April 22, 2025

Confessions of a Female Founder episode 3 recap - Meghan's inky hair and a complete lack of star power

Show Notes
Transcript

In the latest edition of her sinking podcast *Confessions of a Female Founder*, the Duchess of Sussex has opened up about the rebranding of her lifestyle venture, explaining why she abandoned the original name *American Riviera Orchard* in favour of *As Ever*.

We also learn of Meghan's inky hair.

Industry experts are noticiing the lack of star power on this series.

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Caloroga Shark Media. Hello and welcome through Pallas in Tree

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Again host Mark Francis. In the latest edition of her

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sinking podcast Confessions of a Female Founder, the Duchess of

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Sussex has opened up about the rebranding of her lifestyle venture,

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explaining why she abandoned the original name America Riviera Orchard

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in favor of as Ever. Speaking with her close friend

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and hair colorist Katie Wee, Meghan said, I had secured

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as Ever as a name in twenty twenty two, and

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then as everything started to evolve last year and bringing

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in a partner the size that it was, it became

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this word salad. I didn't love that so much. The

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Duchess had unveiled American Riviera Orchard in March of last year,

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but with trademark complications mounting, she returned to a name

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she'd previously reserved, back to the thing that I've always loved,

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she said. We were able to focus in the quiet

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and put our heads down and build on something that

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no one was sniffing around to even see about her.

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She described the rebrand as a much needed moment of calm,

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saying it was really really helpful to have that quiet period.

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Katie Lee, who owns the Hygebrow Hippie Salon in Venice, California,

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joined the Duchess for the episode. Lee's clients include Julia Roberts,

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Brad Pitt, and Sigourney Weaver. Megan called Lee a dear

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friend and added people can't get enough of her products.

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Megan told a fascinating story about how she'd first met

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Katie in twenty twenty through hairstylist Surge Normant. Meghan explained, so,

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my family had just moved to California. Now there's an understatement,

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and we were staying in our friend's home and because

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it was the pandemic, I kept ordering boxed hair dye.

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I thought I'm going to look just like she does

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on the box, and instead it was this very inky,

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almost Elvira esque black hair. I had texted Surge and

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he said, you need to see Katie, and you came

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over and the pair, who have since developed a close friendship,

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haven't looked back. The Duchess revealed she had invested in

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Lee's business last year, telling in Styles she was so

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proud to invest in her as a friend and as

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a female founder of the brand. She said on the

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podcast Look as you know, the name Highbrow Hippie is

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no longer just a blog and a hair salon. It's

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a product line too. You have a hair supplement and

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hair serum that you just launched last year, and it's

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already been named best hair serum by Oprah Daily. The

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conversation took a personal turn as well. Lee recalled their

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first meeting. I remember meeting you guys, and you were

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so warm, and both you and h wrapped up in

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these big bear hugs, and I was like, I don't

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even know these people, and I'm not a hugger, but

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let's do it. Meghan shared that her children, Prince Archie

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and Princess Lila bit of door, Lee, Our kids love

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Auntie Katy. Their favorite time they've run out when they

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see your car and screen Katie. I know, I feel

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like I look for them first. Reflecting on her own

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student days, Megan also reminisced about her hair care routine

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at Northwestern. I don't even think they made plug in

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flat irons at the time. I had this little stove

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with a flat iron that would go in and have

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a paper towel on the side, An industry insider commented

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to Radar Online about Megan's underwhelming guest lineup, saying She's

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dialed all the big names but no one's picked up

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and the absence of high profile guests and the lineup

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is raising eyebrows, especially hers. I mean, she lives in California.

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The best she can do as a woman who runs

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a dating app. Jeez, there's no Taylor Swift, no Beyonce,

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not even a Haley Beeber. And when you're pitching female empowerment,

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that's a problem. It speaks volumes for her pulling power.

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She's not happy about her lack of appeal. Palace Intrigues.

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Podcasting industry insider points out Lemonada announced this thing a

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year ago. They couldn't book one celebrity. I'd be firing

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people left and right. Apple is already done promoting it

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and this thing is dead in the water. Speaking on

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The Sun's Royal Exclusive show about the podcast, gb News

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Royal correspondent Cameron Walker discussed Megan podcast with the Sun's

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Royal Exclusive Show. Walker asked, what is the USP here

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meaning unique selling proposition? Does it actually have a point

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to this or is it just because she is Megan,

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Duchess of Sussex. Although it was number ten on Spotify.

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This podcast. Her Netflix series was also in the top ten.

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So although the reviews are bad, people are still watching it.

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So the question is going to be are people watching

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it because they love to hate it or do they

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genuinely enjoy watching it or listening. The Sun's Royal editor

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Matt Wilkinson then mentioned how while the podcast is US focused,

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it's not being massively spoken about in America. He said,

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it's very US focused. I think our guests are mainly

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based in America so far, but I think the American

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media have mainly ignored it. I'm led to believe that

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it's not really being picked up by the American media,

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which surely would be her target if she was moving

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into that sphere. Some experts are wondering if Meghan's podcast

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partner company Lemonada, chose the wrong time to release the podcast.

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The launch coincided rather awkwardly with two me at royal events,

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King Charles and Queen Cambilla's state visit to Italy and

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Prince Harry's returned to the UK for the legal appeal

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over downgraded security protections. Pr expert Renee Smith told The Express,

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I don't think it was a particularly strategic move in

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terms of trying to upstage anyone. I don't think it

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will affect her listenership either way. I don't imagine anyone

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who was interested in Charles and Camilla's Italy visit was

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ever going to hit play on her podcast, she added,

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so it's unlikely this timing will hurt her audience. I

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don't think Megan operates for that level of external awareness,

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even when it comes to her husband. She's deep in

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her own brand ecosystem, focused on personal content and seemingly

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not clocking what anyone else, including Harry, is doing or

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might need support with. Sometimes I think we give her

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too much credit for strategy. It may be coincidence, or

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it maybe manipulation, But I can't quite tell if she's

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smart enough in a strategic thinking kind of way to

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be that manipulative. Either way, it doesn't really work in

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her favor. Megan's podcast was number forty five on Monday

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morning on the Apple US charts. When we looked this morning,

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it was at number sixty one. Palacentric Can we write

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back as the world Maun's Pope of Francis, History's most

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secretive transfer of power begins. Check out the new podcast,

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White Smoke, The Path to a New Pope, guiding you

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through this momentous transition. This morning, we have updates about

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the pope's funeral services, which are scheduled for Saturday, and

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learn how each ritual unfolds, what each tradition means, and

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why these ancient ceremonies still matter today. Follow along as

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the throne of Saint Peter stands empty in a new

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chapter in church history begins. Check out White Smoke available

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wherever you get your podcasts, and it's made by your

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friends here at cal Rogan Shark Media, so we really

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really enjoy the support. Thank you very much. Some are

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wondering if Megan's duck video was staged. Meghan has posted

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a clip to Instagram in which she's been standing in

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a white dress at the edge of a path, watching

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in apparent surprise as a family of ducks waddled across.

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The video, believed to have been filmed on the Sussex's

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Montecito Estate, child many fans who called it sweet and whimsical. Others, however,

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were more skeptical. Someone just happened to be there with

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a camera. Call me cynical, but remarked one viewer on X.

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Another mused someone just happened to be filming at that

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point in the driveway when both the ducks and Megsie

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popped out of the undergrowth. Yeah right, not set up

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at all. A third added simply, who was filming this?

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And where did mecan get the family of ducks? So

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many questions that are never answered, And there you have it.

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Like to email us. Our address is the Palace Intrigue

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at gmail dot com. Please follow us Spotify, Apple on

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the apple of your choice, and hey, give us a

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nice review. Everyone joining the show. We really appreciate it.

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I'm Mark Francis. My things to John McDermott, this is

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Pallas Indriguan. Good terms.

Confessions of a Female Founder episode 3 recap - Meghan's inky hair and a complete lack of star power

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