The Other A.I

What does it really mean to be rich? And why do so many people with extraordinary financial resources still feel anxious, vulnerable, or even poor? This week, Pauline sits down with longtime friend and fellow Wharton classmate Mimi Drake to explore the complicated relationship between money, identity, power, and happiness. Mimi is a Partner and Practice Leader at Cerity Partners, one of the nation...

What happens to humanity when technology can do most of what we humans once did ourselves? And how can we ensure these extraordinary advances bring out the very best of our humanity, rather than the worst? In this episode, Pauline sits down with serial entrepreneur, investor, and author Brett Hurt to discuss his new book, Love Conquers Fear , and his radical view of our technological future. Toget...

What makes a piece of furniture worth keeping? How can you tell the difference between something that’s beautifully made and something that simply looks good online? And, as technology makes it easier and cheaper than ever to furnish a home, how can you make sure your personal spaces still reflect your distinctive taste? In this latest episode, Pauline sits down with longtime furniture and lightin...

After three decades as a highly successful investment portfolio manager, Larissa Roesch made an unexpected decision: she walked away from her career without knowing what would come next. What followed was a "year of listening" that led her to Ayurveda, the 5,000-year-old Indian tradition centered on restoring balance, not just treating symptoms. In this episode, Pauline and Larissa explo...

In this episode, Pauline sits down with fragrance expert and brand strategist Paul Austin for a fascinating conversation about the power of scent and how it can be used to enrich human experience and enhance brand equity. Drawing on more than three decades in the industry, Paul explains how scent has evolved beyond personal fragrance to become an essential part of hospitality, retail, fashion, mus...

In this episode, Pauline sits down with Wilhelm Schmid, CEO of A. Lange & Söhne, one of the world's most revered luxury watch brands, for a fascinating conversation about craftsmanship, history, and the enduring appeal of mechanical timepieces. From the company's founding in 1845 in the Kingdom of Saxony, through its expropriation under communist rule, to its remarkable revival after G...

What happens when a group of college classmates reunites at age 60? In this special episode, Pauline is joined in the studio by three classmates - Perla Delson, Regina Glocker, and Judith Greenberg - for a candid conversation about identity, aging, friendship, and aspiration. Reflecting on four decades of life since graduation, they explore what it means to enter a new chapter. How their perceptio...

In this episode, Pauline sits down with Andrea Scherz, third generation owner and steward of the legendary Gstaad Palace in Switzerland, for a fascinating conversation about luxury, legacy, and the enduring appeal of old-world hospitality. From the hotel’s origins in the early 1900s to its evolution into one of the world’s most iconic hotels, Andrea shares the remarkable history and philosophy tha...

In this episode, Pauline Brown uncorks the fascinating history of wine and spirits through the lens of societal taste and cultural values, tracing how trends in alcohol consumption have mirrored the aspirations, anxieties, identities, and status symbols of each era. From the secrecy and rebellion of Prohibition era speakeasies to today’s highly curated, Instagram worthy cocktail culture, she revea...

In this episode (the first of a two-part series on travel), Pauline examines how modern travel - once defined by elegance, discovery, and anticipation - has devolved into a series of friction-filled, dehumanizing transactions. She explores the forces driving this decline, including: the financialization of the travel industry, an obsession with price over value, the rise of algorithm-driven proces...

In Part 2 of this series, Pauline shifts from critique to possibility, exploring how the travel experience might be reinvented. She does so by looking back to one of the original architects of luxury travel, César Ritz, founder of The Ritz-Carlton. At a time when travel feels increasingly transactional and depleted, Mr. Ritz remains a powerful and enduring symbol. Rising from humble beginnings in...

In this solo episode, Pauline takes on an unexpected subject: car design. Drawing on her background in ' the Business of Aesthetics' - and her consulting work with major automakers - she explores what she calls the “blobification” of cars: the growing sameness, softness, and visual boredom of today’s vehicles. Pauline argues that cars have lost much of their emotional and cultural expressi...

In this episode, Pauline sits down with Tarpley Hitt, author of Barbie Land: The Unauthorized History , to unpack the cultural staying power of America’s most famous doll. What begins as a conversation about Barbie’s origins leads into a broader discussion about aesthetics, archetypes, and why certain icons endure long after their commercial peak. Together, Pauline and Tarpley explore how Barbie b...

In this episode, Pauline dives into the sweet world of ice cream - an industry that's far more complex than it appears. Joined by longtime ice cream entrepreneur David Stein and discerning foodie Sasha Grutman, the conversation explores how frozen desserts evolved from local dairy byproducts into a multi‑billion‑dollar business shaped by shifts in branding, packaging, communications, and culture....

Pauline welcomes bestselling health & wellness writer Bill Gifford (co-author of Outlive ) to discuss his latest book, Hotwired: How the Hidden Power of Heat Makes Us Stronger . In this conversation, Bill makes the case that sweating is an evolutionary superpower and explains why our modern, climate-controlled lives may be undermining our overall wellbeing. The conversation moves beyond health...

In this episode, Pauline sits down with longtime friend Caroline Gardner , Head of Integrated Brand Marketing at The RealReal , to explore what happens when we treat our closets less like storage units and more like living archives of identity. Together, they unpack the hidden logic of luxury resale: why certain items retain value (and most don’t); how cultural relevance and condition affect prici...

In this episode, Pauline sits down with two dynamic leaders from the beauty industry for a wide-ranging conversation about women, visibility, and leadership. She is joined by Carlotta Jacobson, former President of Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW), and her successor, Elana Szyfer, a longtime industry leader who has just taken the reins at CEW and is laying out a bold vision for its next chapter. Toge...

This is the third installment of Luxe Stories , a standalone podcast series (distinct from Pauline’s regular show) that takes a deep look at the remarkable histories of iconic luxury brands and how they evolved over time. In this episode, Pauline explores the story of America’s leading luxury department store, Neiman Marcus. Drawing on her own experience as a longtime vendor, partner, and former b...

In this episode, Pauline dives into the surprisingly powerful world of typography with Los Angeles–based art director and type specialist Andrew Theodore. Together, they explore how fonts signal trust, authority, and “expensive” and discuss the different effects of serif vs. sans serif, round vs. angular forms, and digitally generated vs. handwritten type. The conversation concludes with simple, p...

On this episode, Pauline sits down with Brian Bannon, Chief Librarian of New York City (yes, he oversees 88 branches across all five boroughs) for a fascinating look at how libraries are being reinvented - and why they may be more important today than ever. Together, they unpack the library as today’s ultimate “third space”: part community hub, part cultural institution, part digital lifeline. Bri...

In this episode, Pauline sits down with Paola Antonelli, the visionary Senior Curator of Architecture & Design and founding Director of Research & Development at the Museum of Modern Art, whose career has been dedicated to helping people see the extraordinary in the ordinary. Antonelli challenges the idea that great design is about perfection. Instead, she argues, it’s about intention: fun...

Two former Googlers-turned-creators join Pauline to discuss the new leadership playbook in this creator-driven economy. In this episode, Pauline sits down with lifestyle influencer and author Alexis Barber ( Too Smart For This ) and digital creator and Columbia Business School student Cedoni Francis (“ the luxurious big sister you never had ”) to talk about: How their early careers at Google and Y...

In this episode, Pauline sits down with sociologist, brand strategist, and author Ana Andjelic ( The Business of Aspiration , The Sociology of Business ) to unpack how power, status, and culture shape today’s most coveted brands. They explore Pierre Bourdieu’s “invisible currencies” – economic, cultural, social, and symbolic capital – and why taste is increasingly the real status marker. From Herm...

In this episode, Pauline sits down with fashion journalist and author Lauren Sherman to unpack one of culture’s most enduring and complicated topics: sex . Specifically, what does it mean to be sexy in today's consumer marketplace? Using Sherman’s book ⁠ Selling Sexy: Victoria’s Secret and the Unraveling of an American Icon ⁠ (co-authored with Chantal Fernandez) as a jumping-off point, they tr...

In this episode, Pauline sits down with Alissa Hsu Lynch (ex–modern dancer; former J&J & Google exec; host of The Leadership Dance podcast) and Whitney Casey (All-American volleyball player turned media personality, author, tech founder, and private-equity investor) to unpack what really drives excellence—from the rehearsal studio and the court to the boardroom. Together, they explore how...