Social Currency with Sammi Cohen

Shreya Murthy (Partiful) on Winning Over Gen Z, Beating Copycats and Engineering Fun

07 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Shreya Murthy built one of the rare social apps people want to open—and then immediately close. It’s all going according to plan. Her company, Pa...

Seth Goldman (Just Ice Tea) on Selling Honest Tea to Coca-Cola, Starting Again, and the Future of Food

03 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Seth Goldman built one of the most iconic beverage brands of the last two decades… only to watch it get discontinued by Coca-Cola. In this episode,...

Nayeema Raza (Smart Girl Dumb Questions) on the Manosphere, How to Launch a Podcast (and Whether You Should)

31 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

 Everyone has a podcast. So, where is the whitespace and what does it really take to break through?  Sammi sits down with Nayeema Raza, host of Sm...

Listener Grab Bag: Career Risks, Leaving Corporate, and Building in Public

27 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is a little different. Instead of a deep dive, Sammi turns the mic around and answers your questions—from career risks and leaving cor...

Reid Hoffman (Manas AI, LinkedIn) on Why AI Is a “Humanity Elevator,” Digital Twins, and the Skills You Need Now

24 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 gener...

How e.l.f. Beauty Turned $1 Makeup Into a $4.8B Cultural Machine

20 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 par...

Julie Smolyansky (Lifeway) on Power Struggles, Creating a Category, and How GLP-1s Are Changing Food Companies

17 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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...

6 Habits of the Most Successful Female Founders

13 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Months into interviewing founders for this podcast, Sammi noticed something surprising: the most successful women were often practicing the same habit...

Laura Meyer (Envision Horizons) on AI’s Shopping Disruption, How to Show Up in ChatGPT Searches and the New Cost of Attention

12 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 s...

Julian Reis (SuperOrdinary) on Creator IPOs, Monetizing on TikTok Shop and Where China is Beating American Entrepreneurialism

10 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Julian Reis has built businesses across hedge funds, beauty clinics, China e-commerce, creator monetization, and now TikTok Shop infrastructure, but t...

QVC Built the Blueprint for Live Shopping—Then Lost the Market

06 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Before TikTok Shop, before influencers sold products through livestreams, QVC had already perfected the live shopping formula: charismatic hosts, prod...

Doug Evans (Juicero) on the Viral Takedown, Blessings in Disguise and Reinvention With The Sprouting Company

03 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Grocery Store Botox? The $17B Med Spa Boom Meets the Private Equity Playbook

27 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

 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...

Jesse Draper (Halogen Ventures) on Betting on Companies Early, Founder Red Flags, and Why Investing in Women Is NOT a Charity

24 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Jesse Draper has heard it all: “nepo baby,” “charity fund,” “too niche”—and she turned every jab into fuel. After getting laughed out of...

Is This the Starbucks Comeback?

20 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Starbucks didn’t lose to a cooler coffee chain. It lost to itself. Today, Sammi unpacks how one of the most dominant brands in modern retail engine...

Gregg Renfrew (Counter) on the $1B Beautycounter Acquisition, Getting Pushed Out of Her Company, and Starting New

17 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Gregg Renfrew didn’t just build a beauty brand; she helped create an entire category. Long before “clean beauty” became a marketing buzzword, Gr...

How Pat McGrath’s $1B Beauty Empire Ended in Bankruptcy

13 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Aparna Chennapragada (Microsoft) on AI’s Next Two Years, Category Collapse, and Using AI To Ace a Meeting

10 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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...

The 1 Rule That Made Aldi America’s Fastest-Growing Grocery Chain

06 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Aldi is quietly becoming the fastest-growing grocery train, without flashy stores, massive advertising budgets, or endless product choice. In this ep...

Dianna Cohen (Crown Affair) on Building a Cult DTC Brand, Choosing a Hero Product, and Why “Take Your Time” Wins

03 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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...

