The Folio

Laney Crowell is the founder & CEO of Saie Beauty, a cult favorite clean beauty brand sold in Sephora and backed by leading CPG investors like Gwyneth Paltrow, G9 Ventures, and Unilever Ventures. Prior to founding Saie Beauty in 2019, Laney founded and ran The Moment, an editorial platform and consultancy celebrating clean beauty & wellness. Before that she was Executive Director of Online Global Communications for The Estée Lauder Companies, Fashion & Beauty Director at StyleCaster, and also worked at Elle and Lucky magazines.

What we cover:

(02:36) Laney's winding career

(07:53) Her love of storytelling

(09:59) Being shaped by different cultures

(11:52) What inspired Saie's aesthetic

(13:43) Deciding to start a beauty brand

(17:16) How clean beauty has evolved

(20:15) Saie's innovative approach

(22:42) Sustainability from authenticity

(23:39) Staying focused with messaging

(24:57) Their reproductive rights activism

(27:09) Laney's philanthropy & activism

(30:17) Profit vs. impact

(33:25) Laney's fundraising journey

(36:24) Raising money from Gwyneth Paltrow

(37:13) Fundraising advice for beginners

(38:28) Getting into Sephora

(40:57) Manifestation as a founder

(43:25) Laney's spiritual tools & practices

Links & resources:

Saie's website

Laney's Instagram

Weekly recommendation:

About A Boy: The Story of Vladimir Putin on Spotify & Apple

Today's guest is Lia Haberman, creator economy expert & author of ICYMI, a leading creator economy newsletter with over 27,000 subscribers. Lia is also a CMO and advisor to companies like Google and AT&T on social media and influencer marketing. She was named a top creator economy expert by Insider and was recently selected as one of over 100 creators and industry professionals invited to the inaugural White House Creator Economy Conference in August to meet President Biden.

This conversation examines the rise of the influencer in the political landscape, how both parties are recruiting them into their campaigns, the increasingly blurred line between journalists and creators, and how political campaigns should consider leveraging creators for best results -- and what this means for all of us.

What we cover:

(04:01) Lia's background

(05:12) The White House conference

(07:40) How both parties are using creators

(09:54) The evolving campaign playbook

(13:26) Lia's advice to political candidates

(16:19) Lifestyle vs. political influencers

(19:30) Micro vs. macroinfluencers

(21:16) The need for explainer content

(24:04) Building top vs. bottom of funnel

(24:56) Politicians as influencers

(29:27) The merging of journalists & creators

(32:43) Ethical standards for creators

(37:40) The responsibility of consumers

(41:26) Measuring effectiveness

(43:32) Why Taylor Swift is so influential

(45:33) The role of big podcasts

(49:24) Being political without being divisive

(52:18) What Lia has learned as a creator

(56:34) About Lia's newsletter

Links & resources:

Lia's website

Lia's newsletter

Weekly finds:

The Choice 2024 by PBS Frontline

This interview was originally published on ⁠⁠Due Diligence⁠⁠.

Diarrha N'Diaye-Mbaye is the founder & CEO of Ami Colé, a beloved clean beauty brand for melanin-rich skin that is sold online and in Sephora stores around the U.S. This conversation explores what inspired the idea for Ami Colé, how it was influenced by Diarrha's Senegalese roots as well as her upbringing in Harlem, how she has dealt with some of the challenges of being a solo Black female founder, and why her faith in God has been her safety net.

What we cover:

(06:45) Growing up in Harlem

(08:44) Inspired by her mom's salon

(10:16) How she wants customers to feel

(11:28) The influence of her Senegalese heritage

(13:29) Growing up between two cultures

(15:58) From having the idea to getting started

(19:59) Trusting the timing

(21:54) The "Fenty effect"

(24:48) Fundraising challenges

(28:45) Emotional self-care as a founder

(31:15) The pressure to succeed

(33:16) Showing up for God's assignment

(40:29) From shrinking to using her voice

(43:48) Growing as a leader

(46:03) Getting into Sephora

Links & resources:

⁠⁠Ami Colé⁠⁠

Diarrha's ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠

Dulma's weekly find:

⁠⁠American Gospel⁠⁠ by Jon Meacham

Annafi Wahed is the CEO & co-founder of The Flip Side, a platform bridging the gap between liberals & conservatives.

Annafi has professional experience spanning the federal government, non-profit, political, and private sectors. In 2016, she left Ernst & Young to join the Democratic campaign where she saw firsthand how political polarization was exacerbated by our media which inspired her to launch The Flip Side initially as a newsletter that today has over 237,000 subscribers.

Annafi’s op-eds have been published in The Wall Street Journal, The Hill, and USA Today. Her public appearances include everything from Fox & Friends and The Young Turks to being a keynote speaker at the Reagan Foundation.

What we cover:

(06:24) Annafi's lightbulb moment

(10:06) The internet is broken

(12:47) Engineering problem vs. human problem

(15:45) Taking individual responsibility

(19:02) Nonpartisan vs. equally partisan

(21:41) Strawmanning vs. steelmanning

(23:06) Politics & identity

(26:00) Reasons for hope

(29:15) The two-party system

(32:47) Policy & education

(35:42) Improving civic education

(41:48) Listening to her audience

(43:17) What each side misses

(46:16) What both sides agree on

(47:50) Revisiting the contact hypothesis

(50:54) The decline of local news

(53:49) Crisis in Bangladesh

(58:18) A note of optimism

Links & resources:

The Flip Side

Zack Honarvar is the founder & CEO of One Day Entertainment, a company that has managed creators like Yes Theory (9M on YouTube), Airrack (15M on YouTube) and The Cheeky Boyos (11M on TikTok). He is also the cofounder of Fan of a Fan, a merchandise company for creators who want to build brands. In 2021 he co-founded Creator Now, a venture-backed startup building the film school for creators which recently was acquired by vidIQ. Zack was born in Iran, moved to Canada when he was four, and graduated from college in Canada and became an early employee at Shopify before becoming a creator manager & founder of One Day Entertainment.

What we cover:

(04:18) The path to talent management

(07:00) How it started with Yes Theory

(09:42) The role of luck & timing

(13:31) Taking career risks

(16:25) Good vs. great talent managers

(18:50) Meeting Scooter Braun

(20:14) Lessons in dealmaking

(22:36) Brand sponsorships 101

(26:25) Collaborating with Will Smith

(27:21) The manager-creator relationship

(29:07) Manager vs. maker schedule

(30:56) How creators can find structure

(33:04) Entrepreneurship as creativity

(34:23) Lessons from content creation

(36:53) The struggles of being a creator

(38:55) Career pivots & reinvention

(41:48) Dulma's journey with validation

(45:34) The secret to networking

(48:39) Redefining "success"

Links & resources:

Zack’s Instagram

Today's interview with professional dominatrix Colette is about BDSM, female domination, and the alchemy of kink. We explore the deeper healing & transformative potential of BDSM through her unique philosophy that she has developed over nearly 20 years in the field.

In addition to being a dominatrix, Colette is also an educator/educatrix and leads a popular online course called MistressClass in which she guides hundreds of women into the world of BDSM by infusing her curriculum with her unique philosophy that helps women get intimate with their own desires as the key to accessing their deepest truth and ultimately their power.

What we cover:

(07:21) Definition of power

(10:18) Love & BDSM

(13:30) BDSM as a metaphor for life

(18:00) Psychological healing through kink

(20:24) Dissolving sexual shame

(21:25) Alchemizing your pain into power

(26:19) Finding the Third Path

(27:54) Getting her PhD in education

(29:48) The research of misconceptions

(31:52) Creating trust & safety

(33:13) Dissolving energy blocks

(36:21) Embodying goddess archetypes

(39:22) The role of presence

(41:53) Tools & skills from BDSM

(43:56) The importance of intuition

(47:03) Making fantasies come true

(49:22) Cultivating intimacy

(52:05) Truth as power

(55:18) The subtle energetics of BDSM

(58:52) Colette's spiritual practice

(01:06:26) Eradicating our collective shame

(01:10:21) Final invitation

Links & resources:

Colette's website

Colette's Instagram

About MistressClass

Leigh Stein is an author, cultural critic, and book coach whose books including critically acclaimed novel Self Care have earned praise from New York Magazine, The Cut, and Vox. She has written culture pieces and personal essays for the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker online, Airmail, Allure, ELLE, BuzzFeed, The Cut, Salon, and Slate.

