Built in Public

There's a reason some people walk into a room and everyone notices. It's not luck. It's not looks. And it's not something you either have or you don't.
Today I'm sitting down with Whitney Uland, founder of How to Be Famous, to talk about the one thing most people building a personal brand are missing: the it factor. And no, you're not born with it. You build it.
Whitney spent over a decade in the entertainment industry, acting, writing, navigating rejection, until someone told her she didn't have what it takes. Instead of accepting that, she became obsessed with understanding what magnetism is, where it comes from, and how anyone can develop it. Now she helps creatives, founders, and entrepreneurs step into what she calls their celebrity energy.
In this episode, we get into why your personal brand is 90% subconscious, what's blocking you from showing up online even if you've performed in front of thousands of people, and why following trends will always keep you chasing instead of leading.
Mentioned in this episode:
📘 Career Cheat Codes (Pre-Order)

My new book Career Cheat Codes is now available for pre-order. It’s a practical guide to building career leverage, growing your visibility, and turning your expertise into real opportunities.
Pre-order → penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807588/career-cheat-codes-by-courtney-johnson/
👩‍💻 Holly Maglin — Early Career Recruiting Strategy
If you're a founder or startup team hiring Gen Z talent, check out Holly Madeline. She helps companies modernize how they recruit early-career candidates.
Connect on LinkedIn → Holly Maglin
03:00 What the ‘It Factor’ is 
08:02 Why your personal brand is 90% subconscious 
09:04 Why "personal brand" feels icky
20:27 How to build magnetism from scratch 
24:04 Why visibility shuts people down (and how to fix it)
27:15 Why performers still struggle on camera
38:00 How to stop chasing trends and start creating them 
44:00 Fame, ego, and why hiding is the more egoic move 
51:00 How boundaries grow as your brand grows 
About Whitney 
Whitney Uland is the founder of How to Be Famous, a framework and community built around the idea that magnetism, visibility, and presence are learnable skills — not personality traits you're either born with or not. Before building her personal brand, Whitney spent over a decade in the entertainment industry as an actor and writer. She now works with founders, creatives, and entrepreneurs to help them own their spotlight on their own terms.
Connect with Whitney
📲 Instagram: @whitneyuland
🎶 TikTok: whitneyuland
🎙️ Podcast: How to Be Famous
Stay connected with me
📧 Contact: [email protected]
👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod
👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson
💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson
🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

If you’ve ever thought, “I don’t really know what a personal brand is” or “how do I even start a personal brand???”, this episode is for you.
Today I’m joined by Danielle Canty, former co-founder of Bossbabe, to break down one of the biggest misconceptions about personal branding:
You don’t start a personal brand. 
You ALREADY have one.
Danielle shares how she went from working in the medical field to co-founding BossBabe, one of the most recognizable online business brands of the last decade, and how she now thinks about personal brands as leverage. Not the business itself, but the thing that opens doors, builds trust, and compounds opportunities over time.
We also talk about the mindset blocks that stop people from showing up online, why perfect content actually hurts engagement, and how building community matters far more than going viral.
Mentioned in this episode:
📘 Career Cheat Codes (Pre-Order)

My new book Career Cheat Codes is now available for pre-order. It’s a practical guide to building career leverage, growing your visibility, and turning your expertise into real opportunities.
Pre-order → penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807588/career-cheat-codes-by-courtney-johnson/
👩‍💻 Holly Maglin — Early Career Recruiting Strategy
If you're a founder or startup team hiring Gen Z talent, check out Holly Madeline. She helps companies modernize how they recruit early-career candidates.
Connect on LinkedIn → Holly Maglin
02:30 You already have a personal brand
09:34 The truth about reputation and online presence
13:31 Why personal brands create leverage
16:41 The cultural excuses people make about showing up online
17:17 “You are what you say you are”
19:41 How mindset shapes growth and motivation
36:05 Perfect content hurts engagement
37:45 The power of imperfection in building trust
About Danielle 
Danielle Canty is an entrepreneur and the former co-founder of BossBabe, the online education brand that grew into an eight-figure business supporting hundreds of thousands of women entrepreneurs worldwide.
Since exiting the company in 2023, Danielle focuses on helping founders turn ideas into scalable businesses through clear systems, predictable revenue, and strategic simplicity.
She has generated $35M+ in online revenue, built multiple seven-figure businesses, and her work has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, Elle, and Success Magazine.
Connect with Danielle
📲 Instagram: @daniellecanty
💼 LinkedIn: Danielle Canty
🔗 Website: danielle-canty.com/
Stay connected with me
📧 Contact: [email protected]
👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod
👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson
💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson
🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

Welcome to the first official episode of Built In Public!

