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Built in Public

Courtney Johnson

Built in Public is a personal brand podcast hosted by Courtney Johnson.

Each week, Courtney sits down with founders, creators, and operators to unpack how they turn expertise into authority, visibility into opportunity, and content into long-term leverage.

We talk positioning, audience building, thought leadership, and what it actually takes to show up before you feel ready.

If you want to build it in public, this show is for you.

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  • 22 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 52 min
  • English

Episodes 22

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  • Tuesday · 1 hr

    The Creator Behind A 53 Million View Video On How To Make Money From A Personal Brand, with Cru Mahoney

    Today I'm sitting down with Cru Mahoney, a mindset and personal brand coach who posted every single day for two years to almost nobody, then had one video hit 53 million views and go from 7K to 300K followers in a month, and this episode made me rethink my entire relationship with consistency. I've spent years listening my audience they needed a strategy before they post anything. meanwhile, this guy posted twice a day for two years with 2,000 views a piece, no strategy, no niche, no plan, just a promise he made to himself, and then one post did more numbers than most people's entire careers. he came on to share exactly how he built the brand, the three-level framework, the philosophy on niches, the whole thing he believes about manipulation and leadership that most people are too scared to say out loud. grab a coffee, this one's a lot!! ☕️ 📘 Career Cheat Codes - IT’S OUT!!! My new book Career Cheat Codes is now available to order. It’s a practical guide to building career leverage, growing your visibility, and turning your expertise into real opportunities. Order yours → penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807588/career-cheat-codes-by-courtney-johnson/ 06:12 Two years of posting daily to almost nobody, then one video hits 53 million views 14:49 The brainwashing video he has coming out, and the client story behind it 22:45 Why he turns down the easy $140K-a-month niche business 25:59 Rage is a legitimate reason to start posting 34:46 What happens once ambitious people finally "make it" 46:17 Why he calls follower counts "trash," even with 400K of his own 50:24 His most controversial post yet: turn off the news About Cru Mahoney Cru Mahoney didn't set out to build a personal brand. What started as a private promise to himself, running every single morning since June 13, 2018 to work through years of anxiety, turned into two years of posting the process online to almost no one. Then one video, about the things he doesn't do (drink, smoke, party), hit 53 million views and took him from 7,000 followers to 300,000 in a single month. Connect with guest 📹 YouTube: @crumahoney 👍 Instagram: @crumahoneyWebsite: crumahoney.com/ Stay connected with me 📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co 👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod 👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson 💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson 🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

  • August 18 · 50 min

    School of Hard Knocks' Host Reveals the Framework Behind Their 23M Followers

    hi friends!! today I'm sitting down with Rachel Hague, co-host at School of Hard Knocks (yes, THE 23 million-follower media company) and this episode made me want to fire my own excuses. I've spent actual years being too intimidated to walk up to people I found impressive. meanwhile, this woman casually walks up to actual billionaires on the street with a camera and just... asks. no plan, no permission, no invite. gets a yes anyway. oh, and she also beat out 950 other women for her job. so my "I'm not qualified enough" is officially retired. she came on to share exactly how she builds credibility out of thin air, the framework, the mindset, all of it. no "just be yourself" fluff, no vague advice. the real framework. grab a coffee, this one's a lot ☕️ 📘 Career Cheat Codes - IT’S OUT!!! My new book Career Cheat Codes is now available to order. It’s a practical guide to building career leverage, growing your visibility, and turning your expertise into real opportunities. Order yours → penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807588/career-cheat-codes-by-courtney-johnson/ 02:53 Inside the street interviews: 100% unstaged, and here's how she handles getting rejected on camera 09:41 The neuroscientist quote that ruined "walking into a room" for me forever 20:12 "Authority hacking": steal credibility from anyone, legally 23:50 Credibility k*lls all bad attitudes 30:18 Why she'd rather own "a piece of the watermelon than the entire grape" 31:07 The job every company needs right now and doesn't know it yet 33:55 950 women applied for her role. here's how she got picked 44:11 The confidence quote that stuck with me long after we stopped recording About Rachel Rachell got her start filming funny videos with her little sister, who has disabilities, to encourage her through her health journey. That was the accidental beginning of her personal brand. From there, she built a following connecting female entrepreneurs, hosting 100+ in-person and virtual events across Austin and the U.S. She's now a host at School of Hard Knocks, a 23-million-follower media company, where she runs a channel taking viewers behind the scenes of business owners' real day-to-day. Launched about 6 months ago with zero cross-promotion from the main channel, it's already crossed 100,000 followers. In her words: "I'm truly just being a student." Connect with Rachel 💼 LinkedIn: Rachel Hague 👍 Instagram: @rachellhague Stay connected with me 📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co 👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod 👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson 💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson 🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

  • August 11 · 48 min

    The Delegation Playbook That Made Me 7 Figures

    hey friends!! welcome back to another solo episode. it's been way too long and I have so much to say before my mat leave!!🤰🤍 okay so. I once paid a woman $100 to clean my house, then spent the entire hour standing outside texting her and watching through the window like a complete stalker. five years later, I run a team of 20+, including a COO, a social media team, sales team, a video editor, and a roster of virtual assistants, and I barely manage any of them directly. and guess what? I’m sharing the exact delegation system I used to get there. the real timeline, the real numbers, and every limiting belief that almost stopped me along the way, including the ones I was still fighting at 9.5 months pregnant when I recorded this. this is 45 minutes of EVERYTHING I know about building a team, delegating without losing your mind, and getting out of your own way. and I made a free doc to go with it so you can implement it. 👉 FREE Delegation Guide: grab the exact SOP templates, agency links, and books I mention → docs.google.com/document/d/1VAZ8UI-L3Tx-2qkXIM4VxZk7bCQ_S9V6yd51h0klL5Q/edit?tab=t.0 👉 Ready to hire your first VA?? I personally use and trust NexusPoint. Book a free discovery call with their team here → go.nexuspt.io/courtneyjohnson 📘 Career Cheat Codes - IT’S OUT!!! My new book Career Cheat Codes is now available to order. It’s a practical guide to building career leverage, growing your visibility, and turning your expertise into real opportunities. Order yours → penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807588/career-cheat-codes-by-courtney-johnson/ 03:53 The $100 house cleaner mistake that taught me how to actually let go 06:17 My first virtual assistant, and why I stopped paying $800 a month for one 16:16 The Beyoncé myth about time that nobody wants to admit is a lie 22:07 The $500 cheat code my friend used to poach the best VA candidates out of a course 28:28 Why "I'll delegate once I'm big" has it completely backwards 31:47 The "waste tax": what it actually costs to grow 45:57 What you're really paying for at $10, $20, $30, and $50 an hour Stay connected with me 📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co 👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod 👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson 💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson 🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

