This issue features
ICYMI ⋆˚✿˖°
If you had told me two years ago that I’d be watching the World Series at the LACMA Art + Film Gala with my husband and his family, I wouldn’t have believed you. Even though my hometown team (RIP the Jays) didn’t make it, I couldn’t stop thinking last night about a theme I’ve been hearing a lot from the HSR community lately: “Your life has done such a 180 in such a short period of time. How?”
And yes, it really has, but it isn’t luck. This is what happens when you choose yourself over and over again, even when it’s hard. Growth starts in the mess.
You are who you surround yourself with, so today, despite the hangover, I feel so creatively inspired. Being in a room full of dreamers and visionaries including James Turrell, George Lucas, Queen Latifah, Ryan Coogler, and Lorde (just to name a few) — gave me a little reminder of what’s possible when you stay bold, curious, and committed to the long game.
When it comes to LA and events like the Oscars or the Golden Globes, the LACMA Gala, presented by Gucci, is far less high-pressure and according to Vogue, “stars tend to take more risks and have more fun.” After seeing the red carpet looks in person, I’m calling it now: the 2026 trend of “almost naked” dresses will be as classy as they are sexy (just look at last night’s fashion winners IMO Paris Hilton, Kim Petras, Alex Consani, and Demi Moore, all wearing Gucci).
I had my glam done last night by the best team BUT I truly have hacked the Sephora system. I seem to have all my products running out right in time for the bi-annual sale so I’m stocking up on all my favorites (including the new to me Laura Mercier setting powder) heading into the holiday season + rhode is included!!!)
And lastly on personal updates for this week, I recently sat down with former VS secret angel turned wellness entrepreneur, Sanne Vloet and we chatted all things money, business and what it really means to trust yourself as a woman. We get into the mindset behind building wealth, breaking through self-doubt, and making confident decisions that align with your values and vision.
♡ This Week’s Mood Board ♡
HSR ICYMI is a weekly newsletter and educational resource — its $8 a month or $80 a year. If you want to expense it, use this template if you need to ask.
♡ Consumer Trends The HSR Angels Gossiped
About Most This Week ♡
♡ Creator holding companies are raising millions from VC’s, so don’t get embarrassed the next time someone asks what you do and you say “influencer.” This week, Steven Bartlett announced he raised an undisclosed eight-figure round valuing Steven.com at $425 million from none-other-than Slow Ventures. If you haven’t listened to our episode on what a holding company is or what Slow Ventures is looking for to invest in their next creator, this is your sign to press play.
♡ Rhode’s P&L was revealed alongside E.L.F’ status being a public company and unfortunately, Hailey Bieber’s haters aren’t going to like the results. If there are 3 things to take away from the P&L, let them be this:
Rhode’s acquisition was accretive to E.L.F, not just top line, but also bottom line. Rhode is running at a 33% operating margin, compared to E.L.F’s 19% helping pull up E.L.F’s bottom line.
Emerging brands should build strong fundamentals early, especially around a standout hero SKU
The Hailey Bieber halo effect delivered in a big way. It helped Rhode hit its first $200M. The question now is whether it can fuel the next
♡ I couldn’t help but ask when I was on the phone with a wellness exec at Ulta this week about their commitment to doubling down on the category — especially after seeing Sakara Life supplements hit shelves. And I got a little tip on what they’re looking for in brands to be considered for the next feature: A cult-like community, ready-to-shelf packaging, and the basics of retail block and tackling — like having your supply chain tight enough to send case pack sizing directly to their DC center to get on shelf.
♡ Unwell is on a hiring spree with lots of jobs in marketing in case you’re in the market.
♡ Your podcast could be CRUSHING IT, but you could be losing money. This creator described the dilemma well and it’s worth the read.
♡ As promised, Spotify has officially rolled out visible play counts for podcast episodes with over 50K plays, bringing more transparency to the space while still protecting emerging creators from getting discouraged. It’s a smart move that celebrates momentum without killing creativity.
