Social Currency with Sammi Cohen

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

  Seventeen years. $140 million in funding. And Goop—the empire Gwyneth Paltrow built on clean beauty, vagina candles, and aspirational wellness—is still not profitable. Today, Sammi unpacks the paradox of Goop: a brand that pioneered the $6.3 trillion wellness industry, yet can’t seem to make money from it. From the downfall of Goop Beauty at Sephora to the unexpected success of Goop Kitchen, and the leadership style that insiders compare to Anna Wintour, this is the story of how being an influencer and being a CEO are two very different games. Does Goop even need to exist in 2025—or has every other influencer already copied its playbook better? Follow Sammi on Instagram  Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter  Here’s what Sammi covers today: 00:00 Goop’s $140 Million Paradox 01:04 Gwyneth’s Kitchen-Table Origins 02:03 Charisma vs. CEO Skills 03:16 Layoffs and Leadership Turmoil 03:43 Beauty’s Bust, Fashion’s Flicker 05:10 The Surprising Success of Goop Kitchen 05:50 The Investor Dilemma 06:30 The Bigger Cultural Question: Do We Still Need Goop? 09:46 Closing Thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

  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 in the making. Today, Sammi and Amy dive into the real story behind Tower 28’s rise: from Amy’s scrappy Sephora pitch and pandemic launch to lessons from her friends and family fundraising round. Amy also gives her take on the perfect morning routine and the importance of picking the right partners— in business and in life. This episode was taped 4.23.25.  Follow Sammi on Instagram  Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter  Follow Tower 28 on Instagram 00:00 Amy Liu’s Social Currency  01:33 The Myth of Overnight Success  01:57 From Employee to Founder  04:21 Learning from Experience  05:57 The Role of Beauty in Confidence  09:15 Lessons Learned from Early Ventures 12:00 Raising Funds from Friends and Family  15:08 The Iconic Sephora Pitch  21:12 Launching During a Pandemic  25:14 Discovering the Power of Skincare  26:23 Building a Family Business  28:54 The Importance of Choosing the Right Partner  30:10 Creating a Strong Team Culture  34:26 Engaging with the Community  39:44 Morning Routines and Personal Systems  41:18 Creating Original Content  44:10 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs  46:54 How to Show Social Currency Some Love All investing involves the risk of loss, including loss of principal. Brokerage services for US-listed, registered securities, options and bonds in a self-directed account are offered by Public Investing, Inc., member FINRA & SIPC. Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank. Cryptocurrency trading services are offered by Bakkt Crypto Solutions, LLC (NMLS ID 1890144), which is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the NYSDFS. Cryptocurrency is highly speculative, involves a high degree of risk, and has the potential for loss of the entire amount of an investment. Cryptocurrency holdings are not protected by the FDIC or SIPC.  *APY as of 6/30/25, offered by Public Investing, member FINRA/SIPC. Rate subject to change. See terms of IRA Match Program here: public.com/disclosures/ira-match. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• How the Fitness Industry Is Coming for Religion

  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 confession, they cold plunge.  Today, Sammi unpacks how the boutique fitness boom became a new form of secular spirituality—complete with instructors as gurus, before-and-after photos as testimonies, and $10,000 luxury wellness retreats as modern pilgrimages. But this isn’t just a cultural shift—it’s a business revolution. With the wellness market on track to hit $7 trillion by 2025, fitness has become a belief system people are willing to invest in, spiritually and financially. Whether you’re a brand builder, a wellness junkie, or just curious about why we now confess in cold plunges instead of pews, this episode dives deep into the new religion of our era: sweat. Follow Sammi on Instagram  Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter  Here’s what Sammi covers today: 00:00 Fitness Is the New Religion 00:49 The Decline of Traditional Belief Systems 01:44 How Studios Became Sanctuaries 03:14 The Trillion-Dollar Wellness Economy 04:14 What This Shift Means for Brands 05:47 How to Show Social Currency Some Love Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

  What do Casper and Allbirds have in common, besides redefining modern D2C brands? They all worked with branding agency Red Antler before they became household names. Today Sammi sits down with Emily Heyward, co-founder of Red Antler, the powerhouse creative agency behind some of the most iconic startups of the last decade. Emily shares how Red Antler went from a scrappy agency to the go-to partner for founders launching the next big thing. They dig into the real work of branding; how to create emotional connection, why a logo is never enough, and the mistakes even seasoned founders make when they treat branding as an afterthought. Emily also opens up about the founding of Red Antler’s VC arm, how her team vets investments, and why she thinks branding will always be human—even in the age of AI. Follow Sammi on Instagram  Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter  Follow Red Antler’s work Here’s what Sammi and Emily cover today: 00:00 Emily Heyward’s Social Currency 01:45 The Origin of Red Antler 09:35 From Scrappy Startups to Culture-Making Brands 14:23 How to Land—and Keep—Dream Clients 18:40 When Branding Gets Messy (and How to Fix It) 24:10 Strategic Bets and the Ones That Paid Off 30:40 Building for Startups vs. Working with Giants 37:20 Breaking Down Red Antler’s Pricing Strategy 41:30 Why Red Antler Launched a VC Fund 49:23 What It Really Means to Build an Iconic Brand 54:40 Will AI Replace Branding Agencies? 1:00:36 Favorite Projects and Most Fun Collabs 1:05:22 Why Creative Breaks Are Critical 1:07:54 Crumbl, Duolingo, and What’s Trending Now 1:11:30 How to Choose the Right Branding Partner 1:20:35 How to Show Social Currency Some Love Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

  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 encrypted messages, crypto payments, burner phones, and a secret escape to Dubai are all part of the plot. Today, Sammi unpacks the real-life espionage scandal playing out in Silicon Valley. At the center: two HR tech giants locked in a legal death match. One allegedly planted a spy inside the other. And not just any spy—a payroll exec turned corporate James Bond, allegedly paid thousands a month to leak sensitive data from Slack, Salesforce, and more. This story has everything: honeypots, family conspiracies, a phone destroyed with an axe, and RICO charges straight out of a mob movie. And it’s all unfolding right now. Whether you’re a founder, a tech worker, or just here for the tea—this episode is a front-row seat to the dark side of startup competition. Follow Sammi on Instagram  Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter  Here’s what Sammi covers today: 00:00 The Spy Thriller Silicon Valley Didn’t See Coming 00:48 Meet the Rivals: Rippling vs. Deel 02:16 The “Snake Oil” Feud Gets Personal 04:13 Enter the Spy: Keith O’Brien’s Double Life 06:20 Crypto, Code Names, and the Watchman 08:31 How the Spy Got Caught (and Things Hit the Fan) 11:06 The Honeypot Trap and a Shocking Confession 13:45 Destroyed Phones and Dubai Getaways 15:52 The Lawsuit: RICO, Racketeering, and Corporate Crime 18:33 Deal Fires Back and the Legal War Escalates 20:10 Why the Market Doesn’t Seem to Care 22:05 What This Means for Startup Culture All investing involves the risk of loss, including loss of principal. Brokerage services for US-listed, registered securities, options and bonds in a self-directed account are offered by Public Investing, Inc., member FINRA & SIPC. Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank. Cryptocurrency trading services are offered by Bakkt Crypto Solutions, LLC (NMLS ID 1890144), which is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the NYSDFS. Cryptocurrency is highly speculative, involves a high degree of risk, and has the potential for loss of the entire amount of an investment. Cryptocurrency holdings are not protected by the FDIC or SIPC.  *APY as of 6/30/25, offered by Public Investing, member FINRA/SIPC. Rate subject to change. See terms of IRA Match Program here: public.com/disclosures/ira-match. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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