Welcome to the Badass Empires podcast, where we help early-stage entrepreneurs, side hustlers, and aspiring corporate dropouts to build their own purpose-driven online business from scratch. In 2019, I left my high-flying corporate career behind to build what is now a multi-million dollar, knowledge-based coaching empire—one that gives me immense freedom and allows me to make a real difference in people’s lives. This experience transformed me forever, and now I’m here to show you how to build your empire—the one that allows you to work from anywhere, fund your dream lifestyle, and fulfil your calling—all at the same damn time.
So, ready to roll? Grab your crown, badass. Your empire awaits.
I’m so excited for today’s episode. Like, I have no idea where it’s going to go. Usually, my episodes are relatively unscripted anyway—I just have a couple of bullet points—but I normally have clear chapters and examples ready to roll. Today, I’ve got a direction, I’ve got a topic, I’ve got something I really want to speak about, and I trust it’s going to come out as it needs to and go where it needs to go.
But it’s also an episode based on a feeling, a frustration, and a reflection. And the topic is: why is it that you can copy other people’s courses or content and still not replicate their success?
This has happened to me a lot. People have ripped off content, captions, freebies, courses. I’ve had other career coaches purchase my courses to try and create their version and sell it as their own. This has happened many, many times—and yet, they still can’t replicate my success.
And this isn’t coming from a place of, "You’ll never be me." It’s not that kind of energy. I genuinely believe that if people stayed in their own lane and focused on becoming the best version of themselves, anyone could be wildly successful. Even in the careers niche. And I’d absolutely celebrate that.
But what fascinates me is the business strategy behind it. Why is it that you can literally copy and paste a video or course and still not find success?
This episode idea has come up from different angles in my life recently. For example, in shutting down Badass Careers—surprise, surprise—I had a lot of career coaches buying my courses, especially when they went on sale. And I was like, "Hmm, why would a career coach who teaches Career Clarity need my course on Career Clarity? Funny, that."
I also had a private coaching client, who hadn’t yet started working with me, say, "Hey, I hope you don’t mind, but now that Badass Careers is closing down, I mean, I would have never done it before, but I’ve been taking hooks off your content to use on mine over on LinkedIn." I was like, "Oh, we’re going to have a lot of work to do."
And it’s come up a lot with private coaching clients in the careers niche specifically. I think they believe that by working with me and copy-pasting the mechanics of my business—how often I post, what kind of content I create—they’ll become a mini version of Badass Careers and replicate that success.
But that is not how it works.
And it’s interesting because I want them to win so badly. I want them to find their voice, bring out their value, and put their uniqueness into the world. I want them to do even better than me. I want them to charge more than me. I want them to succeed.
And many of them are absolutely killing it now that they’ve found their groove. But it would have never worked if they’d just tried to be the next Badass Careers.
As much as I don’t love being copied—I don’t think anyone adores being copied—I’ve got to the point where I’m like, "Let them try," because there is so much more to running a business than the courses I offer and the content I post.
So I want to walk you through some of the things these people aren’t thinking through. Some blind spots. And why, if you’ve ever felt tempted to copy someone else, it’s probably just going to be a waste of your time and energy.
Now, I do want to acknowledge that mimicry is the very first baby step of learning. When I look at my baby girl, or any human infant, or even animals—the way they learn is through mimicry. They imitate, they copy. Even if they don’t understand what they’re saying yet, they can make the sounds. My baby can say "Mama," even if she doesn’t yet associate the full meaning. That’s the first, primal learning response.
So I get it. I understand the temptation to copy. But you will always stay in that fumbling baby-giraffe phase if you can’t find your own way. You’ll always be that awkward, unsure version of a content creator or CEO.
And yes, I’ve had people say things like, "You should be flattered. I look to you as a leader." Look, imitation being the greatest form of flattery? That is complete bullshit. I’m just going to say it. I’ve said the same to those people directly.
Imitation is not flattering. It’s copyright infringement. Full stop.
And values-wise, principles-wise, it gives me the ick—big time. Who are you to think you can take someone else’s hours of work, years of experience, vulnerability, and just rip it off in three seconds flat?
You think they should be flattered? That they were "asking for it" by being so good? Please. No.
Let’s talk about why copying doesn’t work, from a business strategy perspective.
First: People can smell a knock-off from a mile away.
