ICYMI

This is one of those days I wish I had a daily newsletter because there is so much to say.

I am writing this to you from 35,000 feet on the flight back to LA after one of the best weeks I have had in a long time.

Cannes Lions is essentially the elevated version of Coachella and I mean that in the most affectionate way possible. The flight back is proof. I am surrounded by people who clearly did not pack scissors, snoozing with five to ten wristbands still on their wrists, all of us collectively catching up on the sleep we sacrificed this week. My average was five hours and my sleep score has genuinely never looked worse. And yet I have never felt better.

That is the thing about human interaction that no algorithm can replicate and honestly it is exactly why I am less worried about AI than most people in my world right now. You cannot download the energy of a room, especially when you own it (thank you Karin Eldor for the incredible Forbes write up I got to read mid party!!)

ICYMI, I attended Cannes Lions this week and despite the record breaking temperatures in France, it was well worth the $13K my business spent on it, on the HSR P&L and not including the hotel room graciously provided by Adobe. I likely could have spent significantly less if I had not waited until the last minute to book, but if you remember my Super Bowl video, you already know I believe in investing into experiences where you’re going to meet your ICP and this was absolutely worth it.

I finally met the one and only Cait Bailey, and that alone made the entire trip worth it.

Georgie, CEO of FlightStory, and I had meetings with every single major executive we have been wanting to sit down with, from LinkedIn to Spotify to Airbnb to ABG. I hosted two HSR events, one focused entirely on community with Stan (my favorite part!!). I spoke on stage with Steven Bartlett himself, did countless interviews, had so many run-ins with the community on the streets, and overall crushed Cannes in every way.

I have not been quiet about my time there either. From outfit videos to collaborations with PBT and BoM, to a recap video of my key takeaways (more on those below) that was reposted by Steven Bartlett himself, which you already know means it is good, I have really tried to give you a plus one view into everything that went down this week. PLUS…we might have secretly launched a pre-order for a shirt I was wearing that everyone was obsessed with.

All while my team pushed out one of the best HSR episodes we have had in a really long time and we closed our pro rata on an investment. The business finally doesn’t stop when I stop checking my email.

I ended up biting the bullet and buying the chicest work bag as a congratulations to myself for making it all the way through the week, and because it was $1K cheaper than in the States once you factor in the country price and the VAT refund. Speaking of shopping, I am also very much on my way to getting the Meta glasses that dropped this week featuring Kylie Jenner. A big theme from the a16z party this week was the desire of tech customers across their portfolio to mix and mingle with the luxury brands that are typically the slowest to adopt technology changes. So much more to say on that.

But my absolute favorite part of the entire week was genuinely meeting all of the Angels in real life. It still shocks me how iconic, cool, and chic every single one of you is. Thank you for being part of this community. Without you I would have nothing to talk about at Cannes and no reason to be there.

I have so much more to share and so many life updates that deserve a bigger format, which is why I am filming a long awaited solo episode this week. So let's co-create it together. What do you want answered in my first solo episode of this season?

ICYMI, listen to Morgan Riddle on HSR this week who shares the manifesto of what it means to be a hot smart rich woman and have the F*ck You Money in practice to walk away from situations that no longer serve you. Whether you’re in a relationship, single, or trying to figure it out, this episode is for you.

Now if I’ve convinced you of anything after Cannes Lion, it’s that becoming a creator can open a lot of doors so you are attracting opportunities vs. chasing. This week coming up, we have the expert who has built a following of over 6M followers and generated $13M in the last 14 months and it’s an episode you don’t want to miss…

all the brands, people, places, things we’re gossiping about this week

Women’s Health & Beauty

Media, Entertainment & Creator

Consumer, E-Commerce & Retail

Tech, Business & Investing

What Cannes taught me about preparation, proximity, and why the right room can change the trajectory of your business.

There are millions of dollars in potential partnerships sitting in my inbox this week because I spent four days at Cannes Lions. That's the thing about rooms like Cannes. You don't go to close deals. You go to start conversations that eventually become them.

I often get asked why creators spend thousands of dollars to attend Cannes. After all, it’s a $5,000 ticket before you’ve even booked a flight or a hotel and the answer is actually surprisingly simple.

They go to make more money and meet the right ambitious people.

Everything else, the panels, the yacht parties, the rosé, and the Instagram stories, is just the vehicle.

This week, I spoke on a panel about how creators are beginning to leverage traditional media, particularly out-of-home advertising, met with some of the world's largest consumer brands, and interviewed my business partner and investor, Steven Bartlett, founder of FlightStory and host of The Diary of a CEO, in front of roughly 50 of the most influential executives at Cannes. Around the table were leaders like Dan Shapero, COO of LinkedIn, Airbnb's Head of Entertainment & Partnerships, the CMOs of Wayfair, Delta, and Intuit, leaders from Snapchat, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.

Walking into Cannes this week, I had one goal: to be the dumbest person there and to learn everything I could to grow my business x10.

So let's skip the gatekeeping (and the $5,000 festival pass, the $10,000 in travel, and the $20,000 in a concierge experience for the full) and get to what actually mattered.