Process The Podcast

"You can't afford to be an arsehole if you're famous; people talk about it too much." - Joh Bailey

Forty-one years ago, Joh Bailey opened a single Double Bay salon with one goal: to be number one. Today, that same "no bullshit" philosophy has taken him from doing Princess Diana's hair on royal visits to building his own haircare line from scratch; tested, adjusted, and re-tested until it was right.

In this episode, Joh gets refreshingly honest about what it actually takes to survive four decades in an industry built on trends: the phone call from Buckingham Palace that changed everything, what working with clients like Kim Kardashian taught her about fame and behaviour, surviving the GFC when she and her business partner Marilyn had "no idea what to do" with the money coming in, and why she still tests every product on himself before it ever reaches a client. It's part masterclass, part memoir, and a genuinely funny, unfiltered look at what it takes to build something that lasts.

INSIDE THE EPISODE:

00:00 — Intro: 41 Years & the Marilyn Partnership

03:05 — The Non-Verbal Language of hair

06:45 — The accidental business partner

09:01 — Breaking the judgement intimidation in salons

11:08 — Anatomy of a world class blow-dry

15:41 — Doing Princess Diana's Hair

21:53 — 40 Years of Ups & Downs

26:47 — Celebrity Clients

28:25 — Building the Haircare Line

33:20 — The harsh reality on how to have good hair

35:02 —Business Advice for Hard Times

29:23 — Going Global?

40:02 — Giving Back & Handwritten Notes

42:25 — Can Damaged Hair Be Repaired?

46:05 — Work Ethic

47:32— What's Next?

54:01 — Connect with Joh

Connect with our Guest:

Joh Bailey on Instagram: @johbaileyofficial

Joh Bailey Salons & Haircare: johbailey.com.au

Enjoyed this Episode?

Join our Community!

Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram, @arielle.thomas

Us, on Instagram, @processthepodcast

Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast

Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you at the next one!

This episode includes discussion of third-party public figures and historical events for educational commentary. Any imagery referencing Princess Diana or other celebrities is press/archival material; all rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please contact hello@cinemathom.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"My parents owned a five star luxury hotel that they built when I was ten... it formed me in a way that I cannot even comprehend." — Arielle Thomas

For over 140 episodes, Arielle's been the one asking the questions. This week, she turned the mic on herself. With so many new listeners joining after the Merit episode went viral, it felt like time to rewind the tape, who she actually is, how Process the Podcast came to exist, and where her seven-figure production company, Cinema Thom, stands today.

From growing up behind the scenes of her parents' five-star hotel, to a teenage sales job at Scanlan Theodore, to acting school in New York, to directing a Kmart TikTok vertical that helped drive enormous value for shareholders. 

This is the full, unfiltered walk through everything that built the person behind Process. It's personal, it's honest, and it's the episode to send anyone who's ever asked, "wait, how did you get into this?"

INSIDE THE EPISODE:
00:00 — Process the Podcast and Arielle's Origin Story
01:15 — Growing Up in Hotels: The Lyall
03:53 — Learning the Value of a Dollar
05:32 — Moving to New York for Acting School
06:12 — Coming Home & Arielle's Acting Career
08:05 — Behind the Camera With Meat and Potatoes
12:00 — Working with Kmart
16:13 — The TikTok Era
20:30 — Global Expansion: Anko Philippines
20:57 — How Process the Podcast Came to Be
24:00 — Process Today
30:15 — Cinema Thom Today
33:00 — What's Next?

Enjoyed this Episode?
Join our Community!
Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram, @arielle.thomas

Us, on Instagram, @processthepodcast

Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast

New here? We're now on YouTube with a companion panel alongside the video, worth a watch if you're a visual person! Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday.

See you at the next one!

This episode references past projects (Meat and Potatoes, Deadline Gallipoli) discussed for personal/educational commentary. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please contact hello@cinemathom.com

"My parents owned a five star luxury hotel that they built when I was ten... it formed me in a way that I cannot even comprehend." — Arielle Thomas

For over 140 episodes, Arielle's been the one asking the questions. This week, she turned the mic on herself. With so many new listeners joining after the Merit episode went viral, it felt like time to rewind the tape, who she actually is, how Process the Podcast came to exist, and where her seven-figure production company, Cinema Thom, stands today.

From growing up behind the scenes of her parents' five-star hotel, to a teenage sales job at Scanlan Theodore, to acting school in New York, to directing a Kmart TikTok vertical that helped drive enormous value for shareholders.

This is the full, unfiltered walk through everything that built the person behind Process. It's personal, it's honest, and it's the episode to send anyone who's ever asked, "wait, how did you get into this?"

INSIDE THE EPISODE:

00:00 — Process the Podcast and Arielle's Origin Story01:45 — Growing Up in Hotels: The Lyall03:42 — Learning the Value of a Dollar05:20 — Moving to New York for Acting School06:00 — Coming Home & Arielle's Acting Career08:17 — Behind the Camera with Meat and Potatoes10:54 — Working with Kmart14:09 — The TikTok Era17:45 — Global Expansion: Anko Philippines19:43 — How Process the Podcast Came to Be21:21 — Process Today27:52 — Cinema Thom Today28:30 — What's Next?

Enjoyed this Episode?

Join our Community!

Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram, @arielle.thomas

Us, on Instagram, @processthepodcast

Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast

New here? We're now on YouTube with a companion panel alongside the video, worth a watch if you're a visual person! Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday.

