Social Currency with Sammi Cohen
Alle afleveringen
130 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud
-
Victoria Thain Gioia (Perelel) on Supplement Science, Raising Less Money and the $3.8 Billion Thorne Deal
3 november 2026 · 59 min
When Victoria Thain Gioia started pitching investors in 2020, she heard the same thing over and over: women’s health was “too niche.” Six years later, her vitamin company Perelel is approaching a $100 million run rate. Lees meer
This week, Victoria joins Sammi to share the story behind Perelel, which began after her second daughter was born with a cleft lip and Victoria went deep into the world of prenatal nutrition. She explains why she launched with five products when everyone told her to start with one, how a friend from business school invested without even looking at the pitch deck, and why she brought on OB/GYN Dr. Banafsheh Bayati as an equity-holding co-founder.
Then, Victoria breaks down the money. She shares the business school advice that shaped her fundraising strategy, why Perelel turned down hockey stick growth to reach profitability, and how a big chunk of the roughly $40 million raised went to buying out early investors. She also opens up about the co-CEO structure she ran for years with co-founder Alex Taylor and what changed when Alex stepped away to focus on advocacy.
Plus, Sammi asks the tough question: how much of what Perelel sells is proven versus plausible? Victoria explains the gap between ingredient claims and clinical dosages, why there’s essentially no pre-market regulation for prenatal supplements and how Perelel is investing in clinical trials on its own products. Finally, she weighs in on Procter & Gamble’s $3.8 billion acquisition of Thorne and shares the “good enough” mindset she relies on as a working mom of four.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Here’s What Sammi Covers with Victoria:
00:00 Victoria Thain Gioia’s Social Currency
01:14 Partner Message - Omnisend
04:02 The Origin Story Behind Perelel
06:31 Why Women Are Left to Do the Research Alone
08:24 From Side Project to Quitting Her Job in 2020
10:37 Building the Founding Team
11:51 Pitching Investors During the Pandemic 1
3:34 The…
-
Saul Cohen (Sammi’s Husband) on Marriage to a Creator, AI Agents for Wall Street and Raising $12.5 Million
27 oktober 2026 · 49 min
He’s been the most requested guest in Sammi’s DMs… and he also happens to be her husband. Lees meer
Today, Sammi sits down with Saul Cohen, co-founder and CEO of Clifton AI and the third Cohen to ever appear on Social Currency (but the first one she’s married to). Saul shares his side of the story, from how they met on a dating app during COVID to being Sammi’s hype man when she posted her first TikTok and when she left Amazon to make content full time. They also get into their relationship dynamics, their South African wedding, the “passenger princess” travel routine and the hardest part of being married to a creator.
Then, Saul breaks down Clifton, the autonomous AI analyst that investment firms can hire to handle the monotonous work typically assigned to junior staff. He explains how Clifton differs from timer-based AI agents, why most investment firms are looking for the wrong thing from AI and why he believes analysts will soon be managing agents instead of Excel spreadsheets. Plus, Sammi reveals the secret behind her same-day earnings breakdowns.
Finally, Saul shares the founder advice Sammi relies on most: why the customer is all that matters, how he raised $12.5 million, why introductions from other founders beat cold outreach to VCs, the tradeoffs of angel investors and what everyone gets wrong about vibe coding.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter Try Clifton with code SAMMY
Here’s What Sammi Covers with Saul:
00:00 Saul Cohen’s Social Currency
01:03 Partner Message - Mercury Spend
03:40 The Third Cohen on the Show
05:01 Sammi’s First TikTok
06:00 The Decision to Go Full Time
06:18 Building Businesses Side by Side
07:40 How Sammi and Saul Met
08:30 “I Just Went on a Date With My Husband”
09:47 The White Lies From the First Date
11:12 A Wedding in South Africa
12:20 Sammi’s Early Content Experiments
14:34 The Passenger Princess Travel Routine
16:09 Finding Your Lanes at Home
17:44 The Hardest Part of Being M…
-
Mary Holland Nader (Mary & Pip) on Fintech Fundraising, Reality TV and Shame-Free Money
20 oktober 2026 · 1 uur 5 min
Mary Holland Nader spent five years managing money for ultra-high-net-worth clients at Deutsche Bank. Then she quit to film a reality show with her three sisters… and pitched a fintech company on camera. Lees meer
Today, Mary joins Sammi to talk about life as “the finance sister.” She shares why she dropped her middle name and hid her Instagram from her Wall Street colleagues, how pitching Mary & Pip on Love Thy Nader turned viewers into a community, and how she uses fame as a business asset without sacrificing the credibility a finance brand needs.
Then, Mary breaks down the business. She explains how she raised her first round through friends, family and cold outreach, the investor who told her she was raising far too little, and why she’s holding off on venture capital for now. She also walks through how Mary & Pip works, from the three accounts everyone needs to get started to a financial health score designed to replace the shame of a credit score, and what she learned studying the graveyard of fintech companies that came before her.
Plus, Sammi asks what happens when business and family overlap, including the awkward moments of asking her sisters to pay her back and explaining SAFEs at the dinner table. Finally, Mary shares the most common money mistake she saw among wealthy clients, the financial product she considers the biggest scam and whether Gen Z’s “little treat” spending is really the problem.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Here’s What Sammi Covers with Mary:00:00 Mary Holland Nader’s Social Currency
01:15 Partner Message - Mercury and Gusto
03:25 Introducing Mary Holland Nader
05:28 From Wall Street to Love Thy Nader
06:40 Pitching Mary & Pip on Reality TV
09:05 Why Mary Launched the Growing Interest Podcast
10:40 Why Mary Hid Her Instagram From Her Colleagues
13:05 Becoming “The Finance Sister”
16:55 Using Fame as a Business Asset
20:05 Partner Message - Mercury and Gusto
24:10 The Lord of the Rings …
-
Alpha School: Two-Hour Learning, the $150K Founders School and the Future of AI Education
13 oktober 2026 · 21 min
What if kids could finish a full day of academics in just two hours? That’s the promise behind Alpha School, the AI-powered private school claiming its students learn 2.6 times faster than their peers and graduate with an average SAT score above 1470. Lees meer
Today, Sammi takes you inside the Alpha School story. It began in 2014 as Emergent Academy in Austin, founded by MacKenzie Price and Brian Holtz, and today it is backed by billionaire Trilogy founder Joe Liemandt. Sammi breaks down how the model works, from adaptive learning software and $100,000-a-year “guides” to afternoons spent on public speaking, entrepreneurship and life skills. She also looks at Founders School, Alpha’s $150,000-a-year high school that promises students will build a business generating $1 million in profit by graduation or get their tuition refunded.
Then, Sammi digs into the criticism: regulatory pushback in New York and Pennsylvania, concerns about screen-based instruction, extensive student monitoring, equity and access, and the lack of independent research behind Alpha’s headline numbers. So is Alpha School the future of education, or a high-priced experiment that’s still waiting on proof?
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Here’s what Sammi covers today:
00:00 Alpha School’s Bold Promise
02:47 The Origin Story of Alpha School
03:32 The Pitch Behind Two-Hour Learning
04:15 How Alpha School Actually Works
04:36 Guides vs. Teachers and $100K Salaries
05:03 Inside a Typical Alpha School Day
05:51 Does It Actually Work? Alpha’s Test Score Claims
06:36 The Missing Independent Evidence
07:30 Why Parents Are Drawn to Alpha
08:16 Paying Up to $75,000 a Year
08:53 What Alpha Parents Told Sammi
09:14 Founders School and the $1 Million Business Guarantee
11:51 Inside the Founders School Day
12:22 The $150,000 Tuition and Refund Fine Print
13:08 What Founders School Reveals
13:33 The Five Big Criticisms
13:43 Regulatory Friction
14:33 The S…
-
Natalie Holloway (Bala) on Bootstrapping, Shark Tank and Dupe Culture
6 oktober 2026 · 59 min
Bala started with $5,000, a sketch and a yoga class that wasn't hard enough. Today, the brand behind the bangles on every workout influencer's wrists is growing 50% year over year with just 12 full-time employees. Lees meer
This week, Sammi sits down with Bala co-founder and CEO Natalie Holloway, author of Bootstrap Empire, to unpack how she and her husband Max went from burnt-out ad agency employees at 72andSunny to building one of fitness's most recognizable brands. Natalie shares the Kickstarter number that would have made her walk away, why she walked into Shark Tank asking for $400K for 10% and walked out with $900K for 30%, and what happened when the episode aired just two weeks before the world shut down.
Then, Natalie opens up about the post-COVID bust that forced Bala to lay off nearly its entire team, the spending mistakes she'd never repeat, and why she chose small business loans over venture capital to keep control of the company. Later, she breaks down the reality of dupe culture, from navigating patents across countries to confronting retailers who sell knockoffs next to Bala, and explains why the brand created Move by Bala for its upcoming Walmart launch.
Plus, Natalie shares how Bala plans to become the "female Rogue," the repeat purchase challenge of selling products people keep for years, why she walked away from a New York City fitness studio the night before signing the lease, and how she and Max keep work and marriage separate.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter Check out Natalie's book Bootstrap Empire
Here's What Sammi Covers with Natalie: 00:00 Natalie Holloway's Social Currency 05:45 How Advertising Prepared Natalie to Build a Brand 07:05 Why You Can't Be Married to an Idea 08:05 The Origin Story of Bala Bangles 11:35 From Account Person to Product Designer 13:10 Launching Bala With $5,000 14:20 The Kickstarter Number That Would Have Made Her Quit 15:40 Climbing "Cringe Mountain" 19:55 Inside Bala's Shark…
-
Peloton: First Profit, the Spotify Deal and Why the Stock Still Fell
29 september 2026 · 16 min
For the first time in its history as a public company, Peloton turned a profit. After years of billion-dollar losses, the fitness brand posted $63 million in net income this fiscal year. Just three years ago, it was a punchline. Lees meer
Today, Sammi unpacks how Peloton went from pandemic darling to cautionary tale and back again. She revisits the crash that wiped out $40 billion in market value, founder John Foley's exit, and the Sex and the City reboot that turned a Peloton bike into a plot device. Then, she breaks down the turnaround strategy led by CEO Peter Stern, the former Apple executive who built his career on subscriptions, not hardware.
Sammi walks through the bets that got Peloton back in the black: aggressive price increases and cost cuts, a viral ad campaign starring Heated Rivalry's Hudson Williams, a global partnership with Spotify, and a new push into commercial gyms. Plus, she explains why the stock dropped more than 11% on the day Peloton announced its historic profit, and what that says about whether Peloton is really back.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Here's What Sammi Covers Today:
00:00 Peloton's First Profitable Year
01:50 Partner Message - Mercury
02:50 From $50 Billion to Punchline
03:45 John Foley's Exit and the 87% Wipeout
04:15 The Pandemic Bubble Cautionary Tale
04:55 Enter Peter Stern, Peloton's Apple Hire
05:45 The Four-Pillar Turnaround Plan
06:15 Price Hikes and Cost Cuts
07:30 The Heated Rivalry Ad That Went Viral
08:15 The Spotify Partnership
08:58 Peloton's Commercial Gym Bet
09:55 The $63 Million Turnaround
10:25 Partner Message -Mercury
12:45 Why the Stock Fell Anyway
13:15 A Shrinking Subscriber Base
14:40 How to Show Social Currency Some Love
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
-
Evan Spiegel (Snap) on AR Glasses, Getting Copied by Big Tech and the Social Media Age-Gating Debate
22 september 2026 · 53 min
Nearly a billion people open Snapchat every month, and almost half a billion use it every single day. Fifteen years after Evan Spiegel and his co-founders launched the app, formerly known as Peekaboo, out of a Stanford dorm room, Snap is betting its next decade on something you wear on your face. Lees meer
This week, Sammi sits down with Snap co-founder and CEO Evan Spiegel to talk through the evolution of the company, how he thinks about being one of the most copied products in social media, and Specs, the $2,195 AR glasses more than a decade in the making. He explains why he sees the copying as a compliment to great design, why hardware is a much harder bet for competitors to follow than software, and what convinced him a decade ago that computing needed to move off screens and into the world.
