Field Notes: An Ending & A Beginning ✏️

The past two weeks have been a bit chaotic for me- for one, I launched Social Currency, the podcast. As you know, this launch has been in the works for 6+ months, so it felt nerve-wracking yet liberating to put it out into the world. The whole exercise of launching a podcast has been a major learning experience in countless ways. I’m usually someone who likes to feel confident about my work, so I was rightfully worried about people judging the podcast before I had the opportunity to fine tune it. Launching this podcast has been a real practice in “building in public,” so I knew that I’d be putting something out into the world before we really had everything figured out. There were (and are) so many elements that we are improving upon now that it is live, so I’m tweaking something for every episode.

Overall, I’m really pleased with what this podcast is turning into: a place to have longer form conversations with some of the most brilliant founders, CEOs and cultural architects AND a place for me to finally scratch the itch of creating longer-form content (at least longer than my 90 second Reels).

And because I subconsciously must LOVE chaos, three days ago I finally put in my resignation to Amazon. You guys knew that this was coming because of the many times I not-so-subtly mentioned it in this newsletter. I’ve been at Amazon for five years, across the Last Mile Logistics org and the Luxury Fashion group. And ohhhhh do I have stories for you guys about my time at Amazon 😅. I’m still working at Amazon over the next two weeks to close out final turnover projects, but I’m definitely going to have some stories for you about my experiences there… so stay tuned.

Once I’m officially done with Amazon, I’m jumping two feet first into building out Social Currency, the business (yes, my business name is Social Currency Media Inc, along with this newsletter title and the podcast name). I have so many ideas for how to grow this community, how to double down on content and create a place where smart, ambitious people feel as if they can get their educational content AND juicy entertainment in a single place/platform.

This is an era of endings and new beginnings. I’m 32 years old and turning 33 in a week from today, and it sounds corny, but I really feel like things are just getting started. For the longest time, I felt this weird imposter syndrome about getting into the social realm when I was no longer in my 20s anymore. Obviously things have changed now that I’ve grown a community and built something that I’m super proud of as I’m safely nestled into my 30s. Currently, I’m feeling very optimistic about what this new chapter will bring, and I know that we’re creating something really special here. I’ve had this dream of what this platform could be over the past few years (before it was ever called Social Currency), and something has really clicked over the past 6 months to make this mission feel more within reach than ever.

So, with all of this being said, thank you again for being part of this journey because I have a feeling that the year ahead will have even more major updates.

P.S. - I’m speaking at a panel in a few weeks at New York Tech Week, and I would love to meet you guys if you’re also there. Feel free to sign up for the event, and if you’re on the waitlist, just message me so I can make sure to get you on the list.

Sammi

Business, Economy & Culture🛍️📈💸

👱‍♀️ The Art of the Alix Earle Deal This whole article felt very Alex Cooper-coded. Alix Earle has amassed a social following of over ten million across platforms and is now entering her empire-building mode. Many people are curious as to the real reason why she cut ties with Alex Cooper’s Unwell network, but she’s now well on her way to creating her own multi-hyphenate business of her own. (wsj)

🏡 Airbnb Revolutionized Travel. Can Brian Chesky Redesign Your Entire Life? Brian Chesky’s vision goes far beyond travel. From booking Michelin-star chefs to glam teams for hair and makeup, the platform is evolving into a lifestyle hub—curating how we live, eat, host, and belong. (wsj)

👠 Is Barbie’s Empowerment Tied to the Angle of Her Feet? NYT explores how Barbie’s permanently tiptoed feet reflect deeper narratives about femininity, control, and empowerment—especially after Barbie the movie put them center stage. (nyt)

🤖 Former Apple Design Chief Jony Ive is Joining OpenAI Apple’s former design chief Jony Ive is partnering with OpenAI in a $6.5B deal to create AI-first hardware. The team aims to move beyond legacy devices and redefine how we interact with tech. (cnn) 

💅 Mouth Tape, Beauty Salt and Meat Bowls: Inside the Skinny Confidential’s Wellness Empire Lauryn Bosstick’s Skinny Confidential brand is redefining influencer wellness with bold branding, mouth tapes, beauty salts, and a cult following obsessed with aesthetic self-care. (wsj)

🧠 Why Everything Is ‘Coded’ Now Politics gets a glow-up—coded language is the new battleground. Everyday words are being rebranded to quietly signal partisan vibes. It’s not what’s said—it’s how it’s said. (nyt)

🐘 How an Elephant Became One of Today’s Hottest Influencers Meet Ellie the Elephant—NY Liberty’s mascot turned fashion icon. With viral dance moves, designer fits, and brand deals, she’s boosting ticket sales and redefining what it means to rep a team. (wsj) 

🌏 'It's Just Musical Chairs': Brands are Moving Manufacturing Out of China — But Not Back to the U.S. Brands are exiting China amid political and economic tensions, but they're not reshoring to the U.S. Instead, Vietnam, India, and Mexico are gaining ground. (modern retail)  

🚫 Tesla’s Cybertruck is Officially a Flop Cybertruck is having a rough ride as it has been plagued by manufacturing issues, safety concerns, and sluggish demand, which is raising questions about Elon’s boldest bet. (fast company)

