Fully Her: Building a Digital Empire & Choosing Authenticity in a Filtered Culture ft. Chalene Johnson

Jan 21, 2026

Ask episode

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

Everyone wants to be authentic, but few are willing to be fully themselves in a filtered culture.

Chalene Johnson did not build her empire by chasing attention. She built it by choosing clarity over chaos and truth over performance. She stayed fully herself even when the culture moved in the opposite direction. She understands that the strongest influence isn’t created in a moment. It’s built over time through clarity, strategy, and consistency.

In this episode, Emily and Chalene explore the content strategy that deepens with time, the kind that turns authenticity into timeless authority. Together, they unpack the shift happening in the creator economy, the future of premium content, and how leaders can stay fully aligned while adapting to change. If you’re done performing and ready to lead, this episode is for you!

What You’ll Learn:

Why authenticity alone doesn’t build authority
How to be fully yourself and strategically influential
What women get wrong about aging, visibility, and self-expression
How to turn lived experience into content that teaches, not just entertains
How to build authority that compounds over time

Timestamps:

(02:43) - Building Without Chasing Attention
(08:07) - Authenticity vs Performative Influence
(11:25) - Navigating the Influencer World and Building Trust
(19:07) - Share the “What Not to Do” As Well
(21:19) - The Shift Women Must Make With Fitness & Aging
(26:58) - The Power of Community
(31:50) - How Long-form Content Creates Deeper Influence
(35:19) - Becoming An Authority
(39:36) - Keeping it simple!
(50:08) - When the Top Creators Walk Away
(53:03) - AI, Influence, and the Future of Online Business
(55:36) - The New Rules of Personal Branding in a Shifting Online World
(57:17) Age Maxing vs Anti-Aging

Connect with Chalene:

Website | https://chalene.com/
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/chalenejohnson/
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/chalene
YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/user/Chalenejohnson