Evan also breaks down the viral meme that introduced Specs to a mainstream audience, how the company thinks about privacy on a device built to record, and why Spotlight, Snap's video feed, has become one of its fastest growing products by rewarding authenticity over AI generated content. He shares his prediction for what Snap looks like in 2036 and his take on the ongoing debate over minimum ages for kids on social media.
Toward the end, Evan gets personal, talking about parenting four kids in a world full of screens, what his wife Miranda Kerr has taught him about skincare, and the story behind his family's donation to an organization that relieves medical debt.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Here's What Sammi Covers with Evan:
00:00 Evan Spiegel's Social Currency
03:42 How Snapchat Started as "Peekaboo"
05:57 The Insight That Turned It Into a Messaging App
08:47 Being Social Media's Most Copied Product
11:06 What Evan Still Signs Off On at Snap
12:32 The Decade-Long Bet on AR Glasses
16:05 The Timeline for Mass Adoption of Specs
17:05 Evan's Live Reaction to Sammi Trying Specs
20:47 Why Specs Are Priced Like a Computer
22:…
-
Jim McKelvey (Square) on Beating Amazon, The Innovation Stack and Fixing FDA Drug Trials
15 september 2026 · 1 uur 8 min
How does a scrappy startup beat Amazon when Amazon copies your product, undercuts your price and slaps its own name on it? According to Square co-founder Jim McKelvey, you don't. Except, once in a while, someone does. Lees meer
This week Sammi revisits one of her favorite conversations ever recorded for Social Currency: her sit-down with Jim McKelvey, the artist-turned-entrepreneur who co-founded Square (now Block) with Jack Dorsey. Jim opens with the story of how he once stripped down in a trade association's office just to get a meeting, and explains why getting someone's attention is always the real first step in any pitch. He breaks down why he intentionally designed Square's original card reader to work poorly, and how that "flaw" turned millions of small business owners into free advertisers for the brand.
Then, Jim tells the almost unbelievable story of how Square survived Amazon's attempt to copy and kill its business with Amazon Register, why he studied history to understand how rare that survival really was, and how a conversation with Southwest's Herb Kelleher led him to write his book, The Innovation Stack. Jim also opens up about his years as an independent director of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, what he learned living through zero interest rates, the pandemic and the Silicon Valley Bank collapse, and how the role reshaped his politics. Plus, he explains why his media venture Invisibly failed to save journalism despite cracking the monetization problem, and details his newest venture, Fast Trials, an attempt to slash the cost of FDA drug trials so more life-saving drugs can make it to market.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter Read Jim McKelvey's blog and check out his book, The Innovation Stack
Here's What Sammi Covers with Jim:
00:00 Jim McKelvey's Social Currency
02:03 Why Sammi Is Revisiting This Episode
05:09 The Striptease That Landed a Six-Figure Deal
08:00 Why Getting Attention Comes Before Any …
-
Van Leeuwen vs. Rebel: The $24 Million Ice Cream Copycat Lawsuit
9 september 2026 · 14 min
A federal judge just ordered an ice cream company to hand over nearly $24 million because their pint looked a little too much like someone else's. Lees meer
Today, Sammi breaks down the case of Van Leeuwen versus Rebel Creamery, a lawsuit that is about way more than ice cream. She explains how Van Leeuwen's pastel packaging, designed by the firm Pentagram in 2016, became one of the most valuable assets in the company's business and helped drive a nearly 50% jump in sales velocity. Then she unpacks how keto ice cream brand Rebel launched with strikingly similar packaging, despite a buyer warning them beforehand that it looked like a ripoff.
Sammi digs into the legal concept of trade dress, which protects the overall look and feel of a product rather than any single design element, and explains why the court sided with Van Leeuwen. She also covers the idea of "reverse confusion," why Rebel's missing design paperwork sank their case, and how the judge's finding of bad faith unlocked a massive damages award under the Lanham Act.
Finally, Sammi shares why this case matters for every founder and brand builder today: in an age where AI can replicate any aesthetic instantly, the real competitive advantage isn't the look itself, it's being able to prove you own it.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Here's what Sammi covers today: 00:00 The $24 Million Ice Cream Lawsuit 00:59 Partner Message: Mercury 02:16 Van Leeuwen's Origin Story 02:44 The Pentagram Packaging Redesign 03:34 How the Design Became the Brand 03:50 Enter Rebel Creamery 04:17 The Wegmans Warning 05:00 Van Leeuwen Files Suit 05:25 What Is Trade Dress? 06:06 Proving Consumer Confusion 06:46 The Concept of Reverse Confusion 07:10 The Paper Trail That Won the Case 07:46 Rebel's Missing Evidence 08:25 The Judge's Bad Faith Ruling 08:34 The Good Faith Remote User Defense 09:10 How Rebel's Profits Became the Damages 09:50 The $23.8 Million Verdict and Redesign Order 10:16 Partner …
-
Dan Clancy (Twitch) on Live Streaming Community, Creator Monetization and the Future of AI
9 september 2026 · 1 uur 9 min
Dan Clancy's resume includes NASA, Google and Nextdoor, an unlikely path to becoming CEO of one of the biggest live streaming platforms in the world. This week, Sammi sits down with Dan to unpack what actually makes Twitch different from every other social platform: a community that survives even when the algorithm doesn't. Lees meer
Dan explains why he still streams himself as "DJ Clancy" (despite never once DJing), what that experience taught him about belonging that he couldn't have learned any other way, and why Twitch's average watch time of 73 minutes says more about human connection than any growth metric. He breaks down how creator monetization actually works, why gift subscriptions often outperform tipping, and the advice he gives anyone intimidated by starting their first stream.
Then, Dan gets into why platforms like YouTube have tried and failed to poach Twitch's top streamers, what's still defensible about Twitch a decade after everyone copied the format, and how he thinks about AI as a creative tool rather than a threat to authentic connection. Plus, he opens up about the songwriting career he only discovered in his fifties, the identity boxes we build for ourselves, and the life advice he shared with Sammi that she says she'll be thinking about for a long time.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Follow Twitch: twitch.tv
Check out TwitchCon: twitchcon.com
Here's What Sammi Covers with Dan:
00:00 Dan Clancy's Social Currency
02:29 From Theater Major to Tech Executive
04:35 What Theater Taught Dan About Leadership
08:30 Streaming as "DJ Clancy"
10:10 What Live Streaming Taught Dan About Community
12:05 The Pitch to a First-Time Twitch Viewer
15:00 Comparing Twitch to Bingeable TV and "Cheers"
15:40 The Power of Horizontal Connections
18:04 Twitch's Core Demographics
19:30 How Twitch Differs From TikTok and YouTube
23:10 How Creator Monetization Actually Works
26:10 Advice for Streamers Just Starting Out
…
-
Chili's Comeback, Decoded
25 augustus 2026 · 17 min
Chili's now goes through 65 million pounds of mozzarella a year, up from just 12 million four years ago. The reason traces back to a single TikTok video of a cheese pull that quietly turned a decade-old menu item into one of the biggest comeback stories in restaurant history. Lees meer
Today, Sammi breaks down exactly how Chili's pulled off what one analyst called the best turnaround in restaurant history. She digs into the operational fixes nobody saw coming, from a shrimp-counting ritual that wasted hours of labor every day to a salt shaker redesign that cut seasoning time by more than 80 percent. She also traces how CEO Kevin Hochman, who came from Procter & Gamble and Yum Brands, rebuilt the kitchen experience from the inside out while his marketing team leaned into the viral moment instead of manufacturing one.
Then, Sammi unpacks the marketing engine behind the comeback, including the Triple Dipper's rise from a forgotten combo platter to 16 percent of total sales, the launch of Nashville Hot Mozzarella, and nostalgia plays like the Boyz II Men jingle and the Margarita of the Month program. Finally, she reveals the number buried in Chili's most recent earnings report that complicates the celebratory headlines, and what it means for the road ahead, including the struggles at sister brand Maggiano's Little Italy.
Go check out the incredible Fast Company article on Chili's comeback: https://www.fastcompany.com/91549042/chilis-comeback-restaurant-retro-redesign
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Here's What Sammi Covers Today:
00:00 Chili's Mozzarella Explosion
01:30 Sammi's Intro to the Story
01:40 How Far Chili's Had Fallen
02:20 Kevin Hochman Takes Over
02:50 "Marketing Brings Them In, Ops Brings Them Back"
03:13 The Listening Tour That Started It All
03:29 The Shrimp-Counting Fix
03:54 The Ordering Glitch Costing 15 Plates a Night
04:15 The iPad and Wi-Fi Overhaul
04:33 The Salt Shaker Fix
04:53 Cutting the Menu…
-
Ankur Jain (Bilt) on the AI Commerce Race, Celebrity Rent Day Collabs and Neighborhood Concierge
18 augustus 2026 · 56 min
Last year, $100 billion in housing payments flowed through Bilt's platform, and one in four apartment buildings in the US now runs on its system. So how did a rewards card for rent turn into one of the biggest players in AI-powered commerce? Lees meer
This week, Sammi welcomes back Bilt founder and CEO Ankur Jain to unpack how the company has evolved from a direct-to-consumer card product into a full ecosystem connecting apartment buildings, local merchants and now AI agents. Ankur explains why the card now represents a small fraction of the business, how Bilt responded when a portion of customers started gaming the rewards system, and why listening to customer feedback in real time reshaped the recent Card 2.0 rollout.
Then, Ankur breaks down Bilt's viral Rent Day celebrity collaborations with stars like Madonna and A$AP Rocky, the strategy behind its unbranded scripted series "Roomies," and why the company is investing in original entertainment instead of traditional advertising. Later, he makes the case for why Bilt, Google and Anthropic are the only companies positioned to power agentic commerce in the physical world, and how its new Neighborhood Concierge tool can plan your night out, book your workout classes and even pay your restaurant bill automatically.
Plus, Ankur shares how Bilt builds trust with landlords and merchants by making them co-owners in the business, what he thinks is next for AI hardware in the home, and the productivity system that's changed how he works.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Follow Ankur Jain
Here's What Sammi Covers with Ankur: 00:00 Ankur Jain's Social Currency 03:38 A Full-Circle Moment at Bilt's New NYC Headquarters 04:19 Where Bilt Started and the Affordability Problem 06:17 How the Bilt Card Became Just 11% of the Business 07:29 Building Housing's First Unified Platform 08:54 The Hotel Experience Analogy 11:36 Card 2.0 and the Trade-Offs of Cutting Off Bad Actors 13:46 Listening to C…
-
Everlane, Reformation and the Cracks in "Ethical Fashion"
11 augustus 2026 · 15 min
They launched a year apart with nearly identical pitches: shop online without the guilt. Everlane sold radical transparency about factory costs and markups. Reformation sold sustainable, vintage-inspired style with a wink. Both became the "ethical option" for a generation of shoppers, both took private equity money within months of each other in 2019 and 2020, and both saw their founders step back from day-to-day operations around the same time. Then their paths split. Lees meer
Today, Sammi breaks down how a public reckoning over workplace culture nearly sank Reformation in 2020, and why it recovered anyway. Meanwhile, Everlane's unraveling was quieter: leadership turnover, stagnant product, mounting debt and a liquidation loan that eventually led to Shein acquiring a majority stake in a deal that wiped out shareholders.
Sammi also digs into Reformation's July 2026 IPO on the NYSE, including a $92 million loan taken out just before filing that funded a dividend to existing investors, and what that means for the public investors buying in now. Plus, why the brand whose entire pitch was "know your factory" ended up owned by one of the biggest names in fast fashion, and what Everlane founder Michael Preysman is doing next.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Here's What Sammi Covers Today:
00:00 Two Brands, One Ethical Fashion Pitch
02:26 Partner Message: Bilt 02:28 Everlane's Radical Transparency Origin Story
03:59 Reformation's Vintage, Style-First Beginnings
04:38 Style First vs. Story First 04:15 The Private Equity Fork in the Road
05:20 Reformation's 2020 Cultural Reckoning 06:41 The Founder's Exit and the Aftermath
07:56 Everlane's Quiet Decline 08:29 Layoffs, Debt and Fading Relevance
08:44 Partner Message: Shopify 09:05 Shein Acquires Everlane
09:48 Reformation's Path to an IPO
10:16 The $92 Million Dividend Before Going Public
11:52 Reformation Debuts on the NYSE 12:16 What Really Keeps a Mission-Driven Brand Aliv…
-
Raina Moskowitz (The Knot) on the Wedding Economy, the Taylor Swift Effect and AI Planning
4 augustus 2026 · 1 uur
About two million couples get married in the U.S. every year… and despite economic pressure, they continue to spend an average of $34,000 on the big day. So, why has the wedding industry remained so resilient? Lees meer
This week, Sammi sits down with The Knot CEO Raina Moskowitz to unpack the business of saying “I do.” Raina shares what it was like leaving Etsy to replace The Knot’s longtime founder, how weddings have changed in the last decade, and how Gen Z is reshaping the industry.
Then, Raina breaks down the economics of the modern wedding, from the growing divide between elaborate celebrations and intimate ceremonies to why guest count remains the biggest driver of cost. Later, Raina addresses the New Yorker story that questioned The Knot’s business practices and explains how customer criticism influenced the company’s product roadmap, including its new “Close the Loop” feature designed to reduce ghosting between couples and wedding professionals.
Plus, she shares how The Knot is integrating with ChatGPT, what AI could take off couples’ plates during the planning process and why trusted data may become even more important as wedding searches increasingly begin inside AI platforms. Finally, Raina weighs in on wedding trends, the influence of celebrity weddings and how she knew she was ready to stop being the strong number two and take the CEO seat.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Follow Raina’s work
Here’s What Sammi Covers with Raina:
00:00 Raina Moskowitz’s Social Currency
02:03 Partner Message: Shopify
02:58 Raina’s Career Story
05:37 Scaling Etsy During the Pandemic
07:08 Leaving Etsy to Become CEO of The Knot
10:03 Is There a “Right Time” To Take the Leap?
11:47 Replacing a Longtime Founder
13:45 How Weddings Have Changed
16:08 Traditions Couples Are Ditching and Keeping
18:10 Partner Message: Bilt
21:36 Wedding Planning
25:39 How the K-Shaped Economy is Reshaping Weddings
32:30 The Push for Greater Vendor Pricing Transparency
35:55 The Social …
-
Kory Marchisotto (e.l.f. Beauty) on Acquiring Rhode, Building a Billion-Dollar Brand and Responding When Campaigns Don’t Land
28 juli 2026 · 1 uur 6 min
When Kory Marchisotto joined e.l.f. Beauty, the company had less than 10% brand awareness and roughly $200 million in revenue. Today, e.l.f.’s brands generate approximately $1.8 billion in global consumption—and have become some of the most culturally relevant names in beauty. Lees meer
In this episode, Kory joins Sammi from the Cannes Lions Festival to explain how she brought the rigor of luxury brand-building to an affordable beauty company designed for the “happy many” rather than the “happy few.” She shares why every major decision at e.l.f. begins with its community, how the company turns comments and cultural signals into campaigns, and the story behind the e.l.f. language that helped create the brand’s cult following.
Kory also takes Sammi inside e.l.f.’s billion-dollar acquisition of Hailey Bieber’s Rhode, including the business metrics and shared values that made the partnership stand out. She explains why e.l.f. publicly addressed its first global price increase, how the company maintains premium quality and strict safety standards at accessible prices, and why it continues to enter unexpected spaces like Twitch, Roblox, gaming, sports, and the Super Bowl.
Plus, Kory reveals how her team created a Jennifer Coolidge Super Bowl campaign in less than three weeks, the framework she uses when a marketing campaign doesn’t land, and why e.l.f. has granted $250 million in stock to employees outside the C-suite. Toward the end, she opens up about the deeply personal ambition inspired by her father and shares the simple three-step system e.l.f. uses to move from an idea to execution.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Read more about e.l.f. x Rhode, e.l.f. x Twitch, the Super Bowl ad, and So Many Dicks
Here’s What Sammi Covers with Kory:
00:00 Kory Marchisotto’s Social Currency
02:27 What Cannes Taught Kory About Great Creative Work
04:44 How e.l.f. Grew From $200 Million to $1.8 Billion
06:36 Bringing Luxury Brand-Building to Affordable Beauty
09:48 Serving the “Hap…
-
Jennifer Wong (Aritzia) on Rising from Sales Associate to CEO, the Styling Suite Experience, and Building a Generational Brand
21 juli 2026 · 53 min
Jennifer Wong started as a Sales Associate at Aritzia… 39-years later, she’s running the company as CEO. Lees meer
Today, Jennifer joins Sammi to share how she almost left Aritzia for a career in banking, why founder Brian Hill convinced her to stay, and what it was like succeeding him after nearly four decades working alongside him. She explains the philosophy behind Aritzia's "everyday luxury," why the company has continued investing in physical retail while others have pulled back, and the thinking behind some of its most distinctive experiences (think mirrorless fitting rooms and complimentary personal styling appointments).
Jennifer also breaks down how Aritzia navigated tariffs and supply chain disruptions, why timeless design is central to the brand's sustainability strategy, and what she thinks so many direct-to-consumer brands got wrong. Plus, she shares the leadership principles that have helped Aritzia retain employees for decades and why she still visits boutiques every few months.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Follow Jennifer Wong and Aritzia
Here's What Sammi Covers with Jennifer:
00:00 Jennifer Wong's Social Currency
02:14 How Jennifer Went From Sales Associate to CEO
04:03 The Banking Job She Almost Took
06:08 The Conversation That Changed Her Career
07:22 Saying Yes to Every Opportunity08:41 Aritzia's "40-Year Overnight Success"
10:28 Succeeding Founder Brian Hill as CEO
14:12 Why Aritzia Is Still Betting on Physical Retail
15:35 The Strategy Behind Mirrorless Fitting Rooms
18:17 Inside Aritzia's Styling Experience
20:47 Defining "Everyday Luxury"
21:09 How Aritzia Built a Multi-Generational Brand
23:33 Designing Clothes That Feel Timeless
25:27 Why Aritzia Creates Its Own Brands
27:14 Jennifer's Take on Sustainable Fashion
29:25 How Aritzia Prepared for the Tariffs
31:00 The Supply Chain Pivot That Happened in One Month
33:28 Why Aritzia Keeps Menswear Separate
35:01 The Secret to …
-
Laney Crowell (Saie Beauty) on Raising Her First $1 Million, Building a Top Sephora Brand, and Magazine Culture
14 juli 2026 · 1 uur
What started as Laney Crowell's passion for magazines, beauty, and storytelling became Saie Beauty, one of the fastest-growing clean beauty brands in the world and a standout success story at Sephora. Lees meer
In this episode, Laney joins Sammi to share how she went from working in editorial and at Estée Lauder to raising her first million dollars with no fundraising experience, launching Saie just months before the pandemic, and turning an early rejection from Sephora into a nationwide launch. She explains why she wanted Saie to be a top 10 Sephora brand from day one and the tactical fundraising lessons she wishes every founder knew.
Plus, she opens up about the realities of leading a fast-growing company, the trade-offs of building her dream business while raising two children, and what still keeps her up at night as CEO.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Follow what Laney is working on with Saie
Here's What Sammi Covers with Laney:
00:00 Laney Crowell's Social Currency
02:00 Feeling Like She Was Meant to Be a Founder
06:34 Why Resilience Is a Founder's Greatest Skill
08:00 Storytelling as a Competitive Advantage
12:51 Fundraising Without Any Experience
14:21 The Power of "Expanders"
16:21 Raising Her First $1 Million
17:23 Why Every "No" Gets You Closer to a "Yes"
18:30 Perfecting the Pitch One Meeting at a Time
19:47 Building Saie to Be a Top Sephora Brand
21:03 Why Investors Bet on Founders, Not Ideas
23:52 Sephora's First Rejection
26:22 The Call That Changed Everything
28:18 Launching Through COVID
29:24 Building a Beauty Brand During a Downturn
31:21 The Three Most Important Early Hires
34:37 How Laney Hires Great People
36:13 Why Sustainability Has to Be Built Into the Business
41:16 What Actually Brings Customers to Saie
42:07 Staying Focused in a Crowded Industry
43:39 What Keeps Laney Up at Night
45:46 Why Community Is Beauty's Most Misused Buzzword
47:33 Creating Value Beyond the Product
48…
-
Haley Sacks (Mrs. Dow Jones) on Money Psychology, Wealth Hacks, and How to Say No to an Expensive Bachelorette
7 juli 2026 · 1 uur 6 min
From the FIRE movement, to the rent versus buy debate and financial fibs, today Sammi is tackling the biggest money questions of the moment with Haley Sacks. Lees meer
Haley Sacks (Mrs. Dow Jones) has become one of the most influential voices in financial education, building a media empire around the idea that the secrets to wealth should be available to everyone. Haley joins Sammi to discuss the psychology behind our earliest money beliefs, why she publicly pushed back on "girl math," and the money moves future rich people are making now.
They also dive into creator entrepreneurship, including how Haley turned comedy into a seven-figure business, why newsletters are her most valuable asset, and the revenue strategy behind building a sustainable creator business.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Check out Haley’s book Future Rich Person
Here’s What Sammi Covers with Haley:
00:00 Haley Sacks’ Social Currency
02:06 When Do You Become a "Future Rich Person"?
04:05 Growing Up Around Wealth Without Financial Literacy
06:02 Why Your Relationship With Money Is Formed by Age Seven
08:17 The Money Advice Women Actually Need
09:34 Building a Career Before the Creator Economy Existed
12:44 The Comedy Rule Behind Haley’s Content
16:00 Audience vs. Community
18:20 Why IRL Is More Important Than Ever
19:28 Why Haley Thinks "Girl Math" Is Harmful
22:27 Money Is a Relationship, Not Just a Number
24:31 Haley’s Take on the Trad Wife Movement
29:47 Friends Should Share Salaries
35:03 How Haley Built a Seven-Figure Creator Business
36:00 Why Newsletters Beat Social Media
37:49 Creator vs. Creator-Entrepreneur
40:47 Financial Advice vs. Financial Education
43:13 Does Personal Responsibility Ignore Systemic Problems?
47:34 The Hardest Chapter of Future Rich Person
50:12 Why Every Creator Should Start a Podcast
54:03 Is the FIRE Movement a Cult?
55:27 Renting Forever: Smart or Financial Failure?
57:05 Should You Ever Lie to Yo…
-
Jamie Siminoff (Ring) on Near Bankruptcy, Amazon, and Shark Tank
30 juni 2026 · 1 uur 8 min
What does building a billion-dollar company actually feel like? According to Ring founder Jamie Siminoff, it's far less glamorous than most founder stories make it seem. Lees meer
Jamie joins Sammi to unpack the journey from almost running out of money to building Ring into one of the biggest consumer tech acquisitions in history. He explains why entrepreneurship can be deeply traumatic, how close Ring came to bankruptcy before appearing on Shark Tank, and why the rejection that made headlines wasn't nearly as important as what happened afterward.
They also discuss why Jamie spent nearly all of Ring's remaining cash buying Ring.com, the lawsuit that nearly destroyed Amazon's acquisition, why he eventually walked away from running Ring despite loving the company, and what brought him back years later.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Check out Jamie’s book Ding Dong
00:00 Jamie Siminoff’s Social Currency
02:03 Partner Message: Mercury for Business Banking
03:22 Why Entrepreneurship Is More Traumatic Than People Admit
05:20 Why Jamie Came Back to Ring
07:30 Life After Selling Ring to Amazon
08:50 Knowing When It's Time to Walk Away
09:30 Why Retirement Didn't Last
11:10 The Story Jamie Almost Didn't Tell
13:15 Why You Shouldn't Start a Company for Money
14:30 The Mission Behind Ring
16:00 Can You Actually Measure Safer Neighborhoods?
18:00 Partner Message: Rula
19:14 Partner Message: Mercury for Personal Banking
20:28 The Customer Stories That Make It All Worth It
22:00 How Ring Became a Household Name
24:15 How Close Ring Came to Bankruptcy
26:05 The Shark Tank Effect
27:13 Why Rejection Wasn't Ring's Biggest Break
29:07 The Survivorship Bias of Entrepreneurship
30:19 Why AI Will Reward Builders
31:46 The $1 Million Bet on Ring.com
35:30 Why "DoorBot" Had to Die
36:44 Rebuilding Ring From Scratch
37:07 Partner Message: Bilt
38:08 The Lawsuit That Almost Killed the Amazon Deal
40:40 From the Highest High…
-
Peter Semple (Depop) on Scaling Beyond Gen Z, the CMO to CEO Pipeline, and the eBay Deal
23 juni 2026 · 1 uur 11 min
Peter Semple is CEO of Depop, the fashion resale marketplace that became one of Gen Z's most influential shopping platforms and completely changed how a new generation thinks about secondhand fashion. Lees meer
Peter joins Sammi to break down how Depop built a community-first brand, why the company made the surprising decision to eliminate seller fees, and what it takes to scale beyond Gen Z without losing cultural relevance. They also discuss why Peter wants Depop to become the "Nike of resale," the future of AI-powered shopping, and what the recently announced $1.2 billion acquisition by eBay means for the next chapter of the business.
Plus: why Depop keeps showing up cultural moments (from rap lyrics to SNL), and what happens when superfans become employees.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Follow Peter and Depop
Here’s What Sammi Covers with Peter:
00:00 Peter Semple’s Social Currency
02:14 Partner Message: Mercury for Personal03:36 From Copywriter to CEO05:49 What Google Creative Lab Taught Him About Brands08:04 Leaving Google for a Startup10:13 How Sneakers Led Him to Depop11:58 Why Depop Hires Its Own Users
14:34 Partner Message: Rula
15:49 Partner Message: Mercury for Business17:08 The Mindset Shift From CMO to CEO20:07 How Depop Scales Without Losing Gen Z24:25 Building the “Nike of Resale”26:01 Why Depop Eliminated Seller Fees29:13 The Power of Circular Fashion
30:06 Partner Message: Bilt
31:07 Partner Message: Shopify32:22 Why Brands Should Earn, Not Chase, Cultural Relevance35:10 From SNL to Rap Lyrics: Becoming Part of Culture38:06 What the $1.2 Billion eBay Acquisition Means42:13 Can Sustainability Beat Fast Fashion?45:20 Why Shopping Should Feel Like a Treasure Hunt46:56 How AI Is Changing Fashion Resale50:03 Will AI Change How We Discover Products?52:38 Depop’s Competitive Advantage55:00 The Secret Behind the Name “Depop”
Thanks to Our Sponsors!
Mercury: mercury.com
Rula: rula.com/socialcurrency
Bilt:…
-
Gary Vaynerchuk (VaynerX) on the Next Digital Gold Rush, AI, and Intellectual Property
16 juni 2026 · 58 min
Twenty years after uploading his first YouTube video, Gary Vaynerchuk is still obsessed with where attention is going next. Today, he joins Sammi to talk about his predictions and why it’s not too late to get started on social media. Lees meer
Gary explains why he believes social media has become “interest media,” how AI and authenticity are not mutually exclusive, and why quantity remains one of the biggest competitive advantages in content.
They also discuss the rise of live shopping, why Gary is betting big on IRL experiences, and the long-term vision behind VeeFriends—his modern intellectual property empire centered around optimism, accountability, and character development. Along the way, Gary shares his approach to mental health, whether he wants his kids to take over his business, and the one thing he still hasn’t done yet. Plus, they revisit one of Sammi’s favorite pieces of Gary’s content… and it’s a real tearjerker.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Follow Gary Vaynerchuk and VeeFriends
Here’s What Sammi Covers with Gary:
00:00 Gary Vaynerchuk’s Social Currency
02:14 Partner Message: Mercury for Business
03:37 Uploading His First YouTube Video 20 Years Ago
05:34 Why Gary Only Talks About What He Knows
07:22 Why Social Media Became “Interest Media”
09:35 The Platform Predictions That Made Gary Famous
12:13 Why Content Merit Matters More Than Followers
14:20 Partner Message: Rula
15:36 Partner Message: Bilt
16:36 AI, Authenticity, and the Creator Dilemma
17:57 Why Quantity Is a Competitive Advantage
19:00 The Power of “And” Instead of “Or”
20:25 Why Gary Is Betting Big on IRL Experiences
21:14 The Rise of Analog in a Digital World
22:24 What Gary Will Never Outsource to AI
24:20 Why Great Businesses Ignore Personal Preference
25:12 Will Humans Eventually Marry AI?
26:23 The Upside of AI That People Ignore
27:33 The Video That Best Captures Gary’s Philosophy
28:53 Why Gary Cares So Much About Underdog…
-
Matilda Djerf (Djerf Avenue) on Creator-Led Brands, Secrets Behind 300% Growth and Tough Lessons in Entrepreneurship
9 juni 2026 · 1 uur 6 min
Matilda Djerf transformed a growing social media audience into Djerf Avenue: a global lifestyle brand and an aesthetic that has genuinely shaped internet culture from fashion to beauty to the now-iconic Matilda Djerf hair. Lees meer
In this episode, Matilda joins Sammi to share the full story behind Djerf Avenue— from packing orders with friends and family in an empty warehouse to scaling through the pandemic when nobody knew whether consumers would buy blazers during lockdowns. She explains why she never raised venture capital, how she used DMs as market research, and realities of growing a creator-led company at rocketing speed.
Sammi and Matilda also talk about creator burnout, the pressure of tying your personal identity to your company, and the difficult public scrutiny she faced after allegations from former employees. Matilda opens up about leadership, accountability, and what it actually feels like to grow up publicly while running a scaling business. Plus, Matilda shares about getting into community building, influencer culture, and how creators today should think about what parts of their lives belong online and what should stay private.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter Follow Matilda Djerf and Djerf Avenue
Here’s What Sammi Covers with Matilda:
00:00 Matilda Djerf’s Social Currency
02:03 Partner Message: Mercury for Personal
03:33 Growing Up in a Small Town and Building a Global Audience
04:44 What’s Changed for Creators Since the 2010s
05:32 Why Passion Still Matters More Than Growth Hacks
06:56 Where Matilda Finds Creative Inspiration
08:08 Protecting Your Image in the Age of Social Media
11:30 AI, Copyright, and the Future of Creator Rights
12:00 When Matilda’s Hair Became a Cultural Phenomenon
13:25 Launching Djerf Avenue From an Empty Warehouse
16:29 Why She Never Raised Outside Capital
18:48 Building a Brand Around Community, Not White Space
19:35 Partner Message: Mercury for Business
21:09 Turnin…
-
Eugene Remm (CATCH) on the Business of Vibe, Restaurant Economics and Critics Who Gatekeep
2 juni 2026 · 52 min
Eugene Remm didn't set out to build a hospitality empire. He started as a bartender, worked in nightlife, and chased success through New York's club scene… until a major failure forced him to rethink everything. Lees meer
Today, Eugene is the co-founder of CATCH Hospitality Group, the company behind some of the most sought-after restaurants in America, including CATCH, The Corner Store, Or’esh, and The Eighty Six. He breaks down the restaurant formula that most operators get wrong, why "vibe" is actually the last thing you should focus on, and how he thinks about building unforgettable guest experiences. He explains the psychology behind New York's line culture, why restaurant critics have lost their gatekeeping power, and how social media has completely reshaped hospitality.
They also dive into the business side of restaurants: scaling without losing quality, managing celebrity demand, hiring people who genuinely care, and the lessons Eugene learned from failed nightclub ventures and unsuccessful expansion deals. Plus, Eugene shares what happened after Taylor Swift started visiting The Corner Store, why he believes no celebrity has a bigger impact on consumer behavior, and how AI is poised to transform hospitality without replacing the human touch.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Follow Eugene’s Work:
Catch Restaurants, @catch
The Corner Store, @thecornerstore
The Eighty Six, @the86.nyc
Or'esh, @or.esh
Here’s What Sammi Covers with Eugene
00:00 Eugene Remm’s Social Currency
02:10 Partner Message: Mercury for Business
03:31 From Bartender to Hospitality Entrepreneur
06:13 How Failure in Nightlife Led to CATCH
08:10 Reinventing a 15-Year-Old Restaurant Brand
10:58 Why Big Restaurants Stopped Working
13:53 The Three Pillars: Food, Service, and Vibe
14:05 Why Guest Experience Is the Hardest Thing to Scale
15:37 Partner Message: Mercury for Personal
16:50 Partner Message: Bilt
17:56 How Eugene Hires People Who Actu…
-
Rick Caruso (Caruso) on Disney-Inspired Retail, Political Leadership, and Why California Is Losing Entrepreneurs
26 mei 2026 · 1 uur 2 min
Rick Caruso has spent decades reshaping Los Angeles through projects like The Grove, Americana at Brand, and Palisades Village. In this conversation with Sammi, Rick talks through his entrepreneurial strategy with real estate and beyond. Lees meer
Rick explains how he built a billion-dollar real estate empire by studying people instead of the industry, why he intentionally ignored traditional mall design rules, and the Walt Disney philosophies that shaped his approach to hospitality. He shares why he believes founders need to be comfortable being over their skis, how criticism actually signals progress, and the surprising rituals he still personally does for guests at his properties.
