What started as a lockdown passion project to cure personal isolation has quickly turned into a $100M robotics company. In this episode, host Lisa Lie chats with Grace Brown, the visionary founder and CEO behind Andromeda Robotics and their flagship companion robot, Abi. Grace breaks down the journey of challenging an aggressive, male-dominated robotics culture, pitching to over 100 investors, the power of a "30-year-old alter ego," and why the future of AI and robotics relies on social intelligence over raw utility.

On today’s episode, you’ll learn:


Why you don't need a polished sales strategy to test an idea—and how literally walking through the front door with an early prototype can prove real-world demand.


How changing your messaging to match your audience's language can unlock funding from skeptical investors.


Actionable strategies for building rejection resilience, leaning into shameless persistence, and navigating dozens of "no's" to get to a "yes".


Practical ways to shift your mindset from tinkering with the product to designing the business as an scalable system – and how to outgrow your company.


How envisioning a wiser, more confident future version of yourself can give you instant clarity during high-stakes decisions.

THE END BITS

Support independent women's media.

Got a work life dilemma? Send us all the questions you definitely can't ask your boss - send us a voice note or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au. You can remain anon! 

HOST: Lisa Lie 

GUEST: Grace Brown, CEO of Andromedia Robotics and founder of @abi_humanoid

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Courtney Ammenhauser

SENIOR CREATIVE PRODUCER: Thom Lion


ASSISTANT PRODUCER: Sasha Tannock

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

What started as a lockdown passion project to cure personal isolation has quickly turned into a $100M robotics company. In this episode, host Lisa Lie chats with Grace Brown, the visionary founder and CEO behind Andromeda Robotics and their flagship companion robot, Abi. Grace breaks down the journey of challenging an aggressive, male-dominated robotics culture, pitching to over 100 investors, the power of a "30-year-old alter ego," and why the future of AI and robotics relies on social intelligence over raw utility.
On today&rsquo;s episode, you&rsquo;ll learn:
<ul>
<li>
Why you don't need a polished sales strategy to test an idea&mdash;and how literally walking through the front door with an early prototype can prove real-world demand.
</li>
<li>
How changing your messaging to match your audience's language can unlock funding from skeptical investors.
</li>
<li>
Actionable strategies for building rejection resilience, leaning into shameless persistence, and navigating dozens of "no's" to get to a "yes".
</li>
<li>
Practical ways to shift your mindset from tinkering with the product to designing the business as an scalable system &ndash; and how to outgrow your company.
</li>
<li>
How envisioning a wiser, more confident future version of yourself can give you instant clarity during high-stakes decisions.
</li>
</ul>
THE END BITS
<a href="https://mamamia.com.au/subscribe/?utm_source=shownotes&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=quicky&amp;utm_content=mm-birthday&amp;code=TQBIRTHDAY">Support independent women's media</a>. Got a work life dilemma? Send us all the questions you definitely can't ask your boss -<a href="https://help.mamamia.com.au/en-US/send-a-podcast-voice-note-467960"> send us a voice note</a> or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au. You can remain anon!&nbsp;
HOST:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/lisa.lie_learna/?hl=en">Lisa Lie</a>&nbsp;
GUEST: <a href="instagram.com/grace.jbrown">Grace Brown</a>, CEO of Andromedia Robotics and founder of <a href="instagram.com/abi_humanoid">@abi_humanoid</a>
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Courtney Ammenhauser
SENIOR CREATIVE PRODUCER: Thom Lion 
ASSISTANT PRODUCER: Sasha Tannock
Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

BIZ is a podcast about work and how to make it work for you.

This season, we're promising new wisdom, fresh energy, and zero fluff. Co-hosts Em Vernem (ambitious but efficient) and Lisa Lie (founder of Learna) bring real talk, real hacks, and real experience. No vague inspo, no recycled advice—just smart, straight-up strategies that actually work. Because work is hard enough without having to figure it all out yourself.

Because work is hard enough without having to figure it all out yourself.

