Slay The Gatekeeper – Episode Summary

Podcast: Slay The Gatekeeper
Host: Courtney Johnson
Episode: How Social Media Makes You Money
Date: January 27, 2026

Episode Overview

In this energetic Q&A episode, Courtney Johnson un-gatekeeps the secrets of leveraging social media for income and growth. Through a series of listener questions, she shares "cheat codes" on mindset, marketing, personal branding, and the often-overlooked emotional and subconscious obstacles holding creators back. Expect transparent, tough love delivery, actionable advice, and strategic insights rooted in lived experience.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Taking Action When Overwhelmed ([04:18])

• Question: How do you take a leap with a business idea if you're overwhelmed and want a co-founder?
• Courtney’s Advice:
  • Break your big idea into the smallest, messiest version you can launch in two hours for $10.
  • “What is the absolute smallest version of this thing you can create? Go create that.” ([07:02])
  • Examples: Launch a spreadsheet of curated products, write a blog post instead of a full course, or run a micro-event with friends.
  • Co-founders rarely join before proof of concept; create your MVP first.

2. Telling Stories Without Violating Privacy ([12:15])

• Question: How can therapists/regulated professionals use stories while respecting privacy?
• Advice:
  • Use celebrity or public figures’ stories.
  • “Talk about things that are publicly available... You’re borrowing the brand affinity of a major person, and it makes you look great.” ([14:57])
  • Apply this to any confidential industry; comment on public cases or discuss methods seen in public documentaries.

3. Handling Being Misunderstood on Social Media ([16:30])

• Question: How do you avoid shrinking or over-explaining when misunderstood online?
• Advice:
  • Read The Courage to Be Disliked.
  • Distinguish between “my task” and “your task”—others' opinions aren't yours to manage.
  • “The truth is, if everybody understands you, you're probably not being very honest.” ([20:50])
  • Being misunderstood is a milestone and often means you’re making real impact.
  • “If you are trying to make everyone like you, you are being manipulative and fake.” ([23:25])
  • Controversy often brings reach and revenue.

4. Climbing ‘Cringe Mountain’ ([27:02])

• Question: What if putting yourself out there online feels terrifying?
• Advice:
  • If it feels impossible, you’re likely not surrounded by others taking similar risks.
  • “You need to get some new friends... your body and brain wanna belong in the tribe.” ([29:10])
  • Success often means outgrowing old friendships and finding those who match your ambitions.

5. Manifestation & Shadow Work ([32:10])

• Question: How does thinking about what you don't want help manifest what you do want?
• Advice:
  • Acknowledge the “shadow” of your desires—what you fear or dislike about the things you’re chasing (e.g., money, success, relationships).
  • “Once you realize what you don’t want about it, it’s so much easier to move forward and get that thing.” ([33:22])
  • Courtney’s dislikes about success:
    • Losing friends who can’t match your growth.
    • More responsibility, discomfort, needing to work through fear.
    • “You can't really be sick, you have to keep showing up.” ([38:19])
    • But all of it is “100 million percent worth it.”

6. Avoiding and Overcoming Overwhelm ([49:45])

• Book Recommendation: The One Thing
  • “That book took me from chronically overwhelmed... to knowing exactly what I need to do every day.” ([50:30])
  • Identify and act on the single most important task daily.

7. Breaking Procrastination Shame Spirals ([51:13])

• Hack:
  • Play a “middle school dance playlist” from your era full blast—silliness breaks the cycle.
  • Build coworking containers: co-work with others or host an accountability Zoom.
  • “Middle school dance playlist and go make some coworking containers.” ([53:07])

8. Content Hacks for Impatient Creators ([54:29])

• Rapid Growth Hacks:
  • Use celebrity names and trending news for immediate virality.
  • Curate and repost memes, repurpose top posts, and “honor your downloads”—post content as soon as inspiration strikes.
  • “These are your best ideas... This is the feminine chaos energy of content creation.” ([56:42])
  • Study and recreate top-performing posts from your own and others’ profiles (see Steal like an Artist for ethical framework).

9. Monetizing Product-Based Businesses on LinkedIn ([63:16])

• Advice:
  • Connect with B2B buyers (retailers, event organizers, hospitality) via LinkedIn.
  • Chronicle your creation journey for brand affinity.
  • “LinkedIn wasn’t for B2C sales, but I was connecting with wholesale buyers, retreat organizers, hotels...” ([64:09])
  • Evaluate for alignment with your own passion and values.

10. Weekly Planning & Productivity for Content Creators ([68:23])

• Method:
  • Daily Zoom co-working (e.g., Courtney’s Sunrise Content Club).
  • Calendar block all core activities—content, strategy, finances—with structured, recurring appointments.
  • If something you want doesn’t exist, create it: “If you can’t find something on Google at 2am, maybe you should make it.” ([71:19])

11. Turning Personality-Driven Content into Revenue ([75:01])

• Advice:
  • "Showify" your podcast: treat it as a show, not just a podcast (audiences have “podcast fatigue”).
  • Niche down for higher intent, not bigger numbers—valuable, targeted audiences attract premium monetization.
  • Distinguish between selling to versus selling your audience (direct offers vs. brand partnerships).
  • Do the subconscious “money work”; intuition is as important as strategy.
  • The #1 invisible mistake creators make: “They're posting what they think people will like, not what’s authentic.” ([83:14])
  • Upgrade guests—the scarier it is to ask, the better the growth (“butt-clenching guests”).
  • Content Based Networking book recommended for networking up.

12. Pivoting from 9-to-5 to Entrepreneurship ([94:44])

• Core Steps:
  • Start side monetization before quitting.
  • Build a personal brand and start collecting email addresses (aim for at least 500).
  • Expand your entrepreneurial network—identity shift and social context are critical.
  • “Your mission is more important than your feelings.” ([99:41])
  • On tough days, return to your vision. “Your dreams do not give a fuck about your feelings.” ([101:50])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On MVPs & Overwhelm:

  “What is the absolute smallest version of this thing that you can create? Go create that. I promise you, Daniella, it's going to make you feel so much better. Stop overwhelming yourself.”
  —Courtney Johnson ([07:02])

• On Being Misunderstood:

  “The truth is, if everybody understands you, if everybody always understands everything you’re saying, you’re probably not being very honest.”
  —Courtney Johnson ([20:50])

• On People Pleasing Online:

  “If you are trying to put every little puzzle piece together to make sure everybody perceives you in a certain way... you are being manipulative and fake. You are being a fake ass bitch.”
  —Courtney Johnson ([23:25])

• On Manifestation & Shadow:

  “Once you realize what you don’t want about it, it’s so much easier to move forward and get that thing.”
  —Courtney Johnson ([33:22])

• On Friendships & Success:

  “You realize that other people around you, that you're becoming the sum of other people around you. And if they are not on the same trajectory as you, leave them, leave their ass.”
  —Courtney Johnson ([30:14])

• On Consistency vs. Motivation:

  “Your dreams do not give a fuck about your feelings.”
  —Courtney Johnson ([101:50])

• On Monetization Mental Blocks:

  “It's such an interesting concept of balancing the masculine and the money making and the structure with the feminine idea flow of content creation. I think it's really beautiful. Like, what a blessing that we get to experience this.”
  —Courtney Johnson ([81:03])

• On Social Media’s Impact:

  “The impact when you get out of your own way is worth every single inconvenience.”
  —Courtney Johnson ([41:07])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [04:18] – Overcoming Overwhelm & MVPs
• [12:15] – Stories, Privacy, and Public Figures
• [16:30] – Being Misunderstood & Courage to Be Disliked
• [27:02] – Climbing Cringe Mountain
• [32:10] – Manifestation: What You Don’t Want
• [38:19] – Discomfort & Responsibility of Success
• [49:45] – Avoiding Overwhelm: The One Thing
• [51:13] – Procrastination Shame Hacks
• [54:29] – Content Quick Wins & Virality
• [63:16] – LinkedIn for Product Businesses
• [68:23] – Weekly Content Planning (Sunrise Content Club)
• [75:01] – Monetizing Shows vs. Podcasts & Audience Niche
• [83:14] – Invisible Mistakes in Creator Authenticity
• [94:44] – Pivoting from 9-to-5 to Entrepreneurship
• [101:50] – “Your dreams do not give a fuck about your feelings.”

Conclusion

Courtney’s honest, high-energy Q&A models the combination of tactical savvy and deep mindset mastery behind monetizing social media in 2026. Her recurring themes: Start scrappy, act before you’re “ready,” surround yourself with fellow risk-takers, lean into discomfort, and keep your bigger mission front and center. If you want to make money online, the cheat codes aren’t just in the strategies—but in the grit, networks, and emotional resilience you build as you go.