The $10M Influencer Empire That Collapsed Over a Pink Cake

30 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Chiara Ferragni wasn’t just an influencer, she was a case study in how to turn social media fame into a multi-million-dollar business. And then a pi...

Stacy Martinet (Adobe) on AI Solving the Blank Page Problem, the Ethics of Generative AI, and Branding Hot Takes

29 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Sammi sits down with Stacy Martinet, Adobe’s VP of Marketing and Communications, for a behind-the-scenes look at how one of the most influential cre...

Nicolas Jammet (Sweetgreen) on Pricing Strategy, Trendspotting in Food and the Future of Fast Casual

27 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Today Sammi sits down with Nicolas Jammet, co-founder and Chief Concept Officer of Sweetgreen—the fast-casual brand that helped take “healthy food...

The Coach Turnaround Case Study and $5.6B Payoff

23 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

There was a moment when carrying a Coach bag felt cringe. Today, Coach is one of the hottest brands among Gen Z, with demand exploding and bags sellin...

Rebecca Shostak (Flodesk) on Why “Marketing Is Dead,” Email Isn’t, and Building a Profitable SaaS in Two Weeks

22 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Today Sammi sits down with Rebecca Shostak, co-founder and CEO of Flodesk—the email platform bootstrapped to profitability just two weeks after laun...

Sami Sage (Betches) on Building a $24M Media Empire, Algorithms and Trad Wives

20 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is the second half of a two-part look at women’s media in 2026. Last week, Sammi sat down with Brittany and Gabriel Hugoboom, the coupl...

When Luxury Goes Broke: The Saks Bankruptcy

16 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Today, Sammi breaks down the unraveling of Saks Fifth Avenue — a luxury icon that survived wars, recessions, and cultural shifts, but couldn’t sur...

Brittany and Gabriel Hugoboom (Evie) on Building the “Conservative Cosmo,” the Raw Milkmaid Dress and the Business of Controversy

13 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This episode kicks off a two-part exploration of the modern women’s media landscape. Today, Sammi sits down with Brittany and Gabriel Hugoboom, the ...

The Naked Truth About OnlyFans’ Billion-Dollar Business

09 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

While tech investors chased ad-based creator platforms, OnlyFans did the opposite—and made billions. Today, Sammi unpacks the counterintuitive decis...

Jenn Hyman (Rent the Runway) on Creating a Category, Stock Highs and Lows, and Seeing the Future

06 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Jenn Hyman built Rent the Runway on a contrarian insight back in 2009: women were already “renting” their clothes—borrowing from friends, cyclin...

The Credit Card War Behind Your Dinner Plans

02 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Most people think restaurant reservations are about demand. They’re not. Today, Sammi breaks down the quiet power struggle happening behind your ha...

Rebecca Rittenhouse (Privet Beauty) on Hero Products, Hollywood and Identity Shifts

30 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Building a business in public is hard. Building one when people already think they know you? Even harder. Today, Sammi sits down with actor and found...

Actionable Lessons From Launching Social Currency

26 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

2025 was a transformative year. In this episode, Sammi shares the biggest lessons she’s internalized since launching her podcast this spring. She le...

Rebecca Minkoff on Building a Fashion Empire, Fundraising Myths and  Tupperware Parties

23 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Rebecca Minkoff’s origin story is not a glossy founder fairy tale—it’s a closet-bedroom apartment, a $3.25/hour internship, $60K in debt, and a ...

What the Gender “Ambition Gap” Research Got Wrong

19 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Women in corporate America aren’t burned out because of how much they’re working—they’re burned out by how much the system isn’t working for...

Andrew Chau (Boba Guys) on Turning Bubble Tea Into a Cultural Movement, the Future of Cafe Culture and Strawberry Matcha

16 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today, Sammi sits down with Andrew Chau, co-founder of Boba Guys—the brand that helped turn boba from a niche drink into a mainstream American obses...

