Today I had the opportunity to interview Grace Smith content creator & founder of Change The Caption Social Media Studio. Grace’s overall brand centers around living a life you love, finding joy in the little things, and being your most positive and authentic self possible. Getting to know Grace, she truly puts her heart into the things she most passionate about, and truly an inspirational public figure in the content creation community.

Was it always a goal of yours to become a content creator/influencer? – Yes! As long as I can remember back I have always loved creating video content. I started filming myself at a young age and was obsessed with the YouTube beauty influencer space. I decided to go for it in high school and haven’t looked back.

What launched you into the world of YouTube & content creation? – My natural inclination to vlog brought me here! Before I even knew what vlogging was I would talk and do things as if I was creating a day in my life vlog. I have always loved chatting with a camera.

What does a typical day-in-the-life of Grace look like? – I would say at this point of my post-grad journey I don’t have a “typical” day routine. With lots of traveling this varies a lot! When I am in St. Louis my day usually starts on a walk with my dog, workout at the gym, I love to enjoy some sauna time right after, I make my morning protein and coffee and typically work from my kitchen island most of the day (this is usually answering emails, working on content calendars for my small business clients, editing content, etc.), and the rest of the day varies based on if I have any meetings or shoots! Currently- I am on a trip so these days look like waking up and walking my dog, getting work done in the morning, and spending my afternoon at the beach, and usually finishing my day with work once everyone else goes to sleep!

How would you describe your sense of style? – I like to keep it fun! Bright colors, prints, and trying new things is my favorite.

What are some beauty staples in your routine that you can’t live without in your collection? –  I love my NARS Liquid Blush and my Elf Brow Pencil. Both are my go-to products even if I wear nothing else.

What is your favorite go-to beauty product at the moment? – I am loving my Tarte Glow Drops.

What’s next for you this year in your career? – I want to continue content creation and my social media journey as well as grow my social media management business. A combo of my favorite things!

What inspires you the most in your life? – I get most of my inspo from my favorite content creators and YouTubers! Watching others create makes me want to create more!

What brings you the most joy? – Traveling! I love any destination with a beach!

Is there one piece of advice you would like to give your audience – Follow your dreams even when those dreams don’t make you cool. What you create for yourself will stick with you but the negative voices from others will not.

What inspired you to enter the world of social media & why? – I have been modeling and acting for about 6 years and when the industry shut down during COVID I began modeling for brands at home. That led me to content creation and brand photography! I started posting more and more on social media and eventually grew a following and booked campaigns with larger brands.

Did you ever imagine yourself becoming an influencer? – Honestly, yes. I’ve always been a leader rather than a follower and I like to think of myself as a trendsetter. I love taking photos and documenting/sharing my life on social media so it really is the best job. I have so much fun working with brands and getting to review/share my favorite products with my audience.

Growing up, what was your dream job/profession? – When I was younger if you asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up I definitely would say to be famous… I’ve always wanted to model or act! I have always been creative and loved fashion and beauty.

What advice would you give someone trying to enter a career of becoming a content creator? – Don’t give up! It’s all about trial and error and seeing what works for YOU and your account. It takes a lot of time and hard work to grow your following, learn how to shoot/edit/post content, and work with brands so don’t get discouraged and try not to compare yourself to others. Everyone starts somewhere!

How do you define your personal style? – My personal style is very girly and colorful. I like to go big or go home when it comes to my outfits – I style myself head to toe and accessorize with a bag and jewelry! One word to describe me and my style is EXTRA.

What would you say are your style staples within your wardrobe? – I have so many crazy tops so solid bottoms (skirts, shorts, pants) and shoes are definitely staples. I love a good crop top or tank top or oversized button down that you can style in different ways!

What is your favorite beauty brand? – This is a hard one because I have SO many! I love drugstore beauty brands like Wet n Wild, E.l.f Cosmetics, and Maybelline. Dior Beauty is probably my favorite luxury makeup brand, I’m obsessed with their blush! A few of my other favs are Mac Cosmetics, FENTY Beauty, NARS Cosmetics, and Makeup Revolution. My all time fav is probably Morphe because they do creative collabs with MUAs and celebrities!

In your beauty collection, what are your makeup favorites? – Some of my favorite makeup products are FENTY Beauty’s highlight wand, Charlotte Tilbury’s contour wand, NARS liquid blush, the Morphe x Madison Beer channeling surfing eyeshadow palette, IT Cosmetics your skin but better foundation, E.l.f. Cosmetics’s 24 hour camo concealer, dragun beauty’s pink translucent setting powder, benefit 24 hour brow setter, pat mcgrath’s LABS Fetish Eyes mascara, shiseido’s eyelash curler, and Dior lip oil!

If you have to choose one moment from your career so far, what would you consider to be the best & why? – I was just announced as InfluenceHer Collective’s Beauty Influencer of the Year and I could not be more excited! I’m beyond happy and honored. I’m honestly shocked. It means so much to me to have won! I feel like it really solidifies my hard work to date.

The Blondie Beauty Podcast is a podcast about all things beauty industry. From beauty trends, products, launches, business, and so much more! This podcast is the place for all things beauty-related. Today, I will be interviewing host Mackenzie Judge to talk about how she began her business as a the host of her own podcast, where she is in her career currently, and where she hopes her business will take her for the future.

What made you motivated to launch your beauty podcast The Blondie Beauty Podcast? – I’ve always had an intense passion for all aspects of beauty & within the last couple of years as I’ve wrapped up my athletic career & my college degree, I have been able to put much more focus on this passion. I actually created a beauty blog first which is still up & published, but while I was writing for this blog I realized that I wanted to make more connections & talk more with experts & people in the industry. I interned for a Forbes contributor for two years who also had her own business focused podcast & so I already knew a lot of how to do the back-end work to create a podcast. I decided to launch a beauty podcast to connect with more industry names as well as create content to an audience that loves beauty as much as I do.

How did you decide on what to name your podcast & why? – My whole life I’ve been super bright blonde & it’s always been a nickname or just something people have known me by, is being super blonde. I wanted to mix a little bit of a personal aspect into the name of my podcast & I also loved the idea of Blondie Beauty because of the BB initials we could brand with & use. It makes everything so cute & easy!

In one word what would you say your motto/message is to your listeners? – I would say learn would be my one word as my message to listeners because you truly can never stop learning – especially in the beauty industry. I learn something new every time I interview a guest & I truly love being a constant student of the industry. Knowledge is so important & the more you can learn about your industry, the better it will help you in your own venture of business.

How has your experience been hosting your own podcast? – I LOVE it! I look forward to every aspect from working with my team, creating graphics, planning out guest episodes, connecting with industry leaders & experts, getting to try tons of products & formulations, connecting with my audience on a personal level, working on creating content for them with episodes, giveaways, newsletters, etc! I feel so lucky to be able to do this!

What motivated you to break into the beauty industry with your platform? – My passion for beauty is really what makes me just so driven to always create the best content I can & to be a practitioner in the space really. I love trying all kinds of beauty, talking about it & working with everyone. Our industry really is the best!

Have you had any favorite guests featured on The Blondie Beauty Podcast? – Oh my gosh, I have had some amazing guests on the pod & I am so grateful for every single one of them for taking the time to come on my podcast. I will say I fangirled over Jamie O’Banion, who is the founder of BeautyBio. I’ve always loved her skincare & she’s just such an inspo to me! Lena Korres was amazing to have on to talk about her skincare empire that she’s built, Jessica Chia, who is an amazing pillar to Allure as a whole, Divya Gugnani, the Co-Founder of Wander Beauty, ah the list goes on & on!

What has been the most inspirational part of having this platform in your opinion & why? – I will say I get so inspired by my guests as well as my listeners. My guests really inspire me to keep following my dreams in the beauty industry because a true entrepreneur is never done with where they’re at! My listeners are so inspiring because they will reach out & tell me that they love listening & look forward to listening & that means the world to me! I always want to make sure I’m providing the best content that I can for them!

Are there any beauty trends/beauty brands you’re loving this season? – Ohhh I’m always all about glow! Anything radiant, dewy, shimmer, send it my way! There are so many amazing brands with a glow focus right now that I’m loving, but just a couple off the top of my head would be Patrick Ta Beauty, Westman Atelier, Wander Beauty, Tom Ford, Rodial & Lawless Beauty!

Describe your everyday beauty routine. – Okay for everyday, I don’t get super duper glam but I will always wear a full face. I always do my morning skincare before glam & then I’ll go in with a light cc cream, a bronzer, a glowy blush, a highlight, usually a one wash color on my eyes, brows, a little mascara & a lip! I always always always do nighttime skincare as well & I am someone who washes my hair every night! Lots of at home blow outs.

Do you see yourself involved in the beauty industry long-term? – Absolutely. I am not someone who would work well in the corporate job world. I am so used to working on the go, thinking quickly, handling a million tasks at once, keeping up with the industry & balancing personal life. I could never just sit at a desk & work under someone else my whole life – nothing wrong with it, just not for me! I love the beauty industry because it keeps up with my lifestyle!

