Social Currency with Sammi Cohen

Today, Sammi breaks down the unraveling of Saks Fifth Avenue — a luxury icon that survived wars, recessions, and cultural shifts, but couldn’t survive its own merger math. Through stalled vendor payments, junk-bond debt, leadership shake-ups, and a failed $2.7B Neiman Marcus merger, Saks entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy and set off a ripple effect far beyond Fifth Avenue. This isn’t a “department stores are dying” story — it’s a case study in how private equity, financial engineering, and legacy retail models collide. And why the belief that Saks was “too iconic to fail” turned out to be so wrong. Follow Sammi on Instagram  Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter  Here’s what Sammi covers today: 00:00 The Saks & Neiman Marcus Merger and Its Fallout  03:31 Vendor Relationships and Financial Strain  06:45 Leadership Changes and Real Estate Moves  10:16 Lessons from Saks' Downfall  11:33 Breaking News: Saks Files for Bankruptcy  12:48 How to Show Social Currency Some Love  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 husband-and-wife team behind Evie Magazine — a publication often described as a “conservative Cosmo.” Next week, she’ll speak with Sami Sage, co-founder of Betches, a media company with comparatively left-leaning readership.  Brittany and Gabriel Hugoboom created Evie with the goal of building a women’s media brand centered in femininity, beauty, and lifestyle without the progressive filter. In this conversation, Sammi digs into how they positioned Evie from day one, what business opportunity they spotted, and whether fashion and politics can ever be separated in 2026. They also unpack the viral Raw Milkmaid dress that set off backlash from both sides, and what that moment taught them about brand power, consumer perception, and the business of controversy.. The Hugobooms also talk about their second company, 28—a cycle-based wellness app backed by Peter Thiel—and how media becomes top-of-funnel for product ecosystems and cultural influence. From modern feminism to the soft-life debate to the death of the girlboss, this episode offers an unfiltered look at the ideas shaping women’s media today—and why Evie thinks the next female-led empire might not look like the last one.  Follow Sammi on Instagram  Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter  Check out Evie on Instagram Read the New York Times piece Here’s what Brittany and Gabriel cover with Sammi: 00:00 Brittany and Gabriel Hugoboom’s Social Currency 04:08 Being the “Conservative Cosmo” 13:36 The Viral Raw Milkmaid Dress 24:42 Hot Takes on Femininity in 2026  33:57 Dealing with Backlash   36:04 28 38:12 Women's Health 42:05 Product Expansion and Marketing 48:47 Future Vision for Evie and 28 58:28 Industry Predictions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While tech investors chased ad-based creator platforms, OnlyFans did the opposite—and made billions. Today, Sammi unpacks the counterintuitive decisions that turned OnlyFans into a cultural lightning rod and a creator-economy juggernaut. From dodging the App Store tax and outsourcing discovery to TikTok, to the economics of fan intimacy and the infamous adult-content ban, Sammi explains why OnlyFans works and what makes it nearly impossible to replicate. Plus: can the platform really expand beyond adult content, or is that a recipe for failure? Follow Sammi on Instagram  Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter  00:00 The Business Model of OnlyFans  01:01 The Founding and Growth of OnlyFans  01:53 Avoiding the App Store  02:48 Creator-Led Growth Strategy  05:10 Monetization Beyond Subscriptions  06:26 The 2021 Adult Content Ban  07:39 Leadership and Risk Management  08:11 Expanding Beyond Adult Content  10:13 The Future of OnlyFans  10:52 How to Show Social Currency Some Love  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jenn Hyman built Rent the Runway on a contrarian insight back in 2009: women were already “renting” their clothes—borrowing from friends, cycling through fast fashion, and returning special-occasion outfits with the tags still on. Today, Jenn shares how she turned that overlooked behavior into one of the most influential fashion-tech companies of the last decade, why social media made outfit repetition feel impossible, and what fast fashion still gets wrong about how women actually shop. Jenn also goes where most founders won’t; she tells Sammi about becoming one of the few women to ever take a consumer startup public—and the first to IPO with an all-female C-suite—only to watch the market flip weeks later and the stock fall more than 98% from its peak. She breaks down what the stock price does (and doesn’t) say about the business, the realities of life as a public-company CEO, the recent recapitalization that strengthened Rent the Runway’s balance sheet and pushed it toward free cash flow breakeven, and how competition from players like Nuuly is reshaping the rental landscape. Plus, they unpack the wild downfall of CaaStle, a would-be Rent the Runway copycat—and Jenn’s response is JUICY. Follow Sammi on Instagram  Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter  Follow Jenn’s work Learn more about Rent the Runway Here’s what Sammi covers with Jenn: 00:00 Jenn Hyman’s Social Currency 04:07 Early Days of RTR 09:16 The Role of Social Media 11:18 Building a Resilient Team 16:19 The IPO Experience 21:22 Navigating Public Market Challenges 31:32 The Irony of Entrepreneurial Ego 32:25 Navigating Rent the Runway's Rollercoaster 34:49 The Future of Rental Economics 35:06 Rent the Runway's Marketing Mastery 39:00 Pricing Strategies and Customer Insights 40:38 Competitors and Market Shifts 47:31 The CaaStle Fraud Scandal 54:41 Social Currency Corner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most people think restaurant reservations are about demand. They’re not. Today, Sammi breaks down the quiet power struggle happening behind your hardest-to-get dinner reservations — and why credit card companies, not restaurants, increasingly call the shots. From OpenTable’s early dominance to Resy’s cultural takeover and American Express acquisition, Sammi explains how reservations became a tool for loyalty, data, and consumer control. Once you see how the reservation system really works, you’ll never look at “fully booked” the same way again. Follow Sammi on Instagram  Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter  Here’s what Sammi covers today: 00:00 The Hidden Controllers of Restaurant Reservations 01:33 The Rise of OpenTable 03:14 Resy's Disruption 05:14 The Credit Card Wars: Amex vs. Visa 06:55 DoorDash Enters the Arena 08:22 The Bigger Picture: Control and Influence 09:03 Next Episode Teaser Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices