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

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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

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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 giant and beloved resale marketplace. In today’s episode, Sammi sits down with James to unpack how he went from teaching in classrooms to disrupting closets.

They talk about the bold bet that helped ThredUp outsmart competitors, why the “Clean Out Kit” became their secret weapon, and what most people get wrong about the secondhand economy. James also shares why partnerships with legacy retailers like Walmart and Macy’s matter, how AI is reshaping resale logistics, and his take on live shopping.

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Here’s what Sammi covers today with James:

00:00 James Reinhart’s Social Currency

01:51 From Education to Entrepreneurship

04:07 The Genesis of ThredUp

09:00 Building the Founding Team

15:20 The Managed Marketplace Model

18:37 The “Clean Out Kit” Innovation

25:43 Challenges in Secondhand Retail

28:56 Resale Market Growth Predictions

29:40 Trends in Secondhand Selling

30:23 Consumer Behavior in Secondhand Shopping

32:19 Customer Loyalty and Retention Strategies

34:06 AI Innovations in Secondhand Retail

39:46 Impact of De Minimis Exemption on Retail

46:34 Future of Retail and Brand Building

51:19 POV on Live Shopping

54:05 Surprising Consumer Behaviors

55:34 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.

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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 unpacks the rise of what she calls aesthetic utility—a consumer movement where everyday essentials are elevated into lifestyle flexes. Gone are the days of basic olive oil and generic hand soap; now, products like Flamingo Estate’s $48 EVOO or Skinny Confidential’s premium TP are selling status, not just function.

Sammi traces how this shift evolved from the first wave of DTC disruption into something deeper: a full-blown cultural phenomenon driven by micro luxury, social media aesthetics, and generational disillusionment with traditional success. You’ll learn why this trend is booming, which brands are getting it right, and how “small luxuries” are reshaping the future of retail—one beautifully packaged necessity at a time.

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Here’s what Sammi covers today:

00:00 The Rise of Aesthetic Utility

00:22 The $33 Toilet Paper That Says Everything

01:20  DTC 1.0 vs 2.0: From Cheap to Chic

02:53 Micro Luxury: The New Status Symbol

04:49 Brands That Turn Basics Into Flexes

07:17 Sammi’s Prediction: How Ordinary Becomes Extraordinary

08:06 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.

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Today, Sammi is joined by Ariel Kaye, the founder of Parachute—the cult-favorite home essentials brand that helped define the direct-to-consumer movement. Ariel shares the real story behind Parachute’s early days: from bootstrapping her first launch to navigating funding rounds, managing growing pains, and expanding from digital to retail. She opens up about the emotional toll of solo entrepreneurship, the importance of mentorship, and how she kept her business grounded in customer experience—even during the chaos of COVID.

Plus, Ariel reveals how she thinks about growth today, the pressures of staying independent, and why having options—not obligations—is the real founder flex.

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Here’s what Sammi covers today with Ariel:

00:00  Ariel Kaye’s Social Currency

02:49  Early Customer Research and Product Iterations

07:53  Launch Mode: The First Products, First Wins

11:20 Fundraising Without Losing Focus

15:32 What Early Growth Looked Like

17:39 Why Parachute Went IRL With Brick-and-Mortar

21:44 COVID Curveballs

24:19 Building a Full Lifestyle Brand

27:35 Making Marketing Personal

31:32 How Ariel Earns Customer Trust

39:47 The Emotional Side of Building Solo

42:02 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

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-engineered solution. Founded by Doug Evans, who aspired to revolutionize the juice industry, Juicero promised a convenient, high-tech juicing machine. Despite backing from major investors like Google Ventures and celebrity endorsements, the company's $400 juicer was exposed as redundant by a viral Bloomberg video. The video revealed that the machine’s expensive features were unnecessary. This debacle led to Juicero’s downfall, highlighting critical lessons about startup culture, over-engineering, and the importance of validating a problem before developing a solution.

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Here’s what Sammi covers today:

00:00 Introduction to Juicero’s Rise and Fall

00:51 Doug Evans: The Visionary Behind Juicero

01:58 The Juicero Press: A Revolutionary Idea

02:40 Silicon Valley's Enthusiastic Response

03:48 The Launch and Initial Success

05:13 The Bloomberg Revelation

07:11 The Aftermath and Lessons Learned

10:55 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

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

Tyler was one of the first hires at Morning Brew, and now is CEO of Beehiiv, the platform that’s powering some of your favorite newsletters and fueling a new wave of digital media empires. Tyler shares hard truths of being a founder, why he thinks being single is a startup superpower, and how he’s positioning Beehiiv to dominate in a creator economy flooded with tools. Plus, Tyler and Sammi dive into the role AI will (and won’t) play in the future of content. 

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Here’s what Sammi covers today with Tyler:

00:00 Tyler Denk’s Social Currency

03:23 Inside Morning Brew Early Days

06:46 Growth Hacking at Morning Brew

09:44 Leaving Morning Brew and Starting Beehiiv

16:57 Raising Seed Funding for Beehiiv

20:54 Naming Beehiiv

33:17 How to Grow a Newsletter

36:50 The Anti-VC Founder Mentality

38:36 Competing with Substack

43:54 AI in Newsletters

50:37 Contrast Therapy

55:05 Building a Company in Public

01:00:11 The Competitive Advantage of Being Single

01:02:38 Routine and Productivity Hacks

01:04:47 Monetization Funds for Creators

01:07:09 Exciting New Tools at Beehiiv

01:10:09 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