The 5 Lessons That Every Founder Can Steal From This Creator

So real about money!! My friend just told me about this podcast and it totally blew me away. Maggie has all the honest, specific, real conversations about money that I so rarely get to hear day-to-day. It’s expansive to hear specifics about how people make their money, and the ways they get challenged. Great tools for the entrepreneurial life, and in a super-fun package. There’s a lot of Call Her Daddy energy in the best way. Subscribed! — Adrienne Whité

If you haven’t already, rate, review, and subscribe to the show on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple!

ICYMI ⋆˚✿˖°

Happy Sunday, HSR!!! 🌸 Or should I say happy Monday morning to some of you—because thanks to TikTok, I’ve learned so many of you corporate girlies are reading this first thing Monday in Australia, Britain, Germany, and beyond. I especially loved HSR Angel Abbie Bonney’s DIML in Europe where she features HSR and it looked so dreamy I had to share it here.

I’m typing this on my way to the Buffalo International Airport after Air Canada had Canadians in a pinch—grounding all flights during a strike, only to be quickly forced back to work by the federal government igniting chaos in Canadian airports. We were hoping to stop by Niagara Falls or at least grab a Tim Hortons in Bieber’s hometown of Stratford, Ontario, but ran out of time and are now racing to make the flight. I took some much-needed time with both sides of our families in Traverse City, Michigan and Muskoka, Ontario… so I guess I’m paying for it by writing this in the car mid–motion sickness.

But after all the podcast excitement this week, I can’t wait to get home and back into a much-needed routine (and my HSR Steve Jobs uniform). It’s hard to compete on the day Taylor Swift makes her podcasting debut on her boyfriend’s podcast, New Heights—which, halfway through, I have to say is amazing—but we still did it. HSR cracked the top 100 episodes in both the U.S. and Canada: #97 in the USA and #69 in Canada!

This week I pulled together some much-requested links—sharing them below for you to enjoy (at your own risk)! DESK | EVERYDAY JEANS (or these) | T SHIRT

♡ This Week’s Mood Board ♡

♡ Consumer Trends The HSR Angels Gossiped
About Most This Week ♡

♡ Slow Ventures just backed their first creator from Fund 1: woodworking star Jonathan Katz-Moses. Every founder could learn from how he raised $2M—with a clear plan in place before the check cleared. The moment the money landed, he green lit 30 new products, expanded his team, filed patents, and began co-creating tools with fellow creators. Now he’s launching a full line of tools for his loyal woodworking community—and he’s off to the races. More here.

♡Jen Atkin’s Mane has relaunched with the tagline “easy beauty for the Cuties.” I love a rebrand that doesn’t look like everything else right now. Once best known for its viral hot tools, the brand is expanding with nostalgia-forward hair and body mists—plus a lineup of high-performance styling essentials that feel fun, flirty, and enticing. It reminds me a bit of what Glossier tried with Play, except Jen smartly kept it separate from her clean, luxury-performance brand, Ouai. I’m curious to see if this approach proves a lot more fruitful.

♡ Monday Swimwear just opened their first boutique in the heart of Beverly Hills—and it looks like it’s designed to be an Instagram dream spot.

♡ A talent partnership that just makes sense: Kirsty Godso and Vuori Clothing team up on a multi-year deal.

♡ The latest celebrity brand obsession? Creative agencies. In the last 6 weeks, two of the biggest names in hip-hop have taken their exceptional creative skills and, instead of launching yet another consumer brand, they’re building agencies. First Kendrick Lamar with pgLang’s Project 3, and now Pharrell Williams with his own creative house, VIRGINIA. This is a celebrity brand I could get behind.

♡ People are confused that there were no ads run on the Taylor Swift x New Heights podcast, so if you noticed that as well, I loved this summary here.

♡The creator economy heats up with Sunroom being acquired by FanFix! Go Michelle, one of the co-founders who completed the transaction while pregnant!!

