Do What You Want!

Rachael Johnson
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Monthly

Season 2 of the "Do What You Want" podcast takes us beyond where Season 1 left us, where the host interviewed people who, at one point in their life said, “Ya know... I’m going to… do what I want” and then they went and… did what they want. But right now, the market feels... odd. Everyone wants to sell you their frameworks, trainings, systems, processes. Every other Instagram story is an ad to a webinar that will "unlock your secret to more clients" or "sell your digital products on autopilot."But will it? Or do we need something more? Or maybe all of these coaches & personal brands are on to something, because the word "solopreneur" should have never existed in the first place and we're meant to be in community — to work together, share ideas, and exchange energy. In Season 2 of Do What You Want, Rachael explores what's really going on in the online marketing space right now, interviews experts to learn what's working for them in 2026, and ultimately — encourages you to do what you want. At the end of each episode, YOU get to decide what feels aligned and what doesn't. Take what you need and leave the rest. Listen to every episode or only listen to the ones where the title lights you up. Curious? Then give it a listen! New episodes of this new iteration are out in June 2026.

  1. 1h ago

    Want to stand out while AI makes everyone sound the same? Listen to this (with Leslie Silverman)

    Send us Fan Mail Ever wanted to be a fly on the wall while a brand strategist and a copywriter figure out their next chapters, in real time? My friend Leslie Silverman is back. (Yes, we've swapped mics since I was on episode one of her show, Category of One.) Right now we're both in the messy middle of a pivot, and neither of us pretends to have it all figured out. And somewhere along the way of filming this episode, Leslie turns the tables and starts strategizing my business on air.  In this episode: Why I get squirmy when people say they showed up because of meAudacious authenticity, and why your VIBE is the real reason people hire youHow AI gave us all one shared brain cell, and what that means for your brand voiceLeslie's pivot: a big move, a partnership shifting, and trusting intuition over spreadsheetsChasing the money vs. following what lights you upSeparating what you do from who you areThe moment Leslie hands me my own positioning statement, haha About Leslie: Brand strategist, web developer, and co-founder of Hive 180. She's also a fractional CMO and the host of A Category of One, where she has vulnerable conversations with entrepreneurs about showing up as their truest selves. Connect with Leslie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-silverman-hive180/ https://www.instagram.com/lesliesilverman/ https://www.facebook.com/leslie.a.silverman https://www.youtube.com/@lesliesilvermanofficialThanks so much for listening! Don't forget to subscribe do you don't miss any episodes. Please, please please leave a review if you enjoy this podcast! Work with Rachael: Brand Soundcheck — More Info Why You're Not Getting Clients Quiz — Takes 2 minutes Do What You Want Community (Free to Join) — Check It OutBrowse Other ServicesInstagram: @rachaelrantsandravesSubscribe to Rachael's bi-weekly(ish) newsletter: The Real Deal Digest

  2. Sep 2

    Want to Grow Without the Social Media Hamster Wheel? Listen to this (with Chanti Zak)

    Send us Fan Mail It's easy to mistake what we want for what we actually need to run a successful business — especially when your feed is full of people who look like they're killing it. This week I'm joined by Chanti Zak, creator of the Empathy Marketing Ecosystem and the Spill the Tea newsletter. Chanti is a quiz funnel strategist, email marketing master, and coach obsessed with psychology, interactive marketing, and getting brag-worthy results for her students and clients. We talk about a LOT of topics in this episode! We get into borrowed trust, why picking one lane matters more than being everywhere, and what happens when you stop letting the algorithm set your schedule. We talk about starting our newsletters, how AI is changing the landscape of online marketing fast, and how keeping up with technology is inevitable when you have a business, whether AI exists or not. Also in this episode: What borrowed trust actually is — and the friend-of-a-friend analogy that makes it clickHow I found Chanti (a real-time example of borrowed trust doing its thing)Why an hour in someone's ears beats a post that disappears in 24 hoursChanti's blunt take on creatives who insist AI won't affect themInteractive marketing 2.0 — and what's suddenly easy that used to be really, really hard Find Chanti: Growth Type Quiz — 16 possible results, based on who you are and how you should market: www.chantizak.com/growthtypeSpill the Tea newsletter: www.chantizak.com/signupThe KNOWN Community (affiliate link)Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chantizak/Thanks so much for listening! Don't forget to subscribe do you don't miss any episodes. Please, please please leave a review if you enjoy this podcast! Work with Rachael: Brand Soundcheck — More Info Why You're Not Getting Clients Quiz — Takes 2 minutes Do What You Want Community (Free to Join) — Check It OutBrowse Other ServicesInstagram: @rachaelrantsandravesSubscribe to Rachael's bi-weekly(ish) newsletter: The Real Deal Digest

  3. Jul 22

    Have a business in Rochester and don't want to do it alone? Listen to this conversation with BOSSY ROC.

