Michelle Phan: Ipsy and Em Cosmetics Founder and the Original Beauty Influencer

Jess Jacobs is the chief executive officer of Coterie—a premium, high-performing diaper essentials brand. Before Coterie, Jacobs spent years making a name for herself in creative advertising. She got her professional start as a copywriter for an ad agency, working on campaigns for noteworthy brands like Saks Fifth Avenue, LG, and Revlon. She continued her work at Kettle as a Creative Director, partnering with big names like Apple, Nike, and Glossier. Jacobs then transitioned into the personal care industry when she became vice president of creative at Lola, a women-owned feminine care brand that promotes transparency and clean ingredients. Jacobs appreciated Lola’s mission, especially after becoming a mom. Having a baby made her more aware of the ingredients in and efficacy of the products she used in her everyday life, such as diapers. When she tried a diaper from Coterie, she fell in love with the product and the brand’s mission to make parents’ lives easier. She then joined Coterie as its senior vice president of brand, creative, and product management, using everything she’d learned over the years to build the brand into something worthy of its superior product. It wasn’t long before she was appointed chief brand officer and later CEO.

Three years after authoring the incredible biography of Anna Wintour, fashion and culture journalist Amy Odell returns to the pod to discuss her newly released biography of actress and Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow. Through hundreds of interviews and countless hours of archival research, Odell chronicles Paltrow's life of cultural influence—from '90s fashion icon to polarizing wellness mogul. She tells us who she talked to in order to paint a full picture of a public figure who's been in the spotlight for three decades. Plus, she reveals what she would have asked Gwyneth if she'd gotten the chance to speak with her for the book. Order a copy of Odell's book here! Shop our editor's eBay picks here!

Samina Virk is the U.S. CEO and chief marketing officer of Vestiaire Collective, a global luxury resale platform. As a young girl, Samina loved fashion. She grew up making her clothes, thinking she might break into the industry on the creative side. Instead, she started her career in tech, working in e-commerce during the dot-com boom. She eventually went back to school to study business in hopes of merging her love for fashion with her tech experience. She joined Target’s MBA merchandising program before scoring a full-time job on the company’s marketing team. It was there where she dipped her toes into retail, overseeing Target’s designer collaborations before taking an interest in the resale market. Samina followed her curiosity to eBay, where she launched the platform’s new fashion vertical team, before she ended up at Vestiaire Collective. She helped launch the Paris-based brand in the U.S. market before going on to serve as the U.S. president and global chief marketing officer at Threads, a social-first styling service. She then realized her time at Vestiaire Collective wasn’t over and decided to return—this time as North American CEO and CMO.

This week, Associate Director of Special Projects Kristen Nichols and senior fashion editor Anna LaPlaca are giving you the definitive report on all things weddings. Kristen runs through the biggest trends from 2026 Bridal Fashion Week, where she saw chiffon capes and voluminous skirts in full force. And Anna has the scoop from experts in the wedding industry about everything beyond dresses—from unique destinations to wax-sealed invitations. They’ve got everything you need to know if you’re walking down the aisle anytime soon. Plus, the pair break down the relationship between bridal fashion and the fashion industry at large. Shop our editor's eBay picks here!

Ali Mejia is the visionary and cofounder of elevated sleepwear brand Eberjey. Although she’d always had a soft spot for pajamas (getting ready for bed was a self-care ritual in her home growing up), Mejia began her career on Wall Street. After graduating from Princeton, she followed many of her peers to New York City and got a job as a financial analyst. When her bank unexpectedly closed, she was laid off and left to confront the nagging feeling that she should be exploring her creativity. She used her severance package to fund a trip to Florence, Italy, and being immersed in the arts and culture inspired her to make a change in her career. Upon returning home, she took one more short-lived finance job and then landed a fashion internship at Cynthia Rowley that energized her. She moved back home to Miami and took a direct marketing job to pay the bills while quietly working with a local patternmaker and learning how to design sleepwear. Once she had designed a few prototypes, she told her coworker at the direct marketing company about her business idea. This coworker, Mariela Rovito, became Mejia’s cofounder in Eberjey. In 1996, they left their day jobs, put $10,000 each into this new venture, and set off on a brand-building journey with no business plan. Today, almost three decades later, Eberjey remains a leading international sleepwear brand with five brick-and-mortar shops and products sold in over 500 retailers, from Neiman Marcus to Nordstrom.