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.

  1. 3d ago

    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 brand04:14 Why you have to grieve your old self before stepping into the new one08:19 Not all risk takers win, but all winners take risks12:25 Seeking failure, the Sarah Blakely story that changed everything17:38 "I don't have time" is code for "this isn't a priority"18:09 The 90 rejections in 90 days challenge21:33 How to reverse engineer the mechanics behind viral content23:48 The text post format that's outperforming every reel on his page27:07 The second account algorithm hack nobody is talking about33:20 The life you want is built in the margins of the life you have35:29 How to manufacture your own luckAbout SimonSimon 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: @simonalexanderoStay connected with me📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

  2. Jul 7

    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 podcasting06:34 The one step above method, why your application is getting ignored19:38 Why information without storytelling will never convert21:03 Your hook is working against you24:09 The cliffhanger technique DOAC uses to turn reels into podcast listeners26:05 Why going viral is the wrong goal38:54 What I Am Legend taught him about experimentation18:49 Effort and care beats talent. Every single time.20:29 The real reason DOAC hit 15 million subscribersAbout AnthonyAnthony 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 SmithStay connected with me📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

  3. Jun 30

    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-ClarkAlexandra'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/184091954X05:34 Why a "lowly" job at a big name is a career cheat code09:20 How she built her brand by shining the spotlight on other people14:30 How the podcast became the foundation of everything18:00 How she put together a book proposal from scratch using YouTube21:00 The LinkedIn DM that landed her a Hachette book deal24:00 Twenty cold submissions and what she learned from every no25:14 Why LinkedIn works even when you're not trying28:06 Done is better than perfect - always30:00 What sustainable personal branding actually looks likeAbout AlexandraAlexandra 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

  4. Jun 23

    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 therapy08:53 Why he waited until eight figures to start his personal brand10:43 Opportunities don't go to the most qualified, they go to the most visible14:36 The most expensive mistake most people make18:13 The root word of authority is author20:37 Why traditional publishing is an inferior model25:00 How giving books away free drives millions in revenue29:00 The book is the bait. The business is the prize.29:51 The MORE writing method explained34:03 How he wrote his first rough draft in a week42:33 Why being too qualified works against you45:08 How to use AI to write a better book without the slopAbout ChandlerChandler 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/courtneyStay connected with me📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

  5. Jun 16

    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 clients04:45 The imposter syndrome that came with claiming the identity first09:13 Her boss asked if she needed her old job back11:27 Cringe is just self-doubt wearing a costume22:09 The danger of having 400 drafts and posting none of them24:15 Taylor Swift’s approach to trolls.34:23 The books she considers non-negotiable reading36:19 How speaking became her career42:47 The TEDx application strategy she’d use today57:05 The real reason she wrote GILDED and GILT FREE About Keren EldadA 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

  6. Jun 9

    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 ride03:54 The moment Ruffin realized content was the future of business07:03 Your digital footprint is the new resume08:53 The UCLA MBA post that changed everything for her content10:13 People are done buying recorded courses11:20 Ruffin’s full creator tech stack: CapCut, Descript, Claude11:45 The relationship-building strategy founders ignore before fundraising16:24 The biggest mistake Ruffin made building her brand18:57 How she landed brand deals before having management20:24 Why niche B2B creators make more money than giant influencerAbout Ruffin MitchenerRuffin 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.comStay connected with me📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

  7. Jun 2

    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 system04:22 The two-minute cold outreach routine that changed her career09:24 Speaking at Harvard Business School changed her perspective on entrepreneurship10:17 She ran a 16,000-person paid virtual conference during the pandemic17:28 She flew to India without sponsors or an event plan, and Microsoft joined the day before28:14 How she hit 40 million LinkedIn views a month with video29:17 “I’d literally rather die than get a job”About Avni BarmanFounder & 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.coStay connected with me📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

  8. May 26

    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 daysAbout John HuJohn 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: @jayhoovyStay connected with me📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

5
out of 5
23 Ratings

About

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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