BIZ is a podcast about work and how to make it work for you.
This season, we're promising new wisdom, fresh energy, and zero fluff. Co-hosts Em Vernem (ambitious but efficient) and Lisa Lie (founder of Learna) bring real talk, real hacks, and real experience. No vague inspo, no recycled advice&mdash;just smart, straight-up strategies that actually work. Because work is hard enough without having to figure it all out yourself.
Because work is hard enough without having to figure it all out yourself.

Biz 

Can You Engineer Human Connection? Andromeda's Grace Brown On Emotionally Intelligent Robots

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/3ea926be-9be7-482a-8ac3-a44f016e43d1/clips/5ab0ff75-897c-43a6-9606-b4f7002bd3f4/transcript

When Sandy Li-Truong and Justin Truong started PUSHAS in 2017, they were sneakerheads solving a problem inside a subculture they knew intimately: buying rare sneakers required immense trust, but the market was plagued by counterfeits and friction. Having walked away from a predictable path in corporate law, Justin teamed up with Sandy to build an infrastructure where trust - not just footwear - was the actual product.

Years later, a spontaneous tweet during COVID sparked an unexpected half-million-dollar inventory fund, pushing them to test whether their playbook could stretch beyond kicks into streetwear, collectibles, and now, their highest-stakes turnaround yet: acquiring collapsed cult activewear label STAX.

In this episode, Sandy and Justin share what it takes to break the rules that made you successful, how to distinguish a reckless gamble from a cheap experiment, and how to decide whether you've outgrown your niche.

On today’s episode, you’ll learn:


How Sandy and Justin turned an obsessive hobby into an business built on trust. 


The story behind how they raised over $500K for inventory, and what it taught them about selling before you've built the machinery. 


How to know when "niching down" stops being your competitive moat and starts becoming a ceiling on your growth. 


Why they stepped in to buy collapsed activewear brand STAX, and how to value IP, community, and trust when rebuilding a company you didn't create.

THE END BITS

Support independent women's media.

Got a work life dilemma? Send us all the questions you definitely can't ask your boss - send us a voice note or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au. You can remain anon! 

HOST: Lisa Lie 

GUEST: Sandy Li & Justin Truong - founders of Pushas & new owners of STAX

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Courtney Ammenhauser

SENIOR CREATIVE PRODUCER: Thom Lion


ASSISTANT PRODUCER: Sasha Tannock

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

When Sandy Li-Truong and Justin Truong started PUSHAS in 2017, they were sneakerheads solving a problem inside a subculture they knew intimately: buying rare sneakers required immense trust, but the market was plagued by counterfeits and friction. Having walked away from a predictable path in corporate law, Justin teamed up with Sandy to build an infrastructure where trust - not just footwear - was the actual product.
Years later, a spontaneous tweet during COVID sparked an unexpected half-million-dollar inventory fund, pushing them to test whether their playbook could stretch beyond kicks into streetwear, collectibles, and now, their highest-stakes turnaround yet: acquiring collapsed cult activewear label STAX.
In this episode, Sandy and Justin share what it takes to break the rules that made you successful, how to distinguish a reckless gamble from a cheap experiment, and how to decide whether you've outgrown your niche.
On today&rsquo;s episode, you&rsquo;ll learn:
<ul data-path-to-node="2">
<li>
How Sandy and Justin turned an obsessive hobby into an business built on trust. 
</li>
<li>
The story behind how they raised over $500K for inventory, and what it taught them about selling before you've built the machinery. 
</li>
<li>
How to know when "niching down" stops being your competitive moat and starts becoming a ceiling on your growth. 
</li>
<li>
Why they stepped in to buy collapsed activewear brand STAX, and how to value IP, community, and trust when rebuilding a company you didn't create.
</li>
</ul>
THE END BITS
<a href="https://mamamia.com.au/subscribe/?utm_source=shownotes&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=quicky&amp;utm_content=mm-birthday&amp;code=TQBIRTHDAY">Support independent women's media</a>. Got a work life dilemma? Send us all the questions you definitely can't ask your boss -<a href="https://help.mamamia.com.au/en-US/send-a-podcast-voice-note-467960"> send us a voice note</a> or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au. You can remain anon!&nbsp;
HOST:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/lisa.lie_learna/?hl=en">Lisa Lie</a>&nbsp;
GUEST: Sandy Li &amp; Justin Truong - founders of <a href="https://pushas.com/">Pushas</a>&nbsp;&amp; new owners of <a href="https://stax.com.au/">STAX</a>
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Courtney Ammenhauser
SENIOR CREATIVE PRODUCER: Thom Lion 
ASSISTANT PRODUCER: Sasha Tannock
Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Why PUSHAS Bought STAX: Sandy Li & Justin Truong on Trust, Risk & Reinvention