  • August 4 · 55 min

    How April Whitney Went From a $65 Ebook to Building the Petite PWR ® Fitness Empire

    April Whitney was eating under 1,200 calories a day, training like an elite athlete, and still couldn't figure out why her body wasn't changing. Then she started working as a copywriter in pharmaceuticals, and the answer was right in front of her the whole time. April is a former competitive fencer, pharmaceutical copywriter, and the founder of Petite PWR, a fitness and nutrition platform built exclusively for women 5'4" and under. In this episode we get into how she went from posting her body transformation on a secret Instagram account to building a business with 4,000 coaching clients, a team of 20, and a 150,000-person email list with a 48% open rate !!!!! Here’s something you probably didn’t know but it’s freaking important and probably relevant to you: April posted every single day for five years STRAIGHT without missing one day, including Christmas. She talks about why continuity and consistency are what build a brand, why getting views and building a brand are two completely different games, and the secret sauuuuce behind her best-performing YouTube videos. 👉 PRESS PLAY. Your niche is about to feel a lot less scary. 📘 Career Cheat Codes - IT’S OUT!!! My new book Career Cheat Codes is now available to order. It’s a practical guide to building career leverage, growing your visibility, and turning your expertise into real opportunities. Order yours → penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807588/career-cheat-codes-by-courtney-johnson/ 04:09 The secret Instagram account she started because she was too embarrassed to post 08:06 Why your customer knows what they want but not what they need 10:08 What AI did to the coaching industry 13:29 The funnel: from free content to 4,000 coaching clients 21:00 Why she gives 99% of her content away for free 35:41 Why continuity and consistency are the only content strategy that works 43:35 Five years of posting every single day without missing once About April April Victoria Whitney is a former competitive fencer who spent 18 years in the sport with dreams of making the Olympics. After retiring, she worked as a science copywriter in pharmaceuticals, where she worked on early GLP-1 research, before founding Petite PWR, a fitness and nutrition platform dedicated to women 5'4" and shorter. What started as a $65 ebook has grown into a coaching business with 4,000 clients, a team of 20, and a 150,000-person email list. April is not just building a brand, she is building a movement. Connect with April 🎙️ Youtube: April Whitney 👍 Instagram: @aprilvwhitney 🎶 TikTok: @aprilvwhitney Stay connected with me 📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co 👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod 👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson 💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson 🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

  • July 28 · 37 min

    How To Build A Profitable Personal Brand Without Quitting Your Job, with Adama Lorna

    Adama posted her first YouTube video to about five views, most of them people she already knew, while working full-time as a site reliability engineer. She never quit that job. She built a 180,000+ subscriber channel and she still hasn't left engineering. And in this episode she gives away the exact system to build, and maintain, 2 full careers exactly like hers. We get into how she built a personal brand as a full-time engineer without ever going all-in, why she started on the platform with the highest barrier to entry instead of the easiest one, and how she turned "I have 20 different passions" from a branding problem into an actual formula. She shares the formula she uses with people who feel too scattered to niche down (skills times passion times energy, to the power of values), why she turned down a fitness video that was already pulling 100,000 to 200,000 views because it wasn't the brand she wanted to build, and the real reason her first in-person event sold out almost entirely from YouTube. Depth beats reach in ways most creators underestimate. 200,000 people on YouTube gets you a sold-out room. 200,000 on TikTok gets you nothing when you need people to show up in real life. Adama explains exactly why watch time built her opportunities in a way follower count never could. Oh, and she names the one book that reframes every "disadvantage" you think you have as your actual unique positioning. It's a two-word title, and it might change how you describe yourself on your resume. 📘 Career Cheat Codes - IT’S OUT!!! My new book Career Cheat Codes is now available to order. It’s a practical guide to building career leverage, growing your visibility, and turning your expertise into real opportunities. Order yours → penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807588/career-cheat-codes-by-courtney-johnson/ 3:59 The opportunities that came from building trust, not just an audience 7:56 Why FOMO, anger, or wanting to prove yourself are legitimate reasons to start 9:04 The "Renaissance" framing that gives you permission to take a season off 12:00 Why she wouldn't take brand deals that spent down her audience's trust 12:35 Why she stopped calling herself a "creator" and started calling herself a founder 16:26 "Crack Mode": the season she disappeared from her social life to write her book 23:00 The Formula: Skills x Passion x Energy, to the power of Values 25:40 Why she turned down 200,000 views on a video that was already working About Adama Adama is a site reliability engineer and content creator with 180,000+ YouTube subscribers, known for building a personal brand around self-improvement and multiple passions while working full-time as an engineer. Connect with Adama 🎙️ Youtube: Adama Lorna 👍 Instagram: @adamalorna 💼 LinkedIn: Adama Lorna 🎶 TikTok: @adamalorna Stay connected with me 📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co 👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod 👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson 💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson 🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

  • July 21 · 55 min

    The Man Behind Hormozi and Simon Squibb's Growth on How to Make Money With Your Personal Brand

    Tobias Allen was knocking on doors at 16 with no job, no connections, and no plan, and by 25 he was Director of Marketing at Acquisition.com working directly with Alex and Leila Hormozi. And in this episode he gives away everything. We get into how he went from door-to-door sales as a teenager to working with two of the fastest-growing personal brands on the planet, Hormozi and Simon Squibb. He shares the backdoor job application hack that gets you in front of decision makers, why being the best student in the room is the most underrated career cheat code, and the pizza box stunt that landed someone a job at a major company. Yes, really. We also get into money. Brands are quietly paying creators between $15K and $50K a month for consistent content. HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS are moving out of traditional media and into the creator economy right now. And the creators who understand how to position themselves for that are going to win big. Tobias explains exactly how. Oh, and I asked him what both Hormozi and Simon Squibb do that almost nobody else does. His answer is 2 words. And it's probably the thing you've been putting off. 📘 Career Cheat Codes - IT’S OUT!!! My new book Career Cheat Codes is now available to order. It’s a practical guide to building career leverage, growing your visibility, and turning your expertise into real opportunities. Order yours → penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807588/career-cheat-codes-by-courtney-johnson/ 04:01 The MAN formula: how to find clients who already have a budget 07:22 The backdoor job application hack that gets you in front of decision makers 09:39 The pizza box stunt that landed a sales job 12:01 How much he invested in himself, and why it was worth it 16:39 What putting your life on hold actually looks like 19:11 The three-act storytelling framework behind Simon Squibb's brand 25:14 How to find your content format by looking internally 26:06 The outlier method, double down on what's already working About Tobias Tobias Allen is a growth strategist and content expert who served as Director of Marketing at Acquisition.com under Alex and Layla Hormozi and now works with Simon Squibb, one of the fastest-growing personal brands in the world. Starting with door-to-door sales at 16 and investing over $100K in his own education, Tobias built his expertise from the ground up and has since helped scale some of the biggest creator brands on the planet. Connect with Tobias 💼 LinkedIn: Tobias Allen Stay connected with me 📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co 👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod 👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson 💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson 🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

