01 — THE DROP-IN
Hi angels 🤍
Not a newsletter. A love letter.
To the ambitious Australian woman who’s been quietly looking for her people - hi, we’re them. You’re not too late. You’re exactly where you need to be.
These are the girls who get it…
And this is the home of the Aussie Angels - born from the Hot Smart Rich community and now very much our own world. 300+ women across every industry, every city, doing the most and loving it.
I’m Brooke. I champion and showcase the women in this community - the things they’re making, the moves they’re shaking, and the events worth actually leaving the house for. Fornightly. No fluff. Just us.
A full re-brand of this Substack is coming, but I decided getting this out into the world was more important than a perfect brand mark. More on this to come.
In this issue you’ll meet Amy, celebrate Bella and the DomeFest moment, and get across everything worth showing up for this month. Let’s go. x
^^ Take a listen to my editor’s note angels.
02 — AUSSIE ANGEL OF THE FORTNIGHT ROUND 1
She’s the reason this community exists. Because I got very excited about this, you actually get to meet 2 angels this fortnight.
Meet Bella Filacuridi. Sydney · Co-founder of Dome and DomeFest, former CX consultant.
What are you actually building right now? Australia’s first podcast fan festival, DomeFest, happening this Sunday at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney, come hang angels, we’d love to see you there! The whole day is all about connecting like-minded listeners and building new friendships around the shows we love (this community is living proof of that!). 10 podcast live shows with some of the most influential voices in media like Abbie Chatfield, Hannah Ferguson and Mamamia’s You Beauty and Jemma Sbeg’s Psychology Of Your 20s. In between shows think: debriefs over cocktails, DJs, food trucks, giveaways the works!
Specifically for the angels, a lot of us are meeting at 10:30 at the Rella brekkie meetup (for women in media, marketing, brand-building) - a great way to meet other angels & head into the day with a crew!
What’s the most unhinged thing you’ve done for your career / business / a dream Quitting my consulting job, moving back home & convincing Abbie Chatfield to headline a festival where I have no prior event experience whatsoever x
What are you gossiping about right now? The rise of interest-media over social media, and seeing how IRL communities and intentional third spaces are following this same pattern. People are using interests as a social filter and cultural connector, we’ve designed DomeFest around that same thesis.
The thing you’re most embarrassed to admit you want? Not embarrassed (price of entry baby) but I want to grow my personal brand this year and be very intentional with it. Truthfully, it’s always an afterthought and usually the last thing on my list for the day, but it’s just become so much more apparent how critical it is to have one as a founder!
What do you want the angels to find you for? I’m always up for a spicy marg and a good yap with the girls. This community has been so generous and have backed Soph & I as we take a really big (BIG) swing, so if I can support you and what you’re doing, I’m all ears and love to bounce ideas. If you’re building in a similar space, have a podcast, see a creative way we could partner, don’t hesitate to reach out too!
Where can we find you? @bellafilacuridi, @domefest, @homeofdome
Want to be featured? Reply to this email. Don’t be shy — we want to know what you’re building.
03 — WHAT THE AUSSIE ANGELS ARE MAKING
The output from this community right now is ABSOLUTLEY WILD in the best way.
→ Arielle Thomas — our girl launched The Clubhouse — Australia's first community and event venue built around a podcast. Production studios, event space, brand activations and short-stay accommodation all under one roof in Surry Hills. This is what happens when a creative actually builds the space she wished existed. All styled by McMullin & Co. Genuinely one of the coolest things happening right now.
→ Sophie Hood — Seoul Tonic just landed on Revolve and we are not calm. Sophie founded the brand in 2021 with a third-generation Korean pear farmer and has quietly built it into one of the most interesting wellness brands globally - worn at New York and Paris Fashion Week, stocked across health and fitness, and now on one of the world's biggest fashion platforms. This is what building different looks like.
→ Jade Conner & Mufaro at Rolodex Media — wrote the piece on community that every brand marketer needs to read right now. The difference between audience and community, why most brands get it completely wrong, and - oh - they quoted yours truly in it. Give it a read.
→ Lauren Kennedy — our angel has been in the US this week at NVIDIA GTC and Shoptalk, representing Verity AI on the world stage. She’s been sharing the whole thing on her stories and honestly it’s the content we all needed. Cannot wait for the debrief when she’s back. Follow along.
→ Mode Office - the best weekly newsletter in Australia, full stop. Adrianna and Maddi cover everything from boardroom moves to Oscars fashion to OpenAI drama, and this week's issue is extra special. They interviewed Natalie Barbu, founder of Rella, who went from $25k in the bank and two weeks from shutting down to $3M ARR. If you're not already subscribed to Mode Office, fix that immediately.
Shipped something? Drop it in the chat. You might end up here.
04 — IN THE DIARY
No excuses. Here’s where we’re showing up:
27 Mar · Sydney — Trivia Night at The Ace, hosted by the girls at Pondd. Teams are assigned randomly so it's perfect for meeting new people — and if Remi and Bella are involved you already know it's going to be a good time. I went to the last round & it was epic. Free! → Tickets
27 Mar · Sydney — Soleil Soirée, International Women’s Day event hosted by Sophie Augyen of Myraar→ Tickets
29 Mar · Sydney — DomeFest — Australia's first ever podcast festival. 10+ live shows, music, food, community. Sophie Greiner and Bella Filacuridi built this from scratch and it is going to be unreal. Brooke is hosting a stage.
