This Podcast Star Has 17 Million Subscribers. He Gave His Protégé One Valuable Piece of Advice.

Hot Smart Rich podcast star Maggie Sellers Reum received a seven-figure investment from The Diary of a CEO host Steven Bartlett last year. Now, she is revealing that she also got a crucial piece of encouragement from him.

Sellers Reum recently said in an interview with Business Insider that Bartlett helps her manage her “very dark thoughts” of self-doubt by reminding her that her work matters because it helps women have a voice. Her show allows women to feel seen and heard in business and culture, according to Bartlett. 

She said that Bartlett’s backing through his media company, FlightStory, instantly allowed her to be taken more seriously in business circles. His support and mentorship also pushed her to start betting on herself. Bartlett has over 17 million subscribers on YouTube at the time of writing and has hit over one billion views and listens across Apple, Spotify and YouTube. Meanwhile, the Hot Smart Rich podcast has over 33,000 subscribers on YouTube. 

One example of Bartlett’s influence happened when Sellers Reum saw model Molly Sims in person. She walked up to Sims and said, “Molly, I need you on my show — what would it take for you to come on?” Sims replied that simply approaching her was enough, then turned to her publicist and said they should schedule a time to meet. 

Sellers Reum said that before working with Bartlett, she probably wouldn’t have had the confidence to approach Sims. 

FlightStory has been using Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO strategy to build up the Hot Smart Rich podcast, boosting Sellers Reum’s profile and opening doors to a wider circle of high-profile guests.

How the FlightStory partnership began

Sellers Reum still remembers exactly where she was when Bartlett first approached her. She was walking through New York’s SoHo neighborhood last year when she glanced at her phone and saw a direct message from his team. 

At the time, her show had momentum and a devoted audience, but turning traction into revenue was challenging. Sellers Reum had built a brand and a community before she had a path to monetization. 

The message was short but striking, she told BI. It said that they were “obsessed” with what she was building, and they wanted to talk if she was open to it. 

“And I remember just being like, ‘Is this actually really happening?’ And I don’t play games. I just responded right back, and I was like, ‘I would love to chat,'” Sellers Reum told BI. 

She mentioned that the deal took four months, and FlightStory now owns a “certain percentage of equity” in Hot Smart Rich. 

One of the key sticking points in the deal was who would own what and who would call the creative shots. Sellers Reum said she wanted to preserve the brand. Under the agreement, she keeps control over core editorial choices, including the guests and brands the show works with, and still owns most of the company. She now holds the title of editor in chief to reflect her ownership of the brand. 

“I’m not the female Steven,” she told BI. “I have my own identity, and that creative decision-making was really important for me to make sure I was going to be able to keep.”