Forbes Top Creators Show

How do you go from writing stories about human trafficking on the US-Mexico border to building a multi-million dollar business media empire?

Welcome to the Forbes Top Creator Show! This week, host Steven Bertoni decodes the business of influence with former journalist, Wall Street investor, and serial entrepreneur Codie Sanchez.

In this episode, Codie opens up about her intense early days as a border journalist, winning the John F. Kennedy Award for print journalism, and the searing realization that it is nearly impossible to assert your will on the world when you are broke. She details her transition into high finance—climbing the ladder at Vanguard, Goldman Sachs, and State Street—and why she walked away from private equity after realizing she didn't want to end up like her corporate peers.

Codie delivers a true masterclass on building Contrarian Thinking, a powerhouse holding company that uses social media to drive 130 million monthly views into venture capital, franchise brands, and advisory services. She breaks down her daily routine of waking up at 6:00 AM, skipping the cold plunges to go down TikTok rabbit holes, and enforcing a checklist of doing "one hard thing" and having "one hard conversation" every single day.

Finally, Codie shares her core investment thesis: why "boring" physical businesses like plumbing, HVAC, car washes, and laundromats are the ultimate path to financial freedom in the age of AI, and why they will outlast traditional knowledge workers like accountants, attorneys, and graphic designers. She also reveals her biggest creator mistake—getting "murdered" by the internet over a typo, and her three commandments for finance creators: "bring your weird way better than boring," fight the "sloppification" of content, and obsess over serving just one person.

#CodieSanchez #ForbesTopCreators #ContrarianThinking #CreatorEconomy

Check out the Forbes Top Creator List:https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenbertoni/2026/06/23/forbes-top-creators-2026/

0:00 Meet Codie Sanchez

1:32 What Makes a Podcast Worth an Hour of Your Life

3:13 From Walter Cronkite School to the US-Mexico Border

6:11 The City of Death: Why Money Equals Leverage

8:31 Winning the John F. Kennedy Journalism Award

10:52 From Valley Forge to the Goldman Sachs Rotational Program

13:06 Why I Quit Wall Street: "Third Wife, Lots of Lamborghinis"

15:03 Coronado and Launching the Contrarian Thinking Newsletter

16:20 Leaving the Inbox: Transitioning to Video and Short-Form

18:24 Going Viral with Laundromats

20:04 The Contrarian Holding Company Business Model

21:41 Top of Funnel: Serving 99.9% of Your Audience for Free

24:19 Mel Robbins and the Secret to Growing a Top Podcast

27:21 Daily Routine: TikTok Rabbit Holes, Heavy Workouts & Electrolytes

29:17 The Core Daily Habit: One Hard Conversation a Day

31:22 Why "Boring" Businesses Outlast Accountants & Lawyers

34:40 The Baby Boomer Key Hand-Off and Small Business Investing

36:57 Breaking the Mainstream: Less Corporate, More Off-The-Cuff

39:01 My Biggest Mistake: A Typo

40:45 Day One Directive For New Creators
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How do you go from working grueling 100-hour weeks as a corporate M&A lawyer to building an audience of over 20 million followers and running a multi-faceted financial media business?

Welcome to the Forbes Top Creator Show! This week, host Steven Bertoni decodes the business of influence with attorney, financial creator, and entrepreneur Erika Kullberg.

In this episode, Erika opens up about the heartbreaking turning point that led her to quit her big-firm corporate law job after her boss refused her time off to see her dying grandfather. She details her transition from $200,000 in student debt to launching her startup, Plug and Law. Erika delivers a true masterclass on how she systematically studied YouTube and TikTok like an M&A deal, writing down over 100 viral hooks to decode the rhythm of the algorithm.

She reveals the $1,000 daily-posting bet that forced her onto TikTok, her legendary 30-second Nike shoe refund video that gained 1 million followers in 24 hours, and why she turned down a massive $100,000 brand deal in her second month to protect audience trust. Finally, Erika breaks down her 90/10 investment rule, how to bypass algorithm suppression, and how she used her massive platform as a "selfish" backdoor to interview her business heroes on her hit podcast, Erika Taught Me.

#ErikaKullberg #ForbesTopCreators #CreatorEconomy #PersonalFinance

Check out the Forbes Top Creator List:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenbertoni/2026/06/23/forbes-top-creators-2026/

0:00 Meet Erika Kullberg

1:29 Quitting the 100 Hour Corporate Law Grind

3:01 Shifting to Entrepreneurship & Launching Plug and Law

4:23 The M&A Method: How to Study Viral Hooks Like a Deal

8:05 Gaining 5 Million Followers in 30 Days From a $1,000 Bet

9:20 Why Erika Turned Down a $100,000 Brand Deal to Protect Trust

10:26 Organizing a 100,000-Person Live Investing Workshop

12:22 The Business of Erika Kullberg: Diversifying Revenue Streams

14:12 Launching Erika Taught Me and Meeting Her Heroes

17:46 The Truth About Short-Form vs. Long-Form

18:47 Why You Absolutely Should NOT Start a Podcast

19:29 Bypassing the Algorithm with Owned Email Lists

21:17 Erika's Three Commandments of Personal Finance

21:42 The 7-Day Rule: Overcoming Impulse Buying

23:10 Financial Nihilism & Erika's 90/10 Investment Strategy

24:23 From Splitting Tissues in Law School to True Wealth

26:32 If Your Content Isn't Shareable, What's the Point?
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How do you go from losing your biggest commercial acting break to creating a viral meme that has been viewed over 7 billion times?

