Brand You Personal Branding

AI isn't killing books. The numbers say otherwise, and the opportunity for authors has never been bigger.

In this conversation, Mike Kim (Wall St. Journal and USA Today bestselling author) and JJ Virgin (4x NYT bestselling author) talk about what actually happens to books in an AI world: who survives, who doesn't, and why your personal brand matters more now than ever.

They also get into AI clones, institutional knowledge, and why JJ literally has a digital version of herself running 24/7.

If you're an author, aspiring author, or thought leader trying to figure out where books fit in your business, this one's for you.

CONNECT WITH ME

• Newsletter
• Instagram
• TikTok
• X (Twitter)
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

Ryan Levesque built a SaaS company, had a life-changing exit offer fall apart at the 11th hour, and then realized something that shook him: he'd started hating his business, and as a result, he'd started hating himself.

What followed was a radical reorientation: making a public confession to his audience that none of his emails over the past seven years had actually been written by him, moving to a Vermont farm, and writing every word of his newsletter without AI.

This is a conversation about what it costs to take your voice back and why the unscalable things are the only real moat left in a post AI world.

RESOURCES:

• Ryan's newsletter »

CONNECT WITH ME

• Newsletter
• Instagram
• TikTok
• X (Twitter)
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

Your emails, posts, and captions sound generic because you shut off your real voice the moment you think you're supposed to sound impressive. You don't have a writing problem. You have a voice problem. I've spent over a decade as a brand strategist working with NYT bestselling authors and thought leaders, and I've found that nearly everyone falls into one of five voice types. This post may help you figure out which one is yours, and show you how to adapt it to any platform or situation.

CONNECT WITH ME

• Newsletter
• Instagram
• TikTok
• X (Twitter)
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

Take the Idea-to-IP assessment here »

No business strategy will solve a nervous system problem. In this episode, I break down Charlie Munger's inversion principle, a powerful identity framework from mental performance coach Lauren Johnson, and why the most successful people I've worked with are always the most teachable.

This is the inner game, and it matters more than any tactic.

CONNECT WITH ME

• Newsletter
• Instagram
• TikTok
• X (Twitter)
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

Take the Idea-to-IP assessment here »

Your inner voice powers everything: what you say, write, and how you show up. But most people try to force it louder instead of turning down the noise. In this episode, I cover how tracking behaviors, sorting ideas vs. notes, and building a simple capture system protects your original thinking and ensures you don't default to being a copy of a copy or a copy.

CONNECT WITH ME

• Newsletter
• Instagram
• TikTok
• X (Twitter)
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

Take the Idea-to-IP assessment here »

Most people think voice is just what you say or write. But there's a third voice that matters more than both: the voice of presence—what you emanate when people are around you. In this video, I unpack why developing all three voices is what creates real opportunity.

CONNECT WITH ME

• Newsletter
• Instagram
• TikTok
• X (Twitter)
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

Take the Idea-to-IP assessment here »

What does a day worth repeating actually look like? Today, I talk about getting punched in the mouth by January (literally ended up in the hospital), why AI is the Ozempic of thinking, and how I'm putting guardrails around my brain in a post-AI world.

If you're a hard-charging, high-achiever who defaults to being the engine instead of the architect, this one's for you.

CONNECT WITH ME

• Newsletter
• Instagram
• TikTok
• X (Twitter)
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

Take the Idea-to-IP assessment here »

One of the most common problems I see: experts doing everything right but not getting the traction they should.

Usually, it comes down to this: the right digits, the wrong order. You can have all the right numbers in a phone number, but if even one digit is out of place, you're not dialed in.

That's why I built the Idea to IP Score Assessment—a free 30-question diagnostic that shows you exactly where you are and what to focus on next.

CONNECT WITH ME

• Newsletter
• Instagram
• TikTok
• X (Twitter)
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

div]:bg-bg-000/50 [&_pre>div]:border-0.5 [&_pre>div]:border-border-400 [&_.ignore-pre-bg>div]:bg-transparent [&_.standard-markdown_:is(p,blockquote,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pl-2 [&_.standard-markdown_:is(p,blockquote,ul,ol,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pr-8 [&_.progressive-markdown_:is(p,blockquote,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pl-2 [&_.progressive-markdown_:is(p,blockquote,ul,ol,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pr-8"> _*]:min-w-0 standard-markdown">

I spent last week in the hospital getting tests done after experiencing bad headaches. Everything came back clear, and I'm on the mend. While I was there, a line from Matthew McConaughey's book Greenlights kept coming to mind: "Can I live in a way that I look forward to looking back?" Sharing some thoughts on that experience and a few updates on what's coming up.

EPISODE LINKS:

• Join the waitlist for You Are the Brand Academy »
• Greenlights (book) »

CONNECT WITH ME

• Newsletter
• Instagram
• TikTok
• X (Twitter)
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

I've spent years building a library that shaped who I am as a person and entrepreneur. From memoirs of obsessive creators to dark philosophy, relationship healing to marketing classics—these aren't just books I've read, they're books that changed me.

Here's my full list (with some comic books, YouTube channels, and newsletters thrown in): http://mikekim.com/booklist

CONNECT WITH ME

• Newsletter
• Instagram
• TikTok
• X (Twitter)
• LinkedIn
• Facebook