    Send us Fan Mail In a first for the show, Rachael sits down with not one but two guests — Kelly Bush and Kelly Metras — co-founders of Bossy Rochester, a support group and community for women business owners in the Rochester, NY region. What started as two friends venting over happy hour has grown into an organization with hundreds of members, seminars, conferences, and a sister podcast, "Getting Real with Bossy." They dig into why community matters more than competition, what it really takes to run a small business, and why women-only spaces still matter. Bossy Rochester: bossyroc.com Email: bossyroc@gmail.com Social: @BossyRoc Podcast: Getting Real with Bossy Local (Rochester) listeners: check out Bossy Rochester and get involved! International listeners: seek out your local version of a Bossy-style support group — or start one. Thanks so much for listening! Don't forget to subscribe do you don't miss any episodes. Please, please please leave a review if you enjoy this podcast! Work with Rachael: Brand Soundcheck — More Info Why You're Not Getting Clients Quiz — Takes 2 minutes Do What You Want Community (Free to Join) — Check It OutBrowse Other ServicesInstagram: @rachaelrantsandravesSubscribe to Rachael's bi-weekly(ish) newsletter: The Real Deal Digest

  4. Jul 15

    Want to create an offer you love that actually SELLS? Listen to this (with Lori Young)

    Send us Fan Mail What We Talk About You've poured your heart into an offer. You know it's good. You launch it and then... nothing. Rachael sits down with offer expert Lori Young to talk about why killer offers flop (spoiler: usually not because the offer itself sucks) and what actually matters when you're designing something people want to buy. Topics include: positioning, personality-driven branding, your core genius, contrarian POVs, and why you need a methodology to back up your authority. Of course... DO WHAT YOU WANT... but if you *want* to sell offers with ease, you'll want to listen to this episode. 😉 Resources Mentioned: Offer X-Ray — A comprehensive diagnostic for your offers with a PDF report and actionable priorities. Click/tap here to grab it. (-- affiliate link) Founding member price: $47 through July 31st, 2026 (price goes up on Aug 1) How to Find Lori Young On The Internetz: Website: onabmissionbrands.com Podcast: The Offer Mojo Show Instagram: @offer_magician Thanks so much for listening! Don't forget to subscribe do you don't miss any episodes. Please, please please leave a review if you enjoy this podcast! Work with Rachael: Brand Soundcheck — More Info Why You're Not Getting Clients Quiz — Takes 2 minutes Do What You Want Community (Free to Join) — Check It OutBrowse Other ServicesInstagram: @rachaelrantsandravesSubscribe to Rachael's bi-weekly(ish) newsletter: The Real Deal Digest

  5. Jul 8

    Want to get inside Rachael's head? Listen to this (solo episode)

    Send us Fan Mail Rachael's back solo this week after a guest fell through — and it turns out there was plenty to talk about anyway. She dives into a Threads scuffle over an AI-generated date-ideas post, why "AI tells" have become such a lightning rod, and what it means when someone's voice gets stripped away by over-scripting.  Plus: a new self-imposed challenge to do *some*thing in 70 days... you'll have to listen to find out what it is. Also in this episode: Why she's recording weekly instead of batching — this is the radio show eraRachael's take on AI-generated contentNoticing "AI tells" in a well-known messaging strategist's podcast episode — and why that's not automatically a bad thingWhat she's reading, watching, and listening to right now Mentioned in this episode: The Real Deal Digest — Rachael's newsletter (link in show notes)Do What You Want Community on Skool — free to joinrj-creative.comInstagram: @rachaelrantsandravesJust Mercy by Bryan StevensonThe 12 Week Year by Brian P. Moran and Michael LenningtonThe Bear, Season 3Olivia Rodrigo's new album Thanks so much for listening! Don't forget to subscribe do you don't miss any episodes. Please, please please leave a review if you enjoy this podcast! Work with Rachael: Brand Soundcheck — More Info Why You're Not Getting Clients Quiz — Takes 2 minutes Do What You Want Community (Free to Join) — Check It OutBrowse Other ServicesInstagram: @rachaelrantsandravesSubscribe to Rachael's bi-weekly(ish) newsletter: The Real Deal Digest

  6. Jul 1

    Want to start a podcast with no team? Listen to this first (solo episode with Rachael Johnson)