In this episode, Leigh shares her extensive knowledge of the book publishing industry, offering insights into traditional publishing versus self-publishing, the impact of social media on the industry, as well as advice on finding literary agents, writing proposals, and landing book deals. She also discusses the economics of book publishing as well as effective marketing strategies for both self-published and traditionally published authors to sell more copies. Leigh's fun, playful approach to her own career also provides valuable lessons for writers looking to navigate the evolving landscape of book publishing.

What we cover:

(04:05) Leigh's writing career

(07:07) Being an actor vs. writer

(10:36) Satire & cultural commentary

(14:00) State of book publishing

(16:03) What Leigh wishes she knew before

(18:03) Is publishing more democratized?

(19:56) Traditional vs. self-publishing

(23:35) Hybrid publishing

(24:52) Nonfiction vs. fiction

(28:04) What publishers look at

(29:47) The economics of publishing

(34:38) Royalties, advances & followers

(36:17) Literary agents 101

(39:43) Landing a book deal

(42:07) Timelines & expectations

(43:48) Writing book proposals

(46:52) Pitching & finding editors

(49:33) Marketing & selling copies

(52:09) Bestseller lists

(54:23) Common myths & misconceptions

(57:28) Leigh's coaching services

Links & resources:

Leigh's website

Leigh's TikTok & Instagram

Leigh's Substack

Work with Leigh

Jane Friedman's website & blog

CREATOR SPOTLIGHT — This kickoff episode of our Creator Spotlight series features Bunny Hedaya, an influencer with 2.3 million followers on TikTok and 217,000 on Instagram who began her journey at the beginning of COVID and has since become a beloved figure online for her humor, playfulness, and vulnerability.

In this conversation we dive into Bunny's journey from reality TV to TikTok, her personal healing and how it has evolved her content as a creator, and her lessons on dealing with trolls & haters, navigating brand sponsorships, and handling public controversy. Bunny also shares some of the tools & mindset tips that have helped her overcome her trauma, practice forgiveness, and manifest her dream life & career.

What we cover:

(05:54) Bunny's TikTok journey

(09:14) Filming her personal story

(15:31) Building intimacy with your audience

(18:37) Her love of social media

(20:30) TikTok vs. Instagram

(21:37) Dealing with haters & trolls

(24:01) Public controversies

(26:47) Healing & forgiveness tools

(29:15) Her filming & posting process

(31:43) Niche vs. no niche

(34:01) Brand sponsorship mistakes & pitfalls

(37:00) Managers & agents

(38:41) Brand deals & negotiation

(40:09) Shady brands & advertisers

(43:47) Turning your life around

(47:55) Final advice for creators

Links:

Bunny's YouTube episode "From Hoarder House to TikTok Millionaire"

Her Forgiveness Journal

Bunny's TikTok & Instagram

What does it take to start a successful podcast today? That's what we explore with today's guest, Lauren LoGrasso.

Lauren is host of the Webby-winning show Unleash Your Inner Creative and executive producer behind hit podcasts like We Can Do Hard Things by Glennon Doyle, Unlocking Us by Brené Brown, Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain, the goop podcast, and many more. Lauren is also a singer-songwriter, public speaker, and creative coach with a gift for helping people find their voice & unleash it creatively.

In this episode we cover:

(07:04) Lauren's journey

(07:32) Why Oprah is a masterful interviewer

(10:37) How Lauren got into podcasting

(20:43) Grieving our old dreams

(28:31) Finding your "niche"

(32:14) Why podcasting?

(35:59) How to get started

(39:47) The most important piece

(41:48) Staying indie vs. joining a network

(48:02) What is a podcast producer?

(50:53) Lessons from producing top podcasts

(52:04) Common mistakes

(53:46) Timeless advice on creativity

Links

Lauren's podcast Unleash Your Inner Creative on Apple & Spotify

Lauren's website

Lauren's Instagram

Listen to Lauren's music on Apple & Spotify

Her recommended podcasting equipment: Audio-Technica ATR2100x-USB microphone & Foam Ball-Type Microphone Windscreen

My interviews on Lauren's podcast:

"Take Off Your Golden Handcuffs & Pursue Your Passion with Dulma Altan" on Apple & Spotify

"Why Success Loves Failure, How To Make It On TikTok, & The Art of Networking w/ Dulma Altan aka @iamDulma" on Apple & Spotify

Welcome to Influence FM, a podcast for honest conversations with creatives including influencers, artists, and founders living authentically.

In this episode I share:

Let me know your feedback! What guests do you want me to interview? Shoot me a note.

Find me on Instagram and TikTok