Hiiii angels, surprise! I'm back with a bonus episode with the one and only Julia Cabral, Senior Director of Product Marketing at LinkedIn.

We chat about her career pivot from finance to marketing, why today's job market requires you to take agency over your own career path, and how building your personal brand on LinkedIn isn't optional anymore whether you're a creator, corporate girly, or entrepreneur. Julia breaks down the exact LinkedIn profile upgrades you need to make, how to start creating content even if you're not a "content person," and why the question "what energizes you vs what drains you" changed her entire career trajectory.

If you want to build your dream career and launch your personal brand in 2026, this episode is your guide for getting started and how to leverage LinkedIn to your advantage.

What You'll Learn:

• Why reflecting on what energizes vs drains you can change your career
• How Julia pivoted from finance to marketing and understanding transferable skills 
• Why the job market has shifted to skills-based hiring instead of title-based
• The importance of building your personal brand online even if you're not a creator
• Easy LinkedIn profile upgrades:
• 3 low-pressure post ideas to get started on LinkedIn today
• Why "personality over personal" is the rule for LinkedIn content

ABOUT THE GUEST

Julia Cabral is the Senior Director of Product Marketing at LinkedIn, where she leads marketing strategy for LinkedIn's feed and video products. She's also a content creator herself, sharing career advice and marketing insights on LinkedIn. Before pivoting to marketing, Julia spent years in finance at LinkedIn, and she's been a spin instructor on the side for nearly a decade. She's all about multifaceted careers, owning your narrative, and helping people put themselves out there authentically.

Follow Julia on LinkedIn: Julia Cabral Flavin

WHERE TO FIND ALEXIS & TOO COLLECTIVE

Follow along with Alexis:

Instagram:

@alexisbarber: https://www.instagram.com/alexisbarber/?hl=en

@toocollective: https://www.instagram.com/toocollective/?hl=en

Substack:

Too Smart For This Newsletter: https://toocollective.substack.com/

TikTok:

@alexisbarber_: https://www.tiktok.com/@alexisbarber_

YouTube:

Subscribe here: http://www.youtube.com/@alexis_barber

Shop the Episode: https://shopmy.us/shop?Curator_id=250549

Book Office Hours: Work with Alexis Here:

https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=22112790&appointmentType=79833937

Get the Journal: Too Smart For This: A Guided Journal Here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/761193/too-smart-for-this-by-alexis-barber/

Questions, thoughts, or want to collaborate with Alexis or Too Collective? Email Alexis at alexis@alexisbarber.com

ABOUT TOO SMART FOR THIS

You're ambitious. You're overwhelmed. And you're definitely too smart to keep sacrificing your well-being for someone else's definition of success.

Too Smart For This is the show for ambitious material girls just like you who are learning how to channel their chaotic energy into a more intentional and fun life.

Join your host, Alexis Barber (author, Wharton MBA, former Google/YouTube strategist, and certified ambitious material girl), every Monday for the frameworks, authentic conversations, and tangible tools you need to build a life that's both driven and deeply enjoyable. Because self-care is part of the business plan—and you're too smart to settle for anything less.

Subscribe now and follow @alexisbarber and @toocollective for more.

ABOUT YOUR HOST

Hello, love!

I'm an ambitious material girl obsessed with wellness, business, consumer culture, and the creator economy. I write from New York City, where I'm busy enjoying being young, gifted, and Black, oversharing online, and remembering that self-care is part of the business plan.

This show is supported by Other Kind Media — otherkindmedia.com

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

We’re back for Week 5 of the Alignment Edit and this week is allll about your look. And before you think this is going to be some superficial beauty standards thing, it's not. Well, mostly. This is about the mental energy you're spending every single day either actively criticizing how you look or passively not showing up the way you want to because you haven't figured out what actually works for you.

When Alexis talks about "your look," she's not just talking about clothes. She's talking about the entire vibe you give off – your style, your beauty routine, your accessories, your hair, and the way you show up when you walk into a room. Two people can wear the exact same thing and have completely different looks.

This episode is about removing the friction between who you are right now and who you want to be, getting back the time and mental energy you lose when you spend three hours deciding what to wear, finding your signature pieces, your color palette, and your style words. Listen ladies, you’re allowed to care about how you look! And this is your permission slip to do just that. 

What You'll Learn:

• Why your appearance affects your confidence more than you think
• How to find your style words and color palette
• Getting rid of fantasy self clothes and the 20% rule
• Dressing for your proportions and body type
• High maintenance to be low maintenance beauty philosophy
• Skincare routines, laser hair removal, body care, and treatments that actually work
• Why caring about your appearance isn't vain and is actually about getting time and energy back

EPISODE CHAPTERS

[00:00] - Welcome to Week 5: your look 

[07:30] - Finding your style ethos

[13:45] - Style tips: style words, color palette, and signature pieces

[21:20] - Fantasy self clothes, proportions, and the things you actually wear

[26:50] - Beauty and appearance: laser hair removal, body care, skincare routines

[32:15] - Deciding your personal commitment to beauty 

WHERE TO FIND ALEXIS & TOO COLLECTIVE

Follow along with Alexis:

Instagram:

@alexisbarber: https://www.instagram.com/alexisbarber/?hl=en

@toocollective: https://www.instagram.com/toocollective/?hl=en

Substack:

Too Smart For This Newsletter: https://toocollective.substack.com/

TikTok:

@alexisbarber_: https://www.tiktok.com/@alexisbarber_

YouTube:

Subscribe here: http://www.youtube.com/@alexis_barber

Shop the Episode: https://shopmy.us/shop?Curator_id=250549

Book Office Hours: Work with Alexis Here:

https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=22112790&appointmentType=79833937

Get the Journal: Too Smart For This: A Guided Journal Here: 

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/761193/too-smart-for-this-by-alexis-barber/

Questions, thoughts, or want to collaborate with Alexis or Too Collective? Email Alexis at alexis@alexisbarber.com

ABOUT TOO SMART FOR THIS

You're ambitious. You're overwhelmed. And you're definitely too smart to keep sacrificing your well-being for someone else's definition of success.

Too Smart For This is the show for ambitious material girls just like you who are learning how to channel their chaotic energy into a more intentional and fun life.

Join your host, Alexis Barber (author, Wharton MBA, former Google/YouTube strategist, and certified ambitious material girl), every Monday for the frameworks, authentic conversations, and tangible tools you need to build a life that's both driven and deeply enjoyable. Because self-care is part of the business plan—and you're too smart to settle for anything less.

Subscribe now and follow @alexisbarber and @toocollective for more.

ABOUT YOUR HOST

Hello, love!



I'm an ambitious material girl obsessed with wellness, business, consumer culture, and the creator economy. I write from New York City, where I'm busy enjoying being young, gifted, and Black, oversharing online, and remembering that self-care is part of the business plan.

This show is supported by Other Kind Media — otherkindmedia.com

As the eldest sister of eight, I pride myself on being a master gift-giver, and in this episode, I’m sharing my TOP picks and all-time favorites—perfect gifts for everyone on your list this holiday season!

Preorder the Too Smart For This Journal here

Buy one get one 50% on all too collective robes until 12/7

Get custom embroidered robes as a perfect holiday gift

Skincare

* Sulwhasoo Gentle Cleansing Oil Makeup Remover

* Caudalie Vinoclean Instant Foaming Cleanser

* Josie Maran Vanilla Bean Whipped Argan Oil Body Butter

* Skinfix Barrier+ Niacinamide Activating Serum

* Daily UV Defense Sunscreen by Innisfree

* Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask

* Summer Fridays Jet Lag Deep Hydration Serum

* Shea Moisture Body Wash

* CurrentBody Skin LED Light Therapy Mask

* Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops

Makeup

* Kosas Revealer Concealer

* Kosas Cloud Set

* Makeup Gift Set by Dior

Haircare

* Shark Hair Dryers

* Cecred Reconstructing Treatment Mask

* Amika Smooth Over Frizz-Fighting Treatment Mask

Clothing & Accessories

* Lululemon Align Mini Flare Pants

* Lululemon Cropped Define Jacket

* Alo Yoga Straight Leg Sweatpant

* Dolce Vita Sandals

* Puma Speedcat OG Sneakers

* En Route Jewelry

* Caitlyn Minimalist Jewelry

Home

* Harlem Candle Company

* Forvr Mood Candles

* Silk pillow

* Be Rooted Deck of Cards

Books

* How to Build a Fashion Icon by Law Roach

* Africa's Fashion Diaspora

Tech

* Beats Fit Pro Earbuds

* ChatGPT

* Claude

* Poppy AI

Follow Too Collective on Instagram

Follow Alexis on Instagram

Follow Alexis on TikTok

Listen, I’m not above a petty internet trend that allows you to bash your ex. I am (I think?) Gen Z after all!!!