  • July 14 · 48 min

    Simon Alexander Ong: The Personal Brand Playbook That Got Him 4 Million Views

    Simon Alexander Ong was let go from Lehman Brothers the day it collapsed in 2008. He had no plan. No backup. Just a decision to finally figure out what he really wanted in life. That decision led to a Penguin book deal, a YouTube video with 4.1 million views, and a global personal brand built entirely from scratch. And in this episode, he gives away EVERYTHING. The 90-rejections-in-90-days challenge that made failure feel like a game, the second Instagram and YouTube account hack that trains the algorithm to hand you viral content on a silver platter, the hotel lobby move he pulled at the One Billion Followers Summit in Dubai that put him in the same room as Mr. Beast, Will Smith, and Simon Squibb... on purpose ‼️ Oh, and if you've ever said "I don't have time to post"... Simon has something to say about that. Pull up your screen time first. This one is packed. You're going to want to take notes. 📘 Career Cheat Codes - IT’S OUT!!! My new book Career Cheat Codes is now available to order. It’s a practical guide to building career leverage, growing your visibility, and turning your expertise into real opportunities. Order yours → penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807588/career-cheat-codes-by-courtney-johnson/ 01:24 From Lehman Brothers to building a global personal brand 04:14 Why you have to grieve your old self before stepping into the new one 08:19 Not all risk takers win, but all winners take risks 12:25 Seeking failure, the Sarah Blakely story that changed everything 17:38 "I don't have time" is code for "this isn't a priority" 18:09 The 90 rejections in 90 days challenge 21:33 How to reverse engineer the mechanics behind viral content 23:48 The text post format that's outperforming every reel on his page 27:07 The second account algorithm hack nobody is talking about 33:20 The life you want is built in the margins of the life you have 35:29 How to manufacture your own luck About Simon Simon Alexander Ong is a performance coach, keynote speaker, and the author of Energize, published by Penguin. Malaysian-Chinese by background, Simon left a career in financial services after the 2008 crash and built a personal brand from the ground up, coaching high performers in leadership and entrepreneurship, speaking on stages around the world, and growing a YouTube channel with over 4 million views on a single video. His mission is to help people live a better story. Connect with Simon 👍 Instagram: @simonalexandero 💼 LinkedIn: Simon Alexander Ong 🎙️ YouTube: @simonalexandero Stay connected with me 📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co 👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod 👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson 💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson 🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

  • July 7 · 50 min

    The Diary of a CEO Director of Trailers on How to Stop the Scroll and Grow Faster on Social Media

    Anthony Smith was about to quit editing forever the night he saw the Diary of a CEO job posting. He'd just told his girlfriend he was done. She said give it one more chance. He stayed up all night building a portfolio site on Wix, tracked down the co-founder's email, and turned a 20-minute job interview into a two-hour conversation. Now he's the Director of Trailers behind the content that took Stephen Bartlett's YouTube from 300K to 15 million subscribers. And in this episode he's giving away everything: the storytelling frameworks, the cliffhanger technique, why your hook is actually killing your retention, and the real reason DOAC grew so fast that has nothing to do with production budget or Stephen's fame. Oh, and he uses I Am Legend to explain why failing publicly is the smartest content strategy you can have. That part alone is worth the 48 minutes 🤯 📘 Career Cheat Codes - IT’S OUT!!! My new book Career Cheat Codes is now available to order. It’s a practical guide to building career leverage, growing your visibility, and turning your expertise into real opportunities. Order yours → penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807588/career-cheat-codes-by-courtney-johnson/ 04:33 How he turned a Wix site into the most coveted content job in podcasting 06:34 The one step above method, why your application is getting ignored 19:38 Why information without storytelling will never convert 21:03 Your hook is working against you 24:09 The cliffhanger technique DOAC uses to turn reels into podcast listeners 26:05 Why going viral is the wrong goal 38:54 What I Am Legend taught him about experimentation 18:49 Effort and care beats talent. Every single time. 20:29 The real reason DOAC hit 15 million subscribers About Anthony Anthony Smith is the Director of Trailers at Diary of a CEO. Entirely self-taught, with a background in film, TV, and advertising, he joined DOAC when the channel had 300K subscribers and has been central to its growth to over 15 million. He shares storytelling and content creation tips on LinkedIn and Instagram. Connect with Anthony 👍 Instagram: @anthonyr.smith 💼 LinkedIn: Anthony Smith Stay connected with me 📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co 👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod 👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson 💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson 🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

  • June 30 · 36 min

    Alexandra Steinacker-Clark: How a Personal Brand Creates Opportunities in Any Traditional Industry

