The Fame Formula: Whitney Uland on Social Media, Visibility, and the New Rules of Fame

Could personal branding make you internet-famous? This week we’re talking with Whitney Uland - celebrity life coach, podcast host, and founder of How To Be Famous, who is rewriting the rules of visibility and proving that fame isn’t reserved for a chosen few.

Whitney believes anyone can be famous, and she’s here to share how entrepreneurs, creators, and even introverts can claim their spotlight. Together, we unpack:

• Why social media has leveled the playing field when it comes to building influence.
• How to see fame as a neutral resource you can leverage for opportunity, business, and impact.
• The mindset shifts that create what Whitney calls “celebrity energy”—the magnetic presence that draws people in.
• How to navigate the vulnerability that comes with being visible online.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you really have “what it takes” to grow an audience, this episode will challenge the story you’ve been telling yourself and give you a new way to think about social media and fame.

Episode Notes: 

• Checkout Whitney's Podcast
• Work With Whitney
• Follow Whitney on Instagram

📣 Amplify by Not Nice. Clever. is the ace up your sleeve. It's a hands on, workshop style delivery full of replicable frameworks, and actionable strategies that you team can put in place right away.

Find out more HERE.

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• Not Nice Clever
• Candice Carcioppolo
• Kat Torre

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Transcript

[00:00] What if everything you know about fame and who gets to have it is actually wrong, this is the conversation that Hollywood hopes you'll never hear. Today we're talking to Whitney Lund podcast host and celebrity life coach who's shaking up Hollywood's power structure. From waiting for her big break to building her own spotlight to founding how to be Famous.

She's amplifying voices that Hollywood ignores, and she's here to show you, along with thousands of other creators and entrepreneurs, how to be magnetic in a world obsessed with visibility. I always say fame is just the resource of having people's attention because it is just a, a resource of power ultimately.

And I would argue that. A second to money. It's the world's most powerful resource You believe anyone could be famous? I do. Just like how everyone has a different number. When you ask like, what is rich? Right? Or like what is wealthy? We all kind of have different numbers of fame as well, and I really do believe whatever level of fame you see for yourself and you want for yourself, that is something you are capable of creating.

For me, I'm like, I love that, like traditional Hollywood. Fame, like famous, famous. And there are other people that I work with who are like I, I want the level of fame where I can make an impact in my community. People want more opportunity, they want more business. And yet to be seen needs, you're vulnerable.

So it's this weird paradox of, in order to be more successful in Hete, you need to be more visible, but then you're more vulnerable. Do you navigate that? Really the work of this is being willing to be misunderstood. I always say with fame it's new levels, new devils. When you're creating something as a, a creative, as an entrepreneur, you're building a world that literally doesn't exist yet.

So we can't really expect people who don't see the world to believe in it yet. We're so excited to be on with you today, Whitney. Um, we are gonna dive right in clever crew to talking about. How to be famous and if you just cringed and felt a little bit uncomfortable right now, great. We love that for you.

Stick with us promise it's gonna be [00:02:00] worth it. So Whitney, you've described yourself as someone who stopped waiting to be picked and decided to become the person they couldn't help but say yes to. I have to read that exactly because it's just so good. Um, how do you get to the point where you. Decide, like, I'm not gonna wait to be picked.

I'm gonna make sure that they see me. You know, it's interesting. I would love to say, like, I, I mean obviously I say like, I decided that, um, I also do kind of feel like I got backed into a corner where that was the only option, right. And where it was like, you know, I just, I was not getting the opportunities that I wanted and the.

Um, yeah, I guess like the success wasn't, the doors were not being opened to me that I wanted and would've needed to in order to get to where I wanted to [00:03:00] go. And so, yeah, I think it kind of, you know, I've had multiple, I feel like I've lived so many different lifetimes and in every single one of them, it's kind of come down to me being like, okay, no, if this is what I want, then I have to.

Goal and make sure that I am the person that can't be ignored and become the, the version of me who, who yeah, people want, want to bet on. Um, but it has, the pattern has kind of been like just hitting a lot of walls over and over again and then being like, okay, like this is kind of the only option. Is that something that you feel like is inevitable when you are a successful person?

That you consistently feel like you're hitting walls? I think so. I mean, it's kind of like my boyfriend always says like, when, you know, when you're working out you, um, he's an athlete and you know, if you're actually doing it right, then you're always gonna feel like you're failing, right? Because it's like you always kind of feel like you're weak if you're strengthening the, the weights or adding onto the weights.

And I think that's the same with success. And I [00:04:00] am probably harder on myself than I need to be, but I also just have a really high ambition and I. You know, I, I'm at a place now that I was dreaming of a year ago, and now I'm ready for the next thing, right? I think I, I love creativity, I love growth. I love, um.

It, like all of my career kind of feels like a game to me. Sometimes it's like a masochistic game that like, I'm like, why am I playing this game again? Um, but yeah, I do think that it's in order to grow and in order to progress it, you are gonna kind of feel like you're failing a along a lot along the way.

Let's give our audience a little bit of backstory because Kat and I know a little bit about you. I've been listening to your podcast for a long time now, and. We know where you started, but the audience might not yet. Can you give them, you know, the TLDR? Yeah, yeah, there you go. Yeah. So I was raised in small town Texas, um, in a Mormon home and was, uh, kind [00:05:00] of discouraged from pursuing a career.

I was taught that, um, you can't be a good mom and have a career, and that was kind of the lens, which I looked at the world, and yet I also had this very like. You know, really amazing, supportive dad who was like, you're, you need to, like, you're really smart, you're really creative, like you need to find something you love or you're gonna go crazy.

Um, but, and I always kind of knew that I was meant to make a massive impact in the world as a kid. I like imagined myself doing press circuits and doing interviews, doing podcasts like this, even though I didn't, we didn't know what podcasts were, you know, at the time. Right. Um, but I didn't know how to get there.

And so I, uh. Followed kind of the breadcrumbs. I was a performer and so I, I went down the musical theater route and got my BFAM musical theater and, um, it was in a really competitive program. And I like, I, I can even look back now and be like, oh yeah, I had the talent. But, um, when I moved to New York City, I wasn't getting the opportunities that I wanted and it was a lot of slam doors and, and not even [00:06:00] slam it.

It's like I didn't even get in the room for them to tell me no kind of thing. Like the way that the entertainment industry is set up. Like waking up at four in the morning, going downtown, signing up to hopefully get an audition and then they can decide at 10:00 AM no, we're just not gonna see you today.

Um, a lot of rejection, a lot of failure. And ultimately, and then about about six months into my career, my dad, who was my biggest fan, my biggest cheerleader passed away and it sent me on this. Healing and self-discovery journey and realizing like he had, he had been my number one cheerleader and when he died, I like, he was the one who believed in me, not really.

I realized I didn't really have that belief for myself. And so kind of went on that path to building that. And once I did, that's when the opportunities started coming and my acting and in my performing, I started making my own work and producing and, um. Traveling the world, winning awards at festivals.

And, uh, I got to write on a movie starring Lucy Hale and, um, work on this show [00:07:00] on HBO. And then we all know that the pandemic kind of like rocked things up in the entertainment industry. And so I kicked off my coaching business and, um, I am teaching people basically the skills that I had. I am certified now as a life coach, but it's, it's a combination of the.

Skills that I've learned in entertainment and as an actor to be magnetic with mindfulness skills, with, um, like human regulation practices based in, uh, CBT and somatic healing and all of that. So, kind of combined it all into my coaching business where I help people become famous and create the visibility that they know that they're meant for so much.

Goodness. No, we love, we're introverts, so we love a good long story where we can just soak it up and. I love how you were very clear about, you know, realizing that you didn't have the belief in yourself and that that was where you needed to start. And because a, a lot of our, our clever crew, they work in real estate, they're service professionals, you know, they have their own businesses, their entrepreneurial, and they want the framework.

They [00:08:00] want the tactic, they want the tool, the magic pill. But often we're our biggest enemies and advocates. And so can you just. Share a little bit about what it was like to do that belief work and you know, where you even started. 'cause it can feel so fuzzy for people, right? It does, it does feel really fuzzy.

It feels really nebulous. And I also just wanna say, this is why I love y'all's podcast is like, I am also very introverted and I like, even my family is like, sorry, what? Like, they're like, I don't understand you just like ahead of posts have a hundred thousand people viewing it or, you know, there's, I, we reach about.

Three and a half million people every single month. And yeah, I'm, I am such an introvert and, um, I, yeah, I think in, in a lot of ways that, that is kind of what led me to then work on self-belief and self, um. Actualization in a lot of ways because I didn't, like, I, I, I see so many people in entertainment who are just so willing [00:09:00] to like knock down doors and go take what's theirs and whatever.

