This week on Slay The Gatekeeper, I sit down with Bill Perkins, investor, author of Die With Zero, and one of the most interesting thinkers on risk, courage, and intentional living.
Bill has spent decades around millionaires, billionaires, and people who take massive bets in life and business. In this conversation, he shares the success pattern he sees over and over again at the top: agency, speed, and the courage to move.
We talk about why ideas fail, how ego keeps people small, and why most adults fear looking foolish more than they fear wasting their entire life. Bill also shares the “minimize regret” framework he uses to make big decisions, the habit ultra-successful people rely on to stay in motion, and why he thinks you should spend money when the memory value is highest, not when your bank account looks the best.
If you’ve ever found yourself stuck, overthinking, or dipping your toe instead of going all in, this conversation is a wake-up call to bet on yourself while you still have time left on the clock.
02:10 The success pattern Bill sees in every millionaire: agency, speed, and action
04:40 Why ideas fail: the people who win are the ones who move
08:05 Toe-dippers vs. all-in people — the courage gap
10:45 Ego risk: the real reason people stay small
14:20 Bill’s “future self” test for making hard decisions
17:55 Starting from zero: what Bill would do at 25 with $500
24:30 Why people secretly love failure (and how it validates their own fear)
33:50 Thinking about death as a tool for intentional living
53:05 Memory dividends: spend money when the value is highest
59:20 The fear of wasting your life vs. the fear of running out of money
About Bill Perkins
Bill Perkins is an investor, entrepreneur, and author best known for his book Die With Zero and his unconventional approach to money, risk, and fulfillment. Nicknamed the “Natural Gas King” and “Cowboy of Wall Street,” Bill built his career trading energy markets and is the founder and managing partner of Skylar Capital.
He’s also backed and built companies across tech and media, including SkyFi and SynMax, and has produced several feature films. Beyond business, Bill is heavily involved in philanthropy and lives in Texas with his wife, Lara, and his daughters, Skye and Brisa.
Connect with Bill:

📱 Instagram: @billperkins
📘 Die With Zero: diewithzerobook.com
🌐 SkyFi: skyfi.com/
Stay connected with me
📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co
👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson
💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson
🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

This week on Slay The Gatekeeper, I’m joined by Lara Acosta, creator, strategist, and one of the most trusted voices on LinkedIn. Lara has built a multi–six-figure business using one platform, one funnel, and a level of consistency most people only talk about.
In this conversation, Lara opens up about the posting habits, content styles, and small decisions that helped her grow an audience of hundreds of thousands, without trends, hacks, or cold outreach. She shares how she thinks about visibility, why simple posts outperform complicated ones, and how creators can stand out in a space where most people quit long before the results show up.
We go deep into discipline, niche clarity, momentum, and the email-first approach that drives most of her revenue. If you're serious about growing on LinkedIn, making money from your expertise, or building a brand that people remember, this episode will give you the spark and the direction.
03:10 The content style dominating LinkedIn right now (and why simple posts outperform polished ones)
11:20 How to use your own story when you don’t feel “expert enough”
15:50 The funnel that drives most of Lara’s revenue (LinkedIn → email → conversion)
23:40 Who benefits from building a personal brand, and who doesn’t
33:20 The posting rhythm that grows almost anyone within six months
38:05 Authority vs. relatability: why people buy from creators who feel “close,” not perfect
41:40 The trap of chasing big ideas and the one thing that actually moves a business forward
49:20 Why waiting to feel ready keeps creators stuck for years
58:40 Repetition, memory, and becoming known for something real
1:15:15 The origin story of Kleo: how a problem they had turned into a fast-scaling product
About Lara Acosta
Lara Acosta is a creator and entrepreneur known for her no-nonsense approach to personal branding and business growth. She has built multiple six-figure companies through organic content, a high-retention newsletter, and a simple conversion system that doesn’t rely on cold outreach or heavy sales tactics.
She is the co-founder of Kleo, an AI-supported content tool built by top LinkedIn creators to help entrepreneurs write better posts, store ideas, and stay consistent without overthinking.
Lara teaches creators, founders, and service providers how to grow with clarity, consistency, and a tone that feels like them, not a template.
Connect with Lara:

📱 Instagram: @laraacostar
💼 LinkedIn: Lara Acosta
🌐 kleo.so
🎙️YouTube: Lara Acosta
Stay connected with me
📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co
👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson
💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson
🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson

This week on Slay The Gatekeeper, I’m joined by Andrew Adams, speaker, coach, and self-mastery teacher, whose story of recovery and rebirth will stop you in your tracks.
After spending 12 years in addiction, Andrew rebuilt his entire life from the inside out. Today, he helps others do the same, guiding people to break patterns, let go of attachments, and find peace within themselves.
In this episode, Andrew shares the 5 cheat codes that helped him move from survival to self-mastery. We talk about how to spot the real source of your pain instead of just treating symptoms, how to shift your relationship with control, and why emotional intelligence is the difference between chaos and calm.
This conversation goes way deeper than surface-level healing or “feel good” advice. It’s honest, raw, and full of truth. If you’ve ever caught yourself in the same loop, feeling like change is out of reach, this episode will remind you how much power you actually hold.
01:04 The moment that sparked Andrew’s transformation
04:20 “The pattern is not the problem”: looking beneath the surface
09:10 How awareness shifts more than willpower ever can
13:45 Cravings as clues and what they reveal about your inner world
18:30 The illusion of control and learning to let go
23:05 Redefining emotional intelligence (and why monks might have it easy)
28:40 “Pain is sacred”: finding purpose in the hard seasons
34:15 Love as a healing frequency
39:20 Power × Purpose = Prosperity: the formula for a full life
About Andrew Adams
Andrew Adams is a high-impact speaker and self-mastery coach who helps people reconnect with their power through awareness, healing, and emotional intelligence. After overcoming more than a decade of addiction, he now teaches others how to turn pain into purpose and live from the frequency of love.
Connect with Andrew:

📱 Instagram: Andrew Adams
💼 LinkedIn: Andrew Adams
Stay connected with me
📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co
👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson
💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson
🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson