Show Notes
Julianna Pillemer is an assistant professor at NYU Stern School of Business whose research explores creativity, authenticity, and the psychology of online audiences.
Why do creators spiral after going viral? Why does reading every comment eventually break people? And is "just be authentic" actually good advice — or is it a trap?
Expect to learn what "audience entanglement" is and why it changes everything a creator makes, what a "chamber of despair" feels like and why it's more common than anyone admits, why the algorithm acts like a co-author who keeps hijacking your work, the three strategies creators use to move from dysfunctional to functional entanglement, why the same DM can destroy one creator and inspire another, what rage bait and the manosphere have to do with audience entanglement, the difference between audience capture and audience entanglement, why "just be yourself" is far more complicated than it sounds, what alter egos like Kobe's Mamba Mentality and Beyoncé's Sasha Fierce reveal about authenticity, how to think about authenticity as evolution rather than a fixed state, and what "strategic authenticity" actually means in practice, and much more.
00:00 What Is Audience Entanglement? 01:20 When It Starts: The Viral Moment 02:45 Dysfunctional Entanglement 05:05 Gaming the Algorithm: Battling Platform Volatility 06:15 The Hate Comment Trap 07:05 Does It Affect All Creators Equally? 14:45 Three Strategies to Escape Dysfunctional Entanglement 19:55 Why Algorithm Changes Reset Your Progress 24:40 Same DM, Two Reactions: The Mindset Difference 37:30 Rage Bait, the Manosphere & Audience Capture 39:40 Audience Capture vs Audience Entanglement 49:25 What "Authenticity" Actually Means 51:25 The Alter Ego Strategy 01:05:30 Authenticity as Evolution, Not a Fixed State 01:07:35 Strategic Authenticity: Practical Advice 01:08:40 Where to Find Julianna's Work
More from MindStrong
In this episode, Lewis shares one of the most honest things he's ever recorded: a year of journaling the same self-critical thoughts every day, the gap between who he was being and who he knew he could be, and the moment something finally shifted. He discusses what it actually takes to break a cycle, why you can't always do it alone, and what it means to come back to yourself.
In this episode, Lewis shares why the obsession with optimising every part of your performance is quietly making you more fragile, not stronger. He discusses the shift from an optimisation mindset to a maximisation mindset, and why the ability to make the most of what you have on any given day is the real edge that separates the best from everyone else.
In this episode, Lewis gives an honest update on life in Barcelona, the slow growth of his business, and where he's taking things next, including the app, new products, and who he wants to work with. He also answers your questions on coaching attitudes, procrastination, comparison, standards, and why waiting to feel mentally ready before a performance is a gamble you can't afford to take.
In this episode, Lewis shares why waiting to feel confident before you act is the most unreliable strategy an athlete can have, and what to do instead. He discusses how to create a performer self that is separate from your true self, how to find the trigger that switches you between the two, and why behaving your way into a feeling will always be more consistent than feeling your way into a behaviour.
In this episode, Lewis shares why the most underrated edge in sport and high performance isn't the advanced stuff - it's the basics, done with full intention and at a level most people aren't willing to go to. He discusses his concept of raising your floor rather than reaching for your ceiling, and why when pressure hits and chaos swirls, the athlete who wins is the one who can make things simple.