If you’ve ever felt stuck choosing a niche… frustrated with low engagement… or unsure how to turn content into actual conversations and clients, this one’s for you.

In this episode, I’m breaking down the philosophy behind building in public (the authentic and awkward version)

I break down the biggest engagement mistakes I see creators making, why faces and formatting matter more than most people realize, and how to use your audience’s exact words to sharpen your messaging so they reach out.

And we get into the thing nobody wants to hear, but everyone needs to: consistency will always matter more than trying to game the algorithm.

00:00 Why I rebranded to Built In Public
05:15 How to actually find your niche (without forcing it)
10:19 The messaging strategy that makes people reach out to you
21:04 Why your content isn’t getting engagement
23:12 Formatting mistakes that kill performance
29:30 Consistency algorithm hacks

If this episode helped you think differently about your personal brand, leave a review and let me know what hit.

We’re just getting started.

Stay connected with me! 
[email protected]
IG @courtlynnjohnson 
LK @Courtney Johnson
TIKTOK @courtney..johnson

In this week’s episode of Slay The Gatekeeper, I sit down with Andrew Kroeze for a conversation about the mindset that shapes everything we build on the outside: our work, our businesses, and our lives.
Andrew shares his story with a lot of honesty, starting with the years he spent feeling stuck and disconnected, and the moment he realized that no one was coming to save him. From there, we talk about how a single 90-day commitment changed his relationship with himself, his habits, and eventually the way he approached business.
We also get into the business side of things, why ads don’t fix misaligned offers, why organic growth comes first, and how personal brand becomes a form of leverage when it’s built on trust and clarity instead of performance. Andrew walks through how he moved from doing everything himself to building systems and teams that allowed his business to scale past seven figures and eventually become something he could step away from.
What stood out to me most in this conversation is how practical it is. There’s no pretending growth is linear or easy. Just a clear look at how internal decisions shape external outcomes, and why action usually comes before confidence, not the other way around.
If you’re building something and starting to sense that effort alone isn’t the issue, this episode will give you a different lens to look through.
05:50 Identity as the foundation of every result
08:40 The moment he reclaimed his sense of agency
10:05 Why environment matters more than motivation
12:15 How proximity normalizes higher standards
14:45 “Pay for your friends” and choosing better rooms
16:55 Why ads don’t fix broken offers
18:30 Ads as accelerants, not lifelines
20:40 Product-market fit before scale
25:15 Personal brand as leverage, not ego
27:45 Systems, teams, and building something you can step away from
About Andrew 
Andrew Kroeze has built five 7-figure+ online businesses in the coaching and agency space. He now helps other founders do the same by systemizing their operations using tools like Airtable and GoHighLevel, supported by lean teams of A-players.
Connect with Andrew
📲 Instagram: @kaptainkroeze
💼 LinkedIn: Andrew Kroeze
🎙️YouTube: Andrew Kroeze
Stay connected with me
📧 Contact: [email protected]
👍 Instagram: @slaythegatekeeper
👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson 
💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson
🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

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: [email protected]
👍 Instagram: @slaythegatekeeper
👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson 
💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson
🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

In this week’s episode, I’m joined by Lauren Douglas, founder, strategist, and creative leader, for a conversation that cuts straight through some of the most persistent myths women face in business.
At its core, this episode is about visibility. But not in the “be louder” or “be more confident” way we usually hear it framed, but as a real, practical skill women have to learn if we want to move forward in business, leadership, or creative work. We talk about why women are still promoted on proof, why staying quiet about your work has an expensive cost, and how the idea that “good work speaks for itself” keeps so many women stuck.
One of my favorite moments is when we talk about creativity coming back online through the body, not the brain, including one of my go-to cheat codes: putting on music from your middle school years and letting yourself move without overthinking. It’s simple, it’s human, and it works!
04:12 Why Women Are Promoted on Proof
08:35 The Real Cost of Staying Quiet About Your Work
12:01 Personal Brand Without Ego
17:48 Owning Mindshare and Mental Real Estate
18:55 Fear, Creativity, and Original Work
21:00 Play, Music, and Reconnecting With Creative Instincts
29:10 Purpose, Courage, and Career Seasons
About Lauren 
Lauren is a founder, marketing and PR strategist, and creative thinker focused on helping leaders communicate with clarity and intention. Her work sits at the intersection of visibility, leadership, creativity, and modern career strategy. Through her agency and advisory work, she helps individuals and organizations articulate their voice, build trust, and create long-term impact.
Connect with Lauren
📲 Instagram: @laurentheseeker
Stay connected with me
📧 Contact: [email protected]
👍 Instagram: @slaythegatekeeper
👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson 
💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson
🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

