And if your systems ignore who’s missing, AI doesn’t fix that — it scales it.

In this episode of Is Anything Real?, Adam W. Barney sits down with LaShanda Jackson (Founder & CEO, No Ceiling Collective) for a reality-first conversation on equity, AI, and real growth — the kind that holds up under pressure, not just in a deck.

This isn’t a slogan episode. It’s a leadership episode.

The Reality Check

Most companies aren’t “neutral.” They’re running on defaults.

And defaults quietly determine:

• who gets hired and promoted
• who gets served and heard
• whose problems get solved
• and which customers your growth strategy accidentally ignores

What we unpack (with receipts)

• Why representation = revenue (and how exclusion shows up in your funnel, product, and culture)
• Where “good intentions” still create bad systems (hiring, GTM, customer experience)
• How AI amplifies bias — and what leaders can do before it ships
• The difference between performative inclusion vs. inclusion that improves outcomes
• A “one move” leadership step you can run this week to pressure-test whether your strategy is actually built for the market you say you want

If you’re a founder, operator, marketer, or leader building in 2026, this episode is a strong reminder: growth that isn’t designed for people isn’t scalable — it’s fragile.

Guest

LaShanda Jackson — Founder & CEO, No Ceiling Collective

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lashandajackson/

Website: https://www.noceilingcollective.com/

Work with Adam

If this conversation hit home and you want a reality-tested way to lead (and grow) without burning out:

Transition Leadership Foundation Call (20 min): https://calendly.com/adamwbarney/foundation-call-20min

More: https://www.adamwbarney.com/

In this episode of Is Anything Real?, Adam W. Barney sits down with Jeffrey Roe (Beats, Rhymes y Comunidad) to talk about the difference between an audience and a community...and why founders, creators, and leaders keep confusing the two.

Here’s the clean line:

• Audience = one-to-many (you broadcast)
• Community = member-to-member (people belong)

Jeffrey breaks down hip hop as a real blueprint for building belonging:

DJ as curator. MC as storyteller. Graffiti as identity. Breaking as participation...where the community becomes the show.

If you’re building anything that needs trust, retention, or momentum, this one will land.

Guest: Jeffrey Roe

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcroejr/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jerseycityjeff/

Host: Adam W. Barney

⚡ Transition Leadership Foundation Call (20 min): https://calendly.com/adamwbarney/foundation-call-20min

The startup world is basically a myth factory…and founders inhale it like oxygen. Colin Hodge is here to punch a few of those myths in the face...with real receipts from building DOWN (formerly Bang With Friends) and spending years in the trenches of consumer psychology.

This one has a strong “listen twice” feel because it’s not hype. It’s mechanisms.

The 3 founder myths killing companies (and nervous systems)

1. You have to chase unicorn status, or you failed  
2. Growth comes from hacks, not understanding humans
3. Anything labeled “casual” can’t be meaningful (spoiler: it can)

The “viral moments” we unpack (aka the parts you’ll quote to your founder friends)

• Punching the unicorn myth: there’s another path to success that doesn’t require billionaire cosplay  
• Consumer psychology > hacks: stop chasing channels, start understanding how people choose  
• Good friction (IKEA effect): the right steps can increase commitment and retention with good friction
• One move you can run this week: use framing effects to shape decisions inside paywalls, onboarding, and pricing  
• Is Anything Real?: authenticity becomes a durable edge when the internet gets noisier and faker

Guest links

• Order "Outrageous Startup Growth: Uncovering the Secrets of User Psychology to Scale Your Success", out today!
• Colin Hodge (LinkedIn): https://www.linkedin.com/in/ckbhodge/
• DOWN Dating & Social Apps: https://www.downapp.com/
• Email: c@downapp.com

For leaders in transition...

⚡ Transition Leadership Foundation Call (20 min):

https://calendly.com/adamwbarney/foundation-call-20min

If you’re building a company right now and your brain feels like 27 tabs are open, send this to the one founder friend who needs the reminder: you don’t have to chase unicorns to be successful.

We unpack the post-iOS reality, shrinking trust, platform incentives, and ThriveSide’s founder maturity model for building sustainable growth without skipping steps.  

You’ll hear when ads still help (micro-validation), why founders confuse spend with strategy, and the simple move most people avoid: build a list, start real conversations, and build community that referrals can run through.  

Guests:

Daniel Perumal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-perumal-882a1652/

Nick Alter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholasalter/

ThriveSide: https://thriveside.com/

Founders Best Friend: https://www.foundersbestfriend.com/

Host: Adam W. Barney

Transition Leadership Foundation Call (20 min): https://calendly.com/adamwbarney/foundation-call-20min

In this episode, we talk about:

• The hidden power of followership (and why it’s not “less than”)  
• How to exercise influence right now without a title
• Why most people communicate, but few truly connect  
• The “first second” reality of modern attention  
• How a consistent local podcast became a compounding impact engine  

Guest: Jim Matuga: jim@inneractionmedia.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmatuga/

Inner Action Media: https://inneractionmedia.com/

Book: https://humbleinfluencebook.com/
Positively West Virginia: https://positivelywv.com/positively-wv/

Host: Adam W. Barney

Transition Leadership Foundation Call (20 min): https://calendly.com/adamwbarney/foundation-call-20min

In 25 years, Penny says she’s never seen paid ads tie cleanly to direct revenue in B2B...and that the real role of paid is often air cover and brand surround sound, not pipeline heroics.  

We also dig into the leadership failures that quietly wreck growth:

• ICPs that are too complex to operationalize
• attribution models that create sales vs marketing turf wars
• dashboards that reward quantity over quality

Penny shares what to simplify, what to measure honestly, and how to stop gambling with budget and start building a system sales can trust.  

Guest: Penny Hill

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/penny-hill-644a42/

Three Threads Consulting: https://www.threethreadsconsulting.com/

Host: Adam W. Barney

Transition Leadership Foundation Call (20 min): https://calendly.com/adamwbarney/foundation-call-20min

After 50 conversations across growth, leadership, culture, equity, energy, and truth-telling, the same pattern kept showing up: most advice sounds good in a vacuum. This episode is about what still works under constraint.

No guest, just me, host Adam W. Barney - transition leadership coach and author of Make Your Own Glass Half Full: The Path To Empowered Optimism and Autonomy.

The 5 Truths

• Constraints reveal reality.
• Trust compounds outcomes.
• Energy is the constraint.
• Clarity beats volume.
• Systems beat willpower.

The Reality Filter

Behavior → Trade-off → Proof → Constraint test.

If it can’t pass those, it’s not strategy, it’s noise.

Work with Adam

If you’re leading through change and want a reality-first reset, book a Transition Leadership Foundation Call (20 min): https://calendly.com/adamwbarney/foundation-call-20min

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamwbarney/
My Website: https://www.adamwbarney.com
My Newsletter: Plugged In Leadership

Guests mentioned (thank you):

• Patty Civalleri: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pattycivalleri/
• Nikhil Vaish: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikhilvaish/
• Pauline Schmiechen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pauline-schmiechen/
• Colin James Belyea: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinjamesbelyea/
• Chuck Garcia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuck-garcia-015128/
• Sharon Hurley Hall: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonhh/
• Yasmine de Aranda: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yasminedearanda/
• Alexander Michael Gittens: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amgittens/
• Christina Quinn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinamquinn/
• Mike Tadasco: https://www.linkedin.com/in/todasco/
• Steve Biegel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-biegel-1b03503/

You’re committing fraud with better fonts.  

In this episode, Dana DiTomaso (Principal & Founder, Kick Point Inc. | Founder & Instructor, Analytics Playbook) breaks down why fake conversions keep surviving...and how leaders can rebuild measurement that reflects reality.

This isn’t just an analytics episode. It’s a leadership episode: because truth requires standards and psychological safety, and client trust collapses when dashboards become theater.  

What you’ll learn

• The most egregious conversion setup Dana’s seen (and how it makes revenue look imaginary).  
• Why “contact page views” are not leads...and the cleaner alternatives.  
• Why GA4 + paid platforms don’t always match and how GTM trigger mismatches create measurement chaos.  
• Dana’s metric take: stop using bounce rate; use engagement rate.  
• The agency founder play: improve measurement, then wean clients from bad metrics to good metrics without detonating trust.  

Connect with Dana

• LinkedIn (where she posts most): https://www.linkedin.com/in/dditomaso/  
• Kick Point: https://kickpoint.ca/
• KP Playbook: https://kpplaybook.com/

⚡ Your next step

Book a Transition Leadership Foundation Call (20 min):

https://calendly.com/adamwbarney/foundation-call-20min

Donate to the ACLU: https://action.aclu.org/give/now

Podcasthon: https://podcasthon.org/

Trader Joe’s has become a mythology factory - and when information is scarce, myths multiply.

In this episode, I’m joined by Patty Civalleri, author of Becoming Trader Joe, co-written from Joe Coulombe’s journals. Translation: we’re not doing hot takes. We’re doing what actually happened - and what leaders can actually learn from it.

This is a leadership episode disguised as a brand story:

• Constraints create strategy
• Culture is what you reward + refuse
• Differentiation isn’t a slogan, it’s a system
• And community matters (including who you let in and what energy you protect)

What we cover

• The real Trader Joe’s origin insights people get wrong
• The Four Pillars of Differentiation (and how to apply them today)
• Why myths spread when leaders don’t control the narrative
• Building a culture people can feel (not just read)
• Energy discipline: protecting the mission from negativity

Patty Civalleri (site): https://pattycivalleri.com/

Patty Civalleri (LinkedIn): https://www.linkedin.com/in/pattycivalleri/

Book (Becoming Trader Joe): https://bookshop.org/a/72042/9781400225439

Your next step

Transition Leadership Foundation Call (20 min):

https://calendly.com/adamwbarney/foundation-call-20min

In this episode, we break down what actually compounds in 2026: building end-to-end systems that connect creative, targeting, measurement, and learning...so your funnel doesn’t just “perform”…it improves.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why treating performance like “just a numbers game” is a fool’s errand (the art + science have to work together)
• The real modern flywheel: data → creative insights → more creative → better algorithmic matching
• Why last-click attribution keeps steering budgets wrong (and why Google often “gets credit” it didn’t earn)
• A real-world test: turning off brand keywords (yes, even with a massive brand) and what actually changed
• How to use Meta as a real-time learning lab with a Minimum Viable Campaign (MVC) instead of “focus group theater”
• The leadership move most teams skip: second-order metrics (because lower-funnel reality can invalidate upper-funnel “wins”)

Connect with Jesse, Walter, and Ei Digital

• Ei Digital: https://eidigital.com/
• Jesse Resnick (LinkedIn): https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesseresnick/
• Walter Shock (LinkedIn): https://www.linkedin.com/in/walter-shock-40486119/

Want help building leadership + growth systems that actually hold up in the real world?

Book a Transition Leadership Foundation Call: https://calendly.com/adamwbarney/foundation-call-20min

Alexander Michael Gittens talks about brand from the soul: identity, humanity, equity, belonging…and the kind of leadership that actually holds up under pressure.  

This episode is for founders, leaders, and creators who feel the quiet tension of modern business:

“How do I grow without becoming someone I don’t respect?”

Alexander brings a rare outsider-insider lens (Caribbean roots, Canadian upbringing, lived experience across cultures) and uses it to cut through the “us vs. them” nonsense and get to what actually moves people: connection, context, and character.  

In this episode, we get real about:

• Why influence starts with identity, not expertise...and why the next decade belongs to people who can hold space for truth and humanity, not just “be loud online.”  
• The “legacy test”: before you sell anything, ask whether you’re okay with your entire legacy being based on the quality of that output. (Yes, this one hits.)  
• Allyship as a series of choices (not a stance), rooted in real conversations and origin stories, not performative labels.  
• Why the fastest way to “vanquish your enemy” is…get to know them (and what that reveals about privilege, meritocracy myths, and entitlement).  
• The gut-punch closer: what good is “getting everything you ever wanted” if you lose you - the real you?  

Resources mentioned:

• Alexander’s work + essays: alexandermichaelgittens.com  
• Rupert Rodney (company): connect via Alexander on LinkedIn  
• Video essay: “Higher Profit” (search “Higher Profit Rupert Rodney”/“Higher Profit Alexander Michael Gittens” on YouTube)  

Want to build your leadership + energy like it actually matters?

Book a Transition Leadership Foundation Call: https://calendly.com/adamwbarney/foundation-call-20min

In this episode, Jordan Hawn (CEO & Founder, Hawn Consulting) breaks down what’s actually converting on Meta in 2026 for service businesses - and the finding that’s making “video-first” marketers uncomfortable:

Carousels are beating video for conversions in a lot of real campaigns because they do what most ads fail to do: they force clarity, answer objections, and help the right people self-select before they ever click.

But this conversation is bigger than creative formats.