People know when something feels off. I’ve worked with private coaching clients—especially when I was still beta coaching and hadn’t figured out how to fully assess client alignment—and I’d look at their sales pages or emails and laugh. They’d funnel-hacked me. Watched all my trainings. Opened every email. Ripped off my copy.
But they don’t speak like me. And I can always recognise my own writing because I wrote it. I’m not using ChatGPT. I’m not copying other coaches. That’s why I cut through the noise in the first place.
When someone uses a super specific phrase, or a Kiwi colloquialism, and it’s coming from someone who clearly doesn’t have that background—it’s hilarious.
It would be like me going to a party and saying, "Hey babe, what’s that shade of lip gloss you’re rocking tonight?" That’s not me. It’s not my style. It would come off weird and fake.
When you copy too many different people, you become this strange mashup of tones and voices. It’s giving split personality. It creates brand confusion. I read things from people and think, "Who even are you?"
And when I see their actual content—their videos, their coaching—versus how they sound in marketing? That cognitive dissonance creates distrust.
Humans are more perceptive than you think. They may not realise why they don’t trust you, but they won’t. Because you don’t sound like you.
And it’s not just about tone. If your ideal client values humility, refinement, professionalism, and you come in hot with "job hunting feels like shit!" — that’s a turn-off. It’s not classy. It’s not what they want from a mentor.
If you try to speak to a sensitive, empathetic woman with bro-marketing vibes, she’ll switch off.
Second: You can’t replicate the depth of a successful business.
There is so much more happening behind the scenes than just content and offers. People work with me again and again because of the trust I’ve built. Because of my brand equity. You can’t copy that by copying a caption.
What you see is surface-level. A reel. A freebie. An email sequence. But you don’t see the WHY behind it. You don’t know the psychology, the strategy, the journey I’m guiding people through.
You don’t know why I ordered emails in a certain way. Why a masterclass starts with a certain story. What fears I’m addressing. What my funnel looks like. When human contact kicks in.
You don’t know which parts I’m testing, tweaking, rewriting. Which reel hit 2 million views but didn’t bring a single follower because it was too superficial.
People think success is about hooks. But it’s not just the hook. It’s the value, the stories, the delivery—everything that makes someone THEM.
That’s why, in Empire Era, I teach people to become excellent content writers. Not just for Instagram—for anywhere. Because if you understand why content works, you can adapt it to any platform, any format, any shift in trends.
You need to understand human psychology. Storytelling frameworks. Thought leadership. Without that, you’ll always be behind.
Content is just the tip of the iceberg.
Behind the scenes, there’s nurturing. Human connection. Systems. Team. Offers. Messaging.
You can literally copy my course. My slides. My offer. Word for word. You will still never sell it the way I do. Because your messaging will be off. Your results will be weaker. Your clients won’t shout about you. They won’t refer you. Because you’re missing the heart.
You didn’t create the framework. You haven’t stress-tested it. You don’t have the intuition to coach it properly when someone misunderstands or misapplies it.
I can hear someone’s purpose statement and know it’s not quite right. I can help them land it, lock it in, and feel lit up. That’s what changes the ripple effect: branding, positioning, networking, RESULTS.
If you haven’t coached hundreds of people through your method, you won’t have that insight. You won’t know the difference between your person and mine. Their fears. Their pace. Their style. You won’t understand the nuance.
And lastly: I don’t know how people live with themselves copying.
I would be terrified. Imposter syndrome would eat me alive. I couldn’t celebrate a win knowing I’d stolen someone’s work.
And that fear? That doubt? It will sabotage your business. It will make you second-guess every decision. Because deep down, you know you don’t deserve it.
You’re not moving like a million-dollar entrepreneur. You’re not thinking like a leader. You’re not acting like an original. And that’s why your business will always fall short.
You can steal the content. You can steal the course. But you will never steal the success.
What you’re missing is originality, leadership, and trust. These are the intangible assets that build true business longevity. And without them, you’ll never be one of the greats.
Let’s keep this conversation going. DM me or send me a voice note on Instagram @badassempires_. I’d love to hear your perspective—whether you’ve been tempted to copy, have done it and learned, or have witnessed it firsthand.
Because people are wasting so much time trying to be everything other than who they truly are.
Let’s build businesses the right way.
Have a beautiful morning, evening, or afternoon wherever you are in the world, and I’ll see you next week.
Bye!
