Social Currency with Sammi Cohen
Social Currency
On Social Currency, Sammi Cohen unpacks the stories that are shaping business, culture and the intersection of the two. From boardrooms to Instagram trends, Sammi speaks with business leaders to connect the dots between brand, consumer and influence, so you don’t just keep up—you get ahead.New episodes drop every Tuesday and Friday. Follow now to stay in the know.Want more? Find Sammi on Instagram @sammicohentalks.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 3, 2026 • 1h 12min
Doug Evans (Juicero) on the Viral Takedown, Blessings in Disguise and Reinvention With The Sprouting Company
Doug Evans, founder of Organic Avenue, Juicero and The Sprouting Company, is a wellness entrepreneur turned reinventionist. He recounts the viral takedown that toppled his juicer startup and the leadership and media lessons that followed. Then he describes retreating to the Mojave, writing a bestselling book on sprouting, and building a countertop sprouting business.
Feb 27, 2026 • 13min
Grocery Store Botox? The $17B Med Spa Boom Meets the Private Equity Playbook
The episode traces how quick, cash-pay cosmetic treatments exploded into a $17B industry and thousands of med spas. It explores regulatory shifts and social media fueling demand. It covers private equity rollups, the operational playbook, and why safety and oversight lag behind. It argues that clinician skill, not branding, may be the sector's real edge.
Feb 24, 2026 • 1h 15min
Jesse Draper (Halogen Ventures) on Betting on Companies Early, Founder Red Flags, and Why Investing in Women Is NOT a Charity
Jesse Draper, founder of Halogen Ventures and fourth-generation VC who backs early-stage consumer and female-founded startups. She explains how she evaluates pre-revenue companies, the founder green flags she loves like radical transparency, and why she stopped investing sight-unseen on Zoom. She also discusses how social media reshaped consumer investing and why investing in women is about returns, not charity.
Feb 20, 2026 • 13min
Is This the Starbucks Comeback?
A deep dive into how a dominant coffee chain engineered its own decline and the bold moves its new CEO is using to reverse course. Topics include cutting the menu, revamping rewards, store redesigns that favor traffic over margins, and viral merch as a cultural play. Also covered: rising U.S. visits, the bakery refresh, and the strategy of subtracting complexity before rebuilding.
Feb 17, 2026 • 1h 20min
Gregg Renfrew (Counter) on the $1B Beautycounter Acquisition, Getting Pushed Out of Her Company, and Starting New
Gregg Renfrew, founder who built Beautycounter and later launched Counter, is a clean-beauty pioneer and advocate for cosmetic reform. She recounts selling to private equity, being pushed out after a $1B deal, and the 48-hour scramble to buy back the brand. Then she describes the shutdown year and audacious decision to rebuild under a new name.
Feb 13, 2026 • 18min
How Pat McGrath’s $1B Beauty Empire Ended in Bankruptcy
A dramatic business rise that turned into a bankruptcy court scramble. The clash between boutique artistry and hypergrowth expectations. How a predatory bridge loan and a $1B valuation mismatch escalated into Chapter 11. Strategic choices around distribution, investor fit, and personal collateral risk are front and center.
17 snips
Feb 10, 2026 • 57min
Aparna Chennapragada (Microsoft) on AI’s Next Two Years, Category Collapse, and Using AI To Ace a Meeting
Aparna Chennapragada, Microsoft's Chief Product Officer for AI experiences with prior work in visual search at Google, talks about AI transforming everyday work. She shares bold two-year predictions, how AI can run and summarize meetings, the rise of people-focused agents, design empathy for Gen Z, and why mastering prompting and prioritization matters now.
Feb 6, 2026 • 18min
The 1 Rule That Made Aldi America’s Fastest-Growing Grocery Chain
A deep dive into how a pared-down grocery model uses limited assortment, private labels, and ruthless efficiency to grow fast. Stories from postwar origins, a family split, and early U.S. expansion set the scene. Operational details cover store design, lean labor, and the single rule that guides every decision.
Feb 3, 2026 • 1h 9min
Dianna Cohen (Crown Affair) on Building a Cult DTC Brand, Choosing a Hero Product, and Why “Take Your Time” Wins
Dianna Cohen, founder and CEO of Crown Affair and former operator at Away and Outdoor Voices, builds timeless haircare rooted in ritual. She discusses picking a hero product, launching through tools-first design, and why “take your time” is a strategic advantage. Conversations cover fundraising without losing brand soul, the TikTok move that drove sales, and practical tips for a perfect slick bun.
Jan 30, 2026 • 10min
The $10M Influencer Empire That Collapsed Over a Pink Cake
A rise-and-fall story about a multi-million influencer brand undone by a holiday charity cake. A controversial campaign sparks intense public outrage and sponsor exits. Regulators, fines, and a criminal probe follow. The tale raises questions about transparency, unequal accountability, and how creators navigate real-time regulation.