    Alexandra Steinacker-Clark got her foot in the door at Sotheby's through a cold coffee request, built 27K followers on LinkedIn without a strategy, and landed a book deal with a Hachette subsidiary through a LinkedIn DM that sat unread for five months. Alexandra is the host of the 'All About Art' podcast and the author of 'Working in Art: How to Build a Career in the Art World', the book that finally tells you how to break into one of the most closed-off industries in the world 🫳🎤 In this episode, we get into how she broke into the art industry with no connections, no insider access, and no roadmap. She shares the EXACT cold outreach move that got her in the door at Sotheby's, why taking a "lowly" job at a big name is one of the smartest career moves you can make, and how she built her entire personal brand by shining the spotlight on other people instead of herself. Also, Alexandra grew 27K followers in LinkedIn without a content strategy, without posting every day, and without ever optimizing a single thing. We also get into the book deal. Twenty cold submissions, five months of silence, and one LinkedIn DM that changed everything. If you've been telling yourself your industry is too traditional, too conservative, or too closed off for a personal brand, this episode is your reality check. YOU DESERVE MORE. 📘 Career Cheat Codes - IT’S OUT!!! My new book Career Cheat Codes is now available to order. It’s a practical guide to building career leverage, growing your visibility, and turning your expertise into real opportunities. Order yours → penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807588/career-cheat-codes-by-courtney-johnson/ 📗 Working in Art - Alexandra Steinacker-Clark Alexandra's book is the ultimate guide to building a career in the arts. Fourteen chapters, fourteen different art careers, and the real stories of the people actually doing the work. Order yours →www.amazon.com/Working-Art-Find-Living-World/dp/184091954X 05:34 Why a "lowly" job at a big name is a career cheat code 09:20 How she built her brand by shining the spotlight on other people 14:30 How the podcast became the foundation of everything 18:00 How she put together a book proposal from scratch using YouTube 21:00 The LinkedIn DM that landed her a Hachette book deal 24:00 Twenty cold submissions and what she learned from every no 25:14 Why LinkedIn works even when you're not trying 28:06 Done is better than perfect - always 30:00 What sustainable personal branding actually looks like About Alexandra Alexandra Steinacker-Clark is a London-based American-Austrian art historian, podcaster, and author of Working In Art: How to Build a Career in the Art World.
 
She obtained her BA in History of Art at University College London and continued her education at Goldsmiths University with an MA in Arts Administration and Cultural Policy. Her specializations are in contemporary art and the contemporary art market along with accessibility, engagement, and the demystification of the professional art sector.
 
Steinacker is the founder and host of the 'All About Art' Podcast, which covers the variety of professional paths that exist in the arts and cultural sector, streamed in over 115 countries worldwide. Connect with Alexandra 👍 Instagram: @alexandrasteinacker 💼 LinkedIn: Alexandra Steinacker-Clark 🌐 Website: alexandrasteinacker.com/ Stay connected with me 📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co 👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod 👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson 💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson 🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

  • June 23 · 56 min

    How to Write and Self-Publish a Book That Gets You Speaking Gigs and Money with Chandler Bolt

    Chandler Bolt was painting houses door to door at 18, getting cussed out and threatened, and then dropped out of college to co-author his first book at 23. Now his company publishes two to five books every single day. Chandler Bolt is the founder of Self-Publishing School, one of the leading platforms for writing, publishing, and launching a book. He's helped over 7,000 authors bring their books to life. In this episode, we get into why he waited until eight figures to start his personal brand and why he now calls that a mistake, how a book creates instant authority that no amount of followers can buy, and the exact reason your unwritten book is already worth money. We get into the self-publishing vs traditional publishing debate, the real pros, the real cons, and what nobody tells you about signing with a big publisher. Chandler breaks down how he uses free books to drive millions in revenue every year, why the book is the bait and the business is the prize, and the mindset shift that gets people out of book purgatory and actually hitting publish. We also get into the writing process. He shares the MORE writing method, how to write a book using your existing content, why giving yourself permission to write badly is the only way to start, and the strategy he'd use to write a book from scratch today, even with no audience and no idea where to begin. If you've had a book outline sitting in your Google Drive for months, this episode is the push you've been waiting for. 📘 Career Cheat Codes - IT’S OUT!!! My new book Career Cheat Codes is now available to order. It’s a practical guide to building career leverage, growing your visibility, and turning your expertise into real opportunities. Order yours → penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807588/career-cheat-codes-by-courtney-johnson/ 05:48 Why posting every day is rejection therapy 08:53 Why he waited until eight figures to start his personal brand 10:43 Opportunities don't go to the most qualified, they go to the most visible 14:36 The most expensive mistake most people make 18:13 The root word of authority is author 20:37 Why traditional publishing is an inferior model 25:00 How giving books away free drives millions in revenue 29:00 The book is the bait. The business is the prize. 29:51 The MORE writing method explained 34:03 How he wrote his first rough draft in a week 42:33 Why being too qualified works against you 45:08 How to use AI to write a better book without the slop About Chandler Chandler Bolt is the founder and CEO of Self-Publishing School, one of the leading platforms for writing, publishing, and launching a book. A college dropout who started his first six-figure business painting houses, Chandler co-authored his first book at 23 and has since helped over 7,000 authors bring their books to life. His company publishes two to five books every single day across every genre. Chandler is also the author of Published, his guide to self-publishing success. Connect with Chandler 👍 Instagram: @chandler.bolt 💼 LinkedIn: Chandler Bolt 🌐 Website: selfpublishing.com/courtney Stay connected with me 📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co 👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod 👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson 💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson 🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

  • June 16 · 57 min

    Coach Keren Eldad: She'll Destroy Every Excuse You Have for Not Building Your Personal Brand

    The people closest to Keren Eldad thought her content was so embarrassing they offered her a loan, a place to live, and her old job back. Keren Eldad, better known online as Coach Keren, is a coach, author, and speaker who built a business around mindset, identity, and behavior change. In this episode, we get into why Keren started calling herself “Coach Keren” before the business even existed, why claiming an identity before you feel ready matters, and the exact reason most people stay trapped in the cringe phase of building a personal brand. She explains why consistency is the only metric that matters in the beginning, why self-doubt is built on a false narrative, and how to stop waiting until you’re “qualified enough” to start sharing what you know. We also get into what she calls “Purgatory” the place where people have 400 post drafts, multiple coaches, endless strategies, and still haven’t hit publish. Keren shares the mindset shift that’s helped thousands of clients finally take action, her “assume everybody likes you” rule, and why most fears around personal branding are just scarcity stories wearing different outfits. Oh, we get into speaking. She breaks down how she landed two TEDx talks, why most aspiring speakers should stop waiting for invitations and start creating their own opportunities, and the outreach strategy she’d use if she wanted another TEDx talk tomorrow. Plus: books, comparison, criticism, trolls, and the one thing she believes every ambitious person owes themselves. If you’ve been waiting until you feel ready to put yourself out there, this conversation is your wake-up call. 📘 Career Cheat Codes - IT’S OUT!!! My new book Career Cheat Codes is now available to order. It’s a practical guide to building career leverage, growing your visibility, and turning your expertise into real opportunities. Order yours → penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807588/career-cheat-codes-by-courtney-johnson/ 03:53 Why she started calling herself “Coach Keren” before she had clients 04:45 The imposter syndrome that came with claiming the identity first 09:13 Her boss asked if she needed her old job back 11:27 Cringe is just self-doubt wearing a costume 22:09 The danger of having 400 drafts and posting none of them 24:15 Taylor Swift’s approach to trolls. 34:23 The books she considers non-negotiable reading 36:19 How speaking became her career 42:47 The TEDx application strategy she’d use today 57:05 The real reason she wrote GILDED and GILT FREE About Keren Eldad A thought leader in the coaching world, Keren Eldad ("Coach Keren") specializes in taking high achievers out of the futility of constant pursuit and into the greatest levels of success and fulfillment. Her coaching clients include Olympic athletes, politicians, Hollywood stars, supermodels, Special Forces operatives and serial entrepreneurs, as well as renowned global organizations such as Estée Lauder, J.P. Morgan, and Nike.Recognized as a Top Ten Executive Coach by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), Real Leaders Magazine, & Goop, Keren maintains gold-standard coaching credentials on top of her advanced academic degrees from The London School of Economics and the University of Jerusalem. She is also a former C-suite executive, who has lived and worked in 17 countries and on four continents, and now coaches leaders all around the globe in four languages: English, Spanish, Hebrew and French. With half a million views on her TEDx talks, and speaking engagements all over the world, Keren's message seems to transcend borders. She hopes it resonates with you. Connect with Keren 👍 Instagram: @coachkeren 💼 LinkedIn: Keren Eldad 🌐 Website: kereneldad.com Stay connected with me 📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co 👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod 👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson 💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson 🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

