In this episode of Slay the Gatekeeper, host Courtney Johnson sits down with Dr. Talaya Waller, a pioneering personal branding consultant and founder of Valuables®, the first AI platform designed to measure executive brand equity as a financial variable. Backed by Techstars, JP Morgan, and Oracle NetSuite, Valuables helps investors evaluate how public-facing leaders impact valuation, trust, and risk before capital is deployed.

Dr. Waller shares her journey from entering the world of personal branding in 2009 to her bold vision of transforming Valuables into a billion-dollar company. Along the way, she opens up about what it means to build a human-centric brand in an era increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence. Drawing from her experience advising global institutions like the United Nations, Amazon, Google, Merck, and the U.S. Air Force, she breaks down how executive and corporate brand strategies can drive tangible business outcomes.

Together, Courtney and Dr. Waller explore personal branding as a powerful, often underestimated tool for shaping professional legacy, leadership, and enterprise value. The conversation dives into how leaders can manage their personal brand with the precision of a professional athlete—balancing authenticity, consistency, and storytelling to build lasting influence.

Dr. Waller’s insights—rooted in both cutting-edge AI innovation and timeless marketing principles—offer listeners a roadmap for strategically leveraging their unique story. Her work, including her book Personal Brand Management: Marketing Human Value (held in over 300 university libraries worldwide), emphasizes radical clarity, brand equity as a measurable asset, and the importance of aligning one’s personal narrative with business goals.

A special focus on long-term brand resilience and executive presence rounds out the episode, offering listeners a compelling invitation to own their value, lead with intention, and position themselves for sustainable impact.

CJ Socials:

• Insta: @courtlynnjohnson

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtneylynnjohnson/

• Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/7oaV8L7rOBd878nlwydJrj

• Tiktok: @courtney..johnson

• Newsletter: https://artisanal-originator-6888.kit.com/0e038bf26a

CJ Offerings:

• Maven: https://maven.com/courtneyjohnson/personalbrand

• VIP Intensive Workshop: https://www.thecourtneyjohnson.com/vip

Gumroad: https://courtneyjohnson.gumroad.com/

In this episode of Slay the Gatekeeper, host Courtney Johnson sits down with Austin West, a certified psychedelic medicine practitioner and founder of Entheos Holistics, to explore how intentional psychedelic use can help transcend personal limitations. Austin shares his journey from high-stress burnout to embodied purpose, revealing how microdosing and deep self-inquiry helped him overcome panic attacks and reclaim his life.

Together, they discuss psychedelics as powerful, often gatekept tools for enhancing creativity, improving relationships, and managing anxiety and depression. The conversation also delves into the historical and cultural significance of plant medicine, the need to confront fear, and how self-narratives shape our reality.

Austin’s work—through one-on-one guidance, retreats, and his nutraceutical company—focuses on helping men break free from conditioned patterns and realign with their truth. His unique approach blends ancient wisdom with modern science to support radical responsibility, emotional presence, and genuine transformation.

A special emphasis on male embodiment rounds out the episode, offering listeners a powerful invitation to live with more freedom, purpose, and self-awareness.

CJ Socials:

• Insta: @courtlynnjohnson

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtneylynnjohnson/

• Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/7oaV8L7rOBd878nlwydJrj

• Tiktok: @courtney..johnson

• Newsletter: https://artisanal-originator-6888.kit.com/0e038bf26a

CJ Offerings:

• Maven: https://maven.com/courtneyjohnson/personalbrand

• VIP Intensive Workshop: https://www.thecourtneyjohnson.com/vip

• Gumroad: https://courtneyjohnson.gumroad.com/

In this episode of 'Slay the Gatekeeper,' host Courtney Johnson welcomes Kaylin Pyles to discuss overcoming hustle culture and tapping into feminine energy. Kaylin shares her transition from burnout in her first wellness business to founding Rested Rituals, a THC-infused beverage company. The conversation dives deep into the importance of avoiding hustle culture, tuning into intuition, managing energy drainers, and the impact of aligning with seasonal energies. They also explore the benefits of intentional substance use and creative insights, along with practical tools like chat GPT for personal growth. Lastly, Kaylin emphasizes the value of building a personal brand and shares her exciting developments with Rested Rituals.

CJ Socials:

• Insta: @courtlynnjohnson

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtneylynnjohnson/

• Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/7oaV8L7rOBd878nlwydJrj

• Tiktok: @courtney..johnson

• Newsletter: https://artisanal-originator-6888.kit.com/0e038bf26a

CJ Offerings:

• Maven: https://maven.com/courtneyjohnson/personalbrand

• VIP Intensive Workshop: https://www.thecourtneyjohnson.com/vip

• Gumroad: https://courtneyjohnson.gumroad.com/