<p>Before she was even 30 years old, Willa Bennett took over not one, but two of the most iconic magazines in media: Cosmopolitan and Seventeen.</p><br><p>In this episode, I sit down with Willa to talk about what it actually takes to run a legacy magazine in 2026 — in a culture driven by viral discourse, instant backlash, and internet-speed opinions.</p><br><p>In this conversation, we get into:</p><ul><li>What it felt like to take over Cosmopolitan at 29</li><li>What an Editor-in-Chief actually does day-to-day</li><li>How she decides who and what gets visibility</li><li>Why story matters more than star power</li><li>The Sydney Sweeney cover and how she thinks about controversy</li><li>Whether editorial “rage bait” is real</li><li>How viral culture and engagement metrics shape modern media</li><li>What Gen Z readers are actually curious about</li><li>And why “taste” might be the most important skill in journalism right now</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Timestamps</p><p>01:30 Growing up with magazines &amp; coming full circle</p><p>04:30 Getting the Cosmopolitan job — the emotional moment</p><p>07:30 Running a legacy brand in a digital-first industry</p><p>10:30 What an Editor-in-Chief actually does in 2026</p><p>15:30 Instinct vs analytics — how editorial decisions are made</p><p>20:00 AI, dating culture &amp; what young readers want</p><p>23:30 Story over star power &amp; viral visibility</p><p>27:30 The Sydney Sweeney cover &amp; navigating backlash</p><p>32:00 Is editorial rage bait real?</p><p>35:00 Celebrity culture, controversy &amp; documenting the moment</p><p>37:30 Are we still in the Gen Z era?</p><p>40:00 The future of media &amp; why taste matters</p><br><p>Follow Willa on Instagram&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/willahbennett/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/willahbennett/?hl=en</a></p><br><p><em>Thanks to Banana Republic for my favorite pieces from the spring collection. Shop their new arrivals at&nbsp;</em><a href="http://www.ba/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>www.ba</em></a><a href="http://nanarepublic.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>nanarepublic.com</em></a><em>&nbsp;#BananaRepublicPartner</em></p><p>Let’s Get Dressed</p><p>YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@livvperez" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/@livvperez</a></p><p>Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/letsgetdressedpod/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/letsgetdressedpod/</a></p><p>Newsletter: <a href="https://substack.com/@livvperez" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://substack.com/@livvperez</a></p><br><p>Liv Perez&nbsp;</p><p>Instagram: www.instagram.com/livvperez</p><p>TikTok: www.tiktok.com/livv.perez</p><p>ShopMy: <a href="https://shopmy.us/livvperez" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://shopmy.us/livvperez</a></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>