Welcome to the Forbes Top Creator Show! This week, host Steven Bertoni decodes the business of influence with comedian, filmmaker, and "recovering actor" Steven He.

In this episode, Steven opens up about his unique Chinese-Irish upbringing and the harsh realities of trying to survive as a traditional actor in New York City. He reveals the exact strategy he used to pivot into social media, grinding through 220 failed comedy sketches before finally hitting his first million-view spark on video 221. He breaks down the chaotic, uncontrollable 7-billion view success of the "Emotional Damage" meme, and frankly discusses his biggest business failure: investing massive amounts of time and money into a highly-produced show that alienated his audience and tanked his channel's revenue by 90%.

Steven delivers a true masterclass in how to pivot your YouTube strategy, shifting content just 10% at a time to successfully launch his new 30-minute action-comedy series, James Bao, and why your failures just might be your greatest asset.

#StevenHe #ForbesTopCreators #EmotionalDamage #CreatorEconomy

Check out the Forbes Top Creator List:https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenbertoni/2026/06/23/forbes-top-creators-2026/

0:00 Meet Steven He

1:11 From A Chinese-Irish Upbringing To The NYC Acting Grind

3:00 Heartbreak: Losing A $34,000 Big Break To The Pandemic

4:39 The Turning Point: Grinding Through 220 Failed Videos

8:57 The 7 Billion View Accident: The "Emotional Damage" Phenomenon

11:41 The Ultimate Fail: How A Massive Budget Tanked 90% Of Views

14:52 Boiling The Frog: The 10% Pivot Strategy

21:56 Taking Power Back From The Bullies

25:38 The Next Flex: Competing At The Box Office With James Bao

31:36 The Mic Drop: Why Your Failures Forge You
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How do you pivot from chasing empty viral trends to building a fiercely loyal community of over 40 million followers?

Welcome to the Forbes Top Creator Show! This week, host Steven Bertoni sits down with creator and entrepreneur Rebecca Zamolo.

In this episode, Rebecca reveals her biggest career mistake: focusing entirely on viral videos and realizing her massive audience didn't actually know her. She opens up about shifting her strategy to true vulnerability, sharing her battle with a severe, life-altering illness and an isolating two-year struggle with infertility. Rebecca explains why she downsized her production crew from 20 people to just 5, leaning into the philosophy that high-retention storytelling on a $5,000 budget can successfully compete with bloated, multi-million dollar productions. She also details her obsessive process of A/B testing up to five different thumbnails per upload, and her unique strategy of targeting different demographics on each platform: treating TikTok like the "cool kids" for viral trends, using Instagram for deep connections with moms, and building elaborate story-driven videos for YouTube.

#RebeccaZamolo #ForbesTopCreators #CreatorEconomy #YouTubeStrategy

Check out the Forbes Top Creator List:https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenbertoni/2026/06/23/forbes-top-creators-2026/

0:00 Meet Rebecca Zamolo

1:18 The Biggest Mistake: Viral Videos vs. True Community

4:16 The Origin Story: Facing Surgery and Opening Up Online

7:02 Content Strategy: Building Backyard Bunkers and Waterparks

9:37 The Masterclass: The Science of A/B Testing

15:45 Balancing Boundaries and Vlogging for 500 Days Straight

21:24 Running a 15-Person Mini-Studio

24:33 Platform Strategy: YouTube vs. TikTok vs. Instagram

28:34 Multiple Revenue Streams

29:08 Launching Molo Wellness

31:58 What's Next: Expanding Beyond the Camera
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How do you go from running a "cash for gold" shop and hiding your content from your family to becoming an 83-million follower comedy powerhouse?

Welcome to the Forbes Top Creator Show! This week, host Steven Bertoni sits down with short-form sketch comedy legend and entrepreneur Anwar in his first podcast appearance ever!

In this episode, Anwar reveals his journey from being the class clown to avoid getting bullied, to accidentally going viral by stopping freeway traffic with a fake magic trick involving a loose toilet. He opens up about dropping out of college, hiding his early success from his traditional Middle Eastern family, and eventually moving into 1600 Vine—the legendary Hollywood apartment building where he lived and collaborated with creators like King Bach, Lele Pons, and Logan Paul. Anwar breaks down his highly optimized downtown studio production process, his strategy of continuously repurposing 10-year-old videos, and his strict boundaries on turning down lucrative brand deals to protect his credibility. Finally, he discusses taking his comedic inspiration from legends like Jim Carrey and Edgar Wright to fuel his ambitious pivot from 6-second clips to writing and directing a feature film.

#Anwar #ForbesTopCreators #CreatorEconomy #ComedySketches

0:00 Anwar's First Podcast

1:37 The Origin Story: Using Comedy to Avoid Bullying

4:14 The First Viral Hit: A Magic Trick With a Loose Toilet

6:32 Dropping Out of College To Create

8:40 Inside Anwar's Production Studio and Creative Process

10:39 The Strategy Behind Repurposing 10 Year Old Videos

18:35 Moving to 1600 Vine: The Creator Incubator

24:24 Protecting Credibility

29:17 The Next Step: Directing Feature Films
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