Threads of Success

Katriona Allen is booked for weddings in 2029. She says wedding hair and makeup comes 39th on a couple's list of wedding priorities, below the photo booth. What we do for our wedding couples: https://www.houseoffalcone.com/pages/wedding-suits-brisbane Katriona trained in London and spent years backstage in theatre. A quick change there could mean under 25 seconds to redo a whole face and get a wig off. On Harry Potter and the Cursed Child her team had one hour to get over 50 people ready. Theatre is still the bar she measures a wedding against. Elphaba in Wicked is painted green. If she can make that green last through Defying Gravity, under hot stage lights, she can make a bride's makeup last all day. Five in the morning to the next morning, through every hug and every tear. Katriona runs KT Beauty in Brisbane with a team she trains herself. They work across bridal, theatre, fashion, film and TV. Every bride sits for a preview before the day. Katriona makes it mandatory. Nothing on the morning is a surprise, and nobody meets a new product on the day. She charges the same whether you are the bride, the mother of the bride, or someone getting ready for a birthday. Three of her artists pulled out the day before a job. Nine brides needed full hair and makeup, and the team had 45 minutes for work that normally takes two hours for one bride. Every one of them was ready. Underpromise and overdeliver is her mantra. Her team over-plans the timings and beats them every time. I tell every client that is getting married and needs a suit for the first time the same three things, in this order: fit, then colour, then style. Fit is the one nobody argues with once they see it. For example, Angela Falcone designed our women's line off hundreds of real fittings. Colour is the one almost nobody uses. For LGBTQ+ wedding we do something I have not seen anyone else make: a men's jacket cut for a woman's body, for the bride who wants a more masculine line on her day. Then there is the wedding tax, the price that climbs the moment you say the word wedding. I hate it. Katriona charges one price whatever the day is. So do we. In this episode, you'll learn Why your wedding day is the last day to do your own makeup What theatre teaches you about makeup that survives hot lights, hugs and tears Why a mandatory preview stops the wedding morning going wrong Three things Bruno tells every client, in order: fit, colour, style What the wedding tax is, and why Bruno hates it How a men's jacket gets cut for a woman's body Chapters 00:00 Who is Katriona Allen 01:24 Hair and makeup across bridal, theatre, fashion, film and TV 05:50 The bridal preview she makes mandatory 07:32 Bruno's cheat code: fit, then colour, then style 09:29 Hair and makeup is 39th on a couple's list, below the photo booth 14:02 Elphaba, Defying Gravity, and makeup that lasts all day 14:32 Quick changes under 25 seconds, 50 people ready in an hour 16:54 Why your wedding day is the last day to do your own makeup 23:24 The women's suit line, built on hundreds of fittings 25:30 A men's jacket cut for a woman's body, for LGBTQ couples 28:15 The groom's package for the groomsmen 30:54 Three artists gone, nine brides, 45 minutes 34:26 Bridesmaids, budgets, and who pays for what 41:50 Flat pricing, and the wedding tax Bruno hates 46:32 How to book KT Beauty 49:21 Personal branding and the first seven seconds 53:07 Minimal makeup, good skin, and looking like yourself Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ktbeautymua/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KT-Beauty-111839833955156/ Website: https://www.ktbeauty.au/ More from Bruno Falcone Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsbrunofalcone/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bruno-falcone TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@houseoffalcone House of Falcone Website: https://houseoffalcone.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/houseoffalcone/ Book a consultation: https://houseoffalcone.com/pages/book-with-us

Dr Clinton Schultz speaks to thousands of people every week, and before every stage appearance he sits down and thanks his ancestors for the room he is standing in. He is a Gamilaraay psychologist who built Sobah, Australia's first non-alcoholic beer company, and on Threads of Success he tells Bruno Falcone what entrepreneur burnout costs a founder. What we make for entrepreneurs: https://houseoffalcone.com/pages/mens-executive-business-suits-brisbane Clinton grew up with nothing and fought for everything he has. He was couch surfing at 15, out of home at 16, and he abused drugs and alcohol for fifteen years so he would not have to process the abuse he grew up with. He went to university anyway, even if he was the student who would rather fail than speak in front of the class. He now presents to thousands of people every week and does not think twice. In 2014 his young son asked him to stop drinking, and he stopped. His grandfather had taught him to brew, so he made the drink he could not buy anywhere and called it Sobah. It launched in December 2017 as Australia's first non-alcoholic craft beer, reached about 900 stores by 2022, and took a million dollars from more than 500 everyday investors in nine days. In 2023 he opened Australia's first non-alcoholic brewery, on Kombumerri country. He was never counting the wealth it brought him. He was counting on the change it made, and by that count he calls it one of the most successful social enterprises this country has seen. My side of it. I came to Australia from Italy and I felt like a second class citizen. Then I started dressing the way I know how, and the way people spoke to me changed. Before I walk onto a stage I tell myself three things. Nobody out there wants me to fail. The racing heart is my body getting me ready. And if the clothes fit me, there is nothing left to adjust out there. I do not sell suits. I dress people and I give them their voice. I told Clinton that if I want to speak to the wolves, I have to look like a wolf. He said to me something completely unexpected: clothing gives you the experience of feeling held, and we have chased that feeling since we were infants, so tailored clothing gives you that feeling on purpose. Then he took my line further. You are more likely to be accepted by the wolves if you reflect the wolves. In this episode, you'll learn Why productivity comes through self-care, not the hours you put in. The unspoken toxicity of entrepreneurship that drives founders down. Why tailored clothing makes you feel held, a feeling we chase from infancy. The only things any of us control: what we think, say and do. Three things Bruno tells himself before he walks onto a stage. Chapters 00:00 Who is Dr Clinton Schultz 04:16 Australia, the second most individualist nation on the planet 06:20 Sobah, and measuring change instead of wealth 10:09 Not counted as citizens in our own country until 1967 14:29 The student who would rather fail than speak in class 19:10 Why tailored clothing makes you feel held 25:49 Marumali Consultations and cultural responsiveness 31:02 The unspoken toxicity of entrepreneurship 31:39 Productivity comes through self-care, not more hours 35:10 Work-life balance when work is part of your life 37:29 Well-being through family, community, culture, country 44:26 Gamilaraay means the people who understand not having 49:11 Out of home at 16, fifteen years of drugs and alcohol 51:21 I only control what I think, say and do 1:04:14 Why Bruno chose a muted green jacket for Clinton 1:08:28 Well State, the well-being app in beta Dr Clinton Schultz LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-clinton-schultz-sobah/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clintons_sobahlife/ Website: https://sobah.com.au/ House of Falcone Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/houseoffalcone/ Book a consultation: https://houseoffalcone.com/pages/book-with-us #entrepreneurburnout #sobah #threadsofsuccess

In this episode, Bruno interviews Sydney land developer Jhumur Das about making property development accessible and his journey from immigrating from Bangladesh to building a $130M portfolio.Jhumur describes being asset rich but cashflow poor with mortgages of $14,000–$16,000 per month, then selling her properties and car to pivot into land subdivision. She now manages seven active subdivision projects creating 121 properties and is building 161 houses, guided by a rule that each deal must target $2M profit and by forecasting growth through government planning, infrastructure, and job creation (including areas impacted by the Western Sydney International Airport). She explains sourcing off-market deals, prioritizing strong investor security, and building an AI “coach” that speeds research, feasibility, and legal clause guidance.The conversation also covers how custom suits and branding improved trust, speaking engagements, and raising $13.6M this year.Connect with House of Falcone:Website: https://houseoffalcone.com/Insta: https://www.instagram.com/houseoffalconeFB: https://www.facebook.com/merlaiofficialTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@houseoffalconeConnect with Jhumur Das:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jhumurdaslanddeveloper/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jhumur.das.official/

In this episode, Bruno interviews Lizeth Alvarado, Founder of Epic Beauty Rx about the importance of making a strong first impression at entrepreneur networking events and how presentation impacts confidence, trust, and connections. Lizette explains that fashion helps her feel confident and that presenting yourself well leads to more engagement and opportunity. She shares how her work in permanent makeup, medical tattooing, scalp micropigmentation for hair loss, eyebrow tattooing, and realistic 3D areola nipple tattoos after mastectomy creates immediate, transformational results that restore clients’ sense of wholeness and self-confidence.Connect with House of Falcone:Website: https://houseoffalcone.com/Insta: https://www.instagram.com/houseoffalconeFB: https://www.facebook.com/merlaiofficialTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@houseoffalconeConnect with Lizeth Alvarado:Website: https://www.epicbeautyrx.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/epicbeautyrx/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LizethAlvaradoBeauty/

In this episode, Bruno interviews entrepreneur Kezia Kingston about her path from marketing and advertising to Mercedes passenger-car marketing, then retraining as an occupational therapist and working in public health and palliative care before starting her own NDIS disability-sector business.She describes not fitting traditional employment, committing fully to entrepreneurship, hiring a business coach, and scaling quickly to win fastest-growing healthcare company in Australia/New Zealand within about two years, while noting leadership can be lonely and there is no “manual.” As a single parent, she manages roles by constant pivoting rather than “balance.” They discuss the importance of personal branding, dress, and networks, including a meeting with Tommy Hilfiger that advanced Learnable discussions.Connect with House of Falcone:Website: https://houseoffalcone.com/Insta: https://www.instagram.com/houseoffalconeFB: https://www.facebook.com/merlaiofficialTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@houseoffalconeConnect with Kezia:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keziakingston/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kezia.kingston/