The Rella team are hosting a coffee & pastries meetup at 10am to kick off the day. If you’re in or interested media, marketing, podcasts, startups (Which I think TBH is most of us) this is for you (and if it isn’t you, please come anyway)!
Haven't got your ticket yet? The girls have given us 50% off the next 20 tickets purchased — code DOMEINSIDER → Tickets
23 Apr · Melbourne — The Social Summit. A full day conference for creators, marketers and brands at Rydges Melbourne. 400+ people, panels, presentations and workshops at the intersection of content and commerce. Oh and the speaker lineup? Absolutely stacked with angels — Cat Spanti, Jordyn Christensen, Arielle Thomas and yours truly are all on stage. Use code HSR30 for 30% off tickets (code expires 27 March so get in quick!!) → Tickets
30 Apr · Sydney — Difficult Women Doing Difficult Things. 40 women in a room. Tarot, gin, and real talk about real revenue — no pastel aesthetics, no manifesting without a sales strategy. Angel Gab Burke is one of the hosts so you already know the vibe is unmatched. 6:30–8:30pm at 169 Castlereagh Street. $97 tickets → Tickets
Running something? Tell me. If it’s worth the angels’ time, it goes here.
05 — THE CLASSIFIEDS
The angels need things. The angels have things. Let’s sort it out.
→ Ari at Athlinq just launched on the App Store and is looking for brands to join their Perks Locker — putting your brand directly in front of athletes from pathway talent to Olympic level. A discount code, product seeding or ambassador offer is all it takes. If investing in women's sport is on your radar this is the most genuine way to do it. DM Ari to get involved → @athlinqapp
→ Brooke & Kirby are building a matchmaking portal to connect Aussie angels with SheCodes tech graduates for projects — help us shape this by answering a few quick questions.
→ Coral at Coral & Co. Events is Melbourne's go-to for brand launches, influencer experiences and events that actually feel considered — her clients include Forever New, Glasshouse Fragrances and Kmart. If you've got an event coming up, she's your girl → @coralandcoevents
→ Laura Blagys is building The Baths — Australia's first female pleasure festival. Think Sexpo you'd actually want to attend with your girlfriends. Launching February 2027 and looking for follows, intros and women who get it. @meetmeatthebaths
Drop your asks in the chat. We’ll make it happen.
06 — AUSSIE ANGEL OF THE FORTNIGHT ROUND 2
She’s the reason this community exists. Because I got very excited about this, you actually get to meet 2 angels this fortnight.
Meet Amy Dickinson. Brisbane · Founder of The Social Summit and co-host of the podcast 1800-Chatline.
What are you actually building right now? My main hustle is The Social Summit - a conference for creators, marketers and brands! Our events bring together 500 attendees to learn about everything social media. Our next event takes place on 23 April at The Rydges Hotel and our line-up features names like Rachael Wilde, Sam Wood, Priscilla Hajiantoni, Lizzie Waley, Olivia Molly Rogers and our very own HRS angel Brooke Moody, plus thought leaders from Spotify, YouTube, Shameless Media + more. If you’d like to attend, use code HSR30 for 30% off tickets (ends 27 March!) My side hustle is my TikTok page @amzdicko and podcast @1800chatline
What’s the most unhinged thing you’ve done for your career / business / a dream? When we first launched The Social Summit I created a TikTok series, detailing a story about how I “won’t be attending my best friend’s wedding as she chose to have it on the same day as The Social Summit.” All lies - I just wanted to get the event date out there… and it worked - the post went totally viral with over a million views!
What are you gossiping about right now? MAFS, of course! That’s why I created my podcast 1800 CHAT LINE where my co-host Jayde and I unpack each episode. Also dying over the current Rebel Wilson scandal…
The thing you’re most embarrassed to admit you want? FAME, FORTUNE, AND A BOYFRIEND! If anyone has a hot brother they want to introduce me to, LMK!
What do you want the angels to find you for? Entertainment - follow @amzdicko on TikTok for unhinged dating stories, or listen to 1800 CHAT LINE for MAFS updates
Where can we find you? @thesocialsummit @amzdicko @1800chatline (all on both Instagram and TikTok) ❤️
Want to be featured? Reply to this email. Don’t be shy — we want to know what you’re building.
07 — JOIN THE CHAT
This newsletter is the highlight reel. The WhatsApp is where we actually live.
“I don’t really have anywhere else to share this, so I thought I’d post it here”
— Katherine, dropping her podcast These Are The Learnings into the group chat at 7pm on a Tuesday. This is exactly why we exist. Go give her a listen.
300ish Aussie angels. All of them doing the most. Come join us.
🔗 Aussie angels dedicated chat
This fortnight: Australian women are not a footnote. We are not an afterthought. We are not a timezone problem. We are the whole story - and we’re just getting started.
See you in two weeks angels. 🤍
Brooke x
THRILLED TO BE HERE
LIIIIIVINGGG for this!!!!!