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/3ea926be-9be7-482a-8ac3-a44f016e43d1/clips/82e64600-14c0-4188-b7ad-b4ef0023427a/transcript

As a student midwife, Remy Tucker worked with vulnerable new mothers and saw women forced to make impossible choices around basic essentials, including period products. She was eventually told that if she wanted to survive in the profession, she might need to switch off the part of herself that cared so deeply. She couldn't. Years later, that same instinct helped spark ON THE HOUSE, a business built around a radical question: what if period products could be free? In this episode, Remy shares how she turned a social problem into a for-profit business model, why doing good and making money don't have to be opposing ideas, and how that aligns a company designed to create impact at scale.

On today’s episode, you’ll learn:
How Remy turned an experience from her midwifery career into the problem she eventually built ON THE HOUSE to tackle.
How an advertising-funded model can make period products free to the people who need them while still creating a commercially viable business.
What she calls “outcome debt”, and why taking a shortcut in a startup can mean paying for it later with interest.
How to work out whether the thing you've been told is a weakness might actually be one of your greatest advantages as a founder.

 

THE END BITS

Support independent women's media.

Got a work life dilemma? Send us all the questions you definitely can't ask your boss - send us a voice note or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au. You can remain anon! 

HOST: Lisa Lie 

GUEST: Remy Tucker, On The House

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Courtney Ammenhauser

SENIOR CREATIVE PRODUCER: Thom Lion


ASSISTANT PRODUCER: Sasha Tannock

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

As a student midwife, Remy Tucker worked with vulnerable new mothers and saw women forced to make impossible choices around basic essentials, including period products. She was eventually told that if she wanted to survive in the profession, she might need to switch off the part of herself that cared so deeply. She couldn't. Years later, that same instinct helped spark ON THE HOUSE, a business built around a radical question: what if period products could be free? In this episode, Remy shares how she turned a social problem into a for-profit business model, why doing good and making money don't have to be opposing ideas, and how that aligns a company designed to create impact at scale.
On today&rsquo;s episode, you&rsquo;ll learn:
<ul>
<li>How Remy turned an experience from her midwifery career into the problem she eventually built ON THE HOUSE to tackle.</li>
<li>How an advertising-funded model can make period products free to the people who need them while still creating a commercially viable business.</li>
<li>What she calls &ldquo;outcome debt&rdquo;, and why taking a shortcut in a startup can mean paying for it later with interest.</li>
<li>How to work out whether the thing you've been told is a weakness might actually be one of your greatest advantages as a founder.</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
THE END BITS
<a href="https://mamamia.com.au/subscribe/?utm_source=shownotes&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=quicky&amp;utm_content=mm-birthday&amp;code=TQBIRTHDAY">Support independent women's media</a>. Got a work life dilemma? Send us all the questions you definitely can't ask your boss -<a href="https://help.mamamia.com.au/en-US/send-a-podcast-voice-note-467960"> send us a voice note</a> or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au. You can remain anon!&nbsp;
HOST:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/lisa.lie_learna/?hl=en">Lisa Lie</a>&nbsp;
GUEST: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/remytucker?dlrf=a2luZ3h2MHZvamlx">Remy Tucker</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/onthehousegroup?rpxt=MTJ5cWFxcHhma3lmOA==">On The House</a>
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Courtney Ammenhauser
SENIOR CREATIVE PRODUCER: Thom Lion 
ASSISTANT PRODUCER: Sasha Tannock
Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Remy Tucker Is Using Capitalism To Make Period Products Free