Then the conversation turns to Los Angeles. Rick gives an unfiltered breakdown of the Pacific Palisades fires, explaining exactly how Palisades Village survived while much of the surrounding area burned. He walks through the fire prevention systems his team built years in advance, the operational decisions that protected the property, and the broader lessons for government competency and crisis management.
Sammi and Rick also discuss why small businesses are increasingly struggling in California, why entrepreneurs are leaving cities like LA and New York, and the political climate that ultimately led Rick to decide not to run for governor.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Follow Rick Caruso’s work
Here’s What Sammi Covers with Rick:
00:00 Rick Caruso’s Social Currency
02:50 Why “Follow Your Passion” Is Bad Advice
05:16 Why Not Knowing the Rules Helped Him Win
08:05 Why Founders Need to Be “Over Their Skis”
09:23 The “Celebrate vs. Isolate” Framework
10:00 Building The Grove Around the Farmers Market
12:08 Why Criticism Means You’re Doing Something Important
14:00 The Hospitality Details Guests Never Notice
18:12 Walt Disney’s Biggest Lesson for Entrepreneurs
22:12 Why People Propose at the Americana Fountain
25:00 Expensive Mistakes
28…
-
Harley Finkelstein (Shopify) on AI Shopping Agents, Merit-Based Commerce, and the “Give a Sh*t Factor” That Makes Founder-Led Companies Win
19 mei 2026 · 1 uur 9 min
Harley Finkelstein believes we’re entering the most important shift in commerce since the invention of online shopping itself. Lees meer
As President of Shopify, Harley has helped build the infrastructure powering millions of businesses across more than 175 countries. Now, he says AI is about to fundamentally change not only how consumers discover and buy products online— but how “machine customers” might do our shopping for us.
Harley explains why agentic commerce could replace traditional search, his take on the idea that every brand is becoming a media company (featuring a Favorite Daughter case study), and why this new era may reward product quality more than ad spend.
Harley also shares the story of joining Shopify in its earliest days, why founder-led companies consistently outperform, and why he believes modern entrepreneurs can now go from a kitchen-table idea to a multi-billion-dollar company faster than ever before. Plus: the brands he thinks are getting retail right—and the critical “give a sh*t factor” he believes only founders truly have.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Follow Harley’s work and updates at Shopify
Here’s What Sammi Covers with Harley:
00:00 Harley Finkelstein’s Social Currency
01:57 Partner Message: Mercury
02:30 Growing Up Around Immigrant Entrepreneurs
05:40 Why Harley Went to Law School
08:00 Meeting Shopify Founder Tobi Lütke
12:00 Why Shopify Felt Like a “Superpower”
15:00 Partner Message: Mercury
16:19 Partner Message: Mosh
18:00 The Moment Shopify Became a Generational Company
21:00 From E-Commerce Platform to Commerce Operating System
22:30 Every 26 Seconds a New Entrepreneur Gets Their First Sale
24:00 Why Some Brands Become Media Companies
25:00 Favorite Daughter and the Founder-Led Brand Flywheel
27:00 Why Most Brands Feel Inauthentic
28:30 What Great Retail Brands Understand About Emotion
30:00 Shopify’s OpenAI and ChatGPT Announcement
31:00 What “Agentic Commerce” Ac…
-
Todd Kahn (Coach) on Winning Gen Z, Shrinking to Grow, and the Brand Turnaround That Changed Everything
12 mei 2026 · 59 min
Todd Kahn took over the commercial responsibility for Coach in March of 2020. Two weeks later, he closed all North America stores. Lees meer
Today, Coach CEO Todd Kahn sits down with Sammi to break down the strategy behind one of fashion’s biggest brand turnarounds, and why Coach had to do the exact opposite of conventional growth advice to pull it off. He explains why trying to be “for everyone” almost destroyed the brand, how flash sales quietly trained customers to wait for discounts, and why the company stopped greeting shoppers with coupons entirely during the pandemic.
Todd also shares how Coach rebuilt itself for Gen Z through “expressive luxury,” viral bags like the Tabby and Brooklyn, immersive retail experiences, and unexpected ideas like coffee shops, book charms, and co-creation stations inside stores. Plus: the real reason Gen Z shops in person more than people think, why virality can’t be engineered, and the internal operating system Todd uses to run a nearly $7 billion business.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Follow the Coach branding masterclass
Here’s What Sammi Covers with Todd:
00:00 Todd Kahn’s Social Currency
02:30 From Corporate Lawyer to Coach CEO
07:52 Joining Coach During the Financial Crisis
10:00 What Actually Went Wrong at Coach
14:00 Flash Sales, Discounting, and Brand Dilution
15:00 Hiring Stuart Vevers and Resetting Creativity
19:00 Rediscovering Coach’s Brand Codes
20:44 Why Coach Focused on Gen Z
23:00 Closing 250 Stores to Save the Brand
24:00 Why “Stores Are Commercial Activities”
26:00 Cutting 40% of the Assortment
27:10 The “Timeless Gen Z” Strategy
28:40 Taking Over Coach Right Before COVID
29:50 Why Coach Stopped Leading with Discounts
30:20 Building a Billion-Dollar Digital Business
31:00 Why People Bought Handbags During Lockdown
32:00 From Performance Marketing to Brand Building
33:00 Bringing 2.9 Million New Customers Into Coach
34:00 Why Coach Wants to Be Your Fi…
-
Rebecca Hessel Cohen (LoveShackFancy) on Building a Multi-Generational Fashion Brand, D2C Versus Retail, and Collaborations That Actually Work
5 mei 2026 · 1 uur 10 min
Rebecca Hessel Cohen didn’t set out to build a company, she just wanted better bridesmaid dresses. But that small idea turned into LoveShackFancy, a multi-generational, cult-favorite brand with dozens of stores, hundreds of retail partners, and a fiercely loyal community. Lees meer
Today, Rebecca joins Sammi to break down the unfiltered reality of building a fashion business from scratch. From leaving her dream job at Cosmopolitan, to launching her first collection the same week she had her first child, to schlepping dresses in her car to early customers— this the unfiltered look at what it means to start a business.
They also get into Rebecca’s viral social media moments (including the most epic bat mitzvah), building a brand that resonates from “babies to eighties,” how she evaluates collaborations from Stanley to Victoria's Secret, and what actually makes a retail store feel magical instead of transactional.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Follow Rebecca and LoveShackFancy
Here’s What Sammi Covers with Rebecca:
00:00 The Gwyneth Paltrow Moment That Changed Everything
02:03 Partner Message: Mercury for Personal Banking
03:00 Growing Up in Fashion Closets
06:00 Life as a Fashion Editor at Cosmopolitan
10:30 The Bridesmaid Dress That Started It All
14:00 Turning a Side Hustle Into a Business
18:30 Launching a Brand While Having a Baby
20:53 Partner Message: Mercury for Business Banking
22:07 Partner Message: Mosh Bars
23:42 Why LoveShackFancy Wasn’t an Overnight Success
26:00 Building a Team and Scaling the Business
29:00 Opening Retail Stores During COVID
33:00 Dividing Roles With Her Husband
36:00 Building the Beauty Business and Sephora Strategy
38:30 Where Inspiration Actually Comes From
41:00 Designing for “Babies to Eighties”
43:30 How LoveShackFancy Approaches Collaborations
47:00 What Makes a Partnership Actually Work
49:30 Building a Brand Through Community and Retail
52:00 The Power of Experienti…
-
Steven Schwartz (Whop) on Building a Unicorn, Creating Millionaires, and the Future of Work
28 april 2026 · 56 min
What if the future of work doesn’t look anything like the office jobs we were told to chase? Lees meer
Steven Schwartz started building businesses as a teenager and eventually turned that obsession into Whop, one of the fastest-growing marketplaces for internet businesses. Today, the company is valued at $1.6 billion and helps thousands of people earn income online.
In this episode, Steven joins Sammi to break down how he met his co-founder on Facebook at 13, why they almost quit Whop after just three months, and how they scaled it into a unicorn backed by names like Peter Thiel and Kevin Hart.
They also unpack the creator economy, why everyone is a creator now, why traditional 9-to-5 career paths are being disrupted, and what “agentic income” could mean in the next era of work. Plus: why Steven thinks the biggest mistake aspiring entrepreneurs make is waiting to feel ready.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Check out Whop
Here’s what Sammi covers with Steven:
00:00 How Steven Met His Co-Founder at 13 on Facebook
03:15 Building Sneaker Bots as a Teenager
06:00 20+ Side Hustles Before Whop
10:30 Almost Quitting Whop After 3 Months
14:00 What Whop Actually Is
19:00 50,000+ New Users Per Day
22:00 The $1.6 Billion Valuation Explained
25:00 Why Stablecoins Matter for Global Business
29:45 Whop Has Created Hundreds of Millionaires
32:30 Advice for New Entrepreneurs
36:00 AI and the End of the Creator Economy
39:30 What “Agentic Income” Means
41:30 The Company That Tried to Buy Whop
43:00 Why Steven Wants to Redefine Work
46:00 Whop Finance and the Future of Money
50:00 Why Creators Shouldn’t Rely on One Platform
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Suzy Welch (NYU) on the Joy of Getting Fired, Decoding the 10/10/10 Method, and Why Most People Settle for a B+ Life
21 april 2026 · 1 uur 1 min
Suzy Welch has built a career helping people answer one deceptively simple question: What should I do with my life? She’s a bestselling author, professor at New York University Stern School of Business, former editor at Harvard Business Review, and creator of the “Becoming You” methodology. Lees meer
Today Sammi sits down with Suzy to unpack why getting fired can actually benefit your career, why so many people get trapped in what she calls a “B+ life,” and how fear, expectations, and convenience quietly pull people away from who they really are.
She also shares the framework that made her famous: the 10/10/10 method, how to make better decisions by thinking about consequences in 10 minutes, 10 months, and 10 years. Plus: why only a small percentage of people truly know their values, how AI is changing career anxiety, and what to do when the life you built no longer fits you.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Claim 15% off the Values Bridge with the code SOCIALCURRENCY
Here’s what Sammi covers with Suzy:
00:00 Suzy Welch’s Social Currency02:15 Starting as a Crime Reporter in Miami06:30 What Covering Crime Taught Her About Human Nature09:00 Falling in Love with Business Journalism13:25 Why Everyone Should Get Fired Once17:30 The Workplace Dynamic of “Toxic Handlers”19:45 Rebuilding After Loss and Choosing Life Again23:00 The Origin of “Becoming You”25:15 Why AI Is Changing Career Anxiety28:50 Why Only 7% of People Know Their Values32:40 Can Your Values Change Over Time?34:10 Why Family Isn’t Everyone’s Top Value38:05 The Trap of a B+ Life40:50 The Four Horsemen of Values Destruction48:30 How the 10/10/10 Framework Works
51:43 Social Currency Corner
55:51 How to Show Social Currency Some Love
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
-
Jay Luchs (Newmark) on Building a Real Estate Empire, Strategy for Brick and Mortar, and Newbie Lease Mistakes
14 april 2026 · 51 min
If you’ve driven through Los Angeles, you’ve already met today’s guest. Jay Luchs is one of the most influential retail real estate brokers in LA; his “For Lease” signs are plastered across the city’s most valuable streets, from Rodeo Drive to Melrose. But behind those signs is a business built on relationships, taste, and a deep understanding of what actually makes a retail concept work. Lees meer
In this episode, Jay sits down with Sammi to break down how the business really works: how he wins listings in one of the most competitive markets in the country, what founders consistently misunderstand about signing their first lease, and why picking the wrong landlord can quietly kill a business.
They also go deep on the future of retail in LA—from why food and coffee are now the backbone of any successful retail strip, to how brands like Erewhon can completely transform a street overnight, to why there’s actually less available space than people think.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Follow Jay Luchs on Instagram
Learn more about Mercury for Personal and Business
Here’s what Sammi covers with Jay:
00:00 Jay Luchs’ Social Currency
02:22 Real Estate Origin Story
06:40 Why Real Estate Is a Creative Business
09:27 How the “For Lease” Empire Works
12:05 Winning Listings in a Competitive Market
14:19 What Founders Get Wrong About Leases
15:25 How to Spot a Bad Landlord
17:00 Choosing the Right Retail Location
18:46 Why LA Has Less Retail Space Than You Think
21:15 What Makes a Retail Area Thrive
22:24 How Social Media Changed Real Estate
29:03 Inside a Decade-Long Development Project
32:00 Turning Retail Into a Destination
37:23 Building Relationships That Last
40:01 Jay’s Daily System for Clarity
41:21 Can Retail Rebuild Communities?
45:12 What Makes a Brick-and-Mortar Store Succeed
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Shreya Murthy (Partiful) on Winning Over Gen Z, Beating Copycats and Engineering Fun
7 april 2026 · 1 uur 3 min
Shreya Murthy built one of the rare social apps people want to open—and then immediately close. It’s all going according to plan. Lees meer
Her company, Partiful, has quietly become the go-to way Gen Z and millennials plan parties, birthdays, dinners—and even weddings. But what’s more interesting is how it won: by rejecting everything Big Tech historically has optimized for.
In this episode, Shreya sits down with Sammi to break down why she turned down the metaverse narrative, refused to pivot to virtual events during the pandemic, and built a product designed to get people off their phones… not glued to them.
They also get into what happened when Apple launched a nearly identical invite app, why Partiful draws a hard line on user privacy, and how tiny features like “boops” and “crushes” are actually the secret to product-market fit. Plus: the real monetization plan, why Gen Z hates “cringe” design, and how one party invite helped spark a viral cultural moment.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Follow Partiful and find your next party
Here’s what Sammi covers with Shreya:
00:00 Shreya Murthy’s Social Currency
00:50 The Problem With Social Media
02:22 From Palantir to Consumer Tech
08:22 The Idea That Sparked Partiful
10:04 Turning Parties Into a Product
11:05 Launching During the Pandemic
13:56 Resisting the Metaverse Pivot
15:40 Building for IRL Connection
16:00 Why Gen Z Loves Partiful
18:27 The “Least Cringe” Product Strategy
20:20 Consumer vs Corporate Use Cases
22:05 Why Partiful Protects User Data
24:57 Monetization Without Selling Data
29:27 How Partiful Makes Money Today
31:23 The Philosophy: Get Off Your Phone
32:00 Discovering Events IRL
33:17 Brick and Mortar?
34:38 Features Like Boops and Crushes
38:00 Apple’s Copycat Moment
41:00 Growth Despite Competition
42:00 The Viral Timothée Chalamet Event
47:00 What Winning Looks Like
50:16 Social Currency Corner and Touching Grass
Learn more about yo… -
Seth Goldman (Just Ice Tea) on Selling Honest Tea to Coca-Cola, Starting Again, and the Future of Food
3 april 2026 · 45 min
Seth Goldman built one of the most iconic beverage brands of the last two decades… only to watch it get discontinued by Coca-Cola. Lees meer
In this episode, Seth tells Sammi the full story: bootstrapping Honest Tea in the late ’90s when the category didn’t exist, educating consumers one sample at a time, and eventually partnering with Coca-Cola to scale what he believed could become a billion-dollar brand. Then came the gut punch: years after the acquisition, Coca-Cola made the decision to shut Honest Tea down.
Instead of walking away, Seth did something few founders would do— he started over. He shares how he launched Just Ice Tea, rebuilt his supply chain using decades-old relationships, and scaled faster the second time around.
Sammi and Seth also get into what it really takes to build a sustainable CPG brand, why most beverage startups fail, and the one mistake founders make before they even launch: focusing on branding before validating taste. Plus, Seth shares his long-term perspective from his work with Beyond Meat—and why he still believes the biggest consumer shifts take decades, not years.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Check out Just Ice Tea
Here’s what Sammi covers with Seth:00:00 Seth Goldman’s Social Currency
00:50 Building Honest Tea Before The Market Existed
03:03 Creating Demand Through Sampling
05:00 Bootstrapping And Staying Scrappy
06:06 The Coca-Cola Investment Story
09:26 Inside The Coca-Cola Acquisition
10:48 Culture Clash With A Corporate Giant
11:00 The Day Honest Tea Was Discontinued
12:10 Why Seth Decided To Start Again
15:26 Why Beverage Is The Hardest Category
19:29 Launching Just Ice Tea Differently
20:53 The Mission Behind “Just Ice Tea”
23:17 What Makes The Product Different
25:00 From Eat The Change To Just Ice Tea
26:46 Betting Early On Beyond Meat
28:05 The Rise, Fall, And Rebuild Of Alt Meat
35:05 What It Takes To Build A CPG Brand
36:45 The Power Of Relationships And Ka…
-
Nayeema Raza (Smart Girl Dumb Questions) on the Manosphere, How to Launch a Podcast (and Whether You Should)
31 maart 2026 · 1 uur 15 min
Everyone has a podcast. So, where is the whitespace and what does it really take to break through? Lees meer
Sammi sits down with Nayeema Raza, host of Smart Girl Dumb Questions and former The New York Times journalist, for a conversation on the modern media landscape, the podcast boom, and what they tell people who are thinking about starting a podcast. Sammi and Nayeema break down what it really takes to launch a podcast—and share exactly how much they’re making from theirs.
Sammi and Nayeema also get into the bigger shift happening across media: why podcasting is becoming the new “TV” and why creators today need to think more like founders than talent. Plus, they unpack the rise of controversial content ecosystems like the “manosphere,” what it teaches about audience-building (even if you hate it), and where the line between journalism and creators is headed.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter Follow Nayeema and listen to Smart Girl Dumb Questions
Here’s What Sammi Covers with Nayeema:
00:00 Have We “Made It” In Podcasting?
03:45 Social Vs. Podcast Growth
06:52 Why Everyone Has A Podcast
07:09 The Intimacy And Power Of Podcasting
08:00 The Rise Of The Manosphere
12:41 What Controversial Creators Get Right
17:12 “Is It A Scam?” Rapid-Fire
21:20 The Real Work Behind Podcasting
26:09 Is Podcasting Saturated?
28:38 Why Most Podcasts Fail
31:53 Is Podcasting Overhyped?
33:00 How Much Money Podcasts Actually Make
35:00 Building A Studio And Betting On Yourself
36:08 The Hidden ROI Of Podcasting
41:00 Journalism Vs. Creators
47:00 The Scariest Part Of Starting A Podcast
54:00 How To Break Through
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Listener Grab Bag: Career Risks, Leaving Corporate, and Building in Public
27 maart 2026 · 17 min
This episode is a little different. Lees meer
Instead of a deep dive, Sammi turns the mic around and answers your questions—from career risks and leaving corporate to building a business, growing an audience, and figuring out what to keep private in a “build in public” world.
She shares the unconventional bet that changed her career (starting on TikTok when people thought it was a “teen dancing app”), why she believes the best way to escape the corporate rat race is to test ideas on the side, and the fears that held her back longer than she wishes.
Sammi also breaks down how to actually grow on social media (without burning out), what people don’t tell you about running a podcast, and the surprising lesson she learned after interviewing the founder of Juicero—and why every business story has more than one side.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Here’s what Sammi covers today:
00:00 A Different Kind of Episode
01:29 How to Escape Corporate
04:39 The Fear that Kept Sammi in Corporate Too Long
05:29 How to Grow on Instagram
07:23 What Nobody Tells You About Podcasting
09:23 A Found Story That Changed Sammi’s Perspective
10:49 What to Keep Private When Building In Public
12:00 The Question Sammi Can’t Answer Yet
12:36 Sammi’s Plan B
13:11 Is USC Worth It?
14:07 Dream Podcast Guests
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Reid Hoffman (Manas AI, LinkedIn) on Why AI Is a “Humanity Elevator,” Digital Twins, and the Skills You Need Now
24 maart 2026 · 31 min
Reid Hoffman has spent decades shaping how we work, from building LinkedIn to investing in some of the most important tech companies of the last generation. Now, he’s focused on what might be the biggest shift yet: artificial intelligence. Lees meer
In this episode, Reid breaks down why most people are thinking about AI wrong. Instead of replacing humans, he argues that AI is a “humanity elevator”—a tool that expands agency, unlocks new opportunities, and fundamentally reshapes how we work, learn, and make decisions. Sammi and Reid also get into the real fears: job displacement, misinformation, and biosecurity risks—and what people can actually do about it. Reid shares practical advice for anyone worried about falling behind, including the three AI skills that matter most right now, how to use AI to pivot your career, and why “just start using it” is the most important step.
Plus: Reid’s take on digital twins, why creators won’t be replaced anytime soon and the reason he believes AI is not an existential risk. This episode was recorded on 2/12/2026.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter Check out Reid’s book SuperagencyHere’s what Sammi covers with Reid:
00:00 Reid Hoffman’s Social Currency
01:35 Why AI Expands Human Agency
05:08 The Real Risks of AI
08:11 What To Do If AI Threatens Your Job
11:21 Reid’s Daily AI Workflow
18:25 AI in Healthcare and Drug Discovery
21:05 Digital Twins and the Future of Creators
24:56 Reid’s Hottest AI Take
26:00 The Rise of AI Agents and Moltbot
27:00 Skills You Need to Stay Ahead
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
How e.l.f. Beauty Turned $1 Makeup Into a $4.8B Cultural Machine
20 maart 2026 · 13 min
e.l.f. Beauty started as the makeup brand retailers thought was too cheap to trust: one-dollar products, white-label formulas, and no major retail partner willing to take the bet. Today, it’s one of the most culturally agile companies in consumer products, and one of the few beauty brands that consistently moves at internet speed. Lees meer
Today, Sammi unpacks how e.l.f. built that machine: from landing early credibility through magazine editors before influencer marketing even existed, to using TikTok before legacy beauty brands understood what the platform could do. She breaks down how CEO Tarang Amin helped transform the company by improving product quality while keeping prices low, aligning every employee around stock ownership, and building a culture that rewards speed.
Then she gets into the campaigns that made e.l.f. impossible to ignore: the three-week Super Bowl ad starring Jennifer Coolidge, the provocative “So Many Dicks” Wall Street takeover, the backlash from a partnership misstep, and why the brand’s newest Melissa McCarthy campaign shows how precisely they read culture before they spend against it.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Here’s what Sammi covers today:
0:00 - Intro: How e.l.f. Became a Cultural Powerhouse
1:00 - The Origin Story: $1 Makeup Nobody Wanted to Carry
2:40 - Tarang Amin's CEO Playbook & Giving Equity to Everyone
4:00 - Marketing Move #1: Early Adoption of TikTok
4:40 - Marketing Move #2: The Jennifer Coolidge Super Bowl Ad
6:20 - Marketing Move #3: "So Many Dicks" Wall Street Takeover
7:20 - Marketing Move #4: The Matt Rife Misstep & What It Revealed
8:40 - Marketing Move #5: Melisa – The Telenovela Super Bowl Campaign
9:20 - The Takeaway: Moving at the Speed of Culture
10:40 - OutroLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
-
Julie Smolyansky (Lifeway) on Power Struggles, Creating a Category, and How GLP-1s Are Changing Food Companies
17 maart 2026 · 1 uur
When her father died of a heart attack, Julie Smolyansky became the youngest female CEO of a publicly traded company. Then, she helped turn kefir from a niche probiotic drink into a mainstream wellness product found in major retailers across the country. Lees meer
Today, Julie tells Sammi how she scaled an unfamiliar category by teaching consumers what kefir even was before they were ready to buy it, why family businesses can become some of the hardest companies to lead, and how a public company changes when legacy, control, and outside pressure collide.