♡ It takes a village. While I love seeing Allison Ellsworth get her flowers for the Poppi deal, as a former behind-the-scenes dealmaker, I also love that Rohan Oza is finally getting his.

♡ HSR Podcast Updates♡

Last week on Hot Smart Rich, I sat down with Deepica Mutyala—founder of Live Tinted and CEO of the fastest-growing brand at Ulta Beauty. After going viral with 11M+ views on YouTube, she opened up about dating as a woman with money, the pressure of growing up South Asian, and how she’s making CEO money outside the business.

We got into building a top brand at Ulta without TikTok virality, why she’s done being labeled “the minority-founded brand,” and the big decision she’s facing right now.

Oh—and we left in a messy, unfiltered moment at minute 37 most podcasters would cut. Can’t wait to hear what you think.

Thanks to you all—we hit the Spotify charts again! 🎉 This episode ranked #97 in the U.S. and #69 in Canada. Love you, HSR 💖

♡ Consumer News ♡

♡ the brands, people, places, things that have captured my attention ♡

♡ Women’s Health & Beauty ♡

• Kristen Bell partners with Knix, revealing she’s been a fan for 10 years, in a new campaign spotlighting their leakproof underwear. – Instagram

• Kosas gifts Alpha Phi sorority members at Arizona State University with product drops during rush events. – Instagram

• Pleasing teams up with Planned Parenthood on a new Pleasure School video campaign to educate and empower audiences. – Instagram

• E.l.f. Cosmetics faces backlash for hiring a controversial comedian in a recent campaign. – News.com.au

♡ Media, Entertainment & Creator ♡

• A YouTube woodworker secures VC funding to build a multi-million dollar tool brand — creator economy meets craftsmanship. – Forbes

• I got to help announce Sweetgreen’s latest update: my go-to viral salad (romaine + kale, quinoa, blackened chicken, cucumber, pickled onions, avocado, spicy cashew, fresh lime + lemon) now comes with 2x the protein—same price, just more of what matters. – Instagram

• Kudzi Chikumbu joins Tubi as VP of Creator Partnerships, supporting premium creator content in streaming. – Instagram

• With legacy prestige still relevant, influencers are increasingly partnering with traditional media to boost credibility. – BoF

• Tubi expands its creator content slate with shows from MrBeast, Alan’s Universe, and Steven He, aiming to cement its position in free ad-supported streaming. – Hollywood Reporter

• The Ye documentary In Whose Name? explores Kanye West’s public unraveling and the personal toll it took on Kim Kardashian. – USA Today

♡ E-Commerce, Retail & Social ♡

• Target and Ulta announce the end of their retail partnership by 2026, signaling a shift in in-store beauty strategy. – Target Press Release

• Brands are tapping into sorority rush culture to target Gen Z: Sephora and Kohl’s offer beauty bars on campus, Poppi customizes cans by sorority, and Altar’d State outfits TikTok dancers. – Instagram

♡ Tech, Business & Investing ♡

• Sydecar is named to the 2025 Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in America. – Access Newswire

• Ōura introduces a new pregnancy tracking feature, integrating biometric data for expectant users. – LinkedIn

• A global Depop study reveals that secondhand shopping is actively displacing new fashion purchases, with 75% of respondents buying used items instead of new. – Apparel Resources

Taylor Swift isn’t just the biggest pop star on the planet, she’s the first musician to become a billionaire from music alone. No tequila brand, no lingerie line, no celebrity skincare startup. Just songs, tours, and an iron grip on her intellectual property.

In a world where every celebrity, musician, and influencer feels pressured to diversify into products, Swift is proof that doubling down on the main thing can be the billion-dollar thing.

Act I: The Life of a Show Girl

When Taylor Swift announced her new album, The Life of a Show Girl, she didn’t choose Rolling Stone or Good Morning America. She went on her boyfriend, Travis Kelce’s, sports podcast, New Heights.

The results were staggering.

Subscribe to Monthly to read the rest.