When I first saw the “women in male fields” TikToks, I immediately resonated and hopped on to make my own. Social media is nothing if not a reinforcement that none of us have ever had a unique experience ever, evidenced by my group chats exchanging countless versions of this trend with “NO LITERALLY” and “lmfao this is so you” over DM this week. If you haven’t seen them yourself, the trend includes women sharing things men have done to them in their perspective and captioning it #WomeninMaleFields. Some examples:

I audibly cackled while making my way through the hashtag: if one toxic behavior hadn’t been done to me, it had been done to one of my girlfriends. As the trend grew and spread to Twitter, I stopped scrolling when I saw a comment: “if we really want men to start acting different, then we actually need to start giving them a taste of their own medicine.”

Bam!!! An internet trend helped me integrate a lesson I’d been mulling over since a startup bootcamp session with two former Wharton bros running an almost $100M company. Picture the stereotypical founder nerd, akin to Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network: smart, often clad in Uniqlo basics, uninterested in appearances, spending their days Citibiking around NYC and coding late into the night.

They candidly chronicled the background of their startup taking off: classic stories of grit, running out of money, products failing, faking it until they made it, and bold negotiation tactics with investors. Many of their stories were things I’d never do, especially since much of the time they’d had nothing but an idea to stand on.

After the session, I caught the eye of the only other woman in the accelerator, and we shared an unspoken moment of disbelief. It wasn’t that these guys had done anything wrong—their business was undeniably smart and impactful—but it was impossible to ignore how much higher the standards were that we, as women, had been holding ourselves to.

We’d been taught to put our heads down and work. We had to perfect our products before bringing them to market. We had to be kind, pay our dues, look perfect (of course), and have a stellar resume that undeniably includes working at the top firm in your industry. We wouldn’t dare approach an investor without a billion-dollar idea. We never would think to play hardball with investors or not have data to back up our decisions. When less than 3% of VC funding goes to women, it doesn’t feel like there’s a lot of room for imperfections, right?

Of course, the standards we hold ourselves to are not unfounded. At Wharton’s end-of-year pitch competition last year, three of us were influencers pitching our startups. The other two were male food and travel influencers who got great feedback, but after my pitch for Too Collective (the only startup that already had any revenue, and 6 figures at that) the first question an investor asked me was “why not just be an influencer?”

You guessed it: neither of the male influencers got that question. It makes sense that we over-index on being perfect - we are literally held to different standards.

Looking back on the startup bootcamp session, it wasn’t hubris that triggered me, but rather these founders’ unfazed belief in themselves despite not really knowing what they were doing.

The hard truth is that no one really knows what they’re doing—literally, no one. I certainly don’t! Yet the women we idolize are expected to “have it all together” and never let anyone down, while the men we look up to will break every rule and disregard others’ feelings to get what they want. (Just look at the presidential election, for crying out loud!)

We feel like we have to know and do it all to get what we want. But no one actually knows it all, and the people (men!) who hold the wealth and power in this country aren’t letting not knowing hold them back.

As we discussed last week, financial independence is key to protecting ourselves from exploitation. And if we want to thrive in a world largely designed by men, sometimes we have to play by their rules.

In today’s episode, I dive into three lessons we can take from men to help us get what we want: asking for what we want, finding evidence that our dreams are possible, and believing in ourselves unapologetically. I challenge you to try out these small shifts in your own life—you might just surprise yourself and laugh at ever doubting your own power.

xx

Alexis

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Earlier this year I saw a TikTok from a girl talking about how she’s the first woman in her family ever to live alone. I’ve been the first in my family to do many things - go out of state for college, not have a child by age 25, or make six figures - but living alone wasn’t an accomplishment I prided myself in. I suddenly swelled with gratitude as I looked around at my girly apartment full of pink accents and treasures from my travels. The gravity had been lost on me.

During the election, more of these opportunities I’d taken for granted came to light. It’s not that I didn’t know history (hello, literal Political Science degree), but I hadn’t contextualized it with my daily life. Reminded of the recency of women’s rights to vote, get credit cards, sign a lease, and even get birth control on their own, I thought of my grandmothers.

Ruth, my white grandmother who raised me, and my godmother Lorraine, a Black family friend who she enlisted to ensure I had representation growing up, were both serendipitously born on the same day in 1953. Ruth went on to drop out of college to get married and raise five children, and of course she did - she wouldn’t have even been able to get a bank account on her own until she was 20. Lorraine was the first woman in her family who would be able to vote when she turned 18 - a right Black women weren’t granted until she was 12.

