Slay The Gatekeeper – Episode Summary
Podcast: Slay the Gatekeeper
Host: Courtney Johnson
Guest: Kayleigh (Meta Ads Expert)
Episode: Un-Gatekeeping Meta Ads
Date: August 19, 2025
Episode Overview
This engaging episode of Slay The Gatekeeper features Courtney Johnson in conversation with Kayleigh, a seasoned digital advertising expert, on the topic of "un-gatekeeping" Meta (Facebook and Instagram) ads. The episode is rich with actionable “cheat codes” for marketing, mindset, and business growth, specifically unpacking when to start ads, audience refinement, pricing strategies, and personal brand alignment. Kayleigh provides hard-won insights from over a decade in the industry to help listeners confidently leverage paid ads while navigating common mindset and strategic hurdles that hold entrepreneurs back.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
Kayleigh’s Journey and Ad Philosophy
- Background: 11 years in online advertising (Meta, Google, TikTok, Pinterest), ex-corporate brand manager, full-time entrepreneur since 2017.
- Niche Development: Initially offered all marketing services but honed in on ads during COVID after consistently strong results and increasing demand.
- Teaching Others: Runs the ongoing Meta Ads Academy group program and a business mastermind (since early 2023) for service providers and educators.
- “Everybody just kept asking me for ads... I started sharing things, and people are like, whoa, I need to know what's going on here.” (Kayleigh, [01:18])
When Is It the Right Time to Run Ads?
- Two Scenarios:
- You have solid organic momentum and room to scale.
- You lack organic traction but have high risk tolerance or funding.
- Caution: Most entrepreneurs fall in the first camp; ads require a strong foundation and don't create demand, just amplify what's working.
- “Ads can't fix anything. They can't create new demand for your product.” (Kayleigh, [04:10])
- “When I see someone brag, ‘I did it all without ads,’ you could go so much further with ads.” (Kayleigh, [04:57])
Mindset: Audacity, Culture, and Building Confidence
- Cultural Perspective: Americans often show more “audacity” and risk tolerance than Canadians or Brits.
- Kayleigh’s Advice: Use “blinders” to focus on your own dreams, find expanders (role models who prove your goals possible), and let yourself be consumed by your own desires.
- “If you find you're getting really caught up in others’ expectations... let yourself get immersed in your own desires.” (Kayleigh, [09:13])
- “Expanders are so incredibly important.” (Kayleigh, [10:57])
Cheat Codes & Strategic Insights
1. Audience Refinement via Opinionated Content
- Embrace sharing values/opinions to actively filter followers, attracting your true community and repelling misfits. It eases fulfillment and prevents client friction.
- “Posting spicy things actually refines your audience... I want to be constantly filtering because not everyone’s a fit.” (Kayleigh, [11:55])
- “It is a privilege... but I’d rather know now than have client issues later.” (Kayleigh, [13:15])
2. The Multi-Passionate Myth
- Being multi-passionate is a strength until it’s an excuse for indecision or staying unfocused. True clarity (and premium branding) comes from committing and specializing.
- “A lot of people get their identity mixed up with their businesses... focusing and niching becomes paralyzing.” (Kayleigh, [19:27])
- “Do all the other shit as a hobby. You’ll probably enjoy it more.” (Kayleigh, [20:48])
3. Movement Over Perfection
- Clarity is a result of action, not endless overthinking. Lower the bar for starting, collect real feedback, and learn as you go.
- “Clarity doesn’t come from spiraling in your head. It comes from movement and messy action before you’re ready.” (Courtney, [21:22])
- “Until you have any movement, you have no data, no feedback system, no loop at all.” (Kayleigh, [21:45])
- Kayleigh’s method: Sold programs first, then built content week by week.
- “I was pregnant at the time... every week I would create the content. The week of, like, it was the best thing ever.” (Kayleigh, [27:51])
4. Beware Fake Chill — Resistance Masquerading as Alignment
- Avoid justifying inaction as “alignment” or “strategy” when it’s actually resistance or fear. This hinders momentum.
- “You’ve confused strategic resistance with spiritual alignment. It’s costing you momentum.” (Courtney, [30:48])
- “Validate yourself and what you want and go for it.” (Kayleigh, [31:26])
5. “Free” Isn’t Free: Time & Attention Are Valuable
- Over-stuffing freebies can backfire. The best clients value their time — make solutions quick and clear, not overwhelming.
- “If you can solve my problem in one sentence, great. I don’t need any excess.” (Kayleigh, [33:12])
- “A one-pager was so good... simplicity and presentation increases value.” (Kayleigh, [34:47])
6. Tiny Offers & Tripwires
- Lead magnets are less effective; low-ticket ($27 or less) “tiny offers” or “tripwires” both filter for seriousness and improve ROI on ad spend.
- “I have clients now who don’t even bother with lead magnets. We just run them straight to a low ticket offer.” (Kayleigh, [36:20])
- “When you pay, you pay attention...charge $27 for your next webinar.” (Courtney paraphrasing advice, [38:26])
7. Underpricing is a Survival Response, Not a Strategy
- Undercharging is often rooted in approval-seeking or scarcity, not smart strategy. It creates resentment, sabotages brand, and prevents authority.
- “Sometimes underpricing can be a strategy if we’re honest...but people get addicted to that confirmation instead of considering their own world.” (Kayleigh, [39:01])
- “You don’t walk to a Jaguar dealer and see a $9,000 price tag.” (Kayleigh, [41:03])
8. Your Brand = Your Boundaries + Your Value
- Truly premium personal brands have clear boundaries. Be less available, respect your own time, and teach your clients to do the same.
- “Make yourself less available...stop treating yourself as though everybody has access to you all the time.” (Kayleigh, [41:15])
9. Big Income vs. What You Actually Want
- Most entrepreneurs truly crave safety, rest, freedom, and time — not arbitrary “big income” for its own sake.
- “People want the things big income affords... safety, presence, ease, quality of life.” (Kayleigh, [43:06])
- “Once you're present with yourself in life, you just want to be content and have enough in your cup.” (Kayleigh, [44:27])
Memorable Quotes
-
On Starting with Ads:
“Ads aren’t going to make anything work. It either works and then you decide how far you want to take it.”
— Kayleigh ([04:10]) -
On Building an Audience:
“If I gain 200 followers, I might lose 100 within a couple weeks...because I’m clear about what I stand for.”
— Kayleigh ([11:55]) -
On Taking Action:
“You have to implement as you’re going because it’s truly the only way to learn.”
— Kayleigh ([28:50]) -
On Identity and Niching:
“A lot of people default to ‘I’m multi-passionate’... is it way harder to sustain a business feeling you must be all things? Yes.”
— Kayleigh ([19:27]) -
On Pricing and Authority:
“Your audience will never value you more than you value yourself.”
— Kayleigh ([41:03])
Notable Timestamps
- [03:35] — When should you start ads?
- [08:10] — Audacity, confidence, and cultural differences
- [11:03] — Refining your audience through opinions
- [19:27] — Multi-passionate as a crutch & the case for niching
- [21:22] — Clarity from action, not thinking
- [30:48] — Hiding behind strategy or “alignment”
- [33:12] — How “free” isn’t really free
- [36:20] — Tiny offers and tripwires
- [39:01] — Underpricing & authority
- [41:15] — Brand value, boundaries, and availability
- [43:06] — Income vs. true desires (safety, ease, rest)
Episode Tone & Language
- Empowering, candid, affirming: Kayleigh speaks with clarity and warmth, with a gentle “tough love” for mindset and strategic hurdles.
- Relatable and actionable: Both host and guest frequently use anecdotes and analogies to make concepts stick.
- Encouragement to take risks: Listeners are invited to move past cultural, mindset, and strategic self-limitations.
Where to Find Kayleigh
- Instagram: @cjdk
- Programs: Meta Ads Academy, Business Mastermind
Final Takeaway
If you want to transition from hustle-and-hope organic efforts to a strategically scalable, values-led personal brand using paid ads, this episode is essential. Kayleigh not only breaks down technical “cheat codes” but also addresses the emotional and mindset hurdles central to sustainable growth. Her emphasis on clarity through action, audience alignment, setting boundaries, and honest pricing offers a holistic approach to thriving in the online business world.
End of Summary