Social Currency with Sammi Cohen

About two million couples get married in the U.S. every year… and despite economic pressure, they continue to spend an average of $34,000 on the big day. So, why has the wedding industry remained so resilient?

This week, Sammi sits down with The Knot CEO Raina Moskowitz to unpack the business of saying “I do.” Raina shares what it was like leaving Etsy to replace The Knot’s longtime founder, how weddings have changed in the last decade, and how Gen Z is reshaping the industry.

Then, Raina breaks down the economics of the modern wedding, from the growing divide between elaborate celebrations and intimate ceremonies to why guest count remains the biggest driver of cost. Later, Raina addresses the New Yorker story that questioned The Knot’s business practices and explains how customer criticism influenced the company’s product roadmap, including its new “Close the Loop” feature designed to reduce ghosting between couples and wedding professionals.

Plus, she shares how The Knot is integrating with ChatGPT, what AI could take off couples’ plates during the planning process and why trusted data may become even more important as wedding searches increasingly begin inside AI platforms. Finally, Raina weighs in on wedding trends, the influence of celebrity weddings and how she knew she was ready to stop being the strong number two and take the CEO seat.

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Here’s What Sammi Covers with Raina:

00:00 Raina Moskowitz’s Social Currency

02:03 Partner Message: Shopify

02:58 Raina’s Career Story

05:37 Scaling Etsy During the Pandemic

07:08 Leaving Etsy to Become CEO of The Knot

10:03 Is There a “Right Time” To Take the Leap?

11:47 Replacing a Longtime Founder

13:45 How Weddings Have Changed

16:08 Traditions Couples Are Ditching and Keeping

18:10 Partner Message: Bilt

21:36 Wedding Planning

25:39 How the K-Shaped Economy is Reshaping Weddings

32:30 The Push for Greater Vendor Pricing Transparency

35:55 The Social Media Effect37:55 The “Fake Brides” Story

40:04 The “Close the Loop” Feature and Reducing Vendor Ghosting

45:13 How WeddingPro Helps Small Businesses Grow

48:08 The Knot’s ChatGPT Integration and the Future of AI Planning

51:47 Lightning Round

53:06 Social Currency Corner

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When Kory Marchisotto joined e.l.f. Beauty, the company had less than 10% brand awareness and roughly $200 million in revenue. Today, e.l.f.’s brands generate approximately $1.8 billion in global consumption—and have become some of the most culturally relevant names in beauty.

In this episode, Kory joins Sammi from the Cannes Lions Festival to explain how she brought the rigor of luxury brand-building to an affordable beauty company designed for the “happy many” rather than the “happy few.” She shares why every major decision at e.l.f. begins with its community, how the company turns comments and cultural signals into campaigns, and the story behind the e.l.f. language that helped create the brand’s cult following.

Kory also takes Sammi inside e.l.f.’s billion-dollar acquisition of Hailey Bieber’s Rhode, including the business metrics and shared values that made the partnership stand out. She explains why e.l.f. publicly addressed its first global price increase, how the company maintains premium quality and strict safety standards at accessible prices, and why it continues to enter unexpected spaces like Twitch, Roblox, gaming, sports, and the Super Bowl.

Plus, Kory reveals how her team created a Jennifer Coolidge Super Bowl campaign in less than three weeks, the framework she uses when a marketing campaign doesn’t land, and why e.l.f. has granted $250 million in stock to employees outside the C-suite. Toward the end, she opens up about the deeply personal ambition inspired by her father and shares the simple three-step system e.l.f. uses to move from an idea to execution.

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Read more about e.l.f. x Rhode, e.l.f. x Twitch, the Super Bowl ad, and So Many Dicks

Here’s What Sammi Covers with Kory:

00:00 Kory Marchisotto’s Social Currency

02:27 What Cannes Taught Kory About Great Creative Work

04:44 How e.l.f. Grew From $200 Million to $1.8 Billion

06:36 Bringing Luxury Brand-Building to Affordable Beauty

09:48 Serving the “Happy Many,” Not the “Happy Few”

10:56 Why Every e.l.f. Idea Starts With the Community

12:53 Finding the Answers Between the Comments

16:44 What Kory Initially Thought of the Name e.l.f.

17:30 How e.l.f. Created Its Own Language

20:18 The F-Bomb That Inspired an e.l.f. Bomb

22:22 Does Hair Still Fit Into Eyes, Lips, Face?

24:29 Inside e.l.f.’s Billion-Dollar Acquisition of Rhode

25:47 Why Rhode’s Growth Was So Rare

27:00 The Dinner That Sealed the Partnership

28:31 Why e.l.f. Publicly Announced Its Price Increase

31:00 How e.l.f. Delivers Prestige Quality Under $10

31:43 What “Clean Beauty” Actually Means at e.l.f.

32:48 Why e.l.f. Entered Twitch and Roblox

33:30 The Brand Ethos Behind Every Marketing Decision

35:36 Creating a Safe Space for Women in Gaming

38:03 Making a Super Bowl Ad in Three Weeks

40:11 Building the Muscle to Move at e.l.f. Speed

41:40 The Cultural Insight Behind an 11-Day Campaign

43:17 What to Do When a Marketing Campaign Misses

44:24 Kory’s Three-Part Crisis Framework

47:25 Why Every e.l.f. Employee Receives Stock

48:00 Operating Like a Startup at a $2 Billion Company

50:48 The Personal Story Behind Kory’s Ambition

53:46 The Accomplishments She Wishes Her Father Could See

54:30 Lightning Round

54:54 The Beauty Trend Kory Would Retire Tomorrow

55:23 Kory’s Favorite e.l.f. Collaboration

57:00 Vision, Alignment, Execution58:19 How Young Is Too Young for Beauty Products?

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Jennifer Wong started as a Sales Associate at Aritzia… 39-years later, she’s running the company as CEO.

Today, Jennifer joins Sammi to share how she almost left Aritzia for a career in banking, why founder Brian Hill convinced her to stay, and what it was like succeeding him after nearly four decades working alongside him. She explains the philosophy behind Aritzia's "everyday luxury," why the company has continued investing in physical retail while others have pulled back, and the thinking behind some of its most distinctive experiences (think mirrorless fitting rooms and complimentary personal styling appointments).

Jennifer also breaks down how Aritzia navigated tariffs and supply chain disruptions, why timeless design is central to the brand's sustainability strategy, and what she thinks so many direct-to-consumer brands got wrong. Plus, she shares the leadership principles that have helped Aritzia retain employees for decades and why she still visits boutiques every few months.

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Here's What Sammi Covers with Jennifer:

00:00 Jennifer Wong's Social Currency

02:14 How Jennifer Went From Sales Associate to CEO

04:03 The Banking Job She Almost Took

06:08 The Conversation That Changed Her Career

07:22 Saying Yes to Every Opportunity08:41 Aritzia's "40-Year Overnight Success"

10:28 Succeeding Founder Brian Hill as CEO

14:12 Why Aritzia Is Still Betting on Physical Retail

15:35 The Strategy Behind Mirrorless Fitting Rooms

18:17 Inside Aritzia's Styling Experience

20:47 Defining "Everyday Luxury"

21:09 How Aritzia Built a Multi-Generational Brand

23:33 Designing Clothes That Feel Timeless

25:27 Why Aritzia Creates Its Own Brands

27:14 Jennifer's Take on Sustainable Fashion

29:25 How Aritzia Prepared for the Tariffs

31:00 The Supply Chain Pivot That Happened in One Month

33:28 Why Aritzia Keeps Menswear Separate

35:01 The Secret to 39 Years of Employee Retention

37:04 What Jennifer Looks for When Hiring

39:25 The Future of Fred Segal

42:44 Jennifer's Leadership System

43:40 Why She Visits Every Boutique

44:44 What Aritzia Thinks Other Retailers Get Wrong

45:41 Why Brand Has Always Come First

47:48 Never Losing Sight of the Customer

49:08 What's Missing From Most In-Store Shopping Experiences
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What started as Laney Crowell's passion for magazines, beauty, and storytelling became Saie Beauty, one of the fastest-growing clean beauty brands in the world and a standout success story at Sephora.