She also opens up about the recent takeover fight involving Danone, what she believes was at stake for Lifeway, and why category leadership matters more than ever as GLP-1 trends reshape how food companies position protein, digestion, and health.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Follow Julie’s story here
Here’s what Sammi covers with Julie:
:00:00 - Cold Open
01:00 - Introduction
02:20 - From Soviet Refugees to American Entrepreneurs
05:00 - The Lightbulb Moment: Discovering Kefir in Germany
08:20 - Building the Brand from the Basement Up
10:40 - Taking Lifeway Public in 1988
14:00 - Kefir vs. Yogurt: Understanding the Category
19:40 - Joining the Family Business
24:00 - Becoming CEO at 27 After Her Father's Death
29:20 - The Early Years of Leadership
32:00 - Marketing on a Zero Budget: Social Media as a Secret Weapon
37:00 - Scaling from Niche to Mainstream
40:40 - Entering the Cultural Zeitgeist (Wordle, Jeopardy)
43:40 - The Danone Takeover Attempt
48:00 - The Future: GLP-1s, Protein, and Food as Medicine
51:40 - Social Currency Corner: Would Lifeway Ever Do a Super Bowl Ad?
53:20 - Listener Question: Advice for Educating Consumers on New Categories
55:40 - ClosingHere's what Sammi covers with Julie:
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
6 Habits of the Most Successful Female Founders
13 maart 2026 · 15 min
Months into interviewing founders for this podcast, Sammi noticed something surprising: the most successful women were often practicing the same habits, but almost none of them were the things people usually talk about in founder profiles. Lees meer
Today, Sammi breaks down six patterns she has seen repeatedly across standout founders. The examples come directly from conversations with founders like Amy Liu (Tower 28), Maria Davidson (Kojo), Julia Hartz (Eventbrite), Babba Rivera (Ceremonia), Dianna Cohen (nm) Jenn Hyman (Rent the Runway), and others who built category-defining companies under very different circumstances—but often with strikingly similar instincts.
Sammi also shares where she is still actively learning these lessons herself: leaving Amazon, building her own media business, overcommitting early, tying performance too closely to outcomes, and learning in real time what sustainable ambition actually looks like.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Here are the full episodes Sammi mentions today:
Amy Liu, CEO of Tower 28
Maria Davidson, Founder of Kojo
Julia Hartz, CEO of Eventbrite
Babba Rivera, CEO of Ceremonia
Dianna Cohen, CEO of Crown Affair
Jenn Hyman, CEO of Rent the Runway
Here’s what Sammi covers today:
00:00 The Founder Strategies Nobody Says Out Loud
01:19 Why Great Founders Build Networks Early
03:22 Launching Before You Feel Ready
05:00 Your Calendar Like a Financial Document
06:38 Self-Advocacy and Defending Your Vision
08:20 Hiring For Your Weaknesses
09:20 Separating Identity from Outcomes
11:15 One Habit to Start this Month
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Laura Meyer (Envision Horizons) on AI’s Shopping Disruption, How to Show Up in ChatGPT Searches and the New Cost of Attention
12 maart 2026 · 58 min
Laura Meyer has spent nearly a decade helping brands navigate Amazon, TikTok Shop, retail media, and now the next major shift in commerce: AI-driven shopping. Today, Sammi is partnering with Laura’s strategic commerce agency Envision Horizons to help brands get— and keep— attention in the changing world of online shopping. Lees meer
Laura explains why consumers are facing what she calls an “invisible tax on attention,” where prices rise because brands have to spend more on advertising just to stay visible in increasingly crowded digital platforms. She breaks down how rising customer acquisition costs are reshaping pricing, product quality, and platform strategy, and why even legacy brands are being forced to rethink where they spend every marketing dollar.
Then the conversation turns to what may be the biggest shift ahead: consumers using AI before they buy. Laura shares new survey data showing that half of consumers switch brands after seeing recommendations from ChatGPT, why legacy brands are suddenly more vulnerable than they realize, and how platforms like Amazon, TikTok, and Shopify could each be affected differently as AI becomes the new shopping gatekeeper. She also explains why TikTok Shop remains a winners-and-losers platform, why she’s bearish on live shopping despite industry hype, and why logistics may still determine who wins the next era of commerce.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Download the free report Laura references in this episode — "The New Blind Spot: Why AI Is Sending Your Customers to Competitors" — including the full consumer survey results and AI Readiness Checklist
Want to know how your brand shows up when consumers ask ChatGPT? Book a free AI Readiness Audit
Follow Laura Meyer on LinkedIn and learn more about Envision HorizonsHere’s what Sammi covers with Laura:
00:00 Laura Meyer’s Social Currency
02:31 Laura’s Background and Launching Envision Horizons
09:07 The Changing Online Landscape
11…
-
Julian Reis (SuperOrdinary) on Creator IPOs, Monetizing on TikTok Shop and Where China is Beating American Entrepreneurialism
10 maart 2026 · 1 uur
Julian Reis has built businesses across hedge funds, beauty clinics, China e-commerce, creator monetization, and now TikTok Shop infrastructure, but the throughline is the same: spotting where consumer behavior is headed before most people do. Lees meer
In this episode, Julian tells Sammi how he went from trading at JPMorgan Chase to founding Skin Laundry, pricing mistakes that almost hurt the business, and the lessons that came from building a beauty concept globally. Then he explains why moving to Shanghai in 2018 changed everything: watching creators sell inside China’s super-app ecosystem convinced him that American retail was years behind and that social commerce would eventually reshape how Americans shop.
Julian breaks down how his company SuperOrdinary scaled from zero to 350 employees in China, helped brands like Drunk Elephant and Olaplex grow in Asia, and why TikTok Shop is creating a new kind of retail where creators function more like digital storefronts than influencers. He also shares why affiliate data matters more than follower counts, what kinds of products actually work on TikTok, why he believes creators may eventually IPO themselves, and how micro dramas could become the next major content-to-commerce engine.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter Learn More about SuperOrdinary
Here’s what Sammi covers with Julian:00:00 Julian Reis’ Social Currency04:07 The Finance Chapter11:18 Why Skin Laundry Almost Failed19:37 Moving to Shanghai23:19 Building Brands in China31:00 Why China’s KOL Economy Changed Everything34:49 TikTok Shop’s Massive U.S. Opportunity39:00 What Brands Need To Win TikTok45:14 Fanfix, Micro Dramas, and Creator Monetization51:43 Could Creators Become Public Companies?
53:03 Social Currency Corner54:31 The Future of AI Twins and Creator IP
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
-
QVC Built the Blueprint for Live Shopping—Then Lost the Market
6 maart 2026 · 14 min
Before TikTok Shop, before influencers sold products through livestreams, QVC had already perfected the live shopping formula: charismatic hosts, product storytelling, and frictionless buying through a screen. Lees meer
Today, Sammi unpacks how the company that built the category became trapped protecting the wrong business. QVC saw digital change coming, but instead of building for where consumer attention was moving, it spent billions doubling down on legacy retail through acquisitions like Zulily and HSN just as cable television was collapsing.
Now, with $6.6 billion in debt, restructuring talks underway, and TikTok becoming one of its last major growth bets, QVC has become a case study in what happens when a company masters a format but loses control of the platform that made it powerful.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Here’s what Sammi covers today:
00:00 How QVC Became a Cash Flow Machine
03:15 The First Big Wrong Turn
03:33 Why Zulily Failed04:33 The HSN Bet
05:17 Doubling Down on a Shrinking Market
06:37 Rebrands, Layoffs, and Decline
08:06 Why QVC Turned to TikTok
09:18 The Debt Problem
10:19 The Capital Allocation Lesson
11:05 The Big Lesson From the Billion-Dollar Crisis
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Doug Evans (Juicero) on the Viral Takedown, Blessings in Disguise and Reinvention With The Sprouting Company
3 maart 2026 · 1 uur 12 min
Doug Evans didn’t just build a juicer… he built one of Silicon Valley’s most debated startups. As the founder of Juicero, Doug raised more than $100 million to bring cold-pressed juice into people’s homes, only to watch the company crumble after a viral Bloomberg article questioned whether the machine was even necessary. Lees meer
In this episode, Doug tells Sammi his side of the story. He shares what Juicero was actually trying to solve, the power of a takedown piece, and the surprising role geography played in the company’s fate. He opens up about stepping down as CEO, the shock of watching the company shut down with capital still in the bank, and the fallout that followed. Doug sets the record straight and shares what never made it into the takedown pieces.
Then comes the reinvention. Doug shares how he retreated to the Mojave Desert, wrote a national bestselling book on sprouting, and launched a new direct-to-consumer company built around countertop food production.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Follow Doug and The Sprouting Company
Here’s what Sammi covers today with Doug:
00:00 Doug Evans’ Social Currency
02:55 The “Genetically Cursed” Mindset Shift
04:23 Building Organic Avenue Before Juice Was Cool
09:37 Why Juicero Had to Exist
14:52 The Bloomberg Squeeze Story
17:53 The Media Pile-On and Fallout
25:34 Lessons on Leadership and Investor Alignment
27:38 Going Reclusive After Juicero
33:51 Mojave Desert Reinvention
37:37 The Science Behind Sprouts
41:15 Writing The Sprout Book
46:23 Pitching Sprouts on Shark Tank
51:45 From Trauma to Confidence
56:39 Making Sprouting Mainstream
01:12:12 Social Currency Corner
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Grocery Store Botox? The $17B Med Spa Boom Meets the Private Equity Playbook
27 februari 2026 · 13 min
You can now get a discount on your Botox or Brow lift at… Erewhon? The latest partnership between Erewhon and med spa startup Ject isn’t just a publicity stunt. It’s a bigger signal: medical aesthetics has gone fully mainstream. Lees meer
In this episode, Sammi unpacks how Botox went from cosmetic approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration just 14 years ago to a $17B industry with more than 10,000 med spas across the U.S. She breaks down the forces behind the boom like loosened regulations, cash-pay margins, social media normalization, and why private equity is racing to roll up the space. But when the product is commoditized, what’s the real moat?
