Social Currency with Sammi Cohen

Matilda Djerf transformed a growing social media audience into Djerf Avenue: a global lifestyle brand and an aesthetic that has genuinely shaped internet culture from fashion to beauty to the now-iconic Matilda Djerf hair. 

In this episode, Matilda joins Sammi to share the full story behind Djerf Avenue— from packing orders with friends and family in an empty warehouse to scaling through the pandemic when nobody knew whether consumers would buy blazers during lockdowns. She explains why she never raised venture capital, how she used DMs as market research, and realities of growing a creator-led company at rocketing speed.

Sammi and Matilda also talk about creator burnout, the pressure of tying your personal identity to your company, and the difficult public scrutiny she faced after allegations from former employees. Matilda opens up about leadership, accountability, and what it actually feels like to grow up publicly while running a scaling business. Plus, Matilda shares about getting into community building, influencer culture, and how creators today should think about what parts of their lives belong online and what should stay private. 

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Here’s What Sammi Covers with Matilda:

00:00 Matilda Djerf’s Social Currency

02:03 Partner Message: Mercury for Personal

03:33 Growing Up in a Small Town and Building a Global Audience

04:44 What’s Changed for Creators Since the 2010s

05:32 Why Passion Still Matters More Than Growth Hacks

06:56 Where Matilda Finds Creative Inspiration

08:08 Protecting Your Image in the Age of Social Media

11:30 AI, Copyright, and the Future of Creator Rights

12:00 When Matilda’s Hair Became a Cultural Phenomenon

13:25 Launching Djerf Avenue From an Empty Warehouse

16:29 Why She Never Raised Outside Capital

18:48 Building a Brand Around Community, Not White Space

19:35 Partner Message: Mercury for Business

21:09 Turning Followers Into Customers

22:06 Trusting Her Gut Over a Business Plan

23:49 Launching a Fashion Brand Into a Pandemic

27:13 Why Authentic Community Can’t Be Faked

29:36 How Djerf Avenue Invests in Its Customers

30:46 The Challenges of Scaling 300% Growth

32:20 The Hidden Cost of Returns

34:04 Why Customer Service Remains Human

35:18 Partner Message: Bilt

36:19 Managing a Personal Brand and a Business Brand

38:04 Navigating Public Scrutiny and Leadership Challenges

39:09 The Leadership Lessons She Learned the Hard Way

41:11 Why She Never Considered Walking Away

42:11 The New Social Contract Between Founders and Employees

44:02 Expanding Djerf Avenue Into Beauty

46:27 Selling Beauty Products Without Retail Stores

47:46 What’s Next for Djerf Avenue

49:00 A Week in the Life of Djerf Avenue’s Chief Creative Officer

51:46 Brick and Mortar Dreams

57:10 On Gathered

58:24 Social Currency Corner

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Eugene Remm didn't set out to build a hospitality empire. He started as a bartender, worked in nightlife, and chased success through New York's club scene… until a major failure forced him to rethink everything.

Today, Eugene is the co-founder of CATCH Hospitality Group, the company behind some of the most sought-after restaurants in America, including CATCH, The Corner Store, Or’esh, and The Eighty Six. He breaks down the restaurant formula that most operators get wrong, why "vibe" is actually the last thing you should focus on, and how he thinks about building unforgettable guest experiences. He explains the psychology behind New York's line culture, why restaurant critics have lost their gatekeeping power, and how social media has completely reshaped hospitality.

They also dive into the business side of restaurants: scaling without losing quality, managing celebrity demand, hiring people who genuinely care, and the lessons Eugene learned from failed nightclub ventures and unsuccessful expansion deals. Plus, Eugene shares what happened after Taylor Swift started visiting The Corner Store, why he believes no celebrity has a bigger impact on consumer behavior, and how AI is poised to transform hospitality without replacing the human touch.

