Do What You Want!
Download on the App Store

Do What You Want! episodes

  • 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 me
    • Audacious authenticity, and why your VIBE is the real reason people hire you
    • How AI gave us all one shared brain cell, and what that means for your brand voice
    • Leslie's pivot: a big move, a partnership shifting, and trusting intuition over spreadsheets
    • Chasing the money vs. following what lights you up
    • Separating what you do from who you are
    • The 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/@lesliesilvermanofficial

    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 Out
    • Browse Other Services
    • Instagram: @rachaelrantsandraves

    Subscribe to Rachael's bi-weekly(ish) newsletter: The Real Deal Digest

    38 min
  • 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 click
    • How 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 hours
    • Chanti's blunt take on creatives who insist AI won't affect them
    • Interactive 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/growthtype
    • Spill the Tea newsletter: www.chantizak.com/signup
    • The 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 Out
    • Browse Other Services
    • Instagram: @rachaelrantsandraves

    Subscribe to Rachael's bi-weekly(ish) newsletter: The Real Deal Digest

    38 min
  • 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: [email protected]

    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 Out
    • Browse Other Services
    • Instagram: @rachaelrantsandraves

    Subscribe to Rachael's bi-weekly(ish) newsletter: The Real Deal Digest

    33 min
  • 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 Out
    • Browse Other Services
    • Instagram: @rachaelrantsandraves

    Subscribe to Rachael's bi-weekly(ish) newsletter: The Real Deal Digest

    41 min
  • 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 era
    • Rachael's take on AI-generated content
    • Noticing "AI tells" in a well-known messaging strategist's podcast episode — and why that's not automatically a bad thing
    • What 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 join
    • rj-creative.com
    • Instagram: @rachaelrantsandraves
    • Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
    • The 12 Week Year by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington
    • The Bear, Season 3
    • Olivia 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 Out
    • Browse Other Services
    • Instagram: @rachaelrantsandraves

    Subscribe to Rachael's bi-weekly(ish) newsletter: The Real Deal Digest

    19 min
  • 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 Out
    • Browse Other Services
    • Instagram: @rachaelrantsandraves

    Subscribe to Rachael's bi-weekly(ish) newsletter: The Real Deal Digest

    18 min
  • 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 — book
    • Brené Brown's TED Talk, "The Power of Vulnerability" — https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_the_power_of_vulnerability
    • Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson — book
    • you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love — Olivia Rodrigo's new album
    • Friends & Neighbors — Apple TV+, starring Jon Hamm

    Work 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 Out
    • Browse Other Services
    • Instagram: @rachaelrantsandraves

    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 Out
    • Browse Other Services
    • Instagram: @rachaelrantsandraves

    Subscribe to Rachael's bi-weekly(ish) newsletter: The Real Deal Digest

    23 min
  • 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 Out
    • Browse Other Services
    • Instagram: @rachaelrantsandraves

    Subscribe to Rachael's bi-weekly(ish) newsletter: The Real Deal Digest

    18 min
  • Want to stop overthinking and follow your gut instead? Listen to this one (with Rachael Johnson)

    Send us Fan Mail

    This is the episode where it all begins (again). I'm sharing the story behind a vision I had about a year ago — one that sent me on a wild 60-day challenge — and why I believe that little nagging voice in your head deserves your full attention.

    What's in this episode:

    • Why I almost didn't restart this podcast (and what finally pushed me to do it anyway)
    • The vision I had sitting in my car after a referral group meeting — and how I decided to actually follow it and make it come true 1 year later
    • The book that gave me the little nudge in the right direction


    Links mentioned

    Alecia Peterson / Drummer Girl Marketing Instagram Account 

    12 Days of Increasing Sales (a free mini email course): https://rj-creative.com/12-days-of-increasing-sales

    Work with me.

    Come hang out with me and other people who do what they want.


    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 Out
    • Browse Other Services
    • Instagram: @rachaelrantsandraves

    Subscribe to Rachael's bi-weekly(ish) newsletter: The Real Deal Digest

    18 min
  • Ep 17: Marketing, Messaging, & Mindset — What to expect for Season 2 of DWYW

    Send us Fan Mail

    Hey there! Welcome back to the Do What You Want Podcast.

    I realize it's been a little while since I've uploaded an episode... and the reason for that is inside this episode!


    ----------------

    Here are 3 ways you can work with me, Rachael, your host! 

    👉 Just need some freaking guidance and an action plan because you're sick of throwing spaghetti at the wall? Grab a BrAND Soundcheck.

    👉 This package is for you if you're sick of using ChatGPT... and you sense your sales are suffering because of it.

    👉 Need some launch copy written STAT? Or are you sick of half-assing your own website and ready for a professional to get 'er done ASAP? Book a VIP Intensive.

    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 Out
    • Browse Other Services
    • Instagram: @rachaelrantsandraves

    Subscribe to Rachael's bi-weekly(ish) newsletter: The Real Deal Digest

    9 min

About Do What You Want!

From the publisher's feed

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”…