Good morning friends!

Today, we have a guest post by Ali Montag, a writer based in Austin who authors Letters from Home & Away. Below, Montag breaks down Gwyneth Paltrow’s always-controversial brand strategy that’s turned her into a business powerhouse. I hope you enjoy the excerpt below. Read the full story here.

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How Gwyneth Paltrow Turned Goop Into a $250 Million Obsession

By Ali Montag

At some point in 2021, I switched my morning podcast from The Daily, a show by The New York Times about politics and current events, to Smartless, a podcast by three comedians, about, quite literally, becoming less smart. I was no longer in the mood for facts. I was tired. I didn’t want to think—I wanted to be entertained.

The show’s celebrity hosts offered background noise while I scrambled my eggs. When I listened to the episode with Gwyneth Paltrow, an interview in which Paltrow talked about the things we all talk about (her work, her kids, her husband) it went down like my morning coffee: Pleasant, sweet, and not particularly memorable. At one point, she mentioned she’s been a little less healthy during the last year, eating bread and having whiskey on weeknights. The toast popped in my toaster. Who hasn’t? The episode ended and I thought nothing of it.

Then, I opened Twitter. There it was. Trending: Gwyneth Paltrow. Why? I clicked again. Woah: outrage, and lots of it. “Gwyneth Paltrow broke down and ate bread during quarantine,” The Guardian exclaimed. The reactions were swift and merciless, full of antipathy for wealthy women and their whining. “Gwyneth talking about a weakness for bread while people are sick and dying doesn’t read particularly well,” Vogue surmised. The issue was the contrast: Our world was falling apart. And she was stressed about eating bread?

(Photo Credit: Rachel Murray/Getty Images)

To the Internet, it seemed as if Paltrow had implied her life was so perfect—so full of meditation and intention and juice cleanses and vitamins and antioxidants and all the other things sold by Goop, her $250 million lifestyle business—that even a global health crisis could barely make a dent. Just the carbs, that was all.But she didn’t actually say that. In fact, she didn’t really say anything. She just chatted a bit about her life and her coffee mug and the bone broth she drank from it. Sure, her chit chat sounded different than ours might. She’s rich, yes. She’s healthy, yes. But none of that was new. So why all the backlash? And why does it matter?

To understand Paltrow, her success, and the staying power of Goop, an absurdly important brand in health, beauty, and wellness, we have to understand attention. This is the attention economy, after all: Politicians drum up support on Twitch and win elections on Twitter. Tech founders write on Substack. Celebrities sell lipstick on Instagram. Everything is a funnel.

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PROFILES.

— The podcaster taking over mainstream media [**HIGHLY RECOMMEND**]
— The YouTubers building a merch empire
— The $10 million disc golf celebrity
— The trainers at the center of a horse-racing doping scheme
— The star shaping her Hollywood destiny
— The NBA legend tired of being the sidekick
— The location tech company grappling with lockdowns

PEOPLE TO KNOW.

The podcaster taking over mainstream media: Podcast host Joe Rogan is now one of the most consumed media products on the planet — with the power to shape tastes, politics, medical decisions. His Spotify deal, estimated at $100 million, speaks to the allure of making audiences feel they’re in on something subversive and undiluted. Here's why time and time again, Rogan has proven that he cannot be cancelled. (The New York Times)

“If you say you disagree with me, I probably disagree with me too,” Mr. Rogan said in semi-self-defense. “I disagree with me all the time.”

The YouTubers building a merch empire: The Nelk Boys have built a brand on being rowdy and getting into trouble. Even though they have a massive presence on YouTube with millions of subscribers, that's not where they make the bulk of their money. They generated $50 million in merchandise last year and are on track to surpass $70 million in 2021. Here's how they plan to expand their line of products and services that they hope will allow them to compete with multinational corporations like Amazon, Anheuser Bush, and Apple. (The New York Times)

“Once you have your own platform, you can do whatever you want.”

The $10 million disc golf celebrity: How much can athletes really make in niche sports? A whole lot more than you think. Disc golfer Paul McBeth set a new standard by signing an eight-figure endorsement contract. For smaller sports and their stars, social media provides access to massive audiences without traditional gatekeepers. Here's why the surest path to profitability is to go viral, and how stars like McBeth are proving this strategy to be extremely effective. (The Ringer)

“Entertainment is king right now. Whether you’re bowling around a dude’s head or doing the world’s longest strike, entertainment is what sticks in people’s minds.”

The trainers at the center of a horse-racing doping scheme: Doping has been part of horse racing since the sport's infancy. In the 1930s, when horse racing was the No. 1 sport in the U.S., horses ran on cocaine and heroin; later it was amphetamines. The horse that won the Kentucky Derby in May, Medina Spirit, was disqualified when he failed a drug test—and then he failed a second one. The trainer, Bob Baffert, has trained horses that collectively failed 30 tests, and, for years, faced no real consequences. Check out the investigation that would end with the biggest bust in the sport’s history. (Bloomberg; reply to this email if you can't access this article)

"There are always going to be people who make a calculation that they can do better by cheating, but hopefully now they’re going to look at the risk in a different way.”

The star shaping her Hollywood destiny: Once pigeonholed as “the hottest blonde ever,” Margot Robbie has become one of Hollywood’s most promising producers. In the last several years, Robbie launched her own production company, LuckyChap, which has allowed her to dictate the tone of her own projects. In this profile, she shares her thoughts on personal responsibility, her directing ambitions, and the power of constant re-invention.

“I’m not good at waiting. If I want something, I can never just sit there. I have to make it happen.”

The NBA legend tired of being the sidekick: In the last year, the world has been re-introduced to Scottie Pippen through Michael Jordan's glossy docuseries The Last Dance. It depicted Michael as the hero and Scottie as the sidekick. But now, Pippen is tired of playing second fiddle. In this candid longform Q&A, Pippen discusses creating his first liquor, how he tired of Jordan’s “cheerleaders” during their decade together, and what Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons need to learn. (GQ)

"This is a story that needed to be told. People needed to know a little bit more about me and my career."

COMPANIES TO WATCH.

The location tech company grappling with lockdowns: From the early days of the check-in to its evolution into one of the leading location data vendors in the industry, Foursquare's business has always sort of depended on people going places. Then COVID hit, and suddenly, places closed and people stayed in, creating what might have been a crisis for a company like Foursquare. Here's how Foursquare has adapted through the pandemic, how location data can help other businesses recover, and whether location tracking will be possible in a world that's increasingly moving toward privacy. (Protocol)

"There are always trade-offs with respect to the way we think about the world from what we can build and what we should build."

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AUDIO TO HEAR.

Joe Rogan on building an entertainment empire: Joe Rogan rarely speaks at length to media outlets that aren't his own. This is one of those rare instances. In this podcast episode, Rogan opens up about the art of the interview, what makes for a memorable conversation, and the advantages of being an independent creator in the world of mainstream media. (Link available to premium members.)

Cathie Wood on investing in the future: ARK Investments' Cathie Wood is the first star in an industry, the $6.3 trillion world of exchange-traded funds, that wasn't supposed to have any. In this conversation, she explains that innovation is often not priced into the market, how Wright’s law can help determine future returns, and the five main areas of disruption that she is beginning to explore. (Link available to premium members.)

VIDEOS TO SEE.

Charlie Munger & Warren Buffett on a life of wisdom: Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger have been friends for more than six decades and business partners for more than five. Together, they built Berkshire Hathaway from a single textile mill to a $650 billion powerhouse. In this interview, they share the lessons they’ve learned from each other along the way in business and life. (Link available to premium members.)

Eliud Kipchoge on breaking the two-hour barrier: People used to say that running a sub-two hour marathon was impossible. They said that it would undoubtedly kill the person who attempted it. And then ... marathoner Eliud Kipchoge broke new ground and made the impossible possible. This is his remarkable journey to successfully breaking the two-hour barrier. The second he crosses the finish line, he hugs his wife, and says, "No human is limited. You can do it, and expect more." (Link available to premium members.)

Olympic champions on the burden of success: Athletes are supposed to be strong. Olympic athletes are supposed to be invincible. That's why after you take home a medal, you're supposed to feel on top of the world. You're supposed to be happy. You're supposed to be financially secure. But what happens when none of those things materialize? In this documentary, we learn about the dark side of what happens when you dedicate your entire life training for a 40-second moment of glory. (Link available to premium members.)

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