  • June 9 · 47 min

    How to Build a Personal Brand That Makes Money BEFORE You Feel Ready, with Ruffin Mitchener

    VCs laughed Ruffin Mitchener out of interview rooms for posting on TikTok. Four years later, she's the angel investor writing the checks. Now she’s built a six-figure creator business, landed recurring deals with brands like TurboTax and LinkedIn, and built one of the fastest-growing investing communities for women in startups and VC. Ruffin started in accounting at Deloitte, moved into fintech startups, got her MBA at UCLA during COVID, and realized early that founder content was going to become mandatory. She was one of the FIRST WOMEN in venture capital and startup investing actually building publicly online while everyone else thought it was cringe!! In this episode, we get into why personal branding matters before you need it, why founders should start creating content years before fundraising, and how Ruffin used TikTok and LinkedIn to build real leverage in venture capital. She also breaks down the exact cold outreach strategy she used to land brand deals, how she pitched hundreds of companies herself before hiring management, and why niche B2B creators are making more money than creators with 10x the audience size😲. Oh, she even tells us how she is using Claude as a social media strategist and why cohort-based live courses are replacing recorded programs. Plus: pregnancy as an entrepreneur, creator management contracts, and the one thing every creator is keeping secret right now... good short-form editors 😭 If you’re waiting until you feel qualified enough to start posting, this episode is your sign to stop waiting. 📘 Career Cheat Codes — IT’S OUT!!! My new book Career Cheat Codes is now available to order. It’s a practical guide to building career leverage, growing your visibility, and turning your expertise into real opportunities. Order yours → penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807588/career-cheat-codes-by-courtney-johnson/ 00:00 Pregnancy as an entrepreneur is a wild ride 03:54 The moment Ruffin realized content was the future of business 07:03 Your digital footprint is the new resume 08:53 The UCLA MBA post that changed everything for her content 10:13 People are done buying recorded courses 11:20 Ruffin’s full creator tech stack: CapCut, Descript, Claude 11:45 The relationship-building strategy founders ignore before fundraising 16:24 The biggest mistake Ruffin made building her brand 18:57 How she landed brand deals before having management 20:24 Why niche B2B creators make more money than giant influencer About Ruffin Mitchener Ruffin Mitchener is the creator and founder of Brydge Club, a media and investing community empowering 200K+ women to understand and navigate the world of angel investing and entrepreneurship. Less than 2% of VC funding goes to all-female founded teams - and less than 15% of venture capital decision-makers are women. Ruffin has personally angel invested and led syndicate opportunities for Brydge Club angels into companies like POCA, Alinea Invest, Offe Market, GOB, Bumo, and Hey Jane. Investing alongside firms like Offline, True Ventures, and Baukunst. Prior to Brydge Club, Ruffin worked as an operator at an Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) consumer fintech startup, which brings hands-on operational experience to everything she backs today. Connect with Ruffin 👍 Instagram: @ruffinmitchener 💼 LinkedIn: Ruffin Mitchener 🎶 TikTok: @ruffinmitchener 🌐 Website: brydgeclub.com Stay connected with me 📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co 👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod 👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson 💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson 🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

  • June 2 · 1 hr 11 min

    Avni Barman: The LinkedIn Strategy That Made Her a Full-Time Creator

    40 million LinkedIn views a month. Two to three videos a day. And she built it after returning venture capital money because she realized she hated the company she was building 😲 In this week's episode, I sat down with Avni Barman, founder of Gen She, creator, speaker, and one of the smartest people I know when it comes to audience building and career leverage. She started with a two-minute cold outreach habit in college and turned it into a network, a business, a media brand, and a global community for women in tech and entrepreneurship. We get into the exact outreach system that helped her land opportunities before she had experience, why most people overcomplicate networking, and how she grew LinkedIn into a platform driving 40 million monthly views. She explains why virality is overrated if it’s not converting into real community, why she stopped chasing a million followers, and how she thinks about building content that actually gets people to care. If you’ve been waiting to feel qualified before you start posting, networking, pitching, or building something, this is your wake-up call! 📘 Career Cheat Codes — IT’S OUT!!! My new book Career Cheat Codes is now available to order. It’s a practical guide to building career leverage, growing your visibility, and turning your expertise into real opportunities. Order yours → penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807588/career-cheat-codes-by-courtney-johnson/ 03:01 The survival strategy that turned into her networking system 04:22 The two-minute cold outreach routine that changed her career 09:24 Speaking at Harvard Business School changed her perspective on entrepreneurship 10:17 She ran a 16,000-person paid virtual conference during the pandemic 17:28 She flew to India without sponsors or an event plan, and Microsoft joined the day before 28:14 How she hit 40 million LinkedIn views a month with video 29:17 “I’d literally rather die than get a job” About Avni Barman Founder & CEO of Gen She, a media platform and fund shaping the next generation of female founders. With 1M+ community, 400M+ views, and a 150K+ subscriber base, she has built one of the fastest-growing platforms for the next generation and is a leading voice on personal branding, virality, and building in the modern digital economy. Connect with Avni 👍 Instagram: @avnibarman_ 💼 LinkedIn: Avni Barman 🎙️YouTube: @avnibarman 🌐 Website: generationshe.co Stay connected with me 📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co 👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod 👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson 💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson 🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

  • May 26 · 45 min

    John Hu: Stan's Founder on How to Make Your First $1K Online, and Building a $500M Creator Platform

    I've just hit $200K on Stan. And John Hu built the platform that made it happen. John is the founder of Stan, the platform that has now made over $500 million for creators, and he started it because he needed it for himself 😲 In this episode, John gives us his full take on why your first digital product is probably already sitting in your Google Drive, why the creators making the most money on Stan aren't the most talented ones, and why asking your audience what they want to buy is always the right first move. We also get into why employee-generated content is one of the most slept-on growth strategies for founders right now, what being in rooms with Gary Vee and Steven Bartlett has actually taught him about obsession and hiring, and why watching your team members leave to build their own thing is a flex, not a failure. Oh, and he walks us through Stanley: Stan's new AI head of content, and what it's already doing for engagement in the first three days of using it. If you've been stuck in your head about your niche, your first offer, or your content strategy, this episode is going to shake all of that loose. 📌 Try Stan free for 3 days → stan.store 📘 Career Cheat Codes - IT'S OUT!!! My new book Career Cheat Codes is now available to order. It’s a practical guide to building career leverage, growing your visibility, and turning your expertise into real opportunities. Order yours → penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807588/career-cheat-codes-by-courtney-johnson/ 03:10 The employee-generated content strategy every founder is sleeping on 06:28 What to tell the leader who's afraid their team will get too big and leave 08:17 The Taylor Swift strategy: niche first, expand later 10:07 Why "I help everyone" is why no one follows you 11:00 What Steven Bartlett taught him about obsession and hiring 13:57 The one thing every billionaire, athlete, and top comedian has in common 32:10 How to figure out what your audience wants to buy 33:07 Why your DMs and comments already have the answer 40:00 What to do when your first product isn't selling 43:00 Introducing Stanley: Stan's AI head of content 47:00 What Stanley is already doing for engagement in the first three days About John Hu John Hu is the founder of Stan, the all-in-one creator store platform that has generated over $500 million for creators worldwide. He built Stan originally for his own account and grew it into one of the most trusted platforms in the creator economy. He's also the creator of Stanley, Stan's AI head of content built to help creators scale their content without needing a full team. Connect with John 👍 Instagram: @jayhoovy 🎶 TikTok: @jayhoovy 💼 LinkedIn: John Hu 🎙️YouTube: @jayhoovy Stay connected with me 📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co 👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod 👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson 💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson 🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

  • May 19 · 56 min

    How Social Media Makes You Money

    In this week’s episode, I’m answering your questions and digging into something that comes up over and over again in my work: why social media feels so uncomfortable for so many people, and why that discomfort is often the very thing that leads to growth, opportunity, and money. At its core, this episode is about visibility. But not in the “post more” or “just be confident” way it’s usually framed. We talk about visibility as a lived experience, the fear of being misunderstood, the pressure of being seen, the cringe that shows up right before momentum, and the internal resistance that makes people want to stop posting right when things are about to work. One of my favorite parts of this episode is talking about how action creates clarity, not the other way around, and why most people stay stuck waiting for certainty instead of moving while things still feel messy. We also touch on creativity, procrastination, and the role your environment and community play in how safe it feels to show up. 02:45 Why visibility feels uncomfortable before it feels rewarding 06:18 Being misunderstood as a sign of growth 09:33 Why attention leads to opportunity (and money) 14:37 Speed, momentum, and moving before you feel ready 18:55 Fear, cringe, and staying in the game 23:40 Why most people stop right before things work 29:10 Consistency, identity, and long-term expansion Stay connected with me 📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co 👍 Instagram: @slaythegatekeeper 👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson 💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson 🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

  • May 12 · 59 min

    Her Personal Brand Made Her a Sports Illustrated Model, with Gigi Robinson

    She became a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model and a Penguin Random House author, and neither of those things came from a talent agent, a manager, or a plan. They came from a LinkedIn post and a cold DM. Gigi Robinson has been building her personal brand since she was 12 years old with a Squarespace portfolio and a competitive swimming injury. Now she's a speaker, a creator, a published author, and the founder of Hosts of Influence, and she's done all of it without a manager, without niching down, and without “waiting until she was ready” 😑!! In this episode, Gigi explains why niching down is destroying your brand, why you ARE the niche, why a talent manager might be costing you more than they're making you, and the exact way she pitches journalists to get featured in Forbes, DigiDay, and AdWeek. She also gets into why LinkedIn is the most untapped platform right now (if you are here is because you already heard this!!!), how she hit 100 million impressions in 2025 just by responding to trending news, and the LinkedIn banner strategy that makes people decide whether to trust you in under 3 SECONDS. Oh, and she also just casually tells us how she ended up shooting with the photographer who shoots Vogue covers, the same photographer she used as inspiration when she was a kid. 📌 Get Gigi's children's book A Kid's Book About Chronic Illness on Amazon, Target, Barnes & Noble, or wherever you get your books → gigirobinson.com 📌 Want to learn more about Hosts of Influence, Gigi's platform for creators and professionals building real careers? → gigirobinson.com 📘 Career Cheat Codes - IT'S OUT!!! My new book Career Cheat Codes is now available to order. It’s a practical guide to building career leverage, growing your visibility, and turning your expertise into real opportunities. Order yours → penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807588/career-cheat-codes-by-courtney-johnson/ 11:32 Why having a talent manager is probably not the business move you think it is 14:55 Why niching down is a trap, and what to do instead 17:44 You don't have a niche. You ARE the niche. 22:09 How she became a Penguin Random House author overnight, without a traditional book deal 27:33 She literally became a Sports Illustrated model from a LinkedIn post 28:20 Why she posted herself in a bikini on LinkedIn and didn't think twice about it 13:11 Less than 2% of LinkedIn's 1.1 billion users post weekly. That's your opening. 16:49 How to get press: the exact stalking strategy she uses to get into Forbes and AdWeek 23:46 The LinkedIn news hack that got her 100 million impressions in 2025 About Gigi Robinson Gigi Robinson is a speaker, creator, author, and founder of Hosts of Influence, a platform helping creators and professionals build personal brands that actually turn into careers. She's partnered with 100+ global brands, including Adobe, Spotify, Unilever, and LinkedIn, spoken on 100+ stages, and wrote A Kid's Book About Chronic Illness, a bestselling children's book published by Penguin Random House. She's been featured in Forbes, DigiDay, AdWeek, Business Insider, and the New York Post, and hit 100 million impressions on LinkedIn alone in 2025. Connect with Gigi 👍 Instagram: @itsgigirobinson 🎶 TikTok: @itsgigirobinson 💼 LinkedIn: Gigi Robinson 🌐 Website: gigirobinson.com Stay connected with me 📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co 👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod 👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson 💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson 🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

