with the mission of empowering absolutely anybody to explore their sexuality free from stress and stigma.In this special live episode of Wild Hearts, founder of NORMAL Lucy Wark spoke with me on stage at Blackbird’s Sunrise Festival.Episode highlights from Lucy:“More than 1 in 5 searches on the internet is about sex. There’s an incredibly large organic interest in this topic.”“As a culture, we have a long history of religious and cultural ideas about sex being sinful, sex being something that should only exist inside marriage, or should only exist for the creation of children.”“It’s not like selling toilet paper or mattresses. You’re trying to help people tackle quite deep psychological stigma.”“Things like libido, desire, arousal, changes in the body, sexual dysfunction, relationship skills, and sex while ageing, sex in menopause, there is this enormous suite of challenges for which we are incredibly poorly prepared for by formal sex education.”“A brand is not a logo and colours. To build authentic brands that mean something to people, is about a lot more than just building a visual identity.”“I think having practices like therapy are incredibly helpful investments in yourself as a founder, and an operator, and just a good human being to be around, so that’s been probably the highest ROI thing I do.”

What happens when a 10-second TikTok video changes everything overnight? For Annabelle Hay, co-founder and CEO of CLUTCH, it meant selling out 5,000 units in hours, navigating a manufacturing disaster, and scrambling to scale. In this episode, Annabelle shares the rollercoaster journey of building a consumer brand from scratch, the unexpected lessons of going viral, and the challenges of breaking into retail.In this conversation, we cover:🔥 The TikTok video that went viral overnight and sold out 5,000 units 💥 The manufacturing disaster that led to exploding tubes and mass refunds 🚀 How Annabelle scaled CLUTCH from a side hustle to a retail success 🦈 The Shark Tank investor who tried to rip her off—and how she fought back🎯 The unexpected challenges of retail, from supply chain issues to hidden costs 💡 The founder-led brand strategy that resonated with millions 📈 Lessons in growth, hiring, and relinquishing control in a fast-moving startupIf you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to scale a consumer product from zero to retail shelves, this conversation with Annabelle Hay is a masterclass in resilience, adaptability, and strategic growth.

What happens when artificial intelligence isn't just assisting—but reshaping—the world of investment?In this episode of Wild Hearts, we chat with Armina Rosenberg, an investor combining traditional fundamental research with revolutionary AI-driven techniques. Armina dives into how her firm, Minotaur, leverages AI to break down barriers, uncover global opportunities, and make investment decisions at unprecedented speeds. It's not just about efficiency; it's about reshaping the way capital is allocated worldwide.In this episode, we cover:📈 How AI can remove language barriers in global investment research (03:30)🔍 Armina’s innovative strategy for identifying mispriced companies (11:45)🧠 How large language models (LLMs) transform fundamental analysis (14:10)⚖️ Managing risk and building conviction with AI analytics (23:50)🛠️ The competitive advantage of building proprietary AI software (29:30)🚀 Future AI investment trends and capturing economic value (34:20)This episode is a rare inside look at how AI is transforming the art of investing, and what it means for the future of software.

Imagine being able to understand your customers better than ever before—instantly. That’s the promise of AI-powered product management. In this episode, Matt Hinds, Co-founder and CEO of Sauce AI, explains how AI is transforming the way companies prioritise, iterate, and execute on their product roadmaps. We dive into the tools, strategies, and mindset shifts that are allowing top teams to unlock massive leverage in world of product development.In this conversation, we cover:🧠 The evolving role of product managers in an AI-powered world🚀 How Sauce AI is transforming product insights and decision-making 📉 Why some companies are eliminating PM roles – and why others are doubling down💡 How top product teams use AI to unlock customer insights 100x faster🛠️ The must-have AI tools that product managers should be using right now 🔄 The future of product iteration: instant feedback loops and automated workflows

Winning against billion-dollar incumbents isn't about money—it’s about strategy. In this episode, we talk to Steve Hind, the co-founder of Lorikeet, about how he and his team built an AI-powered customer support tool that’s not just competing but winning in one of the most crowded markets in tech. Steve shares the moment that led to their pivotal product shift, the principles guiding their success, and why they believe 2025 is the year AI will truly transform enterprise support.In this conversation, we cover:💡 The breakthrough moment that led to Lorikeet’s pivot into AI-driven customer support 🚀 How Steve and his team outperformed well-funded competitors in Silicon Valley 📈 The underestimated value of customer engagement over customer love 🎯 Why AI in customer support isn’t just about summarising FAQs—and why that matters 🛠️ The power of engineers talking to customers and building based on real needs 💰 Why Steve believes the best startups should focus on making their existing customers wildly successful ⚡ How startup founders can avoid “doom loop” hiring behaviors and build teams that win 🔮 Why 2025 will be the year of enterprise AI—and how Lorikeet is positioning itself to lead Steve Hind and his team at Lorikeet are proving that startups can outcompete legacy players—not by outspending them, but by outthinking them. This conversation is a deep dive into strategy, execution, and the mindset that leads to real impact.

How do you take a deeply human skill—asking great questions—and scale it with AI? Michelle Gilmore, co-founder and CEO of Juno, is tackling that challenge head-on. In this episode, we talk about her path from industrial design to AI entrepreneurship, why the best research isn’t about collecting data but understanding people, and how Juno is changing the way businesses learn from their customers.In this conversation, we cover:🔍 The art of asking the right questions—and why small wording changes can completely alter responses 💡 Why Michelle believes AI has levelled the playing field—and what that means for the future of research 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 The importance of co-founders—and how Michelle’s long-standing partnership with Josh gives Juno an advantage🚀 The shift from consulting to product-based business models—and why Juno is moving away from selling time 🔬 Experimentation at the core of Juno’s growth—how the team tests hypotheses before scaling 💰 Pricing AI research: Can value-based pricing work for a product like Juno?🌏 Expanding globally—why Latin America and Singapore are key emerging markets for Juno 🧠 The future of qualitative research—why Michelle believes surveys are outdated and how Juno is leading the next evolutionThis episode isn’t just about AI; it’s about how Juno is redefining the way we gather insights, making research faster, more intuitive, and ultimately more human.

