Breaking Through The Noise

Built a 15K Community by Accident | Karina Mikhli on Fractionals United

How do you build a 15,000-member community without funding, a team, or even a plan? In this episode, we sit down with Karina Mikhli, founder of Fractionals United, to hear how solving her own problem led to one of the fastest-growing spaces for fractional executives and operators.

🚀 What You'll Learn:

• How Karina validated her idea in 48 hours using just LinkedIn and Slack

• Why “pseudo communities” fail and what a real community looks like

• The systems she built to sustain growth (and avoid burnout)

• Lessons on positioning, authenticity, and organic traction for thought leaders

• How to monetize without killing your mission

This is a masterclass in community-led growth, personal brand building, and how to meet a moment with clarity and courage.

👉 Whether you're a fractional executive, coach, or emerging thought leader, this episode will help you turn your story into strategy and your network into a movement.

🔔 Subscribe for more stories from founders, operators, and experts who are building credibility and impact in public.

Struggling to get leads from LinkedIn even though you’re posting consistently? You’re not alone.

In this video, Jared Gibson shares how he turned low engagement into high-converting inbound leads without chasing algorithms, going viral, or spending hours a day online.

You’ll learn:
✅ How to show up with credibility (even when your posts get 5 likes)
✅ The mindset shift that changed my approach to content
✅ Why most experts quit too early — and how to push through the “invisible phase”
✅ A simple content strategy to attract buyers, not just followers

If you’re a founder, consultant, or thought leader using LinkedIn to grow your business, this one’s for you.

🔔 Subscribe for more content on building your personal brand, growing your consulting business, and getting real results from social content.

#LinkedInMarketing #PersonalBranding #ConsultingBusiness #LeadGeneration #B2BMarketing

What if the key to a breakout business wasn’t more features but more feeling?

In this episode, John Williamson, CEO and Co-Founder of Songfinch, shares the wild true story of how a custom wedding song sparked a movement and how he nearly shut it all down before one last $30K Hail Mary ad changed everything.

You’ll learn:

• How to find product-market fit without changing your product

• Why emotional resonance can beat scale (and how to use it)

• What to do when your idea gets laughed out of the room

• How founders can turn early skepticism into a strategic advantage

👉 Whether you're an emerging thought leader, creative founder, or B2B advisor trying to scale your voice, this is for you.

🎧 Subscribe for more honest, founder-to-founder conversations about brand, clarity, and business growth.

Use code "HAILMARY" at checkout on songfinch.com for $35 off and a free slideshow lyric video

🎙️ Escaping Corporate & Breaking Through the Noise: How Brett Trainor Built a 76K TikTok Following as a Gen Xer

In this episode, host Catherine Jelinek sits down with Brett Trainor, founder of The Corporate Escapee and Escapee Collective, to talk about what it really takes to break free from corporate life and go viral doing it.

After 25 years in corporate America, Brett didn’t just quit; he reinvented himself. Starting with just 8 followers on TikTok, he built a community of over 76,000 Gen X professionals by being raw, unfiltered, and real about burnout, layoffs, and life after corporate.

You’ll hear:
🔥 How one unscripted TikTok about layoffs hit over 1 million views
💼 Why “anti-corporate” authenticity connects more than polished branding
🎯 The 3 stages of escapees and how to know which one you’re in
🚀 How taking action (not overthinking) is the biggest advantage for aspiring entrepreneurs
📱 Why TikTok might secretly be the best platform for 40+ professionals

Whether you’re dreaming of leaving corporate, building your personal brand, or just want to hear how authenticity still wins online, this episode will inspire you to stop waiting—and start doing.

💬 Connect with Brett:LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/bretttrainorPodcast → The Corporate Escapee

🔗 Connect with The Skinny:Website → writeaskinny.comLinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/theskinnyplatform

From struggling in silence to two TEDx stages — Johnny Crowder, founder of Cope Notes, shares how embracing vulnerability transformed his life and career. In this episode, Johnny breaks down the mindset shift that took him from hiding behind metaphors to standing in his truth — and how being fully yourself is the real unlock for impact, purpose, and credibility. 💬🔥

If you’ve ever felt afraid to share your story, this conversation will change the way you see your voice forever.

👉 Watch now and learn how to turn your pain into purpose

In this inspiring episode, Professor CoCo Ree, award-winning designer, educator, and furniture expert, joins host Catherine Jelinek to explore what it really means to design with authenticity, courage, and grit.

From building her first thesis collection in secret to becoming a go-to furniture design voice featured by The Washington Post, CNBC, and Fast Company, CoCo shares the winding path that taught her how to blend art, design, and storytelling into work that lasts.

💡 You’ll learn:

• How to stand behind your creative vision (even when others don’t get it)

• Why “grit” and persistence matter more than perfection

• The power of generosity and collaboration in media and creative careers

• How to make your home and your life more intentional, layered, and personal

Whether you’re a designer, creator, or leader, this conversation will remind you that authenticity, enthusiasm, and resilience are the real engines of a lasting career.

🎧 Listen now and rediscover the art of creating and living with purpose.

How do you take a brand-new media company and land a feature on the BBC in less than a year? 🎙️

In this conversation, Catherine Jelinek interviews Ben Schuman-Stoler, founder of Kollo Media and European partner of The Skinny Platform, about the journey behind his project Dig Where You Stand—a documentary on history, memory, and returning ancestral remains—that aired on BBC World Service.

Ben shares the lessons every emerging thought leader and creator needs to hear:

✨ Go niche, not broad – focus on specific, relevant ideas that matter
✨ Build before you pitch – create assets (podcast, newsletter, media partners) to prove your story has legs
✨ Collaboration > isolation – working with others accelerates creativity and opportunity
✨ Adopt the mantra: “Why not me?” – a mindset that breaks through fear and opens doors

✨ Always ask: Why should people spend time on this? – clarity of value is what makes your work resonate

📈 From founding Kollo Media to signing publishing deals, hosting live events, and influencing classrooms in Berlin, Ben shows how one high-quality idea can ripple across platforms and audiences.

👤 Who this video is for:

• Emerging thought leaders

• Entrepreneurs & founders

• Podcasters & content creators

• Creatives looking to break into major platforms like the BBC

🔑 You’ll learn:

• How to refine your niche and build authority

• Strategies to package ideas for maximum reach

• Why focusing on quality opens high-quality doors

• How to recycle one great story across multiple media formats

👉 If you’re ready to refine your story, build credibility, and share ideas that matter—hit subscribe for more interviews and strategies for thought leadership and storytelling.

#BBC #thoughtleadership #storytelling #contentcreation #podcast #authoritybuilding

We are pivoting this podcast to "Breaking Through The Noise" to provide more value to emerging thought leaders

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