Hi babe, I'm Courtney.
I’m the creator of the YBI Method and the model behind @OnaArtist (5M+ on IG). I moved to NYC to be an artist, auditioned for dance and modeling gigs, and learned firsthand what it’s like to wait around, be manipulated, and hope someone else will pick you. Eventually, I said: no more. I built my own audience, turned it into a business, and taught myself to be the boss—so I make the money and call the shots. Today I coach creators to do the same: craft a persona, make content that turns heads, and share it strategically so attention becomes autonomy, freedom, and fortune. If you’re done waiting, welcome—you’ve found your place.
As Seen in
From NYC Struggles to Self-Made Stardom
I moved to New York in 2009 to be an artist. I auditioned for dance and modeling gigs, worked endless catering shifts, and lived out of a suitcase more than once.
But the reality? I saw that the modeling and mainstream worlds were full of gatekeepers—casting directors, agents, PR companies—people who decided who was “in” and who was invisible. And like so many women in that world, I was constantly waiting to be “picked.” Someone else always had the power. Too often, that meant manipulation, underpayment, and mistreatment.
Side note: things have really changed since then. Social media now gives women access to their own platform—and even the mainstream—without gatekeepers. That’s why social media is so important today!
“I stopped waiting for permission and started building my own stage.”
Taking My Image Back
In 2011 I did something kind of crazy. I built a website and sent out a press release for a project I called Naked Therapy as Sarah White. Overnight, my life changed.
I was on basically every news platform there was (remember—this was pre-social media). I went from making $10 an hour (or less) catering to $150 an hour from my home studio. I traveled, I got media coverage I never could have imagined, and I had a real taste of celebrity.
That was my first successful online persona. Over the years, I’ve created multiple personas—and the fact that each one succeeded showed me something important: there’s a formula for fame, and I’ve got it.
But my deeper passion wasn’t therapy. It was creating images for many, not 1:1 meetings. And social media was just starting to explode.
The Restart That Changed My Life
In 2015, I created a persona named Ona (short for persona) and dove into Instagram like my stage.
I figured out how to tell a Story people wanted to follow, how to Show it with repeatable visuals, and how to Share it so the algorithm—and real humans—couldn’t ignore it. That’s what became my YBI Method: Story, Show, Share.
Within a year, I had one million followers. Then another. Eventually I grew Ona Artist to over five million on IG, and 10 million across all socials. And the best part? I spent nothing on promo. It was all profit. I owned my content, my brand, and my revenue. No agents. No managers. No middlemen.
The Walls and the Wins
It wasn’t all smooth. My family wasn’t thrilled I was on Instagram. The art world pushed back hard. Gallery shows were canceled. Artwork was decommissioned. A feminist collective I thought was my community “canceled” me for posting a playful bongo photo.
These moments hurt. But they also proved what I’d begun to suspect: the mainstream art and modeling worlds weren’t built for all women. They were never going to share the power. I had to make my own way.
And social media? It gave me wins no gatekeeper could touch.
- A reel I posted a month after giving birth to my first child hit 38 million views.
- I shot a sponsored art project with a $1M budget at the Waldorf in LA and on location in NYC.
- I bought homes, built savings, and paid for IVF out of pocket when my husband got cancer.
The lifestyle, freedom, and security I created was beyond anything 2009 me could have imagined.
“I stopped waiting for permission and started building my own stage.”
More press:
Why I do this:
I grew up the child of professors, so teaching has always been part of me. And after everything I experienced—the manipulation, the canceled shows, the hypocrisy of industries that pretend to empower while they exploit—I knew my mission wasn’t just to build my own empire.
It was to help other women build theirs.
That’s why I founded Your Best Insta in 2020: to give creators the system I wish I’d had.
A way to grow millions of followers, monetize with confidence, and become a self-made star—without waiting for anyone’s permission.
My work has always been about more than just followers. In 2016, I became the first person to publish an academic article on Instagram modeling (in Rhizome), and I’ve continued to advocate for women’s right to use their bodies how they choose. Even when facing cultural restrictions and backlash, I’ve kept creating, writing, and speaking out—while being published and covered in major media outlets.
Since then, I’ve watched my students achieve results that still amaze me. Holly went from 400k to over 2 million followers. Chloe from 1k to over 300k. And Candice? She started as an assistant, but after learning the YBI Method she launched her own profile gaining 50k followers in one week and it is now her main income.
And yes—it still works today. Most recently, I launched a brand-new persona from scratch using only my method to prove it, and it earned $10,000 in the first month.
Today, I live in the desert with my husband and our two little ones. I run my business as CEO, I create art on my own terms, and I coach women worldwide to claim their power through social media.
Because here’s the truth: all you need is an audience, and you can do anything you want. You can charge more for your services, collaborate with bigger names, launch your art, or simply live free of money worries.
So if you’re done waiting to be chosen—and ready to choose yourself—welcome. I’ll show you how.
As Seen In:
