Alex Cooper breaks down the business side nobody sees: how she and her husband Matt built Unwell up from a scrappy startup, how podcasting revenue really works, and what rules she learned the hard way negotiating $60M and $125M deals.
Alex Cooper is the creator and host of Call Her Daddy and the co-founder of Unwell, a modern media company spanning podcasts, TV/film, live events, consumer products, and a fast-growing creative agency.
Chapters
00:00 - Alex on going “full circle” and revealing the CEO side
02:00 - Building Unwell from Host to Founder
02:45 - A day in the life
05:20 - How Unwell makes money
07:15 - The video ad revolution
08:10 - Live events, merch, and consumer products as revenue engines
09:05 - Launching the Unwell creative agency
10:50 - Which division is the “cash king” (and what’s catching up fast)
13:30 - Inside mega-deals: Spotify vs Amazon
16:15 - Why distribution mattered
18:30 - Agents, fees, and who should get paid first (her “wait—no” moment)
21:10 - The hard rule: keep incentives clean (and avoid cozy backchannels)
23:00 - The biggest mistakes: trust, documentation, and walking away from millions
26:20 - Hiring top operators and building a high-standard culture
31:40 - PE, acquisitions, and what it takes to go to the next level
34:25 - Incentives for execs
35:05 - How Alex and Matt split decision-making
39:25 - Handling narratives about ambition, success, and being misunderstood
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About The Burnouts
The Burnouts brings you raw, unfiltered conversations with today’s top founders, creators, athletes, and culture-shaping entrepreneurs. Hosted by Stanford roommates turned startup co-founders Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, the show goes beyond the headlines to reveal the real stories behind ambitious careers.
Past guests include Paris Hilton, Chelsea Handler, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and more.
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