It’s about leadership:

• setting expectations that protect spend and morale
• building follow-up systems that prevent lead waste
• designing marketing that survives algorithm whiplash
• and choosing growth that doesn’t torch your team

What you’ll get from this episode:

• Why video can win attention and still lose the sale...and why carousels often win for intent
• The creative structure that converts: hook → proof → process → CTA (and why skipping “process” kills trust)
• How to stop blaming the platform and fix the real leak: speed-to-lead + sales handoff + follow-up cadence
• The multi-channel mindset that keeps you from being held hostage by one algorithm
• Why email marketing becomes the durable growth engine when paid gets volatile
• The leadership move Jordan uses to protect energy and execution: better boundaries, better inputs, better outcomes

Guest: Jordan Hawn (Hawn Consulting)

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanhawn/
• Website: https://hawnconsulting.com/
• Newsletter: https://www.brandingsmallbusiness.ca/
• Email: jordan@hawnconsulting.com

If you’re spending money on ads but don’t have a system to convert attention into outcomes, let’s fix the foundation.

Book a Transition Leadership Foundation Call (20 min):

https://calendly.com/adamwbarney/foundation-call-20min

Brandy Morton (PR → comms → B2B/GRC marketer → founder) breaks down how to build demand the right way in regulated, “boring” industries without losing the human...and why equity and justice in marketing are not side quests but operating principles. We get into expectation-setting, aligning sales + marketing, and decision rules that move outcomes, not optics.

You’ll learn

• How to reset “$5K in, Fortune-500 out” expectations, and what to measure instead across TOFU/MOFU/BOFU.  
• A simple foundation checklist: shared target account list, CRM truth, definitions, SLAs, and automation.
• What “human-centered demand gen” looks like in finance/insurance/GRC (and why it converts).
• Equity in practice: breaking silos, aligning incentives, and earning trust in your ICPs and inside your team.
• The “borrowed credibility” playbook: trade media, associations, and trusted SMEs → podcasts, short video, and live/editorial partnerships.
• Brandy’s favorite “turn the PDF into pipeline” moves (checklists, calculators, “12 RFP Questions,” etc.) and the one lever she pulls before “increase spend.”

Timestamps

• 00:00 Cold open: “Paid ads aren’t fake; expectations are.”  
• 01:00 Brandy’s non-linear path (PR → sales → GA → marketing leader → founder).
• 03:00 Learning the agency “language” and following the money.  
• 05:20 Demand gen = foundations first (shared lists, SLAs, automation).
• 06:40 Why one click ≠ one customer in B2B; stakeholders, cycle length, and metrics that matter.  
• 08:10 Resetting $5K expectations with a holistic plan.  
• 09:50 “Keeping Up with Kevin”: humanizing compliance with an SME-led series (and the results).  
• 14:20 Equity as an operating system: alignment, trust, language, and incentives.
• 17:00 Going solo: permission, community, and your personal “board of directors.”
• 19:10 One action for “boring” industries: talk to a customer—today.  

Guest

Brandy Morton -  founder of Brandy Morton Marketing; demand gen + growth systems for B2B and regulated industries.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandybmorton/

Site: https://brandybmortonmarketing.com/

Host

Adam W. Barney: Leadership Coach. Book a Transition Leadership Foundation Call (20 min) → https://calendly.com/adamwbarney/foundation-call-20min

If this hit: share it with a leader who still thinks “equity” is a campaign, not a capability.

Highlights

• Paid as visibility tax vs. conversion: how to target so small budgets don’t vaporize.  
• Run SEO and SEM as one system (structure, titles, keywords, quality score).  
• Local/service landing pages that rank...and don’t clutter your nav.  
• ABT: Always Be Testing from forms to fulfillment.  
• LLM search is already in analytics; teach users branded prompts to find you.  

Chapters

0:00 Cold open

1:00 Peter’s path, hospitality → EY → SEO/SEM

5:00 Paid that actually converts

7:15 SEO + SEM together

8:30 Landing-page pattern

11:30 ABT: Always Be Testing

12:10 First fixes

13:00 AI design vs human design

16:00 LLM search strategy

18:30 Free mini-audit & close

Guest Links

• 3 Horizons Interactive: 3h-i.com

Host Links / CTAs

• Transition Leadership Foundation Call (20 min): https://calendly.com/adamwbarney/foundation-call-20min

• Subscribe on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@adamwbarney

What you’ll learn

• The why now: Reddit’s role in zero-click journeys and high-consideration purchases
• How to build credibility (karma + participation) before a single brand post
• The comment-elicitation thread structure that multiplies saves, replies, and CTR
• Promoted thread settings that invite discussion instead of backlash
• Safety: disclosure, language, and moderation that keep you brand-safe
• Measuring impact when clicks under-report: brand search, holdouts, blended CAC
• A 30-day quickstart from lurker → contributor → repeatable results

Guest

Colin James Belyea - Co-Founder, Karmic

• withkarmic.com • linkedin.com/in/colinjamesbelyea • colin@withkarmic.com

Host

Adam W. Barney - Is Anything Real? (Reality-First Leadership)

• adamwbarney.com • Book: Make Your Own Glass Half Full

👉 Need a reality-first plan? Book a 20-min Transition Leadership Foundation Call:

https://calendly.com/adamwbarney/foundation-call-20min

This exclusive drop lands the Friday before the Super Bowl and the opening of the Winter Olympics - for a reason. Steve Biegel (Dreamboat Group; ex-Ogilvy) unpacks how purpose beats spectacle, when celebrity helps instead of hurts, and why Think > Say > Do is the simplest path to tribes that buy for years, not days.

We cover

• Using tent-pole moments without faking it
• The right and wrong way to deploy celebrity
• A practical definition of purpose in 2026
• The protest-ad fiasco vs. AmEx + Jerry Seinfeld
• What Bernbach/Ogilvy/Reeves would do with TikTok & AI
• Where the first dollar of a $10M brand budget should go

Chapters

00:00 Cold open - the problem with glitter & spectacle

00:44 Purpose & the soul of a brand

01:29 Long-term relationships > short-term metrics

05:55 Super Bowl celebs: attention vs. value

07:17 Case that worked: AmEx x Seinfeld

08:47 Case that flopped: protest-ad fiasco

10:41 The Think > Say > Do framework

13:47 What the winners do in the next decade

16:21 If I had $10M…where the first dollar goes

18:47 Reframing a conservative category around smart risk

20:23 What the legends would say about TikTok & AI

22:34 Where to find Steve + his book

23:11 Close: “Purpose burns long.”

