Too Smart For This

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 [email protected]

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 [email protected]

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

Hii angels! Welcome to Week 4 of the Alignment Edit, where Alexis is talking about your space and why the environment you live in matters more than you think.

Alexis has been obsessed with beautiful environments since she discovered a Pottery Barn catalog in her aunt's bathroom at age 6 (she’s obviously been an aesthetic icon ever since). Growing up in chaotic, difficult spaces made her hyper-aware of how much your environment affects everything. Your space isn't just about aesthetics. It's about signaling to yourself that you're worth taking care of, and creating an environment that supports your actual habits instead of the ones you think you should have.

In this episode, Alexis breaks down how to organize your space based on who you actually are, why small investments matter more than you think, and how to create flow instead of friction in your daily life. Plus: feng shui tips, the closing shift ritual, romanticizing winter with candlelight, and why folding your clothes is grown woman behavior.

This one's for the girls who know their space is affecting their mood but don't know where to start.

SEE YOU AT THE ALIGNMENT EDIT IRL: https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/6829649?c=.pi129.pkpartner_social_host_experiences_alexis_barber&utm_campaign=T2

What You'll Learn:
Why your space signals to yourself (and the universe) whether you deserve to be taken care of
How to organize based on your actual habits, not the ones you think you should have
Why everything needs a place and how to declutter without guilt
Feng shui basics: money corners, mirrors, and why you should never live somewhere with a 5 in the address
How to use scent to anchor different activities (work candles vs. relaxation candles)
Small luxuries that make a huge difference
How to romanticize winter and make your space feel like a safe haven

EPISODE CHAPTERS

[00:00] - Welcome to Week 4: Your space
[06:15] - Why your space signals to yourself whether you deserve to be taken care of
[11:30] - Organizing based on your actual habits (the ADHD-friendly approach)
[18:45] - Taking inventory of what bothers you daily
[24:20] - Feng shui, scent anchoring, and defining spaces for specific activities
[29:50] - Small luxuries that make a huge difference: bedding, bathroom, kitchen, and taper candles
[34:10] - Wrapping up

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 [email protected]

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.

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

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Hello Angels! Alexis is calling in from Miami (at the EDITION hotel, living her best life, obviously) to talk about the hardest part of the Alignment Edit: money.
Money has been the biggest thing in her life since she was a kid — growing up on food stamps, being the scholarship kid at boarding school, then taking out six figures in student loans at Wharton. After graduating into a completely different financial reality than she expected, all the old scarcity patterns came rushing back: the anxiety, the shame, the feeling like a failure. So she had to take money off the pedestal, stop making it mean things about her worth or safety, and interrogate every belief she had, including why she was so afraid to say out loud that she wants to make a million dollars this year.
This episode breaks down the five shifts that completely transformed her relationship with money: separating worth from net worth, stopping the overwork cycle that made her think she had to earn safety, letting herself want a lot without apologizing for it, stopping the judgment of people who have money (because that judgment blocks you from making more), and getting strategic about actually making more money instead of just saving harder.
PLUS, the Alignment Edit is coming to you IRL!!!! Alexis is launching in-person workshops at Bon Studio in Williamsburg — first session is January 25th! Learn more and grab your tickets here: ALIGNMENT EDIT IRL https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/6829649?c=.pi129.pkpartner_social_host_experiences_alexis_barber&utm_campaign=T2 
What You'll Learn:
How to take money off the pedestal and stop making it mean things about your worth
The 5 shifts that transformed her relationship with money:
Shift #1: Your worth is not your net worth
Shift #2: Stop making money do emotional jobs (overworking doesn't equal safety)
Shift #3: Let yourself want a lot of money without apologizing
Shift #4: Stop judging people with money (it's blocking you from making more)
Shift #5: Get strategic about making more money instead of just saving harder
Why wanting material things doesn't make you greedy (and why women moralizing money keeps us small)
How to normalize wealth in your nervous system and reframe greed as generosity
EPISODE CHAPTERS
[00:28] - Hello from Miami
[01:44] - Announcement: The Alignment Edit IRL workshops at Bon Studio in Williamsburg
[04:36] - Week 3: Money (and why this was the hardest alignment edit to write)
[05:47] - How money became everything
[12:26] - Graduating Wharton with six-figure debt and falling back into scarcity
[10:04] - The core shift: taking money off the pedestal
[13:50] - Shift #1: Stop assigning your worth to your net worth
[16:28] - The graduation story
[18:12] - Shift #2: Separate money from men, work, and protection
[19:19] - Why overworking doesn't equal deservingness
[21:18] - Shift #3: Let yourself want a lot of money 
[22:59] - Why women are better with money and why wanting things isn't shallow
[25:03] - Shift #4: Stop judging people with money
[27:04] - The influencer overconsumption conversation and moralizing money
[28:11] - Shift #5: Make more money (get compensated, build visibility, take initiative)
[31:53] - Reframing greed and why not all rich people are bad
[34:41] - Wrapping up + journal prompts
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 [email protected]
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.
My career TLDR:
Bounced from Google Marketing to YouTube creator strategy before getting my MBA from The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania.
Started and ran a premium bathrobe brand that collaborated with Rare Beauty & Bumble, and I'm the author of Too Smart for This: A Journal to Build Self-Trust and Stop Settling for Less Than You Deserve, published by Tarcher Books.
Been a lifestyle influencer for 5 years, collaborating with 75+ brands across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, and was named by the American Influencer Council as a Trailblazer in the microinfluencer category.
This show is supported by Other Kind Media — otherkindmedia.com