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Follow Eugene’s Work:

Catch Restaurants, @catch 

The Corner Store, @thecornerstore

The Eighty Six, @the86.nyc 

Or'esh, @or.esh 

Here’s What Sammi Covers with Eugene

00:00 Eugene Remm’s Social Currency

02:10 Partner Message: Mercury for Business

03:31 From Bartender to Hospitality Entrepreneur

06:13 How Failure in Nightlife Led to CATCH

08:10 Reinventing a 15-Year-Old Restaurant Brand

10:58 Why Big Restaurants Stopped Working

13:53 The Three Pillars: Food, Service, and Vibe

14:05 Why Guest Experience Is the Hardest Thing to Scale

15:37 Partner Message: Mercury for Personal

16:50 Partner Message: Bilt

17:56 How Eugene Hires People Who Actually Care

20:30 Why Great Teams Beat Great Individuals

21:18 Why Most Restaurants Get Vibe Wrong

22:22 The Art of Curating a Dining Room

23:03 Building a Celebrity-Filled Restaurant Without Chasing Celebrities

25:14 The Million-Dollar Reservation Strategy

26:32 Why Restaurant Critics No Longer Matter

27:27 Michelin Stars vs. Customer Demand

29:14 How Social Media Replaced Traditional Gatekeepers

31:02 Why Eugene Chooses 10 A-Minus Businesses Over One A-Plus

32:45 What’s Next for CATCH Hospitality Group

35:03 Building an LVMH of Restaurant Brands

36:11 The Corner Store’s Viral Rise36:28 The Taylor Swift Effect

38:00 Why Fast Casual Is the Next Frontier

39:54 The Psychology of the “New York Hour”

41:28 Lessons From a Failed Dubai Expansion

43:02 How Tilman Fertitta Changed the Business

44:32 Eugene’s “Constant Gentle Pressure” System

45:28 How AI Will Transform Hospitality

47:53 When You’re Ready to Open Restaurant Number Two

49:31 Why Restaurants Might Be the Hardest Business in the World

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Rick Caruso has spent decades reshaping Los Angeles through projects like The Grove, Americana at Brand, and Palisades Village. In this conversation with Sammi, Rick talks through his entrepreneurial strategy with real estate and beyond.

Rick explains how he built a billion-dollar real estate empire by studying people instead of the industry, why he intentionally ignored traditional mall design rules, and the Walt Disney philosophies that shaped his approach to hospitality. He shares why he believes founders need to be comfortable being over their skis, how criticism actually signals progress, and the surprising rituals he still personally does for guests at his properties.

Then the conversation turns to Los Angeles. Rick gives an unfiltered breakdown of the Pacific Palisades fires, explaining exactly how Palisades Village survived while much of the surrounding area burned. He walks through the fire prevention systems his team built years in advance, the operational decisions that protected the property, and the broader lessons for government competency and crisis management.

Sammi and Rick also discuss why small businesses are increasingly struggling in California, why entrepreneurs are leaving cities like LA and New York, and the political climate that ultimately led Rick to decide not to run for governor. 

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Here’s What Sammi Covers with Rick:

00:00 Rick Caruso’s Social Currency

02:50 Why “Follow Your Passion” Is Bad Advice

05:16 Why Not Knowing the Rules Helped Him Win

08:05 Why Founders Need to Be “Over Their Skis”

09:23 The “Celebrate vs. Isolate” Framework

10:00 Building The Grove Around the Farmers Market

12:08 Why Criticism Means You’re Doing Something Important

14:00 The Hospitality Details Guests Never Notice

18:12 Walt Disney’s Biggest Lesson for Entrepreneurs

22:12 Why People Propose at the Americana Fountain

25:00 Expensive Mistakes

28:32 Why Retail Must Constantly Reinvent Itself

29:14 How Palisades Village Reinvented Retail Layouts

30:00 Why Rick Writes a Fictional Story for Every Project

31:17 What Saved Palisades Village During the Fires

35:05 Why Rick Thinks LA Leadership Failed

37:13 Why Rick Decided Not to Run for Governor

41:00 Why California Needs Business-Minded Leadership

44:18 Solutions to Homelessness in LA

49:29 Why Small Businesses Are Struggling in California

51:45 Rick’s Personal System for Life and Leadership

54:13 Why Entrepreneurs Are Leaving California

56:02 Innovation vs. Naivety for Founders
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Harley Finkelstein believes we’re entering the most important shift in commerce since the invention of online shopping itself.

As President of Shopify, Harley has helped build the infrastructure powering millions of businesses across more than 175 countries. Now, he says AI is about to fundamentally change not only how consumers discover and buy products online— but how “machine customers” might do our shopping for us.

Harley explains why agentic commerce could replace traditional search, his take on the idea that every brand is becoming a media company (featuring a Favorite Daughter case study), and why this new era may reward product quality more than ad spend.

Harley also shares the story of joining Shopify in its earliest days, why founder-led companies consistently outperform, and why he believes modern entrepreneurs can now go from a kitchen-table idea to a multi-billion-dollar company faster than ever before. Plus: the brands he thinks are getting retail right—and the critical “give a sh*t factor” he believes only founders truly have.

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Follow Harley’s work and updates at Shopify

Here’s What Sammi Covers with Harley:

00:00 Harley Finkelstein’s Social Currency

01:57 Partner Message: Mercury

02:30 Growing Up Around Immigrant Entrepreneurs

05:40 Why Harley Went to Law School

08:00 Meeting Shopify Founder Tobi Lütke

12:00 Why Shopify Felt Like a “Superpower”

15:00 Partner Message: Mercury

16:19 Partner Message: Mosh

18:00 The Moment Shopify Became a Generational Company

21:00 From E-Commerce Platform to Commerce Operating System

22:30 Every 26 Seconds a New Entrepreneur Gets Their First Sale

24:00 Why Some Brands Become Media Companies

25:00 Favorite Daughter and the Founder-Led Brand Flywheel

27:00 Why Most Brands Feel Inauthentic

28:30 What Great Retail Brands Understand About Emotion

30:00 Shopify’s OpenAI and ChatGPT Announcement

31:00 What “Agentic Commerce” Actually Means

32:00 AI Personal Shoppers and Curated Buying

35:00 Why AI Could Help Small Brands Win

37:00 The End of Traditional Search?

39:00 How Brands Maintain Identity Inside AI Platforms

41:00 Why Storytelling Matters More in an AI World

42:00 The Rise of Machine Customers

44:00 Why Harley Is a Techno-Optimist

47:30 Why Founder-Led Companies Win

50:00 The Founder “Give a Shit Factor”

51:00 Harley’s Framework for Finding Your Life’s Work

Thanks to Our Sponsors!Mercury: mercury.com

Mosh Bars:  moshlife.com/socialcurrency
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Todd Kahn took over the commercial responsibility for Coach in March of 2020. Two weeks later, he closed all North America stores. 

Today, Coach CEO Todd Kahn sits down with Sammi to break down the strategy behind one of fashion’s biggest brand turnarounds, and why Coach had to do the exact opposite of conventional growth advice to pull it off. He explains why trying to be “for everyone” almost destroyed the brand, how flash sales quietly trained customers to wait for discounts, and why the company stopped greeting shoppers with coupons entirely during the pandemic.

Todd also shares how Coach rebuilt itself for Gen Z through “expressive luxury,” viral bags like the Tabby and Brooklyn, immersive retail experiences, and unexpected ideas like coffee shops, book charms, and co-creation stations inside stores. Plus: the real reason Gen Z shops in person more than people think, why virality can’t be engineered, and the internal operating system Todd uses to run a nearly $7 billion business.

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Here’s What Sammi Covers with Todd:

00:00 Todd Kahn’s Social Currency

02:30 From Corporate Lawyer to Coach CEO

07:52 Joining Coach During the Financial Crisis

10:00 What Actually Went Wrong at Coach

14:00 Flash Sales, Discounting, and Brand Dilution

15:00 Hiring Stuart Vevers and Resetting Creativity

19:00 Rediscovering Coach’s Brand Codes

20:44 Why Coach Focused on Gen Z

23:00 Closing 250 Stores to Save the Brand

24:00 Why “Stores Are Commercial Activities”

26:00 Cutting 40% of the Assortment

27:10 The “Timeless Gen Z” Strategy

28:40 Taking Over Coach Right Before COVID

29:50 Why Coach Stopped Leading with Discounts

30:20 Building a Billion-Dollar Digital Business

31:00 Why People Bought Handbags During Lockdown

32:00 From Performance Marketing to Brand Building

33:00 Bringing 2.9 Million New Customers Into Coach

34:00 Why Coach Wants to Be Your First Luxury Bag

35:30 The Real Story Behind Bag Charm Mania

38:00 What Actually Creates Virality

39:45 Why Coach Only Does Two Big Campaigns a Year

40:00 What “Expressive Luxury” Really Means

42:00 Why Gen Z Loves Shopping In Person

43:00 Coach Play Stores and Experiential Retail

44:00 The Business Strategy Behind Coach Coffee Shops

47:30 Todd’s Operating System for Leadership

50:22 The Story Behind Coach’s Viral Book Charms

52:00 Why Gen Z Is Returning to Books and Community

Thanks to Mercury for sponsoring this episode! mercury.com 

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