Grow Your Network: Julia Duthie Is A Fearless Trailblazer

For years, I've been connecting with interesting people and documenting insights that might help my clients and myself. What was once private is now (mostly) public.

People often ask: "How do you know all these people?" and "How do you connect these (re: random) ideas?" The answer is simple: consistent relationship cultivation and thoughtful note taking. My north star is trusting my instincts, my maps are the constellations in these reflections.

Find my Personal Archive on CultishCreative.com, watch me build a better Personal Network on the Cultish Creative YouTube channel, and follow me on social media (LinkedIn and X).

This approach has helped tons of clients strengthen their networks and unlock new opportunities. You can:

Steal these ideas directly

Hire me to implement them with you

Create your own combination that works for you

I can't promise you'll learn from me, but you'll definitely learn something with me. Let's go. Count it off: 1-2-3-4…

Do you know Julia Duthie? The former CEO of the Academy of Contemporary Music who launched her music career at 14 and has since led multiple companies as CEO? The business leader who now works helping C-suite executives with business improvement? The author? The thought leader who shares genuine insights without the typical LinkedIn fluff? Who does it all while also hosting her insightful podcast "People Are Everything"?

If not, allow me to introduce you. Julia has transformed herself multiple times throughout her career, from a teenage band frontwoman to a respected business leader, all while navigating her personal journey toward authenticity. I wanted to connect with her because she embodies something I value deeply: the courage to show up fully as yourself in every room, no matter the professional or personal stakes.

Our conversation is LIVE now on the Cultish Creative YouTube channel. Listen and you'll hear how Julia's journey to self-alignment didn’t quite click until the age of 50, and what you’ve seen her do lately, it’s shaped her leadership philosophy as much as it has her approach to human connection.

In the meantime, I wanted to pull THREE KEY LESSONS from my time with Julia to share with you (and drop into my Personal Archive).

Read on and you'll find a quote with a lesson and a reflection you can Take to work with you, Bring home with you, and Leave behind with your legacy.

WORK: Trust Yourself First, Prepare Second

Key Concept: While preparation is important in professional settings, there's immense power in trusting your inherent capabilities and experience. Julia's approach reminds us that sometimes the best preparation is simply showing up as your full self and trusting that your accumulated knowledge will emerge when needed.

Personal Archive Note-To-Self: There’s that Jerry Seinfeld bit, I’m just going to share it here because it’s not worth altering, “According to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.” When Julia says she trusts her brain to catch up to her mouth, she’s explaining something most people would rather be dead than attempt in public.

Like Julia, I relate. I was in bands from probably about 14 too. I loved being on stage or in front of a group before that. Me not doing stuff like this podcast is me not doing the thing that most people by definition would rather be dead than doing, so if ever there was a hack to figuring out a formula for standing out (or helping others to stand out), this is it.

If you would rather be dead than do something I love doing, would you love to hire me to do it so you don’t have to? Likewise, if you would rather be dead than do something you hate doing, wouldn’t you love to hire someone else to do it so you don’t have to? Ahh, capitalism.

Work question for you: In what areas of your professional life might you be over-preparing when simply trusting yourself and your experience might yield better, more authentic results?

LIFE: Authenticity Is Not Optional, It's Essential

Key Concept: Time is our most precious commodity, and spending it pretending to be someone you're not is perhaps the greatest waste. Julia's realization that authentic living is a choice we can all make - regardless of how much time we've spent living otherwise -serves as a powerful reminder that it's never too late to align your outer life with your inner truth.

Personal Archive Note-To-Self: I spent a lot of time in therapy being really hard on my cowardly, pathetic, dishonest, ugly, stupid (younger) self. All those things, which I’ve forgiven to the best of my reasonable abilities, but hey, life is messy, my self-frustration stemmed from living dishonestly halfheartedly with the life I really wanted to lead. I'm catching up to what Julia fully embraced by 50, and I still find it massively inspiring that she was able to make this transition by that stage of her life.

I think about that Brené Brown-ism, “Hurt people, hurt people” a lot. When I see people being mean, or angry, or obnoxious in public, I quietly say it to myself as a reminder. A trick, that I learned in one of the harder ways, is that it applies to our self-talk too. If we’re hurt, we’re going to be rough on ourselves. It’s not until we’re being honest about what we want and why that we start to try a little tenderness. And yes, that’s an Otis Redding reference for a reason, think about it (or go with Aretha Franklin’s first person version if you need to).

Life Question For You: What parts of yourself are you currently hiding or downplaying, and what would it look like to bring your whole self to every interaction in your life?

LEGACY: Consistency Builds Trust, Trust Builds Legacy

Key Concept: Showing up consistently as yourself across all contexts creates a foundation of trust both with yourself and with others. Julia's insight that authenticity leads to a sense of belonging everywhere challenges the notion that we need different personas for different environments and suggests that our legacy is built on the integrity of being the same person in every room.

Personal Archive Note-To-Self: My hair’s been getting longer lately. We had a crazy fall, I got behind on haircuts, and my wife said she liked it - so, it grows. Nobody at work has said anything. Multiple friends have commented and laughed (my favorite still is my buddy Jason asking, after not seeing him for a few weeks, if I’d been washing my hair with horse shampoo. I don’t know why that’s as funny to me as it is). But I keep feeling like I should care or have some amount of concern for what others are thinking about this little experiment.

It’s not that I particularly want long hair or have some master plan here. I just kind of figured, “Why not?” I’m having fun with it. And the lack of concern I have for what others think about it - it’s new. My wife is helping me feel it. Friends like Jason laughing about it are making me feel it. My buddy Ben, him too, he reminisces about the brief time he had a pony tale a few years ago every time he sees me and compliments the progress. Everybody else either doesn’t care or holds their tongue.

When Julia talks about being fully herself wherever she shows up, I’m caught up thinking about trying to allow myself to do it, and also, the people in my life who allow me to do it. When I think of who those people are, I realize this, and this is why this belongs in the legacy section - first, you let yourself do you, and second, you help and facilitate others to do the same. You know what love is.

Legacy question for you: How might presenting a more consistent version of yourself across all areas of your life strengthen your relationships and amplify your impact on others?

BEFORE YOU GO: Be sure to…

Connect with Julia on LinkedIn

Listen to her podcast "People Are Everything" wherever you get your podcasts AND

Read all about it on Substack (I suggest, ahem, when she interviewed me!)

Remember her insight that "the idea that you leave yourself outside the office block, spend your day being someone else, and reoccupy yourself on the way out is exhausting"

Take a moment to reflect on all these ideas!

You have a Personal Network and a Personal Archive just waiting for you to build them up stronger. Look at your work, look at your life, and look at your legacy - and then, start small in each category. Today it's one person and one reflection. Tomorrow? Who knows what connections you'll create.

Last thing: Don't forget to click reply/click here and tell me who you're adding to your network and why! Plus, if you already have your own Personal Archive too, let me know, I'm creating a database.

Lastest thing: I mean it when I say this is one of my favorite personal appearances (thanks Julia!)