Behind the Badass Bitches In Brand podcast, with Stacey Saunders

Stacey Saunders describes her career trajectory as non-linear, though the word undersells the journey. She started as a receptionist at 18, moved through account management, produced breakfast radio in Melbourne, and has spent over a decade at Houston Group, where she’s General Manager. That experience – specifically, the frustration of watching International Women’s Day get reduced to annual cupcakes and PowerPoint slides – led her to create Badass Bitches In Brand, a podcast built on the premise that honest conversations beat polished performances. The brand itself was developed with Houston’s team to deliberately avoid the pink palettes and soft serifs typical of the category. In our conversation, Saunders discusses why the industry needs to laugh at itself more, what it means to be a generalist in a world that prizes specialism, and how backing yourself through discomfort is the way. TBI: Hi Stacey! How’re you doing? SS: I’m good–feeling excited to start the year fresh! 2025 felt like a whirlwind for a lot of people, myself included. A little bit of biting off more than I could chew, a few little spirals, but here we are. Ready to go!