From packing orders in a spare room to building one of Australia’s most cult-loved activewear brands, this episode of Core and Commerce goes behind the scenes of Stax. with co-founder and Director of PR, Matilda Robertson.

A brand personally favorited by host Perry Howell’s pilates and wellness community, this highly requested episode delivers.

Before viral drops, celebrity co-signs from Jennifer Lopez, and sold-out seamless collections, Stax. was scrappy—think storage units without electricity, Wi-Fi borrowed from the pavement, and photoshoots with bedsheets pinned to walls.

Matilda didn’t inherit a polished business; she built it alongside her husband from the ground up, learning in real time how to navigate risk, resilience, and the realities of working with your life partner.

In this episode, Matilda shares the unfiltered journey—from dropping out of school and working in beauty therapy to accidentally pioneering influencer marketing in Australia. She opens up about balancing structure with instinct, handling customer feedback at scale, and why inclusivity isn’t a marketing strategy at Stax.—it’s a non-negotiable.

We also dive into:

- The early hustle that turned community into currency

- Building a brand that makes women feel confident—at any size

- The highs (hello, J.Lo) and the hard lessons behind rapid growth

- Why scaling back can sometimes be the smartest move forward And how Matilda and her husband make business and marriage work

This is a conversation about more than activewear—it’s about intuition, grit, and creating a brand people genuinely feel part of. If you’ve ever wondered what it really takes to build a modern consumer brand—or how to trust your path when it doesn’t look like anyone else’s—this episode is for you.

Chapters

00:00 Welcome to Stax

01:31 Matilda Origins

04:33 Safe Jobs to Risk

06:35 Beauty to Confidence

08:43 Body Image Culture

12:25 Community Feedback Loop

16:06 Scrappy Startup Days

21:14 Influencer Playbook

23:27 JLo Paparazzi Lesson

25:37 Celebrity Spotting Wins

26:21 Pause Before You Post

27:50 Inclusivity In Every Size

30:56 Retail Expansion Reality Check

34:14 Marriage As Co-Founders

39:45 Leading As Good Cop Bad Cop

41:07 Rapid Fire Favorites

44:28 Health Habits And Treats

46:18 Mantras And Unsexy Work

47:51 Legacy And Next Year Vision

Core & Commerce is the space where ambition meets wellbeing. Hosted by Perry Howell, marketing leader, wellness founder, and media powerhouse - and inspired by her own journey of redefining success, balance, and health. Bringing realness to wellness, each episode goes deep in honest, unfiltered conversations with the founders, creators, and innovators moving the wellness world forward.

If you enjoy the show, subscribing, rating, and leaving a review makes a real difference. It helps the podcast reach new listeners and allows me to keep creating intentional conversations like this one.

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Grounded: The Rise of Stax. from Humble Beginnings to Cult Status with Matilda Robertson