In this week's episode, I sit down with Whitney Lasseter, Founder and Visionary of ATMA Church, for one of the most expansive, honest, and nuanced conversations we’ve had on the show.
Whitney is a Bufo facilitator, ceremonial leader, and spiritual guide who works at the intersection of sacred medicine, trauma healing, and integration. Together, we ungatekeep a modality that is often misunderstood, quietly used, and rarely spoken about publicly, despite its profound impact on people’s lives.
We talk openly about why certain psychedelic and entheogenic medicines remain gatekept, especially among influential and high-profile individuals, and what happens when people step into this work with intention, preparation, and integrity. Whitney shares her personal journey, from a near-death experience and years of heartbreak to a deep spiritual awakening, and how her relationship with God, leadership, and service was completely reshaped along the way.
We also explore some of the most sensitive and important questions around this work, sobriety, addiction, legality, public perception, and the future of psychedelic therapy, without sensationalism or shortcuts. This episode is about depth, discernment, and why some of the most powerful tools for healing are still kept quiet.
If you’re curious about plant and psychedelic medicine, spiritual awakening beyond religion, or what conscious leadership actually looks like when no one’s watching, this episode is for you.
02:32 Why Bufo Is Quietly Used by Influential People
03:45 Letting a Journalist Inside Sacred Ceremony
06:10 Choosing Integrity Over Safety
08:45 The Near-Death Experience That Started Everything
09:45 “The Most Profound Experience of My Life”
10:31 Redefining God Outside of Religion
13:06 Why the Experience Is Fast—but the Work Isn’t
16:24 Facilitating Bufo for Her Own Mother
17:20 “This Is of God”
29:07 How This Medicine Changes Addiction and Sobriety
About Whitney 
Whitney Lasseter is the Founder and Visionary of ĀTMA Church: All Tribes Medicine Assembly in Austin Texas, where she facilitates sacred medicine ceremonies and retreats focused on deep healing, spiritual awakening, and integration. With +7 years of experience guiding individuals through trauma, sobriety, and transformation, Whitney is known for her grounded leadership, integrity, and heart-led approach to this work. 
Connect with Whitney
📲 Instagram: @whitneyofatma
💼 LinkedIn: Whitney Lasseter
🌐 atma.church
Stay connected with me
📧 Contact: [email protected]
👍 Instagram: @slaythegatekeeper
👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson 
💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson
🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

There’s a moment most people reach where they’re no longer confused, uninformed, or unprepared; they’re just hesitant. This episode lives right in that moment.
In this week’s episode, I’m joined by Kassidy Warren, and we go deep into why so many people stay stuck under the idea of “I’m in the process of healing.” We unpack how healing language, self-work, and “doing the inner work” can quietly become a place to stall, especially when real action would require discomfort, risk, or a genuine shift in identity.
Kassidy breaks down why accountability tends to disappear in adulthood, why athletes and high performers understand stakes differently, and how your environment can either stretch you forward or keep you small. We explore the difference between playing it safe and turning pro, why proximity matters more than motivation, and how most people are already standing at the edge of the decision they keep postponing.
If you’ve been telling yourself you’re “working on it,” but nothing in your life has materially changed, this conversation may help you see what’s really going on.
02:30 Why athletes understand accountability differently
04:20 What happens when accountability disappears in adulthood
07:15 Why real change requires stakes
08:45 Investing before results show up
10:40 How your environment shapes your standards
14:45 Why growth often means outgrowing familiar spaces
15:30 The “bucket of crabs” effect and being dragged down
19:38 Spending money to accelerate growth
22:45 Turning pro vs playing it safe
23:40 “What am I pretending not to know?”
About Kassidy
Kassidy Warren is a real estate investor and coach who helps people buy properties that reduce their tax burden, build equity, and create long-term freedom. He previously worked in engineering and IT before leaving corporate life due to burnout. After living in a van with his wife and rebuilding their careers through consulting, they built a portfolio of short-term rentals. Kassidy now leads a mastermind called Escape Velocity, where he supports members through real estate education, community, and mindset work.
Connect with Kassidy
📲 Instagram: @kassidy.warren
💼 LinkedIn: Kassidy Warren
🌐 kassidywarren.com
Stay connected with me
📧 Contact: [email protected]
👍 Instagram: @slaythegatekeeper
👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson 
💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson
🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

