What happens when authenticity becomes your superpower?

For Goldie Chan, she turned her authentic, vulnerable story into a personal brand everyone wants. She’s the founder of Warm Robots, a Forbes contributor, and the author of Personal Branding for Introverts, a guide to building influence without pretending to be someone you’re not.

Dubbed the “Oprah of LinkedIn,” Goldie built one of the most trusted voices in storytelling and leadership by doing something revolutionary in the age of algorithms: leading with heart.

In this episode, Healey Cypher sits down with Goldie to talk about how stories shape trust, why vulnerability is magnetic, and what it really takes to connect in a world run by metrics.

You’ll hear:

• How emotional intelligence beats IQ in leadership and influence

• The two versions of every great story (and when to use each)

• Why authenticity builds more trust than perfection ever could

• How to make one-to-many communication feel one-to-one

• Why “Yes, and…” might be the secret to better teams and conversations

• How Goldie’s cancer story became a masterclass in vulnerability

• The storytelling framework that every founder should steal

This conversation is equal parts strategy and soul. It’s about turning your humanity into your advantage and proving that empathy, not ego, is the real growth engine.

⏱️ EPISODE TIMESTAMPS

00:00 — The story behind Don’t Be a Jerk (and Adam Grant’s advice)

05:00 — Meet Goldie Chan: from poetry to the “Oprah of LinkedIn”

10:00 — Why storytelling is the most human skill we have left

14:30 — “Broetry,” bad writing, and how to actually hook your reader

19:00 — Vulnerability as a superpower: Goldie’s cancer story

22:00 — The two versions of every story: short vs. long

26:30 — Authenticity → Trust → Performance: the leadership loop

31:00 — The improv rule that transforms conversations

34:00 — How to make one-to-many feel one-to-one

40:00 — Confidence vs. ego — and why both are contagious

47:00 — Storytelling as a muscle: how to keep it strong

55:00 — Goldie’s final lesson: tell the story that resonates

🎧 Listen now to this episode of Don’t Be a Jerk wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow along for more conversations on leadership, empathy, and storytelling in the age of AI:

IG: @healeycypher

@dontbeajerkpodcast

LinkedIn:

Healey Cypher