  • May 5 · 58 min

    Brian Luebben: Full Playbook on How He Quit His $252K Job and Made $100K in 48 Hours

    Nobody quits a $252K job when they're the #8 sales rep out of 5,079. Brian Luebben did, driving through rural Georgia with a backseat full of Carhartt pants, realizing that a quarter million dollars a year still wasn't enough to make him stay. Four years later, he runs Action Academy, a mastermind community that went from $0 to $5 million with zero ads, built entirely on a $279 podcast mic and a $600 iPhone. This year, he's going for $12 million. In this episode, Brian gives us the EXACT playbook (not theory or how to do this sh*t but the actual steps) He saved $60K in cash before quitting, bought rental properties while still employed, and built a side hustle podcast interviewing millionaires at Atlanta real estate meetups before he ever left his job. Then he moved to Brazil, did 100 free 15-minute coaching calls on the beach, found out what people needed, and sent a Venmo link for a course that didn't exist yet, and made $100K in 48 hours. He also gets into the Minivan Theory and why your closest friends will be the last ones to support you, why a $200K employee can return $2 million while a $40K employee returns $40K, and why the only reason entrepreneurship beats employment is leverage. If you've been waiting for the right time to leave your job, this episode is the sign you've been looking for. 📌 Want to join Action Academy? Head to actionacademy.com 📘 Career Cheat Codes - IT'S OUT!!! My new book Career Cheat Codes is now available to order. It’s a practical guide to building career leverage, growing your visibility, and turning your expertise into real opportunities. Order yours → penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807588/career-cheat-codes-by-courtney-johnson/ 00:00 Brian opens reading Career Cheat Codes - no, really 03:25 Entrepreneurs aren't born, they're unlocked 05:03 The "selling pants" moment driving to Cedartown, Georgia 06:16 The 3 pillars Brian had before quitting: cash, assets, and a validated side hustle 13:08 Stop trying to be the most interesting. Be the most interested. 20:44 Why your friends and family aren't trying to derail you, they're scared for you 21:24 The Minivan Theory: front row, middle row, and back row friends 27:17 The step-by-step from $0 to your first $100K 31:44 $100K in 48 hours with a Cash App link and a course that didn't exist yet 41:01 Why leverage is the only reason entrepreneurship beats a job About Brian Luebben Brian Luebben is the founder of Action Academy, a mastermind community that helps people leave corporate America to buy businesses and real estate. He left a $252K corporate sales job in March 2022, traveled the world for a year documenting the journey, and built a $5M/year business from scratch with zero ads. He hosts The Action Academy Podcast, one of the top entrepreneurship shows in the country with over 1 million downloads. Connect with Brian 👍 Instagram: @brianluebben 🎙️ Podcast: @actionacademypodcast 💼 LinkedIn: Brian Luebben 🌐 Website: brianluebben.com Stay connected with me 📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co 👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod 👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson 💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson 🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

  • April 28 · 52 min

    How Dan Martell Built a $100M Personal Brand: Sam Gaudet Exposes the Full Strategy

    You're overthinking your content. Meanwhile, a 16-year-old was editing videos under his desk in math class and accidentally stumbled into building one of the biggest personal brands in business. Sam Gaudet started working with Dan Martell's videographer at 16, joined Dan's team full-time at 18, and has spent the last eight years as the brain behind a content machine that now generates over 3 billion views and 200 million views per month across platforms. He watched Dan go from 500 views per video to the fastest-growing business influencer in the space. And he built the frameworks that made it happen. Now Sam is stepping out from behind the camera to build his own brand, using nothing but his iPhone, a 90-day challenge, and the same system he used to scale Dan's. In this episode, he breaks down the HEIT framework (Hook, Explain, Illustrate, Teach) that drives every piece of content they create, why picking the right topic matters more than your camera or your lighting, and why the biggest creators in the world talk about the fewest things. If you've been stalling because your setup isn't right, your hook isn't perfect, or you don't feel ready, Sam built a 3 billion view brand while getting caught editing videos in class. Your excuses don't stand a chance!!! Mentioned in this episode: 🤖 Sam's Custom GPT for Content Ideas Want Sam's custom GPT that spits out 25 validated content topics using the HEIT framework? DM him the word "TOPIC Courtney" on Instagram and he'll send you the link for FREE! → Instagram: @sam.gaudet 📘 Career Cheat Codes (IT'S OUT!!!)
 My new book Career Cheat Codes is now available to order. It’s a practical guide to building career leverage, growing your visibility, and turning your expertise into real opportunities. Order yours → penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807588/career-cheat-codes-by-courtney-johnson/ 02:06 Getting caught editing videos in math class (multiple times) 05:04 The mindset shift that changed everything: if you can picture it, it's possible 07:00 Why Sam started building his own brand now 09:08 The HEIT framework: the system behind 3 billion views 17:55 Why the biggest creators in the world talk about the fewest things 24:38 CCN fit: how to make every video appeal to your core, casual, and new audience 35:57 Trust is more important than views right now. 40:37 People aren't paying for information. They're paying for time acceleration. 45:49 F*ck the norm. Go try something. About Sam Gaudet Sam Gaudet is a content strategist, media company builder, and the creative force behind Dan Martell's personal brand. He joined Dan's world at 16 as a videographer, went full-time at 18, and has spent the last eight years developing the content systems that have generated over 3 billion views and 200 million views per month. His frameworks, including the HEIT method and CCN fit, are used across Dan's entire content operation and a team of 15. He's now building his own personal brand from scratch using only his iPhone, documenting the journey from zero to 100K followers. Connect with Sam 👍 Instagram: @sam.gaudet 💼 LinkedIn: Sam Gaudet Stay connected with me 📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co 👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod 👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson 💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson 🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