Hi friends! I’m back with a solo episode to close out the year, and I wanted to talk about something almost every creator faces the moment their visibility starts to grow: trolls, haters, and negative comments, and why they’re not something to fear, delete, or avoid (at all).
If you’ve ever opened your comments and felt your stomach drop, questioned whether you should post again, or wondered if being more visible is even worth it, this episode is for you. I walk through why trolls are often a signal that your content is actually working, how neutrality will keep you invisible forever, and why trying to be liked by everyone is the fastest way to stall your growth.
I also share how I personally deal with trolls, how I reframe negative comments so they don’t derail me emotionally, and why learning to embrace polarity has been one of the biggest drivers of my growth online.
If you’re building a personal brand, creating content more consistently, or feeling called to show up more boldly, this episode is a reminder that relevance requires courage, and that being disliked is often a sign you’re on the right path.
02:10 My first mindset shift around trolls
04:45 Why 50% love and 50% hate is the goal
07:30 How algorithms actually interpret engagement
10:40 Why controversy drives virality
13:15 How I bait trolls in my hooks
16:05 How I stop taking negative comments personally
18:40 The biggest mistakes creators make with trolls
21:30 Why people-pleasing makes you forgettable
24:10 Trolls as a rite of passage
26:50 Final thoughts on showing up boldly online
Stay connected with me
📧 Contact: [email protected]
👍 Instagram: @slaythegatekeeper
👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson 
💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson
🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

This conversation means a lot to me, and it feels right to share it the day before Christmas 🎄🌟
I’m joined by my fiancé, Lucas Ferrer-Cardona, a vascular surgeon, academic, and co-host of the Life of Flow Podcast, for a conversation about leverage, ownership, and why building a personal brand matters no matter what field you’re in.
After nearly two decades of medical training, Lucas reached a realization many high performers quietly arrive at: he was trading time for money, with very little control over what he’d built. In this episode, we talk about how discovering Naval Ravikant’s ideas on leverage reshaped the way he thought about work, opportunity, and long-term security, and how that shift led him to build a strong, monetized personal brand without managing his own social media 👀
We get into why media creates optionality in a way jobs never will, how delegation and trust make scale possible, and why “keeping your head down and working hard” is no longer enough to protect you. Lucas shares what surprised him most once he started building visibility, how his podcast opened doors he never could have accessed otherwise, and why ownership matters more than titles.
If you’ve ever felt resistant to social media, overwhelmed by the idea of putting yourself out there, or uneasy relying solely on your job for stability, this conversation offers a different lens, one grounded in autonomy, leverage, and long-term thinking.
05:30 Discovering Naval Ravikant and rethinking work
09:15 Media, money, and people as leverage
13:40 Why being “the best” isn’t the goal
17:05 The Category of One idea
21:30 Building visibility without managing social media
26:10 Trusting a team and delegating creatively
31:45 What institutions really own
36:20 Personal brand as long-term optionality
41:50 Podcasting as access and relationship capital
46:30 Creating momentum and new opportunities
51:10 Risk, fear, and intuition
About Dr. Lucas Ferrer-Cardona
Lucas M. Ferrer Cardona, MD is a board-certified vascular surgeon in the Institute for Cardiovascular Health, a clinical partnership between Ascension Seton and UT Health Austin. He specializes in the vascular treatment of both arterial and venous disorders. Additionally, Dr. Ferrer Cardona is an assistant professor in the Dell Medical School Department of Surgery and Perioperative Care at The University of Texas at Austin.
Dr. Ferrer Cardona earned his medical degree from the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He completed both an internship and residency in surgery at Temple University Hospital – Main Campus and a fellowship in vascular surgery at Baylor College of Medicine.
Dr. Ferrer Cardona’s clinical interests include preventing diabetic foot amputations and performing limb salvage, particularly using foot vein arterialization for patients who have few options, as well as minimally invasive treatments for carotid disease, dialysis access, and aortic aneurysms.
Connect with Lucas:

💼 LinkedIn: Lucas (Lucas Ferrer - Cardona) Ferrer🎙️Podcast: Life of Flow Podcast
Stay connected with me
📧 Contact: [email protected]
👍 Instagram: @slaythegatekeeper
👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson 
💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson
🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson