Attention Isn’t the Problem: Why Trust — Not Visibility — Creates Real Influence
Attention Isn’t the Problem We’ve all seen it: the person everyone knows, everyone respects — and no one quite chooses when it matters. That gap isn’t about talent or visibility. It’s about what people expect will happen next. Attention feels like progress. But attention alone doesn’t change decisions. Influence only exists when behavior changes — […]
If They Don’t Feel It, They Won’t Follow
This Week’s Playbook: The Move That Actually Builds Trust You can write the best mission statement in the world. Design the perfect deck. Nail the speech. And still — no one moves. Because people don’t follow words. They follow evidence — the kind they can feel. If you’ve been following this series, you know the […]
The Hidden Power of Being Underestimated
YouTube Girl Walks Into a Boardroom… There’s a certain kind of moment that stays with you. Mine? A sleek conference room. One of the top business schools in the world. I had just stepped into a leadership role in their MBA program. One of the senior faculty looked across the table and said: “We […]
How to Build Real Influence
Branding doesn’t come from a logo. It comes from trust. Most brands are built backward. They start with the design. The tagline. The visual identity. And then they wonder why nobody actually cares. Real branding—the kind that moves markets—starts with understanding your audience so deeply that you can predict what will influence them. It’s about […]
Expertise is Not Authority.
You can be the smartest person in the room and still have zero authority. You can have spent 20 years building expertise in your field and still not be sought out for your opinion. You can know more than anyone else about your domain and still be invisible when it matters most. This gap—between […]
Personal Branding Tips for Executives and Entrepreneurs
Personal branding isn’t narcissism. It’s survival. Most executives I meet have spent their entire careers becoming excellent at their jobs. They’ve built deep expertise, solid track records, and genuine impact. But when it comes time to move up—to the board, to the C-suite, to the investor meeting—they’re invisible. Not because they’re not good enough. But […]
The 3 Layers of Trust (Only One of Them Is Expertise)
Trust isn’t just a feeling. It’s a currency. And in rooms that move markets, it functions like capital — earned, conferred, and spent. You can have all the credentials in the world and still be excluded from the real decisions. Not because you aren’t good enough. But because no one has vouched for you yet. […]
The 5 Types of Charisma (And How to Use Yours Without Losing Yourself)
Which type of charisma do you actually have (or not)? Most people lead with one — and misread the rest.. Note:I used to think charisma was just about being the loudest in the room. But the more experience I gained — especially as I stepped into more scripted, “professional” environments — the more I realized […]
Charisma holds the room. But only influence can change it.
The Last Human Advantage
Today’s topic is inspired by a presentation I watched last week…. that could’ve been written by AI — or at least inspired by a mid-tier strategy deck. Slick, smart, forgettable. We’re watching the same divide play out everywhere: the “smart” play vs. the unforgettable one. The smart version follows the data. The unforgettable one feels […]
AI Influencers: Modern-Day Brands, Not Just Technology
AI influencers are modern-day brands — and they’re changing what we teach, build, and bet on. It started with a LinkedIn post. Cynthia Lieberman, a Hollywood publicist turned educator I taught alongside at UCLA, dropped a short video she’d co-created at an AI workshop. She asked: “Are AI-generated influencers actually gaining traction — and how […]
The Cult of “Busy”
You know the type. Always too “slammed” to text back, treats their inbox like a digital graveyard, reschedules the same meeting four times with increasingly creative excuses. They think slow responses prove their importance. Plot twist: It proves the opposite. What Real Influence Looks Like Being “busy” doesn’t mean you’re successful. It usually just means you […]
The Polo Lesson Every Brand Needs to Hear
Summer Lesson From Sotogrande I spent the summer getting schooled at polo. Not just by the sport itself—though watching me attempt to hit a ball while controlling a horse was, let’s just say, proof that some content should stay in drafts. (If you follow my Instagram, you know I posted it anyway.) But by the […]
The Word That Drives Me Crazy
The Word That Drives Me Crazy I was in a founder dinner last week when someone asked me about “influencer ROI metrics.” The entire table went quiet. Not because the question was profound, but because I visibly winced. What’s become overtly clear to me: I built my career around a word I despise. Influencer. I was […]
You Can’t Buy Community
Let me tell you how I accidentally built my first real community — long before Slack channels or business cards. When I first moved to New York, I had no visa, no credit history, and not a single person to call. What I did have was a bike. At 5 a.m. in Central Park, I found a […]
How to Stay Everywhere… Even If You Stop Posting
The champagne was cold. The ponies were restless. The backdrop was one of the most elite polo communities in the world. I spent part of the summer in Sotogrande, Spain — a place where influence is built over glasses of rosé as much as on the playing field. And while this week’s episode isn’t about polo, being there […]
The Truth About Content Creation (That No One on LinkedIn Wants to Admit)
There’s a quiet epidemic inside brands today: Teams drowning in content calendars. Reels. Carousels. Caption hell. All for… what exactly? Visibility? Maybe. Burnout? Definitely. And the worst part? Most of them don’t even want to be doing this. If you’re not a natural-born entertainer (or a full-time media team), this “be everywhere” approach doesn’t just […]
Status Isn’t Sold. It’s Engineered.
The world’s most desired brands don’t sell products. They sell permission. Take Rolex. They didn’t break a $10B record by selling time. They sold identity. Every Rolex ad whispers: “This is what you’ve earned.” Not “Here’s how accurate our watch is.” Then there’s Hermès. The Birkin isn’t bought. It’s bestowed. You don’t just pick one off […]
The Real Secret to Exclusivity? It’s Not What You Think.
This isn’t a story about nightlife. It’s a story about emotion. And what people are really buying when they pay for exclusivity. Back in 2008, when the markets were crashing and luxury felt tone-deaf, two brothers midwestern raised Derek & Daniel Koch, launched a brunch party in New York City. No celebrities. No publicists. Just word-of-mouth, long […]
A $40 Bottle. A Placebo Pill. A Lesson in Perception.
We’ve all heard the line: “Luxury isn’t about being expensive.” I’ve said it myself. And I still believe it. But here’s the nuance most people miss: Price isn’t the enemy of experience. It’s part of it. Because in business, pricing isn’t just about math. Price is your first impression. It’s the first story someone hears […]
The One Question that Creates Real Influence
Every once in a while, a story comes along that perfectly captures something you’ve believed for years—but never heard said quite like that. This one did that for me. It’s about Gloria Steinem and a village in Zambia facing devastating sex trafficking. She had the research. The data. The credibility. But when she arrived, she […]
The Cold Plunge Lies
I’ve never said this publicly—but this topic? It’s personal. Like almost-ruined-my-life personal. I used to be a high-achieving, hyper-optimized, productivity-obsessed shell of a person. It took injuries, burnout, and some painful ego bruising to realize: I wasn’t chasing success… I was performing it. So yes, I get a little heated. Because behind the polished routines […]
The Quiet Way People Destroy Their Own Credibility
Here’s something most people won’t admit: Reputations don’t implode in dramatic crashes. They erode—silently—in ignored emails, vague replies, and missed moments. Let me show you what I mean. Last week, I was referred to a branding agency founder. Great intro. Good vibe. Felt aligned. I was upfront: “Here’s exactly what I need. If it’s not […]
Want The Meeting? Say You’re in Town.
How to Architect Influence — And Actually Get The Meeting Most people trying to connect with high-profile individuals make the same mistake: They lead with themselves. Their goals. Their pitch. Their calendar. But what if the real secret to building powerful connections… is making them think you are the priority? The Psychology of Presence We’ve all experienced this: your […]
Why Great Work Isn’t Enough Anymore
One of my MBA students recently said, “Your class made me squirm—but it also completely changed how I show up.” That’s the moment I look for. The squirm. Because that’s usually where the real truth lives. Here’s one I’ve seen play out again and again: The world doesn’t reward brilliance. It rewards influence. And influence […]
Luxury Is Dead. Bonvoy Killed It.
There’s nothing more “old luxury” than a brand that follows the rules—at the expense of the guest. Like the time I had an upgrade waiting, the room was literally available, and Bonvoy said… “No.” Not because it wasn’t possible. Just because that’s the policy. Here’s the truth: Luxury used to mean formality, hierarchy, and stiff […]
You’re Not Broke. You’re Just Leasing Your Influence.
