The internet has sold you this idea that going viral is the goal. It's not. And it never was.
JT Barnett left professional hockey with $0, no degree, and no plan. Instead of following the traditional path, he started posting, started failing in public, and started figuring out what makes people memorable online.
He went from filming fitness content to growing a TikTok house from zero to a million followers in 60 days, to consulting for brands like Poppi, to building Core Access, a recruiting firm that places creators inside the brands they already love.
In this week’s episode, JT breaks down the 4-part framework he uses to evaluate every creator he works with: Capacity, Identity, Execution, and Conversion. We get into why most people stall before they ever hit "post," why you don't need to be an expert to build an audience, and why the creators who will win in 2026 are the ones who stop chasing algorithms and start building real connections with a narrow, intentional audience.
If you've been waiting to feel ready before you start creating, this is the episode that's going to change that!!!
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/
05:20 How growing up in hockey and the internet shaped JT's view on personal brand
08:20 Why so many people can't articulate who they are publicly
10:09 The moment social media clicked as the ultimate leverage tool
14:24 You DON’T need to be an expert to start building an audience
15:14 The TikTok house that went from zero to a million followers in 60 days
24:54 The four stages of personal brand: entry-level, mid-tier, elite, and world-renowned
32:16 The 4-part framework: Capacity, Identity, Execution, and Conversion
38:19 Reputation beats Virality and where the creator economy is headed
41:50 The posts that perform vs. the ones that just get views
54:01 How to start hosting micro-community events today with zero budget
About JT
JT Barnett is a former professional hockey player, organic social strategist, and the founder of Core Access. After retiring from hockey with nothing lined up, he built his career entirely through social media, going from fitness content to organic social consulting for brands like Poppi to building a recruiting firm that places creators inside the brands they love. His 4-part framework, Capacity, Identity, Execution, and Conversion, is the foundation of how he coaches creators at every level. He's now building Core into a full performance center for creators who want to build reputation, not just reach.
Connect with JT
👍 Instagram: @jtbarnett
💼 LinkedIn: jtbarnett
🎶 TikTok: @jtbarnett
Stay connected with me
📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co
👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod
👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson
💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson
🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

Most people treat LinkedIn like a job board. Mischa Collins treats it like the most powerful business development tool on the planet, and she has the receipts to prove it. After being laid off in 2024, Mischa didn't scramble for her next role. She built in public (literally). Within 12 months, she grew her LinkedIn audience to over 50,000 followers, signed clients through inbound DMs alone, and turned a platform most people sleep on into a fully functioning business, one that's now taken her from the UK all the way to LA.
In this episode, we get into the strategy behind that growth. Mischa breaks down why posting without a mission is just noise, how to build authority on LinkedIn even when self-promotion makes you want to crawl out of your skin, and why the content you think is repetitive is actually the content that makes you unforgettable.
If you've been meaning to get serious about LinkedIn, this is the episode that's going to make you open the app before it's even done playing.
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
03:28 Getting laid off and deciding to build instead of job hunt
08:18 The moment she went all in
12:11 The scheduling trick that kills the fear of posting
15:21 Why LinkedIn is genuinely having its moment in 2026
23:44 Profile optimization and why your network is already full of opportunity
27:42 Every opportunity Mischa has landed through inbound LinkedIn DMs
35:00 Engagement strategy: why commenting might matter more than posting
41:00 How to use AI without sounding like AI
51:00 The MAP framework: Mission, Authority, Pillars
54:00 Mischa's next chapter: expanding beyond LinkedIn
About Mischa
Mischa Collins is a LinkedIn branding expert who helps entrepreneurs, coaches, and professionals establish authority, grow their audience, and monetize their expertise. With a proven track record of transforming LinkedIn profiles into powerful business assets, she shares actionable strategies to build influence and attract high-value opportunities.
Connect with Mischa
💼 LinkedIn: Mischa Collins
Stay connected with me
📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co
👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod
👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson
💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson
🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

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: courtney@smoothmedia.co
👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod
👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson
💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson
🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson