Due Diligence

This is my philosophy on networking: the principles, strategies & tactics. This was inspired by a question a follower asked on Instagram in an AMA and is a distillation of the lessons I've learned about how to network successfully.

JT Barnett is a TikTok creator, YouTuber, founder & content strategist. The accounts he has grown successfully on TikTok include @jtbarnett, @jtandsami, and @honeyhouse. He also runs BarnettX where he teaches businesses how to create TikTok content and matches creators with brands. JT has worked with brands like Tonal, Therabody, Whoop, Spotify, Bulletproof Coffee, Best Western, Poppi, Asos, We're Not Really Strangers and more. JT has been featured in Business Insider, Fast Company and Inc Magazine and also teaches TikTok strategy via his TikTok Masterclass for business.

Today's episode is different than our usual focus on a superficial level (since we're discussing an entrepreneur building a business around sugar dating and not DTC or ecommerce). But in fact, this conversation is actually a deeper exploration of some of the themes we've explored on this podcast and on my TikTok for over a year: women & money, what true "empowerment" means, and the narratives we as a society construct around women that are stigmatizing or critical, and the importance of challenging them by being authentic to our own desires.

Christina Kim is a creator, sugar dating educator, entrepreneur, and community builder. She is also the founder of Shadowbanned, an apparel brand for creators taking risks & being provocative that is on a mission to challenge societal & cultural norms and champion inclusivity of voices. 

In this episode we discuss:

Find Christina on YouTube, TikTok, and her podcast

This solo episode is a deconstruction of some of the public narratives told by brands that obscure the realities of starting a brand—and the fact that everyone's starting point can look vastly different despite the romanticized PR talking points. 

Lillie Sun is a talented CPG operator & marketer and the founder of Aderie Brands, an agency focused on email, SMS, and referral marketing. Previously she led growth at Three Ships Beauty, a clean skincare brand she helped scale to 7 figures. She is now the founder of a consumer tech startup in stealth.

In this conversion we discuss:

Learn more about Lillie on Twitter here or her website here

If you've ever felt inhibited from doing what honors you by the fear of what other people think, this episode is for you. I share my own journey with this fear along with 4 things that helped me overcome it.

Diarrha N'Diaye is the founder & CEO of Ami Colé, a "no makeup" makeup brand for melanin-rich skin that is rooted in her Senegalese heritage, inspired by her mom's hair salon in Harlem, and informed by her time at L'Oréal and Glossier working in the beauty industry on social media & product development teams. 

Today I reached 100K followers—at last! This solo episode is about the principles I attribute this most recent (and symbolic) spurt of growth to.

Today, in response to a request from a listener, we discuss dating—specifically how it can impact our alignment in work & career. She rightfully observed the very interesting fact that the first year I have been truly single in maybe forever as an adult is also the year of the greatest alignment & acceleration in my career so far. This episode is devoted to exploring this intriguing.. coincidence?

Sarah Grosz is an influencer marketing expert. She led the influencer marketing team at MuteSix, a leading marketing agency based in LA and is now the founder of goodCPG, a community and marketplace for emerging CPG brands. 

In this conversation we discuss:

Learn more about goodCPG on Instagram here & join Sarah's community at goodCPG here