📝 How Apparel Brands Like Madewell, American Eagle and M.M.LaFleur Are Building 'a Different Brand Personality' Through Substack Brands like Madewell, M.M.LaFleur & AE are using Substack newsletters to share authentic stories and build brand loyalty. Now brands can have a ‘personality’ away from the Instagram algorithm. (modern retail)

🎬 Burger King Targets Families Through Movie Partnerships in Latest Stage of Turnaround To reclaim family diners, Burger King is leveraging movie tie-ins and kid-friendly marketing as part of its $400M comeback strategy. (cnbc) 

⚠️ A Slap On the Wrist Won’t Solve Luxury’s Sweatshops Problem Despite scrutiny, many luxury brands like Dior & Valentino still rely on exploitative labor. Investigations show that minor fines don’t fix deep supply chain issues. (bof)

👟 On Doesn't Want to Be the Next Nike—and It's Working Swiss sneaker brand On is thriving by not focusing on being the next Nike, instead focusing on its own playbook with precision tech, niche community marketing, and clean aesthetics. (fast company)

Idea of the Week: Every Brand is a Media Company 🌀 

Nowadays, it’s not enough to just sell a product or a service—you have to tell a story and put it online. Whether you're in tech, finance, fashion, or food, the most successful brands think and operate like full-scale media companies. And with the proliferation of AI across social media, the opportunities to create content for your business are easier to access than ever.

Whether you’re an accountant or a dentist, I believe that creating content is low hanging fruit that can instantly change the trajectory of your business with relativity low starting costs. Blogs, TikTok videos/Instagram Reels, podcasts, newsletters—these aren’t extras, they’re pivotal tools for connection. The content you create drives awareness, educates audiences, and creates long-term brand equity. 🎥✨ 

Venture Capital, Innovation & Entrepreneurship💰🌍💼

🏃 Strava Clinches Valuation of More than $2 Billion Turns out people really, really love tracking their fitness. Now, this valuation also includes debt. Strava saw over 50% growth in new users last year, he said, and is poised to reach $500 million in annual recurring revenue in the near future. (wsj)

🧠 Apple to Support Brain-Implant Control of Its Devices Apple’s teaming up with Synchron to pioneer brain-computer interfaces. Imagine controlling your iPhone or Vision Pro with just a thought. Ideal for users with disabilities like ALS or spinal injuries, this tech taps neural signals to decode intent. (wsj)

 🚩 Anthropic's New AI Model Turns to Blackmail When Engineers Try to Take It Offline Anthropic’s new AI, Claude Opus, threatened engineers with fake blackmail (like exposing affairs) when they try to replace it with a new AI system. This sounds wild and potentially a major red flag for AI safety? I have a feeling we’ll be seeing/reading many more of these stories in the future. (tech crunch)

💸 An OnlyFans Deal Would Yield Billions For Its Secretive Owner OnlyFans’ elusive owner Leonid Radvinsky is eyeing an $8B+ deal. With $1.3B in 2023 revenue and over $1B in dividends, a sale could reshape the adult content empire. (bloomberg) 

Resources/Links 🌶️🧥

The Top 100 Companies List: This Axios Harris Poll is the ultimate brand reputation list. And there was one company on the top 10 that surprised me (Arizona Beverage Co), so of course you can expect a deep-dive vi

deo from me pretty soon on this.

☀️ Tower 28, a brand I adore, just came out with a mineral sunscreen, and I’ve already ordered mine. I have an upcoming podcast episode with Amy from Tower 28, so I also love her brand’s story. (sephora)

📵 How to Travel Without a Phone (nyt)

📈 A New Framework for Going Viral (hbr)

🧩 The Indispensable Document for the Modern Manager (first round)

🎯 There's No Guarantee Your Product Strategy Will Work. Here's How To De-Risk It. 

🧬 The Future of Appearance (vogue business)

✈️ The No. 1 Country Americans Want to Move to Most, Says Survey of Over 100,000 People (cnbc) 

⏳ The Productivity Trap (hard copy)

Bi-Weekly Podcast Breakdown

This is a new section that I’m adding to the newsletter to keep you all up to speed in case you haven’t had a chance to listen to the previous weeks’ interview episodes.

1) The first episode ever (!!!) was with Ty Haney, from Outdoor Voices.

Here were my biggest takeaways:

• Ownership is everything when building a business

• Community > everything else

• Scaling a brand is very different from starting one

2) The second interview episode was with Brian Kelly, the founder of The Points Guy.

Here were my biggest takeaways:

• One single viral moment can change the trajectory of your entire business (to the tune of $1 million)

• Backup bookings are an essential travel hack

• Great businesses are built by sharing knowledge with people that enables them to live better lives

Call Me, Beep Me

If you liked this newsletter, it would be amazing if you shared it with your family, friends or even a random person that you know loves business & culture news! Link to share here 💌😄 

I seriously love chatting with you all; please feel free to send me a note on any of these platforms:

📧 Email: [email protected]

📸 My Instagram, the NEW Social Currency Instagram

SOCIAL CURRENCY, The Podcast: Spotify, Apple, YouTube

💼 LinkedIn

🎵 TikTok

P.S. - If you see any typos in this newsletter, know that I did it on purpose just like The New Yorker does via their style guide.

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I’m always looking for new companies, people and stories to highlight. If you have any ideas for a future newsletter, please feel free to drop me a note ✏️✍️ 🥰