Life comes at you fast: One day, you’re moving to Los Angeles from Dayton, Ohio, building a YouTube channel from the ground up while working at a tanning salon, and the next, you’re regularly going viral with millions of views on TikTok, pioneering the “thriftfluencer” space. Such was the case for Macy Eleni, a content creator, secondhand shopping expert, and author of the book Second Chances: The Ultimate Guide to Thrifting, Sustainable Style, and Expressing Your Most Authentic Self. Growing up, Macy couldn’t afford to buy things that were “cool” or new, so she found her personal style and learned about fashion through thrifting — a skill she was able to turn into a flourishing career and a thriving community, both on and offline. Tune in to hear Macy’s inspiring story, as well as her insights on what it was like to start vlogging in high school; the impact that early 2000s paparazzi photos and fashion reality TV had on her personal style; overcoming ridicule as a teen for wearing thrifted clothes; getting in on the ground floor of the secondhand shopping boom and watching the world catch up to your passion; building a diverse and inclusive community via YouTube and TikTok; the wild world of brand deals and monetization; getting a book deal via a cold email; playing the long game in the influencer world in order to stay authentic and build trust with her audience; how to handle the constant pressure to churn out content every day; how creators can help push brands into the future; her foray into unscripted fashion television, and much more.

This episode was recorded in the podcast studio at The SQ @ 205 Hudson.

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