Williams Sonoma vs. Quince and the Future of the Dupe Economy

12 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A blockbuster lawsuit just exposed the biggest fear in retail—but it could backfire spectacularly. Today, Sammi does a deep dive into Williams Sonom...

Luana Lopes Lara (Kalshi) on the Money in Prediction Markets, Trading the Presidential Election and Suing the Regulators

09 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Luana Lopes Lara didn’t just build a unicorn— she overturned a 100-year old ban, sued the regulators and became the youngest self-made female bill...

Raw Chicken Nuggets and $75 Matcha: Meadow Lane’s Chaotic Rise to Fame and Infamy

05 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today, Sammi breaks down all things Meadow Lane—the Tribeca grocery store that launched like a luxury fashion drop and spiraled into one of the most...

Babba Rivera (Ceremonia) on Making Business Personal, Winning Retail, and Convincing Investors to Bet on Latinx Communities

02 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Building a beauty brand that celebrates Latin culture while competing on a global stage is no small feat—but for Babba Rivera, it’s not just busin...

Inside Rhode’s $1 Billion Deal: How e.l.f. Exposed Every Secret Behind Hailey Bieber’s Brand

28 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Celebrity brands never release their numbers — until now. Beauty brand e.l.f. didn’t just acquire Hailey Bieber’s Rhode… they published every ...

Julia Cheek (Everlywell) on Revolutionizing Diagnostics, Shark Tank and Biohacking

25 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Many people say the healthcare system is broken. Julia Cheek, is trying to fix a key part of that system: diagnostics.  Julia is the founder and CEO...

The Row’s Quiet Luxury Gets Loud: Sample Sales, Influencer Drama, and the Future of Fashion’s Most Mysterious Brand

21 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today Sammi unpacks the silent spectacle of The Row—Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s luxury label. Known for its “no logos, no advertising” ethos ...

​​Jaclyn Johnson and Marina Middleton (Create & Cultivate) on How To Sell Out a Live Event, the Future of Community, and Whether Virtual Events Are Dead

18 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today, Sammi sits down with Jaclyn Johnson and Marina Middleton—the powerhouse duo behind Create & Cultivate. Long before every brand wanted a “co...

The “PayPal Mafia” Lore: Inside the Elon Musk Coup and the Beginning of Founder Culture

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today, Sammi uncovers one of the most iconic origin stories in tech: how a scrappy, chaotic startup from the late ’90s — PayPal — became the lau...

Marina and Ricardo Larroudé (Larroudé) on Innovative D2C Models, Betting on Brazil and Trading in the 9-to-5

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When the world shut down, Marina and Ricardo Larroudé hit go. Out of their Manhattan apartment, the former Teen Vogue fashion director and her financ...

The 90s Microdrama Revolution and Ghost of Quibi

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Hollywood is changing—and its future might be vertical. Today, Sammi dives into the explosive rise of “microdramas,” the ultra-short, ultra-addi...

Gwen Whiting (The Laundress) on Acquisition Cautionary Tales, Bootstrapping, and The Fill

04 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Gwen Whiting co-founded The Laundress, the luxury laundry brand that transformed washing clothes into a lifestyle statement. What started as a passion...

Spirit Halloween: The Billion-Dollar Pop-Up That Can’t Be Beat

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today’s episode is all about the billion dollar business built on a business model that defies every rule of traditional retail; they occupy buildin...

RH’s Luxury Mountain and House of Cards: Part 2

28 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In part two of her Restoration Hardware deep dive, Sammi pulls back the curtain on what’s really at the top of “Luxury Mountain.”  From the tr...

Yachts, Private Jets and The Restoration Hardware CEO Lore: Part 1

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today, Sammi delivers the most requested episode topic yet: the lore of Restoration Hardware and its CEO, Gary Friedman. Gary Friedman is part visiona...

Jim McKelvey (Square) on How to Out-Compete a Goliath, Advice for “Wantrepreneurs,” and Economizing Drug Trials

21 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Building something that lasts is rare. Building something that rewires an entire industry? That’s almost unheard of. But that’s exactly what Jim M...

The Future of Shopping Is Here— And It’s AI

17 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What if you never had to click “Buy Now” again—because your AI did the shopping for you? Today, Sammi breaks down the partnership between OpenAI...

Tracy Anderson (Tracy Anderson Method) on Building a Fitness Empire, Debunking Wellness Trends, and IP in Fitness Routines

14 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From small studios to celebrity status, Tracy Anderson has built one of the most influential—and imitated—fitness empires in the world. Today, Sam...

Why I Shut Down My Matcha Business

10 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever built a business around something you love—only to realize it’s draining your passion? In this episode, Sammi shares her full founde...

Neil Parikh (Casper, Slingshot AI) on Using AI for Emotional Wellbeing, Lessons from Cofounding Casper and Finding Winning Angel Investments

07 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Neil Parikh disrupted the sleep industry with Casper. Now, he’s using tech to disrupt one of the most pressing crises of our time: mental health. A...

Jeep’s Flop Era?

03 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today, Sammi unpacks the dramatic meltdown of the Jeep brand. Once a cultural symbol that survived world wars and recessions, Jeep’s market share ha...

Julia Hartz (Eventbrite) on Taking a Company Public, Leading Through Crisis and the Future of Live Events

30 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Julia Hartz co-founded Eventbrite in 2006 with a bold vision: make ticketing accessible for anyone creating an event. Nearly two decades later, she’...

Inside the Protein Boom: The $1.2 Billion Bet Reshaping What We Eat

26 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why is everything from your Starbucks drink to your popcorn now enhanced with extra protein? With 61% of Americans increasing their protein intake las...

Maria Davidson (Kojo) on Record-Breaking Fundraising, Building a $4B Platform and Breaking Barriers in Construction

23 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Maria Davidson is making construction procurement cool— and a billion-dollar business. After studying philosophy, politics, and economics at Oxford ...

Are Membership Clubs Dead?

19 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From London’s 17th-century gentleman’s clubs to the meteoric rise of Soho House, private membership clubs have always been about more than cocktai...

Vanessa Dew (Health-Ade Kombucha): From Farmers' Markets to a $500M Empire, Life After an Exit and Fundraising 101

16 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From hand-bottling kombucha in an apartment kitchen to building a $500 million brand sold in tens of thousands of stores across the country, Vanessa D...

3 Lessons from Amazon That Changed My Business

12 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today, Sammi’s doing something a little different. She’s pulling back the curtain on her five years at Amazon—and the lessons she’s bringing w...

Alli Webb (Drybar) on Selling for $255M, Second Acts, and Embracing the Messy Truth

09 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What do you do after creating a $255 million brand that reshaped an entire industry? If you’re Alli Webb, founder of Drybar, you sell it, rebuild, a...

The Denim War: How American Eagle, Gap, and Lucky Brand Turned Jeans into Culture and Controversy

05 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This summer, denim wasn't just a fashion statement—it was a battlefield. Today, Sammi unpacks how American Eagle, Gap, and Lucky Brand launched thre...

Bill Ready (Pinterest) on Social Media’s “Big Tobacco” Moment, Growing Pinterest to 578M Users, and What Gen Z Really Wants

02 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Bill Ready has never been afraid to make big bets—and at Pinterest, those bets are paying off. Since becoming CEO, he’s doubled down on building a...

The Goop Paradox: $140M and 17 Years Later, Why Isn't It Profitable?

29 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Seventeen years. $140 million in funding. And Goop—the empire Gwyneth Paltrow built on clean beauty, provocative candles, and aspirational wellness—...

Amy Liu (Tower 28) on Life-Changing Pitches, Picking the Right Partners and Standing Out in a Crowded Industry

26 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Some say cult-favorite beauty brand Tower 28 is an “overnight success”— but founder Amy Liu is here to share how the brand’s success was years...

How the Fitness Industry Is Coming for Religion

22 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Fitness is the new religion. It sounds dramatic, but look around. People used to go to church on Sundays. Now they go to Barry's Bootcamp. Instead of ...

Emily Heyward (Red Antler) on Building Brands That Stick, How AI Will Impact Creative Agencies and Lessons from Casper’s Success

19 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What do Casper and Allbirds have in common, besides redefining modern D2C brands? They all worked with branding agency Red Antler before they became h...

Inside Rippling vs. Deel’s Billion-Dollar Espionage War

15 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when a unicorn startup hires a spy to infiltrate its biggest rival? Welcome to the $28 billion battle between Rippling and Deel—where e...

James Reinhart (ThredUp) on Educating Your Customer, Designing a Stellar Customer Experience, and the Future of Fashion Resale

12 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

James Reinhart didn’t set out to change the way we shop—he just wanted to clean out his closet. But that simple idea turned into ThredUp, the gian...

$33 Toilet Paper and $48 Olive Oil? Welcome to the Age of Every-Day Luxury

08 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Would you spend $33 on toilet paper just because it looks good on your bathroom shelf? You’re not alone—and there’s a reason why. Today Sammi un...

Ariel Kaye (Parachute) on Getting D2C Right, Building Customer Trust and Selling Out of Product Without Becoming a Sellout

05 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today, Sammi is joined by Ariel Kaye, the founder of Parachute—the cult-favorite home essentials brand that helped define the direct-to-consumer mov...

The Rise and Fall of Juicero: Silicon Valley's $120 Million Juicing Catastrophe

01 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today, Sammi dives into the dramatic rise and fall of Juicero, a startup that raised $120 million to solve a problem that didn't exist with an over-en...

Tyler Denk (Beehiiv) on How to Grow a Profitable Newsletter, Lessons from Morning Brew and AI Bots For Creators

29 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What’s the secret behind today’s fastest-growing newsletters—and how can creators build smarter, not harder? Tyler Denk is here to answer exactl...

Why Some Celebrity Brands Flop While Others Break the Internet

25 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From skincare to alcohol, it feels like every celebrity has a brand and your feed is probably full of them. But why do some explode while others quiet...

Phoebe Gates & Sophia Kianni (Phia) on Disrupting Fashion, Rethinking Retail, and Building a Business That’s Good for the Planet

22 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The fashion industry is facing a reckoning—from how clothes are made to how they’re resold. And Phia, a new tech-driven platform, is betting that ...

Buy Now, Pay Later: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

18 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

 Buy now, pay later is everywhere. Maybe you've seen it when you were buying a Sephora haul, or deciding that you deserve to splurge on your DoorDas...

Ankur Jain (Bilt) on Turning Rent Into Rewards, Raising $250M, and Reinventing the Path to Homeownership

15 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What if paying rent could actually help you own a home someday? That’s exactly the idea Ankur Jain ran with when he launched Bilt Rewards, the first...

Let Them: How Mel Robbins Became the Oprah of TikTok Motivation

11 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mel Robbins didn’t invent self-help—but she might’ve made it viral. From courtroom stress to content queen, Mel turned panic attacks into a pers...

Lauren Makler (Cofertility) on Make Egg Freezing Accessible, Consumerizing Women’s Health, and Building a Mission-Driven Business

08 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What if freezing your eggs didn’t have to feel out of reach, financially or emotionally? Lauren Makler, co-founder and CEO of Cofertility, is reimag...

The Creator Economy Decoded: How to Actually Make Money Online

04 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Nearly 60% of Gen Z wants to be a creator—but how do you actually turn posting into profit? In this episode, Sammi pulls back the curtain on the cre...

Augustus Doricko (Rainmaker) on Reprogramming the Weather, the Hard Tech Renaissance, and His Bloody Company Motto

01 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How would the health of the planet be impacted if we could control the weather? Augustus Doricko, founder and CEO of Rainmaker, is on a mission to fin...

How Trader Joe’s Broke Every Rule in Retail—Then Outsold Everyone

27 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Trader Joe’s has no loyalty programs. No flashy ads. Stores that look like they time-traveled in from the '70s. And yet… Trader Joe’s generates ...

Cassandra Grey (Violet Grey) on Buying Her Company Back, Finding Your Look, and the Vogue Effect

24 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What does it take to build a luxury beauty brand that’s as cool as it is strategic? Cassandra Grey has the answer. She’s the force behind Violet G...

The Rise and Fall of Away Luggage

20 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Away wasn’t just luggage—it was millennial wanderlust personified. Backed by $150 million in funding and powered by influencer buzz, Away rocketed...

Grant LaFontaine (Whatnot) on Building a Unicorn, Scaling with a Cofounder, and the Future of Shopping

17 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Grant LaFontaine says the future of shopping is here— and it’s live. Literally.  Grant is the cofounder and CEO of Whatnot—a $5 billion live s...

The Business of Labubu and the Power of Manufactured Obsession

13 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

People are lining up at 4 AM, crashing websites, and dropping thousands on a fuzzy vinyl creature with nine teeth and a cult following. Meet Labubu: p...

Loren Castle (Sweet Loren’s) on Turning a Diagnosis Into a Mission, Scaling a Food Brand and Supply Chain Lessons

10 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Meet Loren Castle, the powerhouse behind Sweet Loren’s—the #1 natural cookie dough brand in the U.S. Today, Sammi chats with Lauren about how a sh...

Why Saks Is In Trouble — and How PE Is To Blame

06 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today Sammi digs into the retail scandal that ties together private equity, power plays, broken promises, and a $2.65 billion luxury merger that's now...

John Hu (Stan) on the Path to $1 Billion, the Creator Economy and Building in Public

03 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Think it's too late to become a creator if you don't have a social media following? Think again. According to John Hu, cofounder of Stan—a platform ...

The Epic Comeback of Barnes & Noble

30 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Once dismissed as the next big retail casualty, Barnes & Noble had all the makings of a cautionary tale—shrinking sales, shuttered stores, and a rev...

Rea Ann Silva (Beautyblender) on Owning 100% of Her Company, Dupes and Creating a Category

27 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Before the Beautyblender sponge was a staple in every makeup bag, it was a clever DIY tool dreamed up on set by professional makeup artist Rea Ann Sil...

Uncovering the Wedding Industrial Complex

23 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why is saying “I do” costing Americans more than ever? In today’s episode, Sammi rips the veil off the modern wedding machine—revealing how a ...

Brian Kelly (The Points Guy) on How to Travel for Free, Turning a Hobby Into an Empire and Beating Burnout

20 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Before credit card points were a lifestyle, Brian Kelly was just a travel-obsessed guy with a blog. Then came a viral New York Times article, a flood ...

How I Created Social Currency

16 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ever wondered if your side hustle could become your full-time gig? Today, Sammi shares everything she learned from taking that leap herself. If you’...

Erewhon Economics: The Billion-Dollar Hype Behind America’s Bougiest Grocery Store

13 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

 How did a small health food store become the go-to grocery destination for celebrities, influencers, nepo babies, and anyone who wants to signal th...

Ty Haney (Outdoor Voices, TYB, Joggy) on Leaving Her $100M Brand, the Girlboss Achilles Heel and Second Acts

13 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

At just 23 years old Ty Haney was the face of Outdoor Voices—the mind behind the “Doing Things” movement and a figure of the Girlboss era. Then ...

Introducing Social Currency

02 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On Social Currency, Sammi Cohen unpacks the stories that are shaping business, culture and the intersection of the two. From boardrooms to Instagram t...