Behind the Badass Bitches In Brand podcast, with Stacey Saunders

Originally published by The Brand Identity

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!

TBI: Your career path is pretty non-linear – from receptionist to account management to radio host to now General Manager at Houston Group. Why do you think you found your place there after trying a few different things?

SS: My career trajectory looks non-linear on paper, but there’s been a consistent thread of incredible characters along the way who believed in me and encouraged me to be myself. That’s been foundational in pursuing the art of communication (aka talking too much) and fostered my genuine love of curious, creative people.

This thread has run through every role I’ve had – from front-of-house, account management, production, radio, traffic and EA and operations, through to agency leadership. All of that sideways experience has connected to lead me exactly to where I am today.

I didn’t come through a traditional university pathway, so I often felt the only way to counter that was to dive in: trying things, failing and figuring it out as I went. That became my way of building skills, confidence and trust in myself. I’ve also always had a bit of restlessness and an instinct for problem-solving. If something stops feeling right or I stop learning, I need to lean into a new challenge. There’s probably a deeper conversation there required (with a therapist lol) – but it’s also what’s kept me moving forward.

Houston Group is where all of that experience came together. Many of the roles I’ve held over the last 12 years were a result of Houston being a newly formed agency, and being able to grow with the team. That’s something our founder, Stuart O’Brien instilled early on – that people are supported and celebrated for their strengths, regardless of the path that got them there.

This comes full circle to the fortuitous pattern I’ve experienced of having supportive people in my corner: it allows you to put yourself out there, experiment, and that failing (and getting back up) is all part of it.

TBI: The Badass Bitches In Brand podcast grew out of frustration with predictable International Women’s Day events. What happened that made you realise there was something worth building?

SS: I feel incredibly lucky to have been raised by strong, generous women who shaped who I am within this industry, and I’ve always struggled to properly express that impact. So while IWD is great in theory, it often felt reductive to me in practice year after year: a breakfast, some cupcakes, a PowerPoint highlighting women for a hot minute. I thought women deserved to be showcased in a more meaningful way and highlighted for all the amazing work that they are doing.

Working in design and branding in particular, I noticed a strong sense of community for women was lacking. At the same time, through my role, I was constantly meeting brilliant, badass women across the industry – from juniors to senior leaders – and building genuine connections. It made me think: wouldn’t it make more sense to get everyone in one place, have a wine, a laugh and actually connect?

So instead of another IWD event, we threw a rooftop party and invited all the industry women to come together to connect. It was simple, informal and honestly… so much fun. It turns out women don’t want to be ‘celebrated’ once a year. After that night, everyone kept asking, “What are we doing next?” and I felt a responsibility to keep that momentum going.

The themes were clear. We wanted to connect, support one another and hear each other’s stories so we didn’t feel so alone. We shared similar experiences – failing, learning, being shaped by great mentors, navigating awkward and funny moments, and figuring things out as we go. What mattered most was creating a judgment-free space where those stories could be shared openly.

That’s what led to the idea of a podcast. I’m not a designer or a strategist – thank god – otherwise there’d be a lot of brand taglines with swearing in them. But what I can offer is conversation. I’ve produced and run radio shows, and I love creating environments where people feel comfortable enough to open up to be their true selves and have fun. A podcast felt like the right platform to share women’s stories, amplify voices that often go unheard, and hopefully inspire others.

TBI: You’ve said the industry can take itself too seriously. How do you balance creating something that feels genuinely fun and irreverent while still offering real value?

SS: A big part of what makes the podcast work balance wise is the relaxed, genuine feeling, and that really just comes from making women feel comfortable in the first minute. Once that guard drops, you’re straight into a good chat. That’s where the real value is. I appreciate depth when it’s called for, but having a sense of lightness is what lets people feel like they can be themselves. We can laugh, lower the pressure, and then get to the real stuff: the stories and insights people don’t always get space to share.

I don’t think we do enough of that in our industry: laughing at ourselves, being human, and admitting that we’re all figuring it out as we go. That’s been a consistent theme across the guests so far, no matter what stage they’re at in their careers. It’s also why I put a lot of groundwork in before recording, so when we hit record, it feels natural, easy and more like a conversation.

Don’t get me wrong – I have enormous respect for the craft, talent and discipline in our industry. But it’s hard not to laugh when grown adults go to war over a logo iteration online, or leave wildly disproportionate commentary on each other’s work. With this much collective intelligence and time we seem to have to do that, surely our energy could be better spent on things that actually matter

The creative was led by the incredible force that is Jacquie Halloran, who had just returned from working at Made Thought as a Design Director in London. Watching her guide Britt and Jules, encouraging them to explore, experiment, to go wide, and have fun, eventually brought everything together, which was genuinely one of the most rewarding parts of the process and felt so right for the brand itself.

Like most creative processes, we circled the roundhouse to avoid the familiar tropes of the category. Pink palettes and soft, flourishing serifs felt at odds with the ambition and energy of a podcast with a name like BABIB. Recognising this early reframed our approach: what would a BABIB design look like? She’d be loud and proud of her guests, confident in her clarity of thought, unapologetic in her presence and probably keen to do a shoot with a cigar.

A simple yet bold recording motif emerged from the team and became our visual anchor, giving us immediate permission to ditch the pastels and lean into our hero red. Each episode was typeset with intent, ensuring every guest was given a clear, considered spotlight, and from there, the rest flowed naturally.

Shooting with the incredible, badass Juli Balla was another massive highlight. Juli pushed me to do something bold and playful, and I had to really let go and lean into it – even though I was dying inside, because I’m usually the one behind the camera producing. Jac and Juli brought the magic to life and encouraged me to trust the process, so again, during this process, when I wanted to throw it in when it felt hard and cringe, I was lifted up continuously by the women around me.

The brand continues to evolve with each new episode, inviting play, experimentation and ongoing refinement, shaped by growing input from designers across the studio. It’s become a deeply loved and special project – one that grows alongside the voices it celebrates.

TBI: What do you hope listeners take away from the podcast?

SS: That we’re all just trying to figure this thing out. That mistakes are not character-defining, but tools for growth. Whether it’s learning how to be a designer, running an agency, or making the shift from being in the weeds to directing others. No one follows the same path, and there isn’t a single ‘right’ way to build a career. For juniors and mid-level creatives, hearing that really matters. It brings a sense of peace in an industry that can make you feel like you’re constantly behind or getting it wrong.

What often gets overlooked is how many generous mentors and people there are who genuinely care about others succeeding. I want BABIB to be a reminder of the fact that even if you don’t feel like you have direct access to someone like that, they do exist and they can help you via this platform. That there are people out there who are rooting for the success of others.

TBI: After 12+ years at Houston Group, what has working alongside the team there taught you about building a creative business with longevity?

SS: Working alongside my mate and mentor who founded Houston, Stu, and our really tight-knit team has taught me that longevity in a creative business comes down to empathy, kindness, adaptability and trust.

If I had to distil one core lesson from Stu, it would be that leading with empathy is how real culture is built. Alongside that, he’s given me an insight into how to run a commercially savvy business – one resilient enough to weather just about any storm. And like many agencies over the past six years post covid, we’ve seen some things.

What’s stood out across every agency Stu has built and led is that we’ve never been overly process-driven. In hindsight, it’s one of the reasons we’re still standing today. We’re agile, we adapt quickly, and we trust people to do great work without unnecessary layers getting in the way.

Houston turns 15 this year, which somehow feels both young and surprisingly not. From the beginning, we’ve been deliberate about staying small – or, as we say internally, no bigger than a minibus. We believe better work happens when people genuinely know and trust each other.

At the heart of it all, we care deeply about our people and about generosity – sharing success, supporting one another, and backing causes we believe in, including our ongoing commitment to more purpose-led projects and initiatives.

Collaboration sits at the centre of everything we do, and we just lean into everyone’s strengths, both inside the studio and beyond it, and I think that’s been key to building a creative business that’s not just successful, but sustainable.

TBI: Houston bought back its independence from WPP in 2017 – how did being part of that process change how you think about agency ownership and culture?

SS: It fundamentally reshaped how I think about agency ownership and culture. Being involved in that process was a crazy learning curve for me in what it really takes to build a business – and what it means to back yourselves. At the time, it felt bold and genuinely risky. Having the support of a global network had always felt safe. But going through the buyback made one thing very clear: ownership isn’t just a financial or structural decision – it’s the point. It defines why you do what you do and how you choose to do it. Independence gave us the freedom to say yes and no on our own terms, and just as importantly, to tell our own story in our own way. That has a profound impact on how people feel at work, how they show up.

It’s also given us the freedom to choose the kinds of projects we take on and where we invest our time and money, which is a huge part of our culture here at Houston. Stu has always said that if someone has an idea they truly believe in, he’ll back it – and he’s proven that time and again. This podcast is a perfect example. I floated the idea, and he believed in me, invested in it and pushed me to do it. That kind of risk and financial support simply isn’t possible in larger agencies, weighed down by layers of approval and process.

More than anything, independence reinforced the importance of staying small, being intentional, and building an agency where people are trusted and supported, not managed through hierarchy. It cemented my belief that culture isn’t something you inherit, it’s something you consciously choose, protect and continue to build every day.

TBI: You’ve spoken about the value of being a generalist in an industry that often prizes specialism. What would you say to someone early in their career who feels pressure to pick a lane?

SS: The generalist thing still haunts me sometimes, even though I’m learning to see it more as a superpower than a liability. Beth O’Brien, who recently co-founded her own agency, once asked me what I actually do as a GM. I replied, “I dunno… just general stuff,” and we both cracked up laughing because it’s random, but also completely true.

I’ve always been a bit of a jack-of-all-trades, master of none. Throughout my career, both before and during my time at Houston, I’ve tended to lean in, roll up my sleeves, and do a bit of this and a bit of that. I’ve never really been the person to say, “I’m an expert in this one thing.”

The irony is that while everyone talks about staying in your lane, I’m usually the person driving straight down the middle of the road and occasionally getting honked at and into trouble for it. I’m constantly moving between lanes, but I’ve realised that’s actually where I do my best work. I connect dots, translate between people, and see the bigger picture.

My advice is to trust the process. Follow what genuinely interests you and where your strengths feel naturally aligned. If you’re a generalist, own it, especially with your manager. It’s not about lacking focus or avoiding depth; it’s about using your time and energy in the way that creates the most value.

Understand what your generalist skills actually are – problem-solving, communication, adaptability, connecting people – and name them confidently. Once you do that, the jack-of-all-trades label stops feeling like a weakness and starts feeling like exactly what it is: an advantage.