AI & Creativity: how Springboards is changing the game for agenciesWhat does it take to turn an idea into a global business in just six months? In this episode, we sit down with the founders of Springboards, Pip Bingemann and Amy Tucker, to uncover their whirlwind journey from a three-person team with an MVP to a thriving international business that’s transforming the creative agency space. Subscribe on Apple or Spotify to learn.In this conversation, we cover:The incredible growth of Springboards—from a 3-person team to a global operation (02:30)How AI is inspiring, not replacing, human creativity in the agency world (15:45)The pitching problem in agencies and how Springboards is solving it (22:10)The expansion into international markets and how Amsterdam became a key hub (30:20)The power of relationships in driving business success over 15 years (40:05)Why “pitch theatre” is crucial for standing out in a crowded market (50:15)The importance of balancing creativity and structure in agency work (1:02:40)Overcoming fear and resistance to AI adoption within agencies (1:15:55)Whether you’re a marketer, a creative, or a business leader, this conversation will change how you think about AI’s role in enhancing—not replacing—human creativity.

Discover how Stephanie Carullo from Box and Apple, transformed education through technology. In this episode, she shares the pivotal moments that redefined classrooms, the culture at Apple, and her vision for the future of AI in learning. 🔑 Why Apple’s "life's best work" mantra fosters trust and accountability across teams📱 The revolutionary impact of the iPad on education and its role in transforming classrooms worldwide📖 The secret to embedding Apple’s culture of clarity, strategy, and communication in organisations🌟 How critical thinking and problem-solving are the most important skills for future leaders 🤖 Why AI is poised to revolutionise education, featuring insights from Khan Academy's AI tutor👩‍💼 Stephanie’s role as COO at Box: Coordinating customer-focused strategies for sustained growth📈 How to balance rapid growth and operational efficiency in the competitive SaaS industry 🌍 Lessons from Apple and Box on fostering innovation and creating meaningful impact at scale Whether you’re a tech enthusiast, an educator, or a leader, join us to learn how Stephanie fostered trust, tackled challenges, and leveraged technology to drive education and innovation to new heights.

What does it take to launch Australia into the global space race? For Adam Gilmour, CEO and founder of Gilmour Space Technologies, the answer is a bold vision, relentless innovation, and an unwavering commitment from a founder and their team.In this episode of Wild Hearts, Adam shares the highs, lows, and lessons learned as he prepares for the first Australian-made rocket launch from Australian soil.Throughout the episode, we cover:🚀 Adam Gilmour’s bold vision to enable human colonisation of the solar system🧠  The rollercoaster highs and lows of building rockets from scratch in Australia📊 How simplicity drives innovation: lessons from aerospace engineering 🌍 The importance of milestones in the rocket business and how they shape progress 🔄 Bootstrapping a space company with a small team and big dreams 🎯 Why launching from Australia provides unique orbital opportunities💡 Navigating regulatory hurdles and securing trust in a high-risk industry 🌌 Adam’s predictions for humanity’s expansion into the solar system and beyondAdam Gilmour’s story isn’t just about rockets—it’s a testament to resilience, innovation, and the boundless potential of human ambition 🚀

Join us as we dive into the archives of Wild Hearts to re-live some of our favourite episodes! Flavia is connecting everything on earth via sending toaster sized satellites into low earth orbit.In the second episode of, host Mason Yates speaks to co-founder and CEO Flavia Tata Nardini and Blackbird Partner Niki Scevak about the rocket science company that is connecting everything on earth.Key topics covered: How the next industrial revolution will be in space. The unique challenges facing space start-ups. The small data revolution. The importance of having a focused market. What Fleet did to shorten their customer feedback loop. Why a CEO has to be everywhere. The best of Flavia Tata Nardini:"Focus is the biggest lesson I’ve learned in the startup world.”“A lot of people talk about big data, we hated the word, it was just bullshit. So we called it a small data revolution. Just get a little piece of data. The smart data.”“The [space] industry has got ninety percent awareness of everything that’s deployed. They just make decisions in a way that is not right. We want to change this, we want to give [everyone] full visibility. The problem has always been that connectivity was not present or super expensive.”“We decided to fire all our customers that were tiny and focus like crazy in working with big energy companies and others.”“You need to be a believer, you need to believe [in your product] in the first five to six years like crazy.”“You cannot let people build you a product [and think] they will build it for you the way you wanted it. You have to be there. You have to do it. You have to show them the path."Niki Scevak on Flavia Tata Nardini and Fleet:“The ability to do something you could not do before to this huge industry, and to make it a hundred X cheaper was incredibly exciting."“As much as it was about space, it was about the opportunity to build a telecommunications network for a tiny amount of money.”“When you compare space startups to software startups, the disadvantages are around feedback loops."“How Flavia in particular has wrangled people from around the world … I think it’s just incredible coordination and project management to get things to happen with not a lot of money and certainly with not a lot of structure."“You have to divorce the outcome of something from the weighted probability of doing it.”“You need to keep shooting. Luck is a process, you have to expose yourself to be lucky.