And for, that's not, that's not a natural thing for me. And so honestly, as an introvert, for me, building the belief in myself and kind of focusing on mindset was, it almost feels like an introvert hack where you can, like, instead of having to go out and like. F like, go chase people. They end up coming to you.

And so you don't ha like, I, I don't know. Yes. So I, I feel like I kind of got off off the topic from your question, but I think, so I, I initially had found the Life Coach school, which is Brooke Castillo's. Um, I think they're currently kind of on a sabbatical with the business. But, um, she's the first coach that I hired and I kind of, I just, I really resonated with the idea that.

I could actually have control over my career, over my destiny, yet being someone who is very introverted, being someone who. Didn't have a lot of [00:10:00] doors open for me. It was like, wait a second. Like, this feels like power. And I think the way that in coaching we kind of break things down is that all of the results in our life come from, you know, the actions that we take or the actions that we don't take.

Um, but that our actions are guided by our feelings, right? Um, when we're feeling motivated, we take action. When we're feeling insecure, we don't, um. And that even before what pre, what is like the precursor to our feelings are our thoughts, right? Our beliefs, the, the thought, the stories that we're telling ourselves, um, every day.

And that when we're having these thoughts of, I don't fit in or I won't be chosen or whatever, that then it becomes the self-fulfilling prophecy. And I think that really is where Exactly. Yeah. And that's really where our power. Lies as humans is to be able to choose the way that we're going to view the world and create from there.

So I think that the Life Coach school gave me a really tangible framework, and then I've obviously built my own intellectual [00:11:00] property since then. Um.

That's awesome. Can you tell us how you describe fame? Yeah. Or define fame now? Yeah. So I always say fame is just the resource of having people's attention and it's a neutral resource. It's like, it's a tool. Um, it's just like. You know, let's say a kitchen knife, you can use it to, to chop onions or to hurt someone, right?

Um, it's the same with fame. It's, it's like going to be, um, used in the. In the hands of whoever wields it. And that's really where, you know, my mission is to help good hearted artists, creatives, influencers, entrepreneurs, create the resource of fame because it is just a, a resource of power ultimately. And I would argue that second to money, it's the world's most powerful resource.

And it's also, um, it's leverage. It's, it's, you know, once you have this tool, you can leverage it into money, you can leverage it into opportunities, you can leverage it into access. Um, and it [00:12:00] really all starts with. Um, your willingness to be seen. So I say like fame is the resource of having people's attention and you create it by, um, by being willing to be seen basically.

With that being said, you believe anyone could be famous? I do. Yeah. And I believe everyone can create the level of fame that they're meant for. I'm a very spiritual person and I really. I, someone told me once that being famous is like having a soul contract with millions of people, and I really do believe that there are so many of us who were.

Put on this earth to make a massive impact and to, you know, I'm, I don't know if this was y'all's experience, but I, in my work, I see so many people that are like, yeah, I always knew I was supposed to like, be doing interviews or be doing whatever. And again, this was before podcasting, this was before that really was available.

And I, I really believe that our desires are our dharma and they lead us to what we're. What we're supposed to do in this world. Um, that said, fame is [00:13:00] different. There's a different number that everyone has in mind when they think of famous, right? And mm-hmm. For me, I'm like, I love that, like, traditional Hollywood fame, like famous, famous.

Um, and there are other people that I work with who are like, I, I want the level of fame where I can make an impact in my community. Um, and for them, that looks like. You know, maybe it's 10,000 followers. Maybe it's a solid podcast that is consistently bringing them in. Clients, um, whatever that looks like for them.

Everyone kind of has their own, just like how everyone has a different number when you ask like, what is rich? Right? Or like, what is wealthy? Yeah. We all kind of have different numbers of fame as well, and I really do believe whatever number or whatever level of fame you see for yourself and you want for yourself, that is.

Something you are capable of creating. And it really just comes down to getting out of your own way and doing, doing the work to feel safe, being seen to create that. I love to get very tactical with our clever crew. I want them to feel [00:14:00] like, oh my gosh, this is this episode and I did this thing that they, that they told me to do and it worked and now I'm gonna like deep dive in all of Whitney's podcast episodes.

Right? So, or hopefully they don't do right, right after this. Um. But what is one thing that someone can do starting today that can help them build that magnetic imagery that you often describe when it comes to, you know, kind of shifting your. Energy. Yeah. So I'm gonna give just a little context before, um, if that's okay.

So of course, um, what Canice is alluding to is I teach people essentially how to have the IT factor, which is what I call celebrity energy. And it's when we're in, essentially, like we always think about the celebrity energy or the it factor is being some elusive thing. And people always say, oh, you either have it or you don't.

But if you look back in history, there are so many stories, there's. The stories of, uh, Marilyn Monroe, of Judy Garland, of Tom Hanks, like of every major celebrity, literally flipping a [00:15:00] switch of they weren't, they were not on, and then they were on and all of a sudden, right? And it, it's like, and people have witnessed this transformation happen and been like, I don't know what that is.

Um, and when I heard that, when I, this kind of, the origin I guess of all of this is that I had a, a talent manager who told me I just didn't have the it factor. And that must be why I wasn't booking roles. Um. And. I, at first I was like, oh my God, so I'm just screwed, right? Like, so I guess I just can't have it.

Um, but then hearing this, I was like, okay, well if it can be turned on and off, then maybe that's a skill. And so that's kind of what set me into the deep dive of figuring this out. And ultimately this. Um, celebrity energy is when you are in a hyper present state where you're unafraid of being seen for who you authentically are.

I like to use the example, um, you know, actors all know that you never wanna do a scene with a dog or a baby because they will what's called pole focus. So you can be doing all of your best work and people will just wanna watch the dog or the baby because when we're in this hyper present state, [00:16:00] we're magnetic people.

It's like, you can't help but want to watch this person. And this can be, you know, I live in Los Angeles. I don't know a lot of. Like I being raised Mormon, I didn't consume a lot of pop culture, so I don't know who a lot of celebrities are, but I always know that someone is, someone be based on their energy and based on whether or not they're existing in this state.

Um, you can just tell. But it is something that we all have access to. Um, and it is just this presence. And the, the trick is to be able to be in this presence, be in this hyper presence while being witnessed. Um. So in terms of like tactical things, I mean this sounds like overly simplified, but oftentimes the very first thing that people, the first like transformation is that people need to just get really clear on admitting that they want to be famous or that it is okay.

That it's not like stop judging themselves. Yes, yes. It's neutral. It's people. It's a tool. It's a tool. Exactly. Exactly. That's it. And um, love it. And maybe stop. [00:17:00] Hating on people who are famous. It's like, if you want to be rich, you can't like hate on rich people, right? 100%. So it's like the same idea. Yeah.

And, and so, and that's where, you know, again, anything quote unquote tactical for me is always going to be mindset advice. And that comes back to our awareness, right? So noticing, where am I judging? People who are famous, like am I saying, oh, they must be full of themselves. They must be conceited, they must be X, Y, and Z.

And also, like we all kind of have people that are famous that we don't have those same thoughts about, right? Like, um, yeah, maybe it's like. You love Rachel Ray and like, you don't think that she, there's anything wrong with her for being famous, but you hate Reese Witherspoon or like, something like that, right?

Where we kind of just pick certain people, um, that we do or don't like. And so I think it's, it's, uh, it's important and powerful to get clear on what triggers you about certain people, um mm-hmm. And get clear on like, okay, why, what are my [00:18:00] judgements about this person? Because to your point, it's not like anything that we're afraid of or that we.

Think is bad, we're not going to want to become. And so even just getting clear about that, um, can take, can make a big difference. You know, Whitney, one thing that has come up in, in my work, and I I'm sure you know Candace, it's come up in years too, where people want more opportunity. They want more business, they want more, you know, uh, you know, ability to grow and yet to be seen means you're vulnerable.

So it's this weird paradox of, in order to be more successful and he rotate, you need to be more visible, but then you're more vulnerable. How? Do you navigate that in client conversation? Yes. So, and this is, it's such a human thing, and I always say with fame it's new levels, new devils where, oh, and it really comes down to like, there's always going to be an, if you're for your next level, your next edge, there's going to be an increased vulnerability and there's going to be an in.

And so then your brain is going to resist it. So. But [00:19:00] the process is all the same. So no matter where you're at, it's about making peace and like getting somatically comfortable with that vulnerability. Um, and so there like, but I I, I think for the first, for the first piece of that is, um, noticing what your brain is afraid of, right?

With this and, and ultimately like cognitively kind of deciding, because the truth is, it is really uncomfortable to be seen in a vulnerable way. It's also uncomfortable to not have. The, your dreams to not right. And to know that you're hiding from them. And, and so I think for one, sometimes it's just about deciding which kind of discomfort you would prefer.

Um. And then secondly is, is the creating a somatic safety. So I always break down all of this work into, it really comes down to two pieces. So the first is going, going to be rewiring your brain. So that's outsmarting those instincts that are telling you it's not safe. Right? Um, you know, our brains, we've, we've evolved from.

Cavemen and cave women, and we survived as a human [00:20:00] species based off of being able to fit in with our community. And so it makes a lot of sense that we're going to be afraid of putting ourselves out there because that's essentially leaving the cave that's going off. And you, in order to be any kind of, you know, whether it's an entrepreneur, a creator, an artist, you are essentially a thought leader.

You are creating something that doesn't exist in the world. And so your brain is going to inherently think that that is. Scary and vulnerable. So I think first sometimes it's like, okay, let's get really clear. What am I actually afraid of? Like, who am I afraid is going to be upset by this? Whose opinions am I worried about?

Um, what is my brain trying to protect me from by keeping me small, keeping me exact, and, and also. Keeping me exactly where I am. Right? Because, and I've even seen this, this week. I had this major, we, we had a major malfunction we will say in my business, um, where my, so we're growing and I need to bring in people to kind of replace.

Me as [00:21:00] a business owner so that I can keep doing the coaching and the content, and it's freaking me out. Like my nervous system is like tweaking out. And I made a mistake and I, we had brought on someone and I did, I basically just didn't onboard them and I was like, go figure this out. Like you can do this.

And they sent out. Some bad emails to my list. We got 1300 unsubscribers in one day. Um, and like all of these emails, oh my gosh, people were offended, whatever. So, and like, so there is this part of my brain that's like. I, I just failed in front of 30,000 people, 35,000 people, however many people are on my email list, right?

And that is a threat to my business. So it's not necessarily like gaslight yourself and be like, there are no ramifications. When I say, you know, rewire your brain and outsmart that, um. But we do just have to get, we have to kind of like neutralize it and say like, okay, what is my brain trying to protect me from?

And then the second piece comes down to, um, hacking your [00:22:00] nervous system. And that's really about creating that somatic safety within yourself, um, so that you can continue taking action that's aligned with your desired outcome. Um, one of the things about fame that's really hard is that. You know, when you're, like, if, if you were on a date with someone, they can say all the right things, but sometimes they just kind of give you the ick that's, they have this like energetic body odor that's kind of repelling and sometimes like, just like, like with energetic body odor.

Yeah. Yeah. Well, and it's like, for sure, you know, with regular body odor, we don't always smell that on ourselves, but like other people smell it and they're like, it's a little creepy. That's the same thing when you have a dysregulated nervous system. When you're showing up, being, being seen is that you can be saying the exact same script even.

And if your energetic body odor is repelling people, they're gonna be really turned off by it. Um, and so that ends up coming back to a lot [00:23:00] of, um, breath work, emotional processing, you know, it's, it's all the things we don't wanna do. The meditating, the slowing down, getting off, slowing down, all of that.

Yeah. Yeah.

One thing that comes up over and over again for our clever crew is the idea that people, you know, who already know you are watching. Like people from the small town in Texas where you grew up, the people who you were going, you know, you were auditioning with, those people are gonna see you and they're gonna say, who the hell does Whitney think she is?

She's not even famous in the beginning. I'm sure those types of conversations were happening, right? Um, yeah. How I know it's happening, it's happened to me, it's happened to ka like all these things have come up. Like where do you get the qualifications? Who are you to do X, Y, z? Who are you to create this course?

Who are you to have this [00:24:00] podcast, um, to have this platform? How do you navigate those conversations and the relationships? So I'll be honest. They don't happen in real life as much as we think they do. Like, as much as we are afraid that they're going to, um, that well, they don't happen to your face. They don't happen to your face.

Exactly. Right. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. Um, and so I do think that, uh. It's, that's something we have to just keep in mind is like I and I I, but let's be clear, I remember every single one of those conversations that, and like they have like haunted me, right? Um, we have forgiven, we do not forget. Right, exactly.

Moving forward. But like, the receipts are there. The receipts are there. And you know, for me it's interesting 'cause I'm, I've finally come back around like it's come enough full circle that now people who were. Uh, judging or hating or whatever. Haters. Yeah. Hired me, asked yes to pick my brain to do what I did.

Told me that they really admire what I'm doing, like are [00:25:00] trying to get in on what I'm doing. Um, always. And so I think a big part of it is just remembering that vision. And that was actually something that I really did sit with a lot in meditation is like. They just don't understand. Like, and really the work of this is being willing to be misunderstood and like, of course it's hard by strangers, but it is, it's, it's way harder to be misunderstood by your family, by your friends, by people in your real life.

Um, but that's a, that's a muscle and that's a skill. And I think having compassion for, you know, when you're creating something as a. Creative as an entrepreneur, you're building a world that literally doesn't exist yet. So we can't really expect people who don't see the world to believe in it yet as much as we want to.

And I think, you know, there's like, if you've got a partner who is like, I don't get it, but like, I believe in you, or you've got a parent who's like, you know, those are the people, it's like, hang on to them for dear life. Um. [00:26:00] Yeah, while you're building. But it really, you know, I, I feel like fame comes down to deepening your relationship with yourself, embedding on yourself, um, and like almost to a sense of like hyper independence.

And I think this is kind of the issue that I'm struggling with right now, and I've seen this in clients, but it's interesting being on this side of it where in order to create fame, it does almost create this. Like hyper independence, where you kind of just have to be so sold on what you're doing and on what you're building that you're like, you know, and again, this kind of comes back to the very first question for me, I, in a lot of ways, I feel like I was kind of backed into this where, you know, um, I didn't get into this much too much, but as my business was growing, my, my, um, marriage ended very unexpectedly and I had just become a single mom and my, um.

All of a sudden after a year of maternity leave and no tax returns and moving across the country, I kind of just had to figure it out. And [00:27:00] so for me, it kind of became this tunnel vision of like, this is like I, like, I can't afford to care what people think about this. I have to be So yes. Like, because this has to work.

Um. But then it, the next echelon of that is trusting other people to step into that vision and to continue, like guiding them, but also letting them add to the vision. Not just being, like giving them marching orders. Yes. Because you've been so hyper independent for the last few years that it feels like that's the thing that's leading to your success.

And if you let go of that. What could possibly happen, but the reality of it is. Letting go of that in a strategic way is gonna allow you to go further faster. Yes. And it's, you know, it's challenging, but I think it's also now, I guess what I'm navigating is I, I have to remember, oh, now people actually do see the world that I built.

[00:28:00] So they're playing in the world that I built. Whereas before I was like, no. Like I had a, a friend and client, uh, Maddie Webb, and she, I remember she said this to me once and it always stuck with me. She's like, I, when she became. Famous. She's like, it's like I was a, I had felt like a ghost, and then suddenly everyone could see me and it was like, oh no, I've been here all along.

I just got chills. Yeah, I know. No, she's, she's the best. Um, but that really is kind of how it feels where you're. Like I, I think I'm still kind of constantly being like, wait, you see this too? Or like, now it's times that like, I doubt myself and my team is like, no, we're not doing that. Like, we're not indulging in that.

Like we're gonna continue on this path. And so, but I think when you're starting out, that muscle is so necessary because you do have to hold the vision and hold the belief, and no one else can do that for you. I think I, I read somewhere, maybe it was on a reel where it was talking about how every.

Entrepreneurs, successful, [00:29:00] sustainable entrepreneur, they know is absolutely obsessed with what they do. And sometimes people don't always understand that obsession. Sometimes they're labeled the black sheep. And now I wear that like title, like being the black sheep, like, where are my black sheep's at?

Like, let's find more of you and, and we can, you know, navigate it together because it can be isolating when you are starting out. Right? It can be really isolating. Yeah. Yeah. And I think that's why, you know, places like your pod, this podcast are so great because it is, you know, I, I think if we're to actually even look at the breakdown of the world, probably there are fewer black sheep in that are doing that.

And you do kind of have to do it alone at first. Um, and that can feel really hard and isolating. Um. But then you do get to the other side where there's a team supporting you and also and like co building that. And I think that's where, I mean, that's the dream. That's the magic. And, and I will say a lot of creatives try to get to that place before they've actually built out the vision.

And I think it can be [00:30:00] a way of bypassing discomfort to try and bring a team on too early to execute a vision that you haven't formulated yet. Um, and so I think it is a little bit of a dance and. Not that there's a right or wrong answer, but in terms of being a founder, being that black sheep, it's like, okay, when do I trust to continue down with my vision?

When do I bring people on? Because usually the inclination that you'll have is the opposite of what you actually need to do in that moment. Like I wanted to bring on people way too early. That was my inclination, and that wasn't the move. Whereas now I wanna do things myself and that's not the move either.

Where does social media. Intersect with fame or is there, how do those things go together in what you teach? So, yeah, I mean, I think that it's a famous, famous, famous fame. So kind of like how, you know, there are, there's a kind of dumb stigma [00:31:00] against new money and it's like more. It's like a little gosh to have new money versus old money.

It's the same with fame and like with, I think that people in the traditional, maybe Hollywood cast system, um, love to say, oh, that's not real fame, that's internet fame. But I, again, fame is fame and attention is attention and I, I think it's such an amazing equalizer because it really proves that anyone can.

Create attention. You don't have to be greenlit, you don't have to have gatekeepers say yes to you, um, in order to make a massive impact, to make a massive difference to you get to be the author of your own story and of your own. You know, I've had experiences this year where like the actual, like traditional Hollywood press dragged me and I.

I'm pretty sure my videos got more views than that one did. Yeah. And I was able to be like, okay, well this is like, they said this and this is my truth about it, [00:32:00] and I just feel so grateful. No, thanks for that. Free for the opportunity to even respond to that. Yeah, exactly. You know, press is bad for this.

Right. Um, but it, it, you know, I, I can't imagine, I think there's such a history of abuse in Hollywood, and I think a lot of that is because the talent didn't. Have their own voice. They had the voice manufactured through a system that was not designed to protect them, but was protect, was there to protect a bottom line at any cost.

Um, and so I just think the Internet's amazing. It's, and I, when we hear that, that negative perspective on it or that hate on it, so to speak, I always ask myself, who benefits from believing this? And it certainly does not benefit us individual creators, entrepreneurs. Democratizing the ability to have access to fame is not a threat to any of us here.

Anybody listening, listening to this podcast, but it's a threat to the old systems that [00:33:00] maybe are not quite up to anymore. Right. Well, it's also a threat to people who aren't ready to take accountability. There we go for their results. Mm-hmm. Because if you are, if you're an entrepreneur or creator and you refuse to get on board with this massive opportunity.

Then you have an excuse, you can say, oh, that's not like you can just hide behind. That's not real or valid, or that's cringe or whatever. And that's just gonna keep you. And then if you have to wait on gatekeepers, guess what? Like I'll, I work in Hollywood. The gatekeepers are only gonna come when you're already demanding attention from your own.

From your own voice. And so if you, if you do want that traditional Hollywood fame or whatever this is, this is actually the, the pathway to get there. Um, and I think it's, it's triggering for people when they're not ready to do that work and ready to put themselves out there. And so often instead they just make fun of it or don't participate in it or whatever.[00:34:00] 

So Whitney, if our clever crew is listening right now and they're like. Oh my gosh, she's speaking directly to me. I know that we basically made this episode for me. Um, if they're saying that and they want more of learning how to have that it factor. How can they work with you? Yeah, so I have this program that is, it's like my pride and joy.

It's called the Self-Made Celebrity. It's a six month, um, coaching and mentorship program. It's a hybrid program. So you'll get the course materials for exactly the nitty gritty of how to actually do this. Um, and then you'll also get six months of coaching with me and my team. So this is really where you integrate the, the teachings.

A big part of the work of feeling safe, being seen is. That somatic safety that can only come in a group and in a community of people who also are unafraid to take the leap to admit that they wanna be famous. So, um, it's, uh, yeah, it's, it's. I'm, I'm obsessed with this program. Like we just, we just [00:35:00] actually released a new version of the course materials.

It's the same process that I've been, uh, coaching people on since 2020. Um, but it's all, yeah, it's all brand new and it's, it, I, the, the results and the PI mean, the results are so fun. It's like you scroll through and people are like, just hit a hundred k, just like got my first brand deal. Just sign $15,000 client, you know, whatever it is.

Um, but also just the people in there, like I, I always. A tarot reader told me once For what it's worth that yes, that my, or maybe this was like in my birth chart or something. My as astrology that my, you're speaking cat's language. I also wanna know your son time as well. Okay. Yeah, I'm, I love using astrology to understand.

Okay, great. So I am a Pisces son, a Virgo Rising and an Aries moon. Kind of a weird combo, but. Yeah, but does kind of make sense the more you get to know me. Um, but whichever one is like where your luck is. I, do you know what I'm talking about? It's like, [00:36:00] uh, Fortuna, yes. So mine is in, um, business and relationships, but, and like kind of specifically business relationships.

And I really do, like, I attract the coolest people. I mean, you guys, like, I, I really do feel like I've, I've had very good luck in business and that that is in clients and colleagues. So my community is. Is reflective of that as well. So I'm, I just have the coolest people. It's everything. Speaking of community, we have a pretty awesome community called the Clever Crew and they write in every episode with a question to ask our guest.

And so Kat is gonna read you a question. This is our not nice advice segment where we ask our guests to shoot it straight. Um, the clever crew is ready. Okay. Alright. So witty. This is from. Afraid of my own potential. So they're writing in, they say, I've noticed this pattern in myself. The closer I get to a breakthrough or a new level that I've been working toward, the more I procrastinate and put things off.

It's really [00:37:00] frustrating 'cause I know I can do it, but a part of me feels like I don't deserve the success that I'm chasing. Like if I actually get it, will people find out that I'm a fraud or not as good as they that as they think. How do I break outta the cycle and actually let myself accept and step into the opportunities that keep coming my way?

Okay, first off, this is so real and such a normal human problem. This is a new level, new devil, and your brain is kicking on basically your success thermostat every time you start to outgrow, right? It's that upper limit where you're starting to succeed. So what I would, what I always advise my clients to do is get really cl clear on what are your specific self.

Sabotage tendencies. It sounds like this writer is procrastination. Mine is like wallowing in self pity. Um, and like it feels really real. Um, another one can be like, I always like, that's when I like pick fights with my boyfriend. Kind of like one unquote out of nowhere. Anything that you are, that you notice is a pattern that you're [00:38:00] doing anytime this upper limit is, is coming your way.

Um, just get really clear on that so that we can kind of use it as like a. Like a red flag of like, oh, this is what's happening again. And then moving into that compassion piece for yourself of like. Like even just that awareness of like, yeah, of course I'm procrastinating right now. It makes sense 'cause I'm on the edge of some vulnerability.

I'm like stepping into new levels. The success, my, it feels threatening to my nervous system. And we gotta, we gotta get our shit together. Like we gotta, we gotta do the things. It's, it's kind of like the parenting, parenting yourself where it's like you can hold, hold compassion for the fear, but you also gotta continue moving in the direction of what you want in regardless.

I love that. I'm, I'm the procrastinator, or I'll make things over. I don't know, Whitney, if you've seen this with your clients or Candace, if you do this, I make things overly complex so that I have just all these steps and things that I need to do before I can actually do the thing. Candace has caught me doing that sometimes.

She's like, just fucking do it. Oh, yeah. Like, [00:39:00] yeah, a hundred percent. I, I will like make a plan for doing the thing, but not do the thing. I'll have the steps. I'll like, yeah. But Im like, you can just avoid doing that. I'm, I'm doing it because like I'm making a plan to do it. Yeah. Yeah. You're planning. I also see a lot of, like, I call these my research cats, where it's like people that are like, but I need to like listen to it.

I need one more course. Yes. I need one more podcast. Like, I'm gonna get it and then I'm, or it's like when you're like tinkering around on your website and it's not actually doing the thing that makes you vulnerable. True. I know we all do it. That's, that's the truth though. We take, you know, but look, self-awareness, like you said, Whitney is the first step.

It's the first step. And, and I think also just remembering that like we're, anyone who has the success or fame or career wins that you want is also human. And they also have these tendencies. So it doesn't mean you're not cut out for it. It doesn't mean you won't [00:40:00] get to the result that you want. It just means that that's, mm-hmm.

That's your next, your new level, new devil. I am gonna write that down now. New level, new Devil and Whitney, um, what's the name of your podcast? Where our clever crew can pop in and soak up All your goodness there. Yeah, it's called the how to. It's called How to Be Famous with Whitney Yoland. Well, thank you Whitney, so much for your time and your energy and the tarot readings and the insights and just all of the things.

I had such a great time. I'm hoping our clever crew found it, uh, insightful and valuable. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for having me. This was so much fun.