Have you ever wondered what Alix Earle, AI, and Gen Z’s ‘Absurd Era’ Reveal About the Future of Business, Entertainment & Influence?

Black Friday flopped. Booking.com became sexy. Dancing With the Stars is now a full-blown creator pipeline. And the average influencer? Officially over.

In this week’s episode, Maggie and Katie break down the cultural chaos shaping 2026, from unhinged micro-trends to the new class system emerging from AI… and why the myth of overnight success is the most dangerous lie online.

They explain:

• Why Black Friday felt flat even as it broke records

• How tweens and micro trends reshaped consumer behavior

• Why cultural relevancy beat traditional product launches

• The travel planning study every woman is sending her partner

• How Booking dot com became the most unexpected breakout brand

• The creator to reality TV to entrepreneur pipeline

• Why business shows struggle on video while Shark Tank still wins

• The new rules for storytelling in business and education

• The top AI predictions for 2026 and the HSR point of view

• Why Gen Z will become entrepreneurs by necessity

• How micro companies and tastemakers will shape culture

• Why human imperfection will become a trust marker

• Why analog living is emerging as a new luxury

  
  

Chapters:

01:00 Black Friday was underwhelming but record breaking

03:00 Why cultural relevancy beat product drops

05:00 Tweens and absurd micro trends

06:00 The travel planning attractiveness study

08:00 Why Booking.dot com finally became cool

10:00 Dancing With the Stars and the new creator pipeline

11:00 Alex Earl, Brooke Nader, and the reality TV effect

13:00 Why business shows fail on video

15:00 Shark Tank works because it is emotional, not logical

17:00 What brands get wrong about content

19:00 The new rules of education and entertainment

20:00 Breaking down the top AI predictions of 2026

21:00 Gen Z forced entrepreneurship

23:00 Micro companies and the rise of taste makers

24:00 Personalised education and the end of the classroom

26:00 Human assisted services becoming luxury

27:00 The death of the average influencer

28:00 Trust premiums and human proof labels

29:00 Analog living becoming aspirational

31:00 Using AI to evolve your business

33:00 The myth of overnight success

34:00 Mashki’s decade long rise

35:00 Build to sell or build to keep

36:00 How founders should think about public building

38:00 Privilege, backlash, and the messy middle

40:00 Vulnerability as a competitive advantage

42:00 Why creators struggle to pull back

44:00 Sharing outcomes versus sharing in real time

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Katie Sellers:

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Hot Smart Rich is your place to hear unfiltered conversations with the people shaping the future of culture, creators, startups and community. Hosted by Maggie Sellers Reum, investor and media powerhouse, and guests breaking the mold, you’ll get the real deal as it relates to navigating the startup fast lane, leveling up your life or becoming your hottest, smartest, richest self. New episodes weekly on Wednesdays.