These women raised me to love and believe in myself constantly, resulting in an optimistic confidence core to my identity. And if you’re lucky enough to know first-hand, there’s nothing stronger than a grandmother’s prayer. These ladies kneeled at their beds every night to ask God for my health, happiness, and success. But at the same time, they wanted me to be safe, and that meant getting married.

Subliminally, overtly, consciously and unconsciously, women have been taught that security comes from a relationship and children (hello, Disney princesses.) The recent rise of TradWife culture, #SoftLife vlogs, and the prominence of picture-perfect Mormon mom bloggers on the zeitgeist has shifted young womens’ ideals back towards a “traditional” model, but the world around us has evolved.

Today, 50% of marriages end in divorce. One in three women will experience domestic violence. With an economy that’s constantly changing, a climate that’s crumbling, and relying on a relationship to be your saving grace could leave you devastated. To be truly free, women must be economically and emotionally free.

And it’s hard. We forget this is all new. Women have not had the opportunity to build our own futures for very long, so of course we are stressed out. Of course we’re holding on to outdated opinions on what we need to do to be happy. Of course we retreat to fantasy to make up for the fact that yes, we are alone in this, and we’ve never really seen how that plays out at scale. The world has shifted, and to quote a bretman rock tiktok, I’ve only been doing this for two fucking days!!!

In my time at Wharton, I’ve watched the most amazing, intelligent women shrivel into emotional wrecks over mediocre men who can barely get themselves dressed in the morning (disclaimer: I’m talking about myself too, IYKYK) If I haven’t already said this enough - we are too smart to be doing that.

This isn’t to say I plan to decenter men from my life - flirting is a lifestyle for me - but it’s to say that letting go of the idea of being “saved” or “chosen” is the best way to keep ourselves safe. It’s my mission with my content and this podcast to show you the realities of women opting into crafting fulfilling lives without having to dim their dreams.

To be truly free as a woman today is to have your own life. When you make your own money and make your own happiness, no one can control you. Yes, it’s way WAY harder for us to do that given the discrimination in this country, but there are ways. And those ways are what we’re talking about in today’s episode.

As I wrote this, I got a text from my mom, who I’ve barely updated all semester while I juggle my 2384238 responsibilities.

We’re evolving. This is new for us. But we can do it. We’re evolving. Sending you a grandmother’s prayer.

In the post-election landscape, I'm sharing tips on building emotional and financial autonomy so that you can't be controlled or manipulated by anyone. 

PHILLY: Join me for a candle making class with Cork & Candle. Select Nov 19 at 6pm here: https://tables.toasttab.com/restaurants/dfde9e56-62d5-4113-9c36-b6d8e579783d/findTime

Resources mentioned:

* The Psychology of Money

* I Will Teach You To Be Rich

* Ellevest

Too Collective:

* Too Collective Website

* Too Collective Affirmation Texts

* Follow Too Collective on Instagram

Follow Alexis on Social Media:

* Instagram

* TikTok

* YouTube

In this episode, we’re diving into “The Winter Arc,” a time for setting new goals, developing new habits, and building discipline for self-improvement before the New Year. 

6:04 - 4 types of rests report

11:06 - creating your winter character

12:47 - time management

15:00 - journaling

17:06 - using ai as your personal assistant

19:06 - redefine your relationship with social media

22:00 - wellness tips and recs

28:00 - leveling up

NEW: get your Robe customized at toocollective.com/shop

Hope in a Jar Philosophy Moisturizer

Then I Met You Rich Cream (get as gift with purchase with a robe)

Supergoop Glow Screen

Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask

Skin Fix Collagen Plus Serum

Josie Maran Body Butter

Nivea Cream

Johnson & Johnson Baby Gel

LMNT Electrolytes - Mango Chili Salt

Awola Water Bottle

Binto Supplements

Satori Laser

almost every episode of Too Smart For This returns to the theme of external validation.

but today’s perspective shift helps us interrogate our goals so we can be less skeptical of them and more in tune with ourselves. if your current life missions are starting to feel a little less resonant, this episode will give you the tools to help clarify what really makes you tick.

EPISODE NOTESQuote:

"I have already settled it for myself so flattery and criticism go down the same drain and I am quite free" - Georgia O'Keeffe

Previous episodes about perfectionism:- He broke up with me for being too much:

- How to deal with people who try to make you feel small:

LINKS:

Reformation Low Rise Jeans

Shop Too Collective

Preorder the Too Smart For This Guided Journal