Most people trade their influence for a paycheck. Mark Wahlberg traded his for $200 million. No, not from acting. Not from endorsing protein powder. From ownership. From showing up with a term sheet instead of a selfie stick. Let’s break it down like a Hollywood agent with a calculator: Built Wahlburgers → $100M brand Invested […]
The Iron Sharpens Iron Approach
The most dangerous person in your business isn’t your competitor. It’s the friend, colleague, or advisor who never challenges your thinking. I know that sounds dramatic — but I’ve lived it. For years, I saw disagreement as a threat. Critique felt personal. But I’ve learned that every major breakthrough I’ve had didn’t come from being […]
Stop Waiting to Be Picked. Start Building What You Deserve.
Years ago, I printed out a random online PDF — The Power of Progressive Partnerships by a man in Singapore I’d never met. At the time, I didn’t realize that simple act would reshape how I think about influence, opportunity, and connection. I just knew it hit something deep. It wasn’t about networking. It was […]
The Fatal Flaw in Marketing Right Now
MARKETING’S BLIND SPOT Every marketer has been taught the same fundamental principle: define your target audience with laser precision. The more specific, the better. I’ve spent my career watching brands construct elaborate personas based primarily on demographics—from “Cindy on the Upper East Side who attended boarding school” to “Susan the high-powered attorney who hustled her […]
When Empathy Goes Beyond Words
The Currency of Influence Is Empathy I’ve been sitting on this topic for weeks, not quite sure how to articulate it. As someone who studies influence professionally (and let’s be honest, obsessively), I’ve watched a concerning “trend” unfold across brands and thought leaders alike. “Empathy is the currency of influence.” I agree… except most […]
The Luxury of Belonging
When Community Trumps Commodity This week’s episode of Amanda’s Playbook looks a little different— and that’s on purpose. You’ve been asking for more real-time takes on what’s happening, so I listened and completely derailed my planned content for this week— in the best possible way! This week, I’m sharing the raw, real challenge of a […]
How I Got The Plaza Hotel Without Spending a Dime (The Influence Secret Most Miss)
The Chicken and Egg Paradox of Influence Coming back to YouTube this past month has been like opening a time capsule. All those early lessons suddenly snap into perfect focus through the lens of hindsight. The paradox that haunts us all: How do you grow when you don’t have the budget, or the connections or […]
The Influence Paradox: Why Followers Don’t Equal Impact
What Our Experiment Revealed I launched an experiment last week that I honestly didn’t think would work. When I asked you to share your influence challenges and engage with others, I wasn’t just testing community engagement. I was testing a theory that’s been haunting me since my business school professors insisted followers equals influence: What […]
The Influence Equation: Why Attention Isn’t Enough
Why Some People Cut Through the Noise While Others Go Unheard Nothing teaches you the power of influence more than when you don’t have it. I learned this —not from books, or business school,… or workshops, or… ‘expert advice’, but from those humbling moments of transition when I discovered that previous recognition meant little in new territory. We’ve […]
When Your Expertise Becomes Your Biggest Liability
When Success Becomes Your Biggest Obstacle “I loved the event, great people, great energy, great drinks… but I’m still not entirely sure what Amanda’s Playbook is all about.” That was the refreshingly direct feedback from my content manager’s father who attended last week’s live event. When I asked for his honest thoughts, he didn’t hesitate […]
The Unexpected Reason I’m Back on YouTube After 15 Years
I never thought I’d write these words. After walking away from YouTube and vowing never to return, I’ve come full circle—with a revelation that ironically explains exactly why I left in the first place. My path from filming fitness videos in my little NYC apartment to where I am today has been anything but linear. […]
When Community Trumps Commodity: The YETI Phenomenon
How did a $300 cooler become a billion-dollar status symbol? The secret isn’t about keeping things cold—though my coffee staying hot until 3 PM feels like sorcery. In our premiere episode, I’m breaking down YETI’s playbook—and why their strategy should matter to anyone building influence in 2025. ↓ WATCH THE PREMIERE EPISODE ↓ No glam […]