Links

Steve Biegel - Dreamboat Group: thedreamboatgroup.com

Steve: stevebiegel.com • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-biegel-1b03503/

Host: Adam W. Barney - Transition Leadership Foundation Call (20 min) → https://calendly.com/adamwbarney/foundation-call-20min

Founder Alexandra Prochshenko (Veloria) and I get brutally practical about what still works in paid media when you’re competing in red-ocean auctions or navigating policy landmines. We cover tiny budgets that actually move the needle, how to avoid flags, and why your offer + funnel beats any hack.

👉 Need a reality-first plan? Book your 20-min Exploration: https://calendly.com/adamwbarney/explorationplugin-20min

What you’ll learn

• Red-ocean truth: Meta/Google costs aren’t broken - you’re just bidding in crowded auctions. Here’s how to win anyway.
• $2/day local workshop play: tight geo, one clear outcome, short run, retarget all engagers - why this still converts.
• Small budget survival: most “failed” ads are offer/funnel failures; run 6–8 creative variations minimum.
• YouTube ads that work: story > length; open strong, stack proof, ship multiple cuts - not one “hero.”
• Regulated brands: use buffer pages, policy-safe language, and sequenced education to avoid flags.
• Search is changing: why founders should optimize for ChatGPT visibility (structured answers, sourceable pages).
• Diversify attention: blend paid with community, email, partnerships; measure signals over vanity.

Guest

Alexandra Prochshenko - Founder, Veloria (The app that brings pleasure back for women with pelvic pain.)

Site: https://www.veloria.ca/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandra-prochshenko/

Email: prochshenko.a@gmail.com • veloria.app@gmail.com

About the show

Is Anything Real? with Adam W. Barney - Reality-First Leadership for founders and operators who want proof over theater and growth without burnout.

Work with Adam

👉 EnergyOS: book your 20-min Exploration → https://calendly.com/adamwbarney/explorationplugin-20min

General Partner Christina Quinn (SSC Venture Partners) sits down with Adam W. Barney to move beyond the panel talk and into practice: which signals actually earn a second meeting, how to translate messy early traction into credible proof, and concrete ways funds and founders can widen the on-ramp for underrepresented builders...without performative theater.

In this episode:

• Signals VCs trust: customer pull, learning velocity, and the right kind of focus
• Noise to ignore: vanity metrics, bloated roadmaps, and “partnerships” that aren’t
• Equity → operations: process changes that expand access (deal flow, diligence, support)
• Deck clarity: the 6-slide path that respects everyone’s energy and still lands the point
• EnergyOS move: one weekly habit to protect momentum while fundraising

3 takeaways you can use today

1. Clarity > volume. Lead with one sharp problem, one real customer proof, one next milestone.
2. Access needs a system. Make inclusion a process, not a press release—change sourcing and the first-meeting gate.
3. Protect your energy. Schedule your recharge/review loop before you ship; it’s how you keep signal high for the long game.

Guest

• Christina Quinn, General Partner - SSC Venture Partners

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinamquinn/

• Firm: https://sscventurepartners.com/

• Email: christina@sscventurepartners.com

Host

Adam W. Barney - Transition Leadership Coach & host of Is Anything Real?, the Reality-First Leadership show for builders who optimize for proof over theater.

👉 Book a 20-min Foundation Call: https://calendly.com/adamwbarney/foundation-call-20min

Support the show (48-hour push)

• Follow on Apple/Spotify and turn on Auto-download
• Drop a 5★ review with “Lead with Humanity” in your note, language that helps others find it this week

Chapters

00:00 Why founder-first still wins

02:11 Real signals vs. theater

07:08 Equity into operations

12:45 Turning early traction into proof

18:10 Deck clarity and decision hygiene

23:40 EnergyOS habit for momentum

26:55 Next steps for founders

In this exclusive drop, Sharon Hurley Hall (journalist, author, anti-racism educator, and Co-Founder of The Introvert Sisters) joins Adam W. Barney to unpack impact without exhaustion: introverts as powerful leaders, boundaries that protect your best work, why “resilience” gets misused, and how to build communities that care while you still care for yourself.

You’ll leave with a humane playbook and one EnergyOS move you can run today.  

Links

• Sharon: https://sharonhh.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonhh/
• The Introvert Sisters (podcast): https://theintrovertsisters.com/
• Grab a copy of her book, "I'm Tired of Racism": https://www.amazon.com/Im-Tired-Racism-Stories-Existing/dp/9769546917
• Email: hello@sharonhurleyhall.com
• Check out Hiyer: https://www.hiyer.pro/

Work with Adam

👉 20-min Exploration Call: https://calendly.com/adamwbarney/explorationplugin-20min

Highlights

• One-truth positioning (cut the bloat, earn attention)
• Rev-share done right: incentives, pitfalls, guardrails
• From “free advice” to formalized value
• Paid media with a pulse: people at the center
• EnergyOS: progress from what’s within reach - ship daily

Guest links

• Website: https://doublezebra.com/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marketingaaron/

• Email: aaron@doublezebra.com

Work with Adam

👉 20-min Exploration Call: https://calendly.com/adamwbarney/explorationplugin-20min

You’ll learn

• A simple checklist for “is immersive worth it for us… now?”  
• The 70/20/10 play to test bold ideas without blowing trust or budget.  
• Channels to try first and how to attribute them sensibly.  
• One EnergyOS move to keep curiosity high and hype low.  

Guest links

• Site: https://kinetic319.com/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-ortman/

• Email: adam@kinetic319.com

Work with Adam

👉 Book your 20-min Exploration Call: https://calendly.com/adamwbarney/explorationplugin-20min

We cover fraud in pay-per-view deals, AI’s role from segmentation to virtual creators, and a field-tested flow for activating 20+ localized creators with message variants mapped to sub-audiences.  

You’ll learn

• Authenticity > optics: the advocacy model and how to measure real impact.  
• The danger of vanity metrics (why per-view pricing gets gamed) and what to track instead.  
• Matching creators with 100+ affinity data points and coordinating message buckets.  
• AI you can use (audience, creative, VO) vs. AI to avoid (fake faces, fake clicks).  
• Why Reddit is rising in discovery and how it ties to search/Gen-AI results.  

Connect with Matt

• Website: https://advocators.ai/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewanthes/

• Email: matt@advocators.ai

Work with Adam

👉 Book your 20-min Exploration Call: https://calendly.com/adamwbarney/explorationplugin-20min

Takeaways

• Proof over dashboards: engagement didn’t translate to pipeline.  
• Persona/offer misalignment beats ad tinkering every time.  
• Use paid after you have a validated, repeatable sales motion.  
• Practical reallocations: Google search + niche events/sponsorships.  