Do you imagine yourself creating your own beauty line in the future? – Something may be in the works, you’ll have to see!

For the future of The Blondie Beauty Podcast where do you your brand going? – My goal for the pod is to continue to grow it while it’s still in its first couple years. I definitely want to continue having on amazing guests & keeping it on a weekly basis! My team & I work constantly to make it as accessible & fun for our audience as possible so I would love to see it continue to grow! We love to try to throw in new things all the time as well so be on the lookout for collabs, giveaways & more!

Today I’ll be interviewing YouTube personality Leilani Nicole about her business, being an influencer, and starting her new project Lei It All Out There Podcast.

– What made you begin your journey on YouTube? – Back when I was in middle school, my mom introduced me to the OG Youtube queen, Bethany Mota. I was obsessed with her videos and started discovering other channels that I enjoyed as well. I had always loved filming and editing so I decided to create a beauty & fashion channel of my own. Ever since starting my channel back in 2013, I have truly fallen in love with creating content and producing videos.

– Who are your style influences? Is there anyone you look up to in the fashion world that you aspire to be like/admire? – I wouldn’t necessarily say anyone has “influenced” my style. But, I do love Kendall Jenner and Vanessa Hudgen’s styles. I have always admired how adorable Vanessa’s outfits are.

– How would you describe your personal style? – My personal style is girly, trendy, and comfortable. Whenever I am going to class or going out to dinner with friends, I always try to look presentable and trendy. On days when I don’t feel like dressing up and just want to be comfortable, I like to spice up the outfit with jewelry pieces so it looks as though I put more effort into my outfit.

– List your favorite fashion staples you’re loving at the moment. – I am absolutely loving the small hoops trend. Prior to last year, you would never catch me wearing earrings, especially not hoops. But, now I will not leave the house without a cute pair of earrings. They are the cherry on top when it comes to curating any outfit.

– What is the most meaningful advice you’ve ever received? – Although it is so simple and cliche, I think the most meaningful piece of advice I have received is that I can do anything I set my mind to. As I have learned more and more about manifestation and the law of attraction, I have realized that nothing is impossible. It’s all about shifting your mindset and eliminating all negative thoughts.

– What advice would you tell your younger self if you had the chance? – I would tell my younger self that she can do anything she sets her mind to and to always remain motivated. I feel like I have grown so much over the past couple years and have started to find myself. When I was younger, I definitely held myself back because of fear and dealing with fake friends. But, now I would say I am in a much better headspace.

– How would yourself in 3 words & why? -I would describe myself as happy, positive, and friendly. I would say that I have always been a happy and positive person for all my life. I enjoy lifting up others and being the sunshine on a cloudy day. Life is such a beautiful thing so I try to find the joy in everything. I also try to be a friend to everyone and someone who you can go to for anything.

– Who is your biggest inspiration? – My biggest inspiration is my lovely mother. She has always pushed me to reach for the stars and has been the most amazing teacher. I would not be the woman I am today if it weren’t for my mom being real and honest. She wants the best for me and is truly my number one fan.

– If you had a wish and could travel anywhere across the world where would you travel? – This is so difficult to narrow down to just one place! But, I would absolutely love to travel to Mykonos, Greece. It truly looks like heaven on Earth and has always been on my travel bucket list.

– What would you say to anyone wishing to start their own platform? – Honestly, go for it! Having a platform where I can share my happiness and my favorite things is absolutely incredible. There is room for success for everyone who wants to be a content creator. I feel like now more than ever is the time to dive head first into creating a social media presence. The influencer world is the future of marketing. It’s also a great way to use your voice!

– For you, what was the process like to create your own podcast Lei It All Out There Podcast? – I have had the idea of creating my own podcast in the back of my mind for about a year now. I have been listening to podcasts for about two and a half years now and I find so much enjoyment in hearing the people I look up to discuss specific topics. Back in early December of 2020, I got to be a guest on one of my friend’s podcasts and that was the day I officially decided to create my own podcast. So for the next few weeks, I started preparing for my podcast release date (January 4th, 2021) and I have been absolutely loving it! It makes me so happy to hear that people have been enjoying my podcast episodes.

– What was the inspiration behind the project? – I was inspired by the hosts of the Chicks in the Office podcast and the Gals on the Go podcast. I have been listening to their podcasts for a couple years and look forward to their weekly episodes. I just truly enjoy creating content and can see this being a side hustle.

– For the new year where do you see yourself & your business? – I am honestly shooting for the stars this year. I want to reach 100,000 subscribers on YouTube and have 10,000 downloads on my podcast. As I mentioned before, I want to make this my side hustle and maybe potentially make this a full time thing.