    Send us Fan Mail Why do most podcasts die before episode 10? In this candid episode, Rachael pulls back the curtain on what it's actually like to podcast solo — the stops and starts, the editing burnout, the "wait, is this even good?" spiral, and her four-year on-and-off relationship with this very show you're about to listen to. (Right... RIGHT?? YOU'RE GOING TO LISTEN TO IT, RIIIIIGHTTT??) You won't find expert advice here or perfectly scripted takeaways — just an honest look at what it takes to keep showing up even if it feels like no one is paying attention.  Plus: her insights for anyone thinking about starting their own show, what she's currently listening to, watching, and reading, and a peek at what's coming next (hint: guests, human design, and more unfiltered thoughts on running a business your way). Thanks so much for listening! Don't forget to subscribe do you don't miss any episodes. Please, please please leave a review if you enjoy this podcast! Work with Rachael: Brand Soundcheck — More Info Why You're Not Getting Clients Quiz — Takes 2 minutes Do What You Want Community (Free to Join) — Check It OutBrowse Other ServicesInstagram: @rachaelrantsandravesSubscribe to Rachael's bi-weekly(ish) newsletter: The Real Deal Digest

  7. Jun 24

    Want to get unstuck and give yourself permission to just GO AND DO THE THING? Then definitely listen to this (solo episode with Rachael Johnson)

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode: Rachael unpacks the "three P's" — how perfectionism shows up as armor (not excellence), why pivoting requires moving before you have it all figured out, and why clarity actually lives in conversation with other people, not in your own head. If you're simply looking for permission to go make moves, make sure you listen to the end... where Rachael hands out ALLLL the permission slips you could ever need to go forth and do the thing you want to do. Mentioned in this episode: Dare to Lead by Brené Brown — bookBrené Brown's TED Talk, "The Power of Vulnerability" — https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_the_power_of_vulnerabilityJust Mercy by Bryan Stevenson — bookyou seem pretty sad for a girl so in love — Olivia Rodrigo's new albumFriends & Neighbors — Apple TV+, starring Jon HammWork with Rachael: Brand Soundcheck — More Info Why You're Not Getting Clients Quiz — Takes 2 minutes Do What You Want Community (7-day free trial, then $10/mo) — Check It OutBrowse Other ServicesInstagram: @rachaelrantsandravesThanks so much for listening! Don't forget to subscribe do you don't miss any episodes. Please, please please leave a review if you enjoy this podcast! Work with Rachael: Brand Soundcheck — More Info Why You're Not Getting Clients Quiz — Takes 2 minutes Do What You Want Community (Free to Join) — Check It OutBrowse Other ServicesInstagram: @rachaelrantsandravesSubscribe to Rachael's bi-weekly(ish) newsletter: The Real Deal Digest

  8. Jun 10

    Want to avoid going to crappy webinars? Then listen to this for the 3 red flags that tell you it's going to be a crappy webinar...

    Send us Fan Mail Well, a few weeks ago I sat through what I thought was going to be a promising "training" and all it ended up being was 2 hours of my life that I never got back. I'm sick of people wasting their time with these kind of webinars so I thought I'd share the 3 red flags of a webinar so you can avoid wasting your life away like I did last Tuesday night. Do you agree with my red flags? Do you have more? Then join the discussion over at my community, Do What You Want. Need help with your rebrand? Or have you lost your voice to AI and are ready to get it back? Then let's talk. Cool people I mention in this episode: Jamie Sea Tarzan Kay Thanks so much for listening! Don't forget to subscribe do you don't miss any episodes. Please, please please leave a review if you enjoy this podcast! Work with Rachael: Brand Soundcheck — More Info Why You're Not Getting Clients Quiz — Takes 2 minutes Do What You Want Community (Free to Join) — Check It OutBrowse Other ServicesInstagram: @rachaelrantsandravesSubscribe to Rachael's bi-weekly(ish) newsletter: The Real Deal Digest

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About

Season 2 of the "Do What You Want" podcast takes us beyond where Season 1 left us, where the host interviewed people who, at one point in their life said, “Ya know... I’m going to… do what I want” and then they went and… did what they want. But right now, the market feels... odd. Everyone wants to sell you their frameworks, trainings, systems, processes. Every other Instagram story is an ad to a webinar that will "unlock your secret to more clients" or "sell your digital products on autopilot."But will it? Or do we need something more? Or maybe all of these coaches & personal brands are on to something, because the word "solopreneur" should have never existed in the first place and we're meant to be in community — to work together, share ideas, and exchange energy. In Season 2 of Do What You Want, Rachael explores what's really going on in the online marketing space right now, interviews experts to learn what's working for them in 2026, and ultimately — encourages you to do what you want. At the end of each episode, YOU get to decide what feels aligned and what doesn't. Take what you need and leave the rest. Listen to every episode or only listen to the ones where the title lights you up. Curious? Then give it a listen! New episodes of this new iteration are out in June 2026.

Information

  • Creator
    Rachael Johnson
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    25
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Do What You Want!
  • Show Website
    Do What You Want!