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/3ea926be-9be7-482a-8ac3-a44f016e43d1/clips/bbaf2494-cd29-44dc-988f-b4dc0189e622/transcript

Annie Nguyen arrived in Australia with a background in finance and business, but couldn’t land a job as a barista. So she spent less than $200 setting up a tiny market stall selling Vietnamese iced coffee instead. That stall became ANNEES, now a beloved and growing chain of coffee shops popping up across Queensland. In this episode, Annie shares how she turned genuine human connection into an actual customer-service system, what Shark Tank taught her about backing your own vision, and why starting a business might require far less money, polish and certainty than you think.

On today’s episode, you’ll learn:
How Annie turned “great customer service” into a repeatable system her team could actually learn, without making it feel scripted. (They remember every customer by name!)
What Annie learned from pitching ANNEES on Shark Tank while six months pregnant, being questioned about whether motherhood would slow her business down, and walking away without a deal but a plan instead.
How to know when growth requires you to stop doing everything yourself, trust your team and “get out of the way.”
How Annie learned aspiring founders can “start embarrassingly small” instead of waiting for the money, infrastructure or perfect grand plan.

THE END BITS

Support independent women's media.

Got a work life dilemma? Send us all the questions you definitely can't ask your boss - send us a voice note or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au. You can remain anon! 

HOST: Lisa Lie 

GUEST: Annie Nguyen 

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Courtney Ammenhauser

SENIOR CREATIVE PRODUCER: Thom Lion


ASSISTANT PRODUCER: Sasha Tannock

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Annie Nguyen arrived in Australia with a background in finance and business, but couldn&rsquo;t land a job as a barista. So she spent less than $200 setting up a tiny market stall selling Vietnamese iced coffee instead. That stall became ANNEES, now a beloved and growing chain of coffee shops popping up across Queensland. In this episode, Annie shares how she turned genuine human connection into an actual customer-service system, what Shark Tank taught her about backing your own vision, and why starting a business might require far less money, polish and certainty than you think. On today&rsquo;s episode, you&rsquo;ll learn:
<ul>
<li>How Annie turned &ldquo;great customer service&rdquo; into a repeatable system her team could actually learn, without making it feel scripted. (They remember every customer by name!)</li>
<li>What Annie learned from pitching ANNEES on Shark Tank while six months pregnant, being questioned about whether motherhood would slow her business down, and walking away without a deal but a plan instead.</li>
<li>How to know when growth requires you to stop doing everything yourself, trust your team and &ldquo;get out of the way.&rdquo;</li>
<li>How Annie learned aspiring founders can &ldquo;start embarrassingly small&rdquo; instead of waiting for the money, infrastructure or perfect grand plan.</li>
</ul>
THE END BITS
<a href="https://mamamia.com.au/subscribe/?utm_source=shownotes&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=quicky&amp;utm_content=mm-birthday&amp;code=TQBIRTHDAY">Support independent women's media</a>. Got a work life dilemma? Send us all the questions you definitely can't ask your boss -<a href="https://help.mamamia.com.au/en-US/send-a-podcast-voice-note-467960"> send us a voice note</a> or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au. You can remain anon!&nbsp;
HOST:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/lisa.lie_learna/?hl=en">Lisa Lie</a>&nbsp;
GUEST: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/anneescaphe/?hl=en">Annie Nguyen</a>&nbsp;
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Courtney Ammenhauser
SENIOR CREATIVE PRODUCER: Thom Lion 
ASSISTANT PRODUCER: Sasha Tannock
Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

“Start Embarrassingly Small”: How Annie Nguyen Built A Coffee Empire With $200

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/3ea926be-9be7-482a-8ac3-a44f016e43d1/clips/69b85a91-60f2-49f1-bcbd-b4dc0188df06/transcript

Can You Engineer Human Connection? Andromeda's Grace Brown On Emotionally Intelligent Robots

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