See you at the next one!

This episode references past projects (Meat and Potatoes, Deadline Gallipoli) discussed for personal/educational commentary. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please contact hello@cinemathom.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"It's an object of obsession about one woman... you genuinely get an intimacy that you cannot find anywhere else." — Grace O'Neill & Paulina Paige

Grace O'Neill and Paulina Paige have built magazines and campaigns for some of the biggest names in fashion media. But this time, they threw out every rule they knew and started from zero with no guardrails, no existing audience, no safety net. The result is Persona: a biannual, single-subject magazine that reads more like a coffee table book than a glossy, with its debut issue built entirely around Bella Freud.

In this exclusive interview, Grace and Paulina walk through exactly how Persona came together, the cold email that convinced Bella Freud to say yes, the unpublished 90s photo archive they talked a photographer into handing over, getting the rights to a Lucian Freud portrait, and the real numbers behind launching a $75 magazine with zero followers. It's a rare, honest look at what it actually takes to build a print product from scratch in 2026 - the creative risk-taking, the budget conversations, and the trust it takes to hand a stylist "a little kernel of an idea" and let them run the thing.

INSIDE THE EPISODE:

00:00 — Intro: Grace & Paulina The Lead-Up to Persona

05:27 — From Massive Infrastructure to Doing It All Themselves

07:41 — What They Knew Going In

14:26 — What If a Magazine Had No Rules?

16:47 — Deciding on Bella Freud

18:52 — The Cold Email That Got Bella Freud on Board

22:08 — The Moment They Knew It Was Really Happening

22:57 — Building the Book Around What They Had

31:35 — Is It Really an Australian Magazine?

34:16 — Talking Budgets: Landing Dior & Reframing Beauty With Mecca

42:14 — What It Actually Takes to Print

44:18 — Production vs. Printing

48:23 — The Launch Gamble

53:32 — How Much Room Does This Take Up in Your Life?

58:24 — Partnership

1:00:29 — Where the Creative Stimulus Comes From

1:04:00 — Second Issue?

1:08:32 — Where to Find Them

1:10:15 — Persona Launch Party

Take a look at Persona:

Persona Magazine:⁠ www.persona-magazine.com⁠

Instagram ⁠@thepersonamagazine⁠

Connect with our Guests:

Grace O'Neill on Instagram: ⁠@grceoneill⁠

Paulina Ortega on Instagram: ⁠@paulinapaige⁠

Enjoyed this Episode?

Join our Community!

Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram, ⁠@arielle.thomas⁠

Us, on Instagram, ⁠@processthepodcast ⁠

Whatsapp Community⁠ @processthepodcast ⁠

Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you at the next one!

This episode includes references to third-party archival imagery and licensed material (including works connected to the Lucian Freud estate) discussed for educational commentary. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please contact hello@cinemathom.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"It's an object of obsession about one woman... you genuinely get an intimacy that you cannot find anywhere else." — Grace O'Neill & Paulina Paige

Grace O'Neill and Paulina Paige have built magazines and campaigns for some of the biggest names in fashion media. But this time, they threw out every rule they knew and started from zero with no guardrails, no existing audience, no safety net. The result is Persona: a biannual, single-subject magazine that reads more like a coffee table book than a glossy, with its debut issue built entirely around Bella Freud.

In this exclusive interview, Grace and Paulina walk through exactly how Persona came together, the cold email that convinced Bella Freud to say yes, the unpublished 90s photo archive they talked a photographer into handing over, getting the rights to a Lucian Freud portrait, and the real numbers behind launching a $75 magazine with zero followers. It's a rare, honest look at what it actually takes to build a print product from scratch in 2026 - the creative risk-taking, the budget conversations, and the trust it takes to hand a stylist "a little kernel of an idea" and let them run the thing.

INSIDE THE EPISODE:
00:00 — Intro: Grace & Paulina The Lead-Up to Persona
05:27 — From Massive Infrastructure to Doing It All Themselves
07:41 — What They Knew Going In
14:26 — What If a Magazine Had No Rules?
16:47 — Deciding on Bella Freud
18:52 — The Cold Email That Got Bella Freud on Board
22:08 — The Moment They Knew It Was Really Happening
22:57 — Building the Book Around What They Had
31:35 — Is It Really an Australian Magazine?
34:16 — Talking Budgets: Landing Dior & Reframing Beauty With Mecca
42:14 — What It Actually Takes to Print
44:18 — Production vs. Printing
48:23 — The Launch Gamble
53:32 — How Much Room Does This Take Up in Your Life?
58:24 — Partnership
1:00:29 — Where the Creative Stimulus Comes From
1:04:00 — Second Issue?
1:08:32 — Where to Find Them
1:10:15 — Persona Launch Party

Take a look at Persona:
Persona Magazine: www.persona-magazine.com 

Instagram @thepersonamagazine

Connect with our Guests:
Grace O'Neill on Instagram: @grceoneill

Paulina Ortega on Instagram: @paulinapaige

Enjoyed this Episode?
Join our Community!
Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram, @arielle.thomas

Us, on Instagram, @processthepodcast

Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast

Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you at the next one!

This episode includes references to third-party archival imagery and licensed material (including works connected to the Lucian Freud estate) discussed for educational commentary. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please contact hello@cinemathom.com