♡ The Celebrity Filled Halloween Party near Chateau Marmont Was a Severance-Themed Affair hosted by Michael Braun and Vas Morgan and sponsored by HSR podcast guest, Lucy Guo amongst others. Listen to Lucy’s episode here.
♡ I Quit The Perfect Job ♡
If you’ve ever wanted the real BTS on how much reality stars actually make or what it’s really like working on Wall Street, this week’s episode is for you. In her first-ever solo interview, Mary Holland Nader — aka the finance sister from Hulu’s The Nader Sisters — gets raw about the real cost of leaving corporate life for fame, how she hid her Instagram from coworkers, and why “fame is the new form of currency” for women in business. We talked about how much reality stars actually make, the instability of life after a high-paying job, and how she’s turning her platform into purpose through her fintech startup, Mary & Pip, built for the freelance generation. If you’ve ever felt torn between playing it safe and betting on yourself — this is the episode you can’t skip!!
♡ Consumer News ♡
♡ the brands, people, places, things that have captured my attention ♡
♡ Women’s Health & Beauty ♡
Sara O’Brien shares how hormones became a wellness obsession from - WSJ
Sol de Janeiro names Jordan Saxemard as CMO and Digital Officer, as the brand nears $2B in sales. – Business of Beauty
Rare Beauty x BÉIS launches November 3 with a Soft Pinch–inspired collab—duffels and makeup with main character energy. – Instagram
Homecourt raises $8M to grow its luxury cleaning category, co-founded by Courteney Cox. – LinkedIn
Lanserhof, the Austrian wellness resort, raises $110M to expand globally and launch supplements and beauty products. – TradedVC
Drink Juni, Jay Shetty’s wellness beverage, is now stocked in all Whole Foods stores across the U.S. – Instagram
♡ Media, Entertainment & Creator ♡
Lindsey Vonn covers TIME Magazine at 41, reflecting on resilience, legacy, and chasing dreams beyond the slopes. – Instagram
Liquid I.V. gave 1M samples in 8 months using Hydratrucks—no permits, no paid ads, just filtered water and custom Rivians. – Instagram
Steven Bartlett’s holding company, steven.com, is now worth $425M after an eight-figure investment, lead by our friend Megan Lightcap at Slow Ventures – LinkedIn
♡ E-Commerce, Retail & Social ♡
Blueprint, the wellness brand founded by Bryan Johnson, raises $60M from investors to scale his biohacking protocol into a platform. – Instagram
Love Island’s breakout star Olandria stars in Ugg’s latest campaign to relaunch their Classic Short Fluff Momma boots. – Essence
Your Girl’s Girls The Collection by The Bar launches with a breast cancer campaign: 40% of net proceeds up to $100K will be donated. – Instagram
♡ Tech, Business & Investing ♡
Goodword raises $4M to build human-centered AI tools for relationship building—backed by Girl Math Capital and Shrug. – LinkedIn | Press Release
OpenAI is exploring a $1T IPO as soon as 2026, following a restructuring that reduced its reliance on Microsoft. – Instagram
Dear Media bets on creator freedom to grow audiences and commerce. – Axios
I’ve been thinking a lot about the idea of leverage lately. How one decision, one piece of content, or even one tool can compound into something that changes the trajectory of your entire career. For Steven Bartlett, it started with an $80 microphone in a London flat, and leveraging years of his own personal founding experience in startups. Eight years later, that mic built a $425 million empire.
Steven’s story isn’t just about a podcast that went viral that looks like an overnight success. It’s about how he turned attention into infrastructure, storytelling into equity, and influence into an ecosystem.
He didn’t build The Diary of a CEO to be famous. He built it to be foundational.
The $100 Million Decision
When Forbes reported that Steven turned down $100 million offers from major streaming networks, I wasn’t surprised.
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