Sammi’s takeaway: the brand is not the competitive advantage, it’s something else hiding in plain sight.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Here’s what Sammi covers today:
00:00 Grocery Store Botox
01:15 How Med Spas Took Off
02:04 Insane Growth By The Numbers
02:55 Regulatory Changes
03:36 Social Media’s Impact on the Landscape
04:28 Private Equity Moves In
05:43 The Rollup Playbook
06:48 HIV Outbreaks, Safety And Oversight Risks
08:24 The Real Differentiator
10:55 Who Wins Next Decade
11:11 How to Show Social Currency Some Love
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Jesse Draper (Halogen Ventures) on Betting on Companies Early, Founder Red Flags, and Why Investing in Women Is NOT a Charity
24 februari 2026 · 1 uur 15 min
Jesse Draper has heard it all: “nepo baby,” “charity fund,” “too niche”—and she turned every jab into fuel. After getting laughed out of rooms while raising her first fund, Jesse built Halogen Ventures into one of the earliest venture capital funds explicitly focused on backing female founders, now with 85+ portfolio companies and multiple unicorns. Lees meer
In this episode, Jesse breaks down how she actually evaluates startups when they’re early (and sometimes barely making their first dollar), the metrics she thinks founders overhype, and the green flags that make her lean in, like radical transparency and founders who are obsessed enough to “check QuickBooks” mid-question. She also tells the wild story of why she’ll never invest off Zoom again, how social media has changed consumer investing, and what the DEI rollback is starting to look like inside venture.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Jesse’s epic interview with Elon MuskFollow Jesse’s work at Halogen Ventures
Here’s what Sammi covers with Jesse
00:00 Jesse Draper’s Social Currency
00:50 Meet Jesse Draper
03:00 The Reality of Being Fourth Generation VC
06:13 The Valley Girl Show and the Elon Musk Interview
16:36 From Entertainment to Entrepreneurship
18:25 Getting Laughed Out of Pitches and Championing Female Founders
25:36 Crazy Pitch Stories
27:25 The Wild Con Artist Story
30:29 Never Invest Based on Zoom Meetings
34:03 The Viral “Investing In Women Is Not a F*cking Charity” Essay
37:16 Data That Investing in Women Works
38:09 What Founders Should Know About Conversations with VCs
41:43 Red Flags and Green Flags
46:44 How Social Media Has Changed VCs
53:00 Future of Equity in VC
59:12 Investing in Alabama
01:07:56 Social Currency Corner
01:09:57 How to Show Social Currency Some Love
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Is This the Starbucks Comeback?
20 februari 2026 · 13 min
Starbucks didn’t lose to a cooler coffee chain. It lost to itself. Lees meer
Today, Sammi unpacks how one of the most dominant brands in modern retail engineered its own slide and what new CEO Brian Niccol is doing to fix it. From nixing pickup-only stores and cutting a quarter of the menu to investing $150K per location and betting on traffic before margins, Starbucks is attempting something rare: looking backwards to move forward.
Sammi breaks down the latest numbers showing U.S. traffic rising for the first time in nearly two years, the massive menu and bakery overhaul, the revamped Rewards program, and the viral Bearista cups that reveal a deeper cultural strategy. Then, she shares what entrepreneurs can take away from the Starbucks turnaround — and why this comeback proves that even iconic brands don’t need reinvention, they need ruthless clarity about who they are and the discipline to execute on it.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Here’s what Sammi covers today:
00:00 The “Third Place” Promise — and the Self-Sabotage
01:30 From 17 Stores to a $78B Empire
02:33 When the App Took Over
03:28 Strikes, Boycotts & Inflation
04:42 The Cooler, Cheaper Competition
05:27 The Chipotle Fixer Enters
06:36 Traffic Is Finally Up
07:39 Cut the Menu, Then Rebuild It
08:58 Viral Merch and the Gen Z Play
09:54 The Founder Rule: Subtract First
11:12 How to Show Social Currency Some Love
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Gregg Renfrew (Counter) on the $1B Beautycounter Acquisition, Getting Pushed Out of Her Company, and Starting New
17 februari 2026 · 1 uur 20 min
Gregg Renfrew didn’t just build a beauty brand; she helped create an entire category. Long before “clean beauty” became a marketing buzzword, Gregg was lobbying Congress, reformulating products, and turning a mission-driven idea into Beautycounter, a billion-dollar company acquired by private equity. Lees meer
But the story didn’t end with the sale. Months after the $1B deal closed, Gregg was pushed out of the company she founded. What followed was a cascade of leadership changes, falling sales, and one of the most dramatic founder reversals in modern consumer business.
In this episode, Gregg tells Sammi the full story—what founders misunderstand about selling, how investor dynamics really work behind the scenes, and what it feels like to watch your life’s work unravel from the outside. Then she shares the unexpected next chapter: the 48-hour scramble to buy the company out of foreclosure, the painful shutdown year that followed, and the decision to rebuild under a new name, Counter.
Plus, Gregg opens up about walking away from private equity (for now), what she’s learned about resilience and second chances, and why starting over after a very public fall can become the most powerful chapter of all.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Follow Counter
00:00 Gregg Renfrew’s Social Currency
00:57 The Beautycounter Origin Story
02:32 Early Entrepreneurial Lessons
04:19 Inside Martha Stewart Living
08:22 Getting Fired and Starting Again
11:04 Why Clean Beauty Mattered
14:58 Building the First Products
18:56 Lobbying for Industry Reform
21:02 The Problem With “Clean”
27:24 The Sales Model Explained
35:25 Community, Women, and Work
38:35 The $1B Deal
39:31 Why Founders Sell
41:04 Investor Power Dynamics
44:15 Private Equity Reality Check
46:04 Post-Sale Fallout
47:32 Getting Pushed Out
48:52 Watching the Decline
50:28 The Brief Return
53:09 Buying It Back
55:55 The Shutdown Year
58:18 Rebuilding as Counter
01:00:51 …
-
How Pat McGrath’s $1B Beauty Empire Ended in Bankruptcy
13 februari 2026 · 18 min
When the most legendary makeup artist in the world, Pat McGrath, finally launched her own beauty brand, her hero product sold out in minutes. Within three years, Pat McGrath Labs was valued at $1 billion. Today, it’s in bankruptcy court. Lees meer
Today, Sammi dives into the dramatic rise and unraveling of Pat McGrath Labs. Valued at roughly 25 times revenue, the brand was suddenly operating under hypergrowth expectations that clashed with its luxury positioning and deliberately controlled expansion. As sales slowed, distribution widened, and investor pressure intensified, what began as a cash flow squeeze spiraled into something much bigger.
Sammi breaks down the aggressive private equity deal that set the tone, the strategic tension between artistry and scale, and the $17.5 million bridge loan that ballooned into a $43 million claim—ultimately triggering a last-minute Chapter 11 filing to stop a forced auction. It’s a case study in valuation psychology, capital structure, and what happens when the wrong money meets the right founder at exactly the wrong time.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
00:00 The Rise of Pat McGrath Labs
02:51 The Billion Dollar Valuation Problem
04:17 The Sales Strategy Challenges
08:00 The Predatory Loan
08:59 The Bankruptcy Filing
10:26 Lessons and Cautionary Tale
13:10 Pat McGrath’s Personal Liability
15:29 Takeaways From Pat McGrath Labs
16:22 How to Show Social Currency Some Love
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Aparna Chennapragada (Microsoft) on AI’s Next Two Years, Category Collapse, and Using AI To Ace a Meeting
10 februari 2026 · 57 min
AI is no longer a future trend—it’s already reshaping how countless people work. And few people are closer to that shift than Aparna Chennapragada, Chief Product Officer for AI experiences at Microsoft. Lees meer
In this conversation, Aparna pulls back the curtain on how AI is actually being built into everyday work. She shares her bold two-year prediction for how work will change, tips for using AI to ace your next big meeting, and what Gen Z expects from the tools they use every day.
They also get honest about the bets that didn’t work, how to prioritize when everything feels urgent, and the leadership lessons Aparna has learned scaling innovation inside one of the world’s largest companies. Plus: why prompting may be the most important new career skill—and what that means for managers, creators, and anyone trying to stay relevant in the AI era.
00:00 Aparna Chennapragada’s Social Currency
02:23 Bold Predictions for AI in the Next Two Years
03:48 How Microsoft's AI Strategy Has Evolved
06:39 AI Hacks For Your Next Meeting
11:39 Empathy in AI Design
13:50 How to Prioritize When Everything Feels Urgent
17:27 The Right Way to Think About Customer Feedback
19:39 Gen Z's Influence on Design
22:47 Workshopping Cohesiveness and Interoperability
25:46 Staying Focused in a Noisy AI World
29:28 Mastering the Skill of Prompting
34:11 AI in Education and Parenting
35:24 Leadership Principles in AI Development
38:33 How to Have Difficult Conversations With Your Team
40:24 Innovating at the Speed of Tryst
42:35 The Future of AI in Media
45:37 Hot Takes on AI
47:10 Social Currency Corner
50:09 Advice for New Product Managers
51:37 How to Show Social Currency Some Love
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
The 1 Rule That Made Aldi America’s Fastest-Growing Grocery Chain
6 februari 2026 · 18 min
Aldi is quietly becoming the fastest-growing grocery train, without flashy stores, massive advertising budgets, or endless product choice. Lees meer
In this episode, Sammi breaks down how the company’s deliberately simple model (limited assortment, extreme cost discipline, productivity obsession, and private-label strategy) has allowed it to grow rapidly while competitors struggle with rising prices and complexity. Drawing on her own experience training to be an Aldi District Manager, Sammi explains the one rule that has cemented Aldi’s position leading the pack.
At the center of Aldi’s strategy is a single internal question that guides nearly every choice. Understanding that principle helps explain not just Aldi’s growth, but why the model continues to hold together as it scales.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Here’s what Sammi covers today:
00:00 Aldi’s Social Currency
02:15 Aldi’s origin story
03:12 The kidnapping
04:05 Trader Joe’s and the Aldi split
06:40 How Aldi scaled
08:34 Ruthless efficiency
10:15 Private label products
10:59 Sammi’s Aldi days
12:35 Aldi’s customer psychology strategy
14:28 The single internal rule that explains Aldi’s success
16:04 How to show Social Currency some love
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Dianna Cohen (Crown Affair) on Building a Cult DTC Brand, Choosing a Hero Product, and Why “Take Your Time” Wins
3 februari 2026 · 1 uur 9 min
What does it actually take to build a beauty brand that feels timeless? Today, Sammi sits down with Dianna Cohen, founder and CEO of Crown Affair, the cult haircare brand that made slowing down a competitive edge. Lees meer
Before Crown Affair, Diana was behind the scenes of some of the most talked-about consumer brands of the last decade (Away, Outdoor Voices), Then, she walked away to build something quieter, more intentional, and way harder to pull off. In this conversation, she breaks down how she chose her hero product, what she learned during the DTC boom (and bust), and why “take your time” isn’t soft advice, it’s a strategy.
They get into the real stuff: fundraising without losing the soul of your brand, the moment celebrity endorsements actually matter (and when they don’t), the slick bun tutorial we’ve been waiting for, and the one social move that directly translated to product sales. Dianna also opens up about evolving as a CEO, letting go of control, and building a company culture that doesn’t burn people out.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Follow Dianna on Instagram
Follow Crown Affair on Instagram
00:00 Dianna Cohen’s Social Currency02:53 From Away and Outdoor Voices to Crown Affair
07:02 Launching Crown Affair and Picking a Hero Product
14:57 Product Development and Early Tradeoffs
28:53 Go-to-Market Strategy and Raising Capital
31:38 Celebrity Endorsements and Timeless Branding
34:31 The Slick Bun Tutorial We’ve Been Waiting For
37:11 Dianna’s Fundraising Philosophy
46:52 Personal Brand vs. Business Brand on Social
50:27 The Seedling Mentorship Program
55:46 Dianna’s Hot Takes on the Beauty Industry
56:22 Social Currency Corner and Listener Question
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices