There’s a moment most people reach where they’re no longer confused, uninformed, or unprepared; they’re just hesitant. This episode lives right in that moment.
In this week’s episode, I’m joined by Kassidy Warren, and we go deep into why so many people stay stuck under the idea of “I’m in the process of healing.” We unpack how healing language, self-work, and “doing the inner work” can quietly become a place to stall, especially when real action would require discomfort, risk, or a genuine shift in identity.
Kassidy breaks down why accountability tends to disappear in adulthood, why athletes and high performers understand stakes differently, and how your environment can either stretch you forward or keep you small. We explore the difference between playing it safe and turning pro, why proximity matters more than motivation, and how most people are already standing at the edge of the decision they keep postponing.
If you’ve been telling yourself you’re “working on it,” but nothing in your life has materially changed, this conversation may help you see what’s really going on.
02:30 Why athletes understand accountability differently
04:20 What happens when accountability disappears in adulthood
07:15 Why real change requires stakes
08:45 Investing before results show up
10:40 How your environment shapes your standards
14:45 Why growth often means outgrowing familiar spaces
15:30 The “bucket of crabs” effect and being dragged down
19:38 Spending money to accelerate growth
22:45 Turning pro vs playing it safe
23:40 “What am I pretending not to know?”
About Kassidy
Kassidy Warren is a real estate investor and coach who helps people buy properties that reduce their tax burden, build equity, and create long-term freedom. He previously worked in engineering and IT before leaving corporate life due to burnout. After living in a van with his wife and rebuilding their careers through consulting, they built a portfolio of short-term rentals. Kassidy now leads a mastermind called Escape Velocity, where he supports members through real estate education, community, and mindset work.
Connect with Kassidy
📲 Instagram: @kassidy.warren
💼 LinkedIn: Kassidy Warren
🌐 kassidywarren.com
Stay connected with me
📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co
👍 Instagram: @slaythegatekeeper
👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson
💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson
🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

Hi friends! I’m back with a solo episode to close out the year, and I wanted to talk about something almost every creator faces the moment their visibility starts to grow: trolls, haters, and negative comments, and why they’re not something to fear, delete, or avoid (at all).
If you’ve ever opened your comments and felt your stomach drop, questioned whether you should post again, or wondered if being more visible is even worth it, this episode is for you. I walk through why trolls are often a signal that your content is actually working, how neutrality will keep you invisible forever, and why trying to be liked by everyone is the fastest way to stall your growth.
I also share how I personally deal with trolls, how I reframe negative comments so they don’t derail me emotionally, and why learning to embrace polarity has been one of the biggest drivers of my growth online.
If you’re building a personal brand, creating content more consistently, or feeling called to show up more boldly, this episode is a reminder that relevance requires courage, and that being disliked is often a sign you’re on the right path.
02:10 My first mindset shift around trolls
04:45 Why 50% love and 50% hate is the goal
07:30 How algorithms actually interpret engagement
10:40 Why controversy drives virality
13:15 How I bait trolls in my hooks
16:05 How I stop taking negative comments personally
18:40 The biggest mistakes creators make with trolls
21:30 Why people-pleasing makes you forgettable
24:10 Trolls as a rite of passage
26:50 Final thoughts on showing up boldly online
Stay connected with me
📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co
👍 Instagram: @slaythegatekeeper
👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson
💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson
🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

This conversation means a lot to me, and it feels right to share it the day before Christmas 🎄🌟
I’m joined by my fiancé, Lucas Ferrer-Cardona, a vascular surgeon, academic, and co-host of the Life of Flow Podcast, for a conversation about leverage, ownership, and why building a personal brand matters no matter what field you’re in.
After nearly two decades of medical training, Lucas reached a realization many high performers quietly arrive at: he was trading time for money, with very little control over what he’d built. In this episode, we talk about how discovering Naval Ravikant’s ideas on leverage reshaped the way he thought about work, opportunity, and long-term security, and how that shift led him to build a strong, monetized personal brand without managing his own social media 👀
We get into why media creates optionality in a way jobs never will, how delegation and trust make scale possible, and why “keeping your head down and working hard” is no longer enough to protect you. Lucas shares what surprised him most once he started building visibility, how his podcast opened doors he never could have accessed otherwise, and why ownership matters more than titles.
If you’ve ever felt resistant to social media, overwhelmed by the idea of putting yourself out there, or uneasy relying solely on your job for stability, this conversation offers a different lens, one grounded in autonomy, leverage, and long-term thinking.
05:30 Discovering Naval Ravikant and rethinking work
09:15 Media, money, and people as leverage
13:40 Why being “the best” isn’t the goal
17:05 The Category of One idea
21:30 Building visibility without managing social media
26:10 Trusting a team and delegating creatively
31:45 What institutions really own
36:20 Personal brand as long-term optionality
41:50 Podcasting as access and relationship capital
46:30 Creating momentum and new opportunities
51:10 Risk, fear, and intuition
About Dr. Lucas Ferrer-Cardona
Lucas M. Ferrer Cardona, MD is a board-certified vascular surgeon in the Institute for Cardiovascular Health, a clinical partnership between Ascension Seton and UT Health Austin. He specializes in the vascular treatment of both arterial and venous disorders. Additionally, Dr. Ferrer Cardona is an assistant professor in the Dell Medical School Department of Surgery and Perioperative Care at The University of Texas at Austin.
Dr. Ferrer Cardona earned his medical degree from the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He completed both an internship and residency in surgery at Temple University Hospital – Main Campus and a fellowship in vascular surgery at Baylor College of Medicine.
Dr. Ferrer Cardona’s clinical interests include preventing diabetic foot amputations and performing limb salvage, particularly using foot vein arterialization for patients who have few options, as well as minimally invasive treatments for carotid disease, dialysis access, and aortic aneurysms.
Connect with Lucas:

💼 LinkedIn: Lucas (Lucas Ferrer - Cardona) Ferrer🎙️Podcast: Life of Flow Podcast
Stay connected with me
📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co
👍 Instagram: @slaythegatekeeper
👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson
💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson
🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson