Zara McDonald and Michelle Andrews are journalists, Co-Hosts of the Shameless Podcast, and Co-Founders of Shameless Media.

What I like about these two media entrepreneurs is their ability to identify what works editorially in an overlooked market. The pushback they received from one of the largest digital-first, female media brands, would have taken some fortitude to withstand. But the principled approach to what they believed would work, and that there was a need for a pop-culture podcast for “smart women who love dumb stuff”,  birthed a rational community of women and a business that neither Zara or Michelle probably thought was possible.

One year and three months later, they lead a growing community, and have just announced their first branded podcast with Bumble Australia, titled Love etc. I’m fascinated to see what the next few years hold for these two.

In this episode we covered:

• How much they owe to The Daily Mail

• The death of the celebrity profile

• The rise of Shameless

• Shameless Media & monetisation

• Creator burnout and mental health

• Confidence and imposter syndrome

• Election results and diversity of opinions