As much as I wish I could just delete social media forever, I know that for me and most other people that is completely unrealistic. In fact, our frames of mind have adapted so much to require the constant influx of content that social media provides. Instead of ignoring this reality, I am trying to become more aware and conscious of the choices I make online, especially when it comes to social media. One huge step I have taken is to carefully choose the people and brands I want to follow as well as unfollow or block people whose posts make me upset, insecure, or unhappy. To help you all with this process, I have made a list of my favorite positive influencers you need in your feed.
Gretchen Geraghty
Gretchen has been on Youtube for over ten years and also has a large Instagram following. In 2019 Gretchen started the Happy Hour Podcast as well. She currently lives in Pennslyvania with her boyfriend, Max, who plays professional hockey, and her golden retriever, Brody. Gretchen graduated from Boston University where she was on the rowing team for her freshman year. After she quit rowing, she used her social media to expose the “dark side” of being a student-athlete which for her included a lot of strict dieting that took a toll on her mental and physical health. In 2019, Gretchen lost her father due to a sudden heart attack. While this loss has had a negative impact on her, she describes how a silver lining that came out of this loss was that she was able to use her platform to help others affected by the loss of a parent and share her grieving journey. She also talks about her struggle with feeling lonely, especially when her boyfriend is away for hockey. Overall, Gretchen is an influencer that truly uses her platform to help others and make people happy. I can’t help but smile when I see a post from Gretchen on Instagram.
https://www.youtube.com/c/GretchenGeraghty7
Danielle carolan
Danielle is a recent graduate of the University of Georgia (“go dawgs,” as she would say) who is currently fulfilling her lifelong dream of living in NYC. She is originally from Tampa, Florida. During her time at UGA, Danielle posted “College Week in my Life” videos on Youtube as well as other college-related content. She was also part of UGA’s Her Campus chapter! Towards the end of her college career, Danielle struggled with the idea of rebranding herself and what her post-grad life would look like. I would say she did pretty well because her NYC content about fashion shows, ginger shots, Sunday resets, and all there is to do in the city has helped her reach over 540k subscribers on Youtube and 260k followers on Instagram. Recently Danielle opened up about her struggles with anxiety, specifically related to the gym and working out. This is something that a lot of us are struggling with, especially now since gyms and workout classes are starting up again after COVID, so having an influencer open up about something like this helps us non-influencers feel not as alone.