In this episode, Laney joins Sammi to share how she went from working in editorial and at Estée Lauder to raising her first million dollars with no fundraising experience, launching Saie just months before the pandemic, and turning an early rejection from Sephora into a nationwide launch. She explains why she wanted Saie to be a top 10 Sephora brand from day one and the tactical fundraising lessons she wishes every founder knew.

Plus, she opens up about the realities of leading a fast-growing company, the trade-offs of building her dream business while raising two children, and what still keeps her up at night as CEO.

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Here's What Sammi Covers with Laney:

00:00 Laney Crowell's Social Currency

02:00 Feeling Like She Was Meant to Be a Founder

06:34 Why Resilience Is a Founder's Greatest Skill

08:00 Storytelling as a Competitive Advantage

12:51 Fundraising Without Any Experience

14:21 The Power of "Expanders"

16:21 Raising Her First $1 Million

17:23 Why Every "No" Gets You Closer to a "Yes"

18:30 Perfecting the Pitch One Meeting at a Time

19:47 Building Saie to Be a Top Sephora Brand

21:03 Why Investors Bet on Founders, Not Ideas

23:52 Sephora's First Rejection

26:22 The Call That Changed Everything

28:18 Launching Through COVID

29:24 Building a Beauty Brand During a Downturn

31:21 The Three Most Important Early Hires

34:37 How Laney Hires Great People

36:13 Why Sustainability Has to Be Built Into the Business

41:16 What Actually Brings Customers to Saie

42:07 Staying Focused in a Crowded Industry

43:39 What Keeps Laney Up at Night

45:46 Why Community Is Beauty's Most Misused Buzzword

47:33 Creating Value Beyond the Product

48:28 Why Founder-Led Content Matters More Than Ever

49:45 The Trade-Offs of Building a Dream Company

51:05 Laney's Biggest Pinch-Me Moment

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From the FIRE movement, to the rent versus buy debate and financial fibs, today Sammi is tackling the biggest money questions of the moment with Haley Sacks.

Haley Sacks (Mrs. Dow Jones) has become one of the most influential voices in financial education, building a media empire around the idea that the secrets to wealth should be available to everyone. Haley joins Sammi to discuss the psychology behind our earliest money beliefs, why she publicly pushed back on "girl math," and the money moves future rich people are making now.

They also dive into creator entrepreneurship, including how Haley turned comedy into a seven-figure business, why newsletters are her most valuable asset, and the revenue strategy behind building a sustainable creator business. 

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Check out Haley’s book Future Rich Person

Here’s What Sammi Covers with Haley:

00:00 Haley Sacks’ Social Currency

02:06 When Do You Become a "Future Rich Person"?

04:05 Growing Up Around Wealth Without Financial Literacy

06:02 Why Your Relationship With Money Is Formed by Age Seven

08:17 The Money Advice Women Actually Need

09:34 Building a Career Before the Creator Economy Existed

12:44 The Comedy Rule Behind Haley’s Content

16:00 Audience vs. Community

18:20 Why IRL Is More Important Than Ever

19:28 Why Haley Thinks "Girl Math" Is Harmful

22:27 Money Is a Relationship, Not Just a Number

24:31 Haley’s Take on the Trad Wife Movement

29:47 Friends Should Share Salaries

35:03 How Haley Built a Seven-Figure Creator Business

36:00 Why Newsletters Beat Social Media

37:49 Creator vs. Creator-Entrepreneur

40:47 Financial Advice vs. Financial Education

43:13 Does Personal Responsibility Ignore Systemic Problems?

47:34 The Hardest Chapter of Future Rich Person

50:12 Why Every Creator Should Start a Podcast

54:03 Is the FIRE Movement a Cult?

55:27 Renting Forever: Smart or Financial Failure?

57:05 Should You Ever Lie to Your Partner About Money?

58:18 The Worst Money Advice on TikTok

59:34 Haley’s Most Defensible Splurge

01:00:42 Therapy or a Financial Advisor First?

01:02:05 Haley’s Productivity System

01:03:52 Navigating Rising Prices Without Giving Up

01:07:12 How to Say "No" to an Expensive Bachelorette Party
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