The Real Deal Digest Issue No. 31

A bi-weekly newsletter that shares the business-y truths no one wants to talk about but everyone is thinking.

⏲️ Read time: 5 min

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Until last week, I secretly thought I was better than everyone else who watches shows like The Bachelor or Love is Blind.

That’s because (again, up until last week), I believed I was above all that nonsense. You know… an intellectual. A total snob, side-eyeing the viewers who “wasted” their time on such frivolous shows starring 15-minutes-of-fame-hungry humans who act like they have ~maybe~ three cells in their brain.

Why give my attention to that when instead, I could watch my seventy-third documentary about a serial killer — or a YouTube video that describes all the evidence that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s relationship is 100% PR?

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Okay, so maybe I’m just as guilty as the next person for indulging a few hours a week on something that is not going to actually add value to my life or make me think.

And ya know what? That’s okay. 🤷

But last week? I may have taken my TV consumption to a whole new level…

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In this week's edition of The Real Deal Digest:

✉️ Why I became emotionally invested in a very questionable Netflix show (against my will)

✉️ The surprisingly smart psychology behind "stupid" content (you can take it or leave it!)

✉️ What's quietly shifting behind the scenes in my business (and why it finally feels right)

My partner and I have a semi-regular winter evening routine with our dogs, who get upset when we deviate from it.

After dinner and a bit of post-work decompression time, we mosey on down to our finished basement, where (technically his) dog Wilson plops himself next to me on the couch and the other pup (technically mine), Blair, gets cuddly with Jeremy on the floor.

Then we do what I believe most couples do when they decide it’s TV time and don’t have a pre-decided, dedicated show in the queue ready to go:

We scroll for 20+ minutes, looking for something we can both agree to watch until we fail, give up, and go to bed.

But last week? Jeremy took control. He got decisive. (Or he just got sick of the 20-minute scroll. 😬)
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He clicked “Play” on the first show that Netflix was featuring on our profile:

Age of Attraction

Reader, my eyes rolled so hard into the back of my head that it made this emoji look like it’s looking right at you: 🙄
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“Seriously?? You’re going to put THIS on? I heard about this. It’s so freaking stupid.”

I mean…. I wasn’t wrong, ok? This show IS so freaking stupid.

If you have dignity and are unfamiliar with Netflix’s latest dating show, the premise is this: Dozens of single people come together on a retreat location in Whistler, Canada to see if they can find a connection with anyone there.

The catch? They’re not allowed to share their age with each other. Until… they decide to go to the Promise Room.

(Cue the “oooooh!” from Jeremy. 😆)

From there, it spirals into all sorts of madness, messiness, and WEIRDness but OMG. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but…

I. am. hooked.

Now — why ANY of us get hooked on ridiculous shows like these has nothing to do with the premise itself…

…and everything to do with how it’s built.

Because this show is DEFINITELY not “good” in the traditional sense… but it is incredibly effective with how it draws people in. You know how it works:

➡️ The first episode gives you *just* enough information to get curious… then leaves you hanging at the end so you want to watch the second episode (as any binge-worthy Netflix series does)

➡️ It introduces tension, personalities, little bits of drama… and then makes you want to see how it plays out

➡️ They have INSUFFERABLE “characters” that cause you to form fast opinions on them (which I recognize is totally unfair to the person portrayed as one dimensional, but hey — if you’re signing up for reality TV shows in 2026, you HAVE to know what you’re getting yourself into at this point 🤷🏼‍♀️)

It’s messy. It’s human. It’s chaotic. It gets people talking about it outside of their living rooms and all over Reddit threads.

That’s exactly why it makes such good TV.

And it’s what makes good content for our business, too!

Now PLEASE don’t get me wrong — I’m not saying to start dating someone 20 years older or younger than you and make it your whole brand. 😂

…but I am saying that the reason people stick around to hear what you have to say isn’t because you're perfect.

It’s because what you're sharing feels real enough, specific enough, or intriguing enough to keep them there.

This has me rethinking how I want to show up in my business, and honestly? Where I want to take it.

If you’ve read this far, then I’m happy to share this behind-the-scenes business tidbit with you:

🤫 I’m in the middle of pivoting. Because something hasn’t felt aligned for a long time, but it wasn’t until I started doing presentations, facilitating workshops, discussing my bigger vision with well-established entrepreneurs, and running a community… that something clicked.

And it clicked in a BIG way. Like…

Eyes-light-up-pupils-dilate-jump-out-of-my-seat-heart-gives-a-jolt kind of way.

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That’s how I know I’m on to something.

(It’s how you can know you’re on to something, too!)

I’ll share more as I get more clarity and key components fall into place — because I actually like building new things in public so people who are a few steps behind me can get inspired — but there’s also the very real consequence of being TOO transparent and confusing your audience before everything is ready. 😬

SO… I’ll leave you with this recent revelation:

I am now stepping into the version of my work that was always trying to happen.

The dots have always been there, floating in the air above me. Now I’m just able to identify them and string them together. (It's pretty cool, ngl.)

Six months from now, Rachael Johnson Creative is going to look different.

And I can’t flippin’ wait for the outcome (and the drama that I know will be part of the journey... sans commitment ceremonies and promise rooms 😂).

-Rachael

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P.S. Until then, here are 3 ways you can work with me:

1. ​Audit ‘n Action Plan: We look at what you currently have — your messaging, offers, and website (or lack of one) — to uncover what's not working (and what is!) so you walk away with a clear, actionable plan of what to do next.
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2. ​Messaging Magic Intensive: Get clear on your voice, your people, what to say and *how* to say it — so your message finally sounds like you and resonates with your perfect peeps.
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3. ​VIP Days & Weeks: Get my undivided attention for a day or a whole week to craft the copy you need, STAT. No delays. No stress. No back-and-forth-back-and-forth. Just strategic, scroll-stopping, ready-to-go words delivered faster than you can say, "Why did I wait so long to hire a copywriter?"

Free Resources You Gotta Check Out:

📖 Site Elevate: Website Boost Challenge ​Get your website in tip top shape →​

💁‍♀️ Copy Confidence Club ​Includes a free 7-day Email List Building Challenge →​

📘 Oh yeah I started a YouTube Channel: ​Help a sister out and subscribe →​

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