This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit toocollective.substack.com/subscribe

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Welcome to Part 2 of the Alignment Edit, where we're tackling health and wellness. But this isn't about becoming an Olympic-level athlete or a wellness queen, this is about shifting from viewing wellness as punishment to seeing it as a practice that protects your mind, your energy, and your ability to show up for the life you're building.
After all, we are nothing without our health.
In this episode, Alexis gets honest about her relationship with her body — from being diagnosed with MS at 15 and deprioritizing her health for years, to finally learning how to nourish herself from a place of love instead of control. We're talking winter wellness routines, the alter ego effect for stubborn habits, eating patterns that need major editing (hi, entire box of Ritz crackers for dinner), and why scheduling your preventive health appointments is an act of self-trust.

This isn't about perfection, angels, it's about building a better baseline so your health can hold the big life you're dreaming of.

What You'll Learn:

Why wellness needs to shift from punishment to practice
The alter ego effect: how to embody a different version of yourself for stubborn habits
Why your eating habits might be stuck in an old identity (and how to edit them)
The importance of scheduling preventive health appointments as an act of self-trust
How to approach wellness from a place of nourishment, not optimization
Winter wellness essentials: steps, supplements, and small rituals that actually work

EPISODE CHAPTERS
[00:30] - Welcome to Week 2: why health is the foundation that holds everything else
[03:22] - You are nothing without your health (and what MS taught me about control)
[05:25] - Shifting from punishment to practice: reframing your wellness why
[07:58] - The alter ego effect: embodying a different version of yourself
[12:55] - Eating habits that need editing (those Ritz crackers for dinner are doing nothing for us, sister)
[15:02] - Letting go of old identities around food and movement
[16:40] - Preventive health appointments: gynecologist, dentist, blood work, and more
[18:15] - Winter wellness essentials: steps, supplements, and small upgrades
[20:07] - Week 2 wrap-up: finding alignment without becoming a wellness perfectionist

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 [email protected]

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.

My career TLDR:

Bounced from Google Marketing to YouTube creator strategy before getting my MBA from The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania.
Started and ran a premium bathrobe brand that collaborated with Rare Beauty & Bumble, and I'm the author of Too Smart for This: A Journal to Build Self-Trust and Stop Settling for Less Than You Deserve, published by Tarcher Books.
Been a lifestyle influencer for 5 years, collaborating with 75+ brands across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, and was named by the American Influencer Council as a Trailblazer in the microinfluencer category.

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


This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit toocollective.substack.com/subscribe