  • April 21 · 46 min

    How Hala Taha Turned a Free Podcast into a Multi-Million Dollar Business

    Her first client paid her $700. Her second paid her $30,000. She didn't even have a website. Hala Taha, aka 'The Podcast Princess', started her career as Angie Martinez's assistant at Hot 97, spent years trying to make it online before anyone used the word "influencer," and finally found her breakthrough on LinkedIn when everyone told her it wasn't the place for that kind of content. She launched Young and Profiting as a free podcast with a volunteer team of 10 in a Slack channel. Today she runs a 60-person company, the #1 self-improvement podcast network, and makes $1.5M a year in podcast sponsorships alone. In this episode, Hala breaks down exactly how she built it all. We get into why she turns podcast guests into paying clients, how she hired her first video editor by poaching them from the company that fired her, why trades and engagement pods were her secret growth weapons when she had zero budget, and why the last thing you should ever outsource is your original thinking. If you've been waiting until you have a website, a logo, a team, or a plan before you start… Hala had none of that. And she's making MILLIONS. 📘 Career Cheat Codes (IT'S OUT!!!)
 My new book Career Cheat Codes is now available to order. It’s a practical guide to building career leverage, growing your visibility, and turning your expertise into real opportunities. Order yours → penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807588/career-cheat-codes-by-courtney-johnson/ 02:32 Hala's origin story: Hot 97, Angie Martinez, and trying to make it online since 18 05:28 Why she never tried to do it alone and how she recruited her first volunteer team 07:07 The spicy case for free internships and why her earliest interns are now business partners 09:48 How trades and audience swaps grew her brand with zero budget 11:50 Posting on LinkedIn when everyone said not to, and why that was her biggest break 16:28 The first hire every creator should make and the last thing you should ever outsource 20:51 You cannot scale to elite level without a team. Period. 32:43 Your brand enables you to charge more: the power of social proof 35:39 The best decision she ever made and why she's thankful she showed up every day brick by brick 43:59 Why AI is coming for entry-level jobs and how personal brand is the way to future-proof yourself About Hala Taha Hala Taha, known as “The Podcast Princess,” is the host of Young and Profiting (YAP) Podcast, a #1 Entrepreneurship podcast with over 30 million downloads. A Top 100 podcast globally, YAP features star-studded guests like Matthew McConaughey, Gary Vee, Alex Hormozi, Deepak Chopra, Daymond John, Mel Robbins, and countless others. The show was recognized as a 2022 Webby Honoree, and Hala graced the cover of Podcast Magazine in January 2021. Hala is also the Founder and CEO of YAP Media, an award-winning, premier white-glove social media and podcast production agency for CEOs, celebrities, and top podcasters. With nearly 60 employees and a dozen high-profile clients, YAP Media was named the #1 LinkedIn Marketing Agency and voted Best Podcast Agency of 2022. In 2022, Hala launched the YAP Media Network, a podcast network that helps top podcasts land sponsorship deals with major brands like LinkedIn, Airbnb, and Shopify. YAP Media is pacing to hit 8-figures in 2025, and represents some of the most popular business podcasters in the world including Jenna Kutcher, Amy Porterfield, Tori Dunlap and John Lee Dumas. Connect with Hala 👍 Instagram: @yapwithhala 💼 LinkedIn: Hala Taha 🎙️ Podcast: Young And Profiting 🌐 youngandprofiting.com/ Stay connected with me 📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co 👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod 👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson 💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson 🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

  • April 14 · 56 min

    How Jasmine Star Built a 7-Figure Personal Brand Online (And Exactly How to Do It Too)

    The personal brand space has sold you this idea that you need a website, a logo, a niche, and a strategy before you start. You don't. And Jasmine Star is proof. Jasmine Star dropped out of law school with no camera, no portfolio, no business cards, and no plan. Instead of waiting until she was ready, she started documenting. She rented gear she couldn't afford, shot 11-hour weddings for only $1,000, and built her brand through storytelling before anyone was calling it that. She went from a $197 digital course to over a million dollars in a year, to building a SaaS company, to launching a holding company with multiple 7-figure revenue streams, all under her own NAME, because she understood something most people still don't: nobody can out-be you. In this episode, Jasmine shares exactly how she thinks about personal brand, trust, and what it takes to build something that lasts. We get into why your brand is not your logo or your gear, it's the feeling people have about you when you leave the room. Why we're in a trust recession right now and what that means for anyone building online in 2026. And why the creators who will win are the ones who stop chasing trends and start owning their lane. If you've been waiting until you have it all together before you start, this is the episode that ends that excuse! Mentioned in this episode: 📘 Career Cheat Codes (IT'S OUT!!!)
 My new book Career Cheat Codes is now available to order. It’s a practical guide to building career leverage, growing your visibility, and turning your expertise into real opportunities. Order yours → penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807588/career-cheat-codes-by-courtney-johnson/ 05:20 Why Jasmine dropped out of law school and picked up a camera with no experience 08:15 The free blog that accidentally became her personal brand engine 12:30 How to figure out what your personal brand should actually be about (3 questions) 17:10 Personal brand vs. company brand, and why Jasmine always chose her name 22:45 The $197 course that made over $1M in one year 27:00 Why we're in a trust recession and what to do about it in 2026 29:30 The Instagram poll strategy that builds your offer before you launch it 35:00 How to know when it's time to pivot, and the difference between a pivot and a quit 39:15 Jasmine's 3 steps if she had to start from scratch today 44:00 The cringe mountain, and why you have to climb it anyway About Jasmine Star Jasmine Star is a world-class speaker, thought leader, podcast host, CEO, and entrepreneur dedicated to helping business owners grow with unrivaled marketing, powerful lead generation, and strategic sales. After dropping out of UCLA Law School on a full-ride scholarship, she set out to become a photographer without owning a camera. She rented gear, used a free blog to market her business, and built an internationally recognized, award-winning photography career from scratch. That blog attracted tens of thousands of readers daily and became her first path to a 7-figure revenue stream. In 2015, she created her first online course, earning $1M+ in under 10 months. She went on to launch a membership that welcomed 2,444 entrepreneurs in its first five days and has since served 40,000+ business owners. In 2021, she entered the tech world as a SaaS CEO, and by 2023, she and her husband launched a holding company where she now serves as advisor and investor. She believes impossibilities are simply opportunities in disguise. Connect with Jasmine 👍 Instagram: @jasminestar 💼 LinkedIn: Jasmine Star 🎙️ Podcast: The Jasmine Star Show 🌐 jasminestar.com Stay connected with me 📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co 👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod 👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson 💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson 🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

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