Sophie Hood: Launching in the US, Pitching to Qantas & Launching A Secret Second brand - all in 12 months

(Part 1)

What does a year of actually backing yourself look like?

When Sophie Hood first appeared on Top of Mind in July 2024, she was a Sydney founder with a hangover cure tonic and a big idea. Now she's back in Sydney briefly, away from her home in New York - pitching Qantas at board level, quietly building a second brand, and telling Hayley she doesn't really want to be the face of her own company anymore.

She’s the same guest. But a completely different person.

In just over a year, Sophie has moved countries with no visa and no job, bootstrapped a US and UK launch from scratch, rebranded her entire product positioning, developed four new SKUs - including a clear electrolyte drink that will be the first of its kind in the category - and started building an entirely new brand in private.

Here’s what we cover in this episode:

Sophie in 2024 vs Sophie now - the one mindset shift that made everything else possible

The Soul Tonic rebrand - why 'hangover' became a dirty word, how the product evolved into recovery and hydration, and her new cognitive performance arm

The clear electrolyte drink - why everything in the hydration category is bright blue, and how Sophie plans to be the first to disrupt it with something truly transparent

The Qantas pitch - how a single TikTok about airplane hydration turned into board-level conversations, cabin crew DMs, and an active campaign pitch

Moving to New York with no visa and no plan - why bootstrapping the American launch was the right call, and what she'd tell herself on day one

So Topical - the second brand Sophie is building in private with her business partner Francesca, launching to a community before it ever goes public