Connect with Dan

• Site: https://www.learntoscale.us/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dansnewman/

• Email: dan@learntoscale.us

Work with Adam

👉 Book your 20-min Exploration Call

You’ll learn:

• How outcome-aligned compensation changes behavior and results.  
• Why algorithms do the heavy lifting—and how to give them better angles.  
• When to keep one “scale” campaign vs. adding controls for inventory/LTV.  
• Persona-driven creative that sells (not just formats and hacks).  
• The LTV math of entry products, cross-sell, and retention.  

Connect with Gabe

• Everything Bagel: https://www.everythingbagel.com/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriel-wolff/

• Email: gabe@everythingbagel.com

Work with Adam

👉 Book your 20-min Exploration Call

Unpacking real. Ditching noise.

You’ll learn:

• How to design marketing to serve sales, success, and product (service over silos)  
• Policies and practices that support the sandwich generation without losing performance  
• Why empathy is an operational advantage—and how pressure erodes it if you’re not careful  
• Practical leadership OS: flexibility, clear values, and energy protection habits  

Connect with Yasmine

• Website: https://360angle.ca/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yasminedearanda/

• Email: yasminedearanda@gmail.com

Work with Adam

👉 Book your 20-min Exploration Call: https://calendly.com/adamwbarney/explorationplugin-20min

Check on your people today. Care is strategy.

Exclusive holiday release: 12/19. Unpacking real. Ditching noise.

You’ll learn:

• The “freelance collective” operating system (assemble specialists → deliver → unplug)
• Fractional staffing vs. six-month hires (speed, expertise, flexibility)
• When paid helps, when it adds to noise, and how AI should (and shouldn’t) be used
• Earned attention plays: PR, timely cultural moments, and community building
• A perspective-seeking workflow to reduce brand risk and improve creative quality

Connect with Jamie

• BriteBirch Collective: https://britebirch.com/
• BriteStart Community: https://britestart-community.circle.so/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamjamieread/

• Email: jamie.read@britebirch.com

Work with Adam

👉 Book your 20-min Exploration Call: https://calendly.com/adamwbarney/explorationplugin-20min

Unpacking real. Ditching noise.

You’ll learn:

• How to design for member-to-member connection (not just broadcasts)  
• Metrics that matter: ticket deflection, feature input/beta, UGC/advocacy, CQLs tied to revenue  
• When audience precedes community—and the role of a community manager  
• Tactics to avoid echo chambers and spark diverse, useful dialogue (ask better questions)  
• A practical cadence founders can sustain without burnout  

Connect with Yurii

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yurii-lazaruk-community-consultant/

• Email: yuralazaruk@gmail.com

Work with Adam

👉 Book your 20-min Exploration Call: https://calendly.com/adamwbarney/explorationplugin-20min

Expect a frank conversation about niching down, pricing power, and building the right foundation so ads can finally do their job.

You will learn

• The Step Two foundation that most skip and how to build it fast
• How to balance brand and performance without chasing vanity metrics
• Why AI without clarity equals faster failure
• Specialist positioning for higher fees and better fit
• A simple VOC loop: record calls, extract language, ship copy

Connect with Nikhil

• BoostSolo: https://boostsolo.com

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikhilvaish/

Work with Adam

👉 Book your 20-min Exploration Call: https://calendly.com/adamwbarney/explorationplugin-20min

Special Friday drop. Unpacking real. Ditching noise.

You’ll learn:

• How to evaluate spend, revenue, and profit across channels, not in silos
• Why last-click is broken—and what holistic measurement looks like
• When Meta/TikTok work (and what to do when budgets are small)
• The SEO “quick lift” loop: traffic → rankings → retargeting → sales
• Why “send paid to Amazon” backfires and better ways to support listings

Connect with Andrew

• BlueTuskr: https://bluetuskr.com

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewmaff

Work with Adam

👉 Book your 20-min Exploration Call: https://calendly.com/adamwbarney/explorationplugin-20min

🎧 Subscribe to Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising? wherever you listen — and if this episode hit home, share it with someone who needs to hear that you can scale without selling your soul.

You’ll learn:

• How to build a values-driven community that compounds trust
• Converting community energy into a talent + partnerships pipeline
• The right (and wrong) moments to use paid ads
• Activation ideas: storytelling, spotlights, and service
• Metrics that matter beyond impressions

Connect with Shraddha

• Fuzia: https://www.fuzia.com/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shraddhavarma/

• Email: shraddha@fuzia.com

Work with Adam

👉 Book your 20-min Exploration Call: https://calendly.com/adamwbarney/explorationplugin-20min

You’ll learn:

• The difference between “bestseller” clout and durable credibility
• How to grow a thriving community without relying on paid ads
• Wine-world lessons for marketers: language, labels, and transparency
• A pragmatic framework for ads when budgets are tight
• Why genuine hospitality outperforms dashboards

Connect with Megumi

• Merobebe: https://www.merobebe.com/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megumicalver/

• Email: megumi@merobebe.com

Work with Adam

👉 Book your 20-min Exploration Call: https://calendly.com/adamwbarney/explorationplugin-20min

Unpacking real. Ditching noise. Subscribe and share with a founder who values trust over tricks.

In this episode of Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising?, Utsav Nagori, Founder of DynaPro Global, shares how he grew a VA agency serving clients across the U.S. entirely through trust, relationships, and ridiculous consistency.

From his first few clients to managing a full remote team, Utsav walks through what it really takes to scale when you don’t have funding, investors, or ad budgets — just belief and execution.

🎯 Highlights from the conversation:

• How one referral snowballed into a global client base
• Why “every client is a story” beats every marketing funnel
• The underestimated power of showing up every day online
• Building systems that replace burnout with balance
• Turning early mistakes into your most effective marketing

💬 As Utsav puts it:

This one’s about grit, values, and what happens when founders stop chasing shortcuts and start playing the long game.

🔗 Connect with Utsav:

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/utsav-nagori/

Website → https://dynaproglobal.com/

Email → utsav@dynaproglobal.com

🎧 Subscribe to Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising? wherever you listen — and if this episode hit home, share it with someone who needs to hear that you can scale without selling your soul.

#IsAnythingReal #PaidAdvertising #VAAgency #Entrepreneurship #BootstrappedGrowth #EnergyOS #ScaleSmarter #Leadership

In this episode of Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising?, host Adam W. Barney sits down with Jared Tang, Founder & CEO of Gaggle Social, to talk about breaking the cycle of ad dependency and building brands that grow on real connection, not rented reach.

💡 What We Cover:

• Escaping the paid-media hamster wheel
• How organic storytelling compounds faster than spend
• The LinkedIn content loops that actually drive sales
• Why most founders confuse activity with attention
• Building authentic demand vs algorithm dopamine

🎧 This one’s for founders, marketers, and growth leaders ready to detox from “more ads = more growth” thinking.

🔗 Guest Links

🌐 Gaggle Social: https://gagglesocial.com/

📧 j.tang@gagglesocial.com

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaredtangalejandro/

⚡ About the Host

🎙 Adam W. Barney — Author, Strategist & Energy Coach helping leaders install their EnergyOS to scale sustainably.

👉 Book a clarity call → https://calendly.com/adamwbarney/explorationplugin-20min

In this episode, Mason Cosby, CEO & Founder of Scrappy ABM, joins Adam W. Barney to unpack how small, focused teams are generating enterprise-level outcomes with smarter, more human strategies.

🔥 Topics we dig into:

• Why ABM has been misunderstood (and how to fix it)
• How to build real alignment between sales and marketing
• What “Scrappy” actually means in a post-AI world
• Turning connection into pipeline — without buying attention

🎙 Hosted by Adam W. Barney — author, strategist, and founder of Scale Smarter. No fluff. No funnels. Just what’s real.

🔗 Mason Cosby – Founder & CEO, Scrappy ABM

🌐 Website: https://scrappyabm.com

📧 Email: mason@scrappyabm.com

⚡ Ready to install your Energy-Driven Leadership OS?

Book your 20-minute exploration → https://calendly.com/adamwbarney/explorationplugin-20min

Leadership isn’t forged at the summit: it’s forged in the storm.

In this powerful conversation, Chuck Garcia, Columbia University professor, author, and founder of Climb Leadership, joins host Adam W. Barney to unpack what it really means to climb with resilience, emotional intelligence, and purpose .

Mountains and boardrooms share the same truth: the climb tests your patience, your team, and your character. Chuck Garcia shares the three rules he learned on Kilimanjaro that every leader needs to adopt: set a goal (and adjust it), take one step at a time, and never go it alone  .

🔹 What you’ll learn

• Why “getting home safely” matters more than “reaching the summit.” Leadership is a long climb, not a photo finish.  
• The career lesson from Wall Street that proved EQ > IQ when it comes to promotions  .
• How stoicism and self-control under pressure separate average leaders from legends  .
• Why communication is the #1 leadership skill schools don’t teach  .
• The CTR Factor — credibility, trust, respect — and how to build it in every interaction  .

🌍 About Chuck Garcia

CEO of Climb Leadership International, Columbia University professor, mountaineer, and TEDx speaker. Author of A Climb to the Top and The Moment That Defines Your Life. Connect at chuckgarcia.com.

🎙 About the Show

Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising? cuts through the noise with conversations on leadership, marketing, and the human energy that powers them. Hosted by Adam W. Barney — Energy Coach & Author of Make Your Own Glass Half Full.

🔌 Work with Adam W. Barney

Install the Energy-Driven Leadership OS in 90 days and reclaim your clarity and capacity. Book an exploration call → calendly.com/adamwbarney/explorationplugin-20min.

💡 Alex shares the story of building Opal — the fintech platform redefining how ad agencies and creators manage cash flow and credit.

From partnering with Visa to solving the agency payment bottleneck, this conversation gets real about money, momentum, and the systems that fuel scale.

We cover:

🏦 Why traditional banks don’t understand agency business models

💳 How Opal is modernizing cash flow for ad-driven companies

🚀 Why scaling starts with better financial systems — not just better ads

🧩 How to build tools and partnerships that grow with you

🎙 Host: Adam W. Barney

💼 Guest: Alex Steele, Founder of Opal | a@getopal.co

🔥 Fix your foundation. Scale smarter.

Subscribe for more episodes of Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising? — where we unpack what’s real in marketing, growth, and leadership.

In this episode of Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising?, I sit down with MK McGowan, Founder of MK McGowan Studios, to explore how narrative isn’t just marketing — it’s the difference between being ignored and being unforgettable.

We dive into:

✨ Why narrative intelligence matters more than vanity metrics

✨ How to tell stories that scale across platforms and audiences

✨ The art of shaping messages that connect with both logic and emotion

✨ Where AI fits in — and where it never will — when it comes to authentic storytelling

MK has built a career around helping leaders and brands clarify their voice and amplify their message in ways that build trust, impact, and long-term influence. This conversation is a masterclass for anyone trying to rise above the noise and lead with narrative power.

📌 Learn more about MK: https://www.mkmcgowanstudios.com/

📌 Connect with MK: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mkmcgowan/

🎧 Find all episodes of Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising? by searching your favorite podcast app.

In this episode of Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising?, I sit down with Joe Apfelbaum, Founder of evyAI and CEO of Ajax Union, to unpack what it really takes to scale authentic relationships in the age of AI.

Joe shares his journey from building 100+ websites a year, to scaling Ajax Union into one of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S., to creating evyAI...now powering 20,000+ users across 37 countries. Along the way, we dig into:

• 🚀 Why authenticity (not automation) is the real differentiator in AI
• 🧠 How evyAI helps turn LinkedIn into a revenue channel without turning you into a robot
• 🌍 Building a global SaaS product from scratch (and why it almost broke him)
• 🤝 The future of community-driven growth, leadership, and personal branding

💬 Want to see evyAI in action? Text DEMO to 973-841-8868 and get firsthand access.

🔗 Connect with Joe:

• LinkedIn: Joe Apfelbaum
• evyAI: app.evyai.com
• Ajax Union: ajaxunion.com

✨ Catch every episode here: Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising?

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How a 25-year roofing company cut ~$50k in wasted ad spend by tracking every channel (QRs, call prompts, landing pages) and tying it back to sales activity.
• “Hand raisers,” lead scoring, and seeing buying signals in real time (opens, site visits, video views).
• Why most teams fail CRM roll-outs, and the fast path to a functional build in 4–6 weeks.
• How agencies white-label CRM services to protect LTV, conversion, and retention.

Connect with Jason

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonleighkramer/
• Cultivize: https://cultivize.com/

Subscribe and find more episodes: https://isanythingrealinpaidadvertising.adamwbarney.com/

In this episode, we cover:

• How Green Zone went from wide-net consulting to honing in on manufacturing and distribution niches.
• Why referrals and word-of-mouth still outpace cold ads in today’s noisy market.
• The systems Abu is putting in place to make referrals predictable and scalable.
• The biggest misconceptions about “slow growth” and what it really takes to build traction.

💡 For any founder wondering if they have to pour cash into ads right away, this conversation will reset your mindset.

👉 Connect with Abu:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/abubakarrkamara

Green Zone Solutions: gzsolutions.co

🎧 Explore all episodes: Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising?

In this Exclusive Drop episode of Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising?, host Adam W. Barney and Mike dig into:

• The real implications of AI for human creativity
• How corporate innovation at PayPal informs the future of AI adoption
• Why today’s students at SDSU might hold the most accurate lens on what’s coming
• The hard truths marketing leaders must face if they want to stay relevant

If you’ve ever wondered whether AI will kill creativity or ignite it, this conversation gives you the clarity to lead forward.

📨 Connect with Mike Todasco: https://www.linkedin.com/in/todasco/

🌐 Learn more about SDSU’s AI initiatives: https://ai.sdsu.edu

🎧 Explore all episodes: Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising?

Vinod Kumar, CEO & Co-Founder of Syntheum AI, joins host Adam W. Barney to talk about clarity, discipline, and why most brands chase paid ads before they’ve earned the right. From building agentic AI tools for merchandisers to pioneering the idea of being “seed-strapped,” Vinod shares how founders can scale smarter without burning budgets.

In this episode of Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising?, we cover:

• How AI merchandising agents are changing the way e-commerce brands work
• Why being “seed-strapped” forces clarity and better decisions
• The case for organic momentum before paid ads (and why shortcuts stall growth)
• How Syntheum’s AVA audit tool reveals brand visibility inside AI platforms
• Why long-term trust and brand presence will outlast today’s quick-fix ad hacks

If you’ve ever felt the pull toward shortcuts...or wondered how to future-proof your brand in an AI-driven ad world...this episode is your playbook.

📨 Get in touch with Vinod: vinod@syntheum.ai

🔗 Connect with Vinod: linkedin.com/in/vinodkumar-ai/

🌐 Learn more: syntheum.ai

🎧 Listen to all episodes: Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising?

In this episode of Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising?, we dive into:

• Why 84% of purchases still happen offline - and how to tie them back to digital
• The hidden cost of ad fraud (and how to filter it out before you spend a dime)
• What happens when you prioritize quality audiences over inflated reach
• Why lifetime value is the only metric worth obsessing over

If you’re tired of chasing impressions that don’t convert and want a smarter way forward, this one’s for you.

📨 Get in touch with Noel: noelg@connectedinteractive.com

🔗 Connect with Noel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noel-geer-98855915/

🌐 Learn more about Connected Interactive: https://connectedinteractive.com/

🎧 Listen to all episodes: Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising?

In this episode of Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising?, we dive into:

• Building emotional trust in a data-obsessed ecosystem
• How Fuzia empowers creators across 35+ countries
• Why most ad impressions aren’t worth what you think
• What EQ + community storytelling can do that paid ads never will

If you’re tired of clickbait and craving real results, this one’s for you.

📨 Get in touch with Priyanka: priyanka.m@fuzia.com

🔗 Follow Priyanka: https://www.linkedin.com/in/priyankasayshi/

🌐 Learn more about Fuzia Talent: https://www.fuziatalent.com/

🎧 Listen to all episodes: Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising?

Lucy Wang, Co-Founder & CEO of Pocketflows, joins me for a straight-talking breakdown of what’s real in small business marketing today. From funnel nightmares to the trap of instant gratification, Lucy calls out the shortcuts that sabotage founders—and shows us what sustainable growth really takes.

Inside this episode, we dig into:

• 🚦 Why “cookie-cutter” AI marketing fails small businesses.
• 🧩 The hidden costs of shortcut thinking (spam, over-automation, blind ROAS chasing).
• 📈 The smarter path: building loyalty, visibility, and a repeatable flow for growth.
• 💡 Real stories of how businesses can ditch chaos and unlock clarity.

Lucy’s approach is sharp, practical, and refreshingly human. If you’ve ever wondered why your ads aren’t working, or why growth feels stuck in neutral, this is your blueprint for cutting through the noise.

👉 Connect with Lucy Wang:

• Pocketflows
• Lucy on LinkedIn
• 📧 lucy@pocketflows.com

🎙️ Subscribe to Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising? for more no-fluff conversations on what’s real (and what’s just noise).

In this episode of Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising?, Adam W. Barney sits down with Ryan, Founder of Digital Reference and the guy agencies call when they want their data to actually tell the truth.

We dig into:

• The difference between “reporting” and real insight
• How to kill useless KPIs before they waste your budget
• Why clean attribution is the ultimate trust-builder
• The metrics clients actually care about

This is data with teeth: no fluff, no filler. If you’re tired of playing spreadsheet dress-up and want reporting that drives real ROI, this is your episode.

📌 Connect with Ryan Stevens: LinkedIn | Digital Reference

🎧 Listen to more episodes: Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising?

In this episode, we dive into:

• Why most agencies think they’re scaling when they’re actually stalling
• The balance between execution, strategy, and personal energy
• Real ROI versus vanity metrics...and how to track what truly matters
• Building a business that fuels your life instead of draining it

Whether you’re running a $250K shop or a multi-million dollar agency, this episode will help you rethink your growth plan, sharpen your focus, and lead with intention.

📍 Connect with Anthony:

• SmartSpend Advertising: https://smartspendadvertising.com
• Good Name Consulting: https://goodnameconsulting.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonytsigourakos/

🎙 Hosted by Adam W. Barney, Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising? explores the truths, myths, and hidden realities behind marketing, growth, and leadership.

💡 If you enjoyed this conversation, make sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform, leave a review, and share this episode with one other agency owner, founder, or leader who needs it.

In this episode, Patrick Cumming, Head of Marketing at KleintBoost, joins Adam W. Barney to cut through the noise and talk shop: what’s real, what’s BS, and why most agencies are still chasing vanity metrics.

We go deep on:

• 💥 How to audit your funnel without losing your mind
• 📊 The real KPIs that matter for sustainable growth
• 🧠 Client psychology, performance myths, and decision-making under pressure
• 🤖 Why attribution is broken, and how to market anyway

Whether you’re an agency founder, media buyer, or brand leader tired of spinning your wheels, this episode gives you the clarity (and fire) to reset your strategy.

🔥 Hosted by Adam W. Barney, Host of Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising?, the show where agency leaders unpack what’s real…and what’s just noise.

🎧 Subscribe + Listen + Rate today!

In this episode of Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising?, I talk with Pauline Schmiechen: badass founder, consultant, and builder of multiple high-traffic adult platforms, who’s thriving in the shadows of mainstream media.

With 3 million+ users a month and zero access to traditional ad platforms, Pauline isn’t asking for permission...she’s building power in places most marketers are too afraid to look.

Here’s what we dive into:

• Why “intimacy is the new currency” in digital marketing
• How TrafficJunky, Telegram groups, and SEO still outperform when used right
• Creative campaigns like billboards, Discords, and even a plane over Coachella
• Fanblast, the WhatsApp/iMessage platform giving creators a direct line to fans (and revenue) and why Pauline’s all-in on it
• The myth that “nobody pays for porn” (they do...and, shocker, it’s billions)
• The backlash, the double standards, and why Pauline still shows up fully clothed at her laptop like every other founder you know

We also dig into the real reason OnlyFans exploded and why traditional marketing can’t handle industries built on human behavior, emotion, and connection.

This isn’t about adult content. It’s about stigma, scale, and what happens when creators and marketers get locked out of the “acceptable” world...and still thrive.

🔗 Resources & Mentions:

• Pauline’s LinkedIn
• Kotti Konsulting
• Fanblast – WhatsApp/iMessage for creators

📬 Subscribe to explore what’s real (and what’s just noise):

https://isanythingrealinpaidadvertising.adamwbarney.com

What started as a small somatic journey experiment on Meetup grew to a thriving 600+ person community in just six months, without a dollar in ad spend.

We unpack:

• Why marketing fails when you skip the “why”
• The cost of ignoring message–market alignment
• How Lea uses AI to deepen, not dilute, authentic connection
• The rise of AI-optimized content (and why it beats SEO for real humans)
• Her bold shift from “audience-first” to “alignment-first” creation

This episode is a refreshing dose of honesty in a sea of hype. If you’ve ever felt like your marketing efforts were missing soul, or you’re trying to scale without losing your center, this is your permission slip to do things differently.

🔗 Connect with Lea:

→ https://intentionandinsight.com

→ IG: @intentionandinsight

→ Join a Somatic Journey: https://calendly.com/eleah-intentionandinsight/friday-somatic-journey

If you’re an agency founder trying to grow without the grind, check out the Agency Growth Sprint, designed for firms earning $250K–$5M/year, who want real scale with real strategy.

👉 Book a clarity call

In this episode of Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising?, I sit down with Ziv Raviv, Founder & CEO of Kivi Media, creator of Daily Cookie, host of Beyond Six Figures, and author of The Fully Booked Coach, for a masterclass in scaling through soul-first strategy.

Ziv built a $600K/year coaching business without burning out on content or ad spend...and he’s here to show you how.

We unpack:

• Why most coaches and agencies overestimate the value of social media
• How to use micro-niching sideways to increase authority and fees
• Why “daily emails” aren’t dead—and the secret to writing ones that actually convert
• Two brutally honest failures that reshaped his growth strategy
• When to start spending on paid ads (and when to absolutely not)

Ziv keeps it real and actionable. This isn’t about hacks. It’s about building real relationships, solving real problems, and scaling with clarity.

If you’ve ever wondered whether your marketing is working, or working against you, this episode is your wake-up call.

🔗 Resources + Mentions:

• zivraviv.com
• kivimedia.co
• The Fully Booked Coach – Buy the Book
• adamwbarney.com

🔌 Ready to turn your agency into a growth machine?

If you’re running a $250K–$5M/year ad agency and tired of duct-taped systems, the Agency Growth Sprint was built for you.

→ Install a scalable lead gen engine

→ Clean up your offer

→ Ditch chaos for strategy that sticks

Learn more: adamwbarney.com

We cover:

• The hidden constraints behind Meta Ads and TikTok
• What Nuria does when client scripts kill performance
• Why real storytelling still wins in 2025
• Building an agency while creating content for 3M+ views

🔗 Learn more about Nuria’s work: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nbnmarketing/

🎧 Subscribe to the podcast: https://isanythingrealinpaidadvertising.adamwbarney.com

In this episode of Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising?, I sit down with Christina Magaña, Founder of Modish Creative and creative strategist behind some of the most vibrant, soulful branding campaigns in the game.

We dive into:

• Why AI-generated visuals are hitting a ceiling (and sometimes a wall)
• What agencies are missing when it comes to real creative impact
• How short-form video is helping founders cross from creator to closer
• The one underrated content format every agency should lean into

Plus: the 2010 Instagram personality that still lives inside ChatGPT and how Christina trains her clients to break free from emoji-and-em-dash chaos.

It’s raw, real, and wildly creative.

🔗 Follow Christina & Modish Creative

Instagram: @modishcreativeco

Website: modishcreative.com
Christina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristinamodish/

🎯 Subscribe & explore more at: https://isanythingrealinpaidadvertising.adamwbarney.com/

In this episode, I’m joined by Nathalie Doremieux, Co-Founder of Podcast LeadFlow, who reveals how to transform podcast listeners into qualified leads through strategic AI-powered conversations. We unpack how the Human → AI → Human model outperforms generic automation, and why quality, not quantity is the future of podcast monetization.

From membership site mastery to funnel strategy that doesn’t sacrifice humanity, Nathalie breaks down what most agency owners are missing and how to fix it.

🎯 Topics we dig into:

• What most podcasters are getting wrong about ROI
• How to train AI to think like you using context and prompts
• The future of lead gen through audio: Podcast LeadFlow’s approach
• Moving from passive listeners to high-intent leads
• Why personalization scales better than spam

🔗 Learn more about Podcast LeadFlow: https://podcastleadflow.com

👋 Say hi to Nathalie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathaliedoremieux/

🚨 Subscribe for more: https://isanythingrealinpaidadvertising.adamwbarney.com

Otherwise? You’re handing the wheel to a robot with no map.

In this episode of Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising?, I’m joined by Ben Lund, founder of Rise Marketing Group and ex-Googler, to unpack what’s real...and what’s wildly misunderstood...about AI-driven campaigns in 2025.

We get into:

⚙️ The real value of human strategy in an AI world

📉 Why Performance Max fails when left unchecked

🧠 The mindset behind building a 7-figure agency that’s still human-first

👀 Why automation without alignment is just budget drain

💡 If you’ve ever felt the gap between AI promise and real ROI…this one’s for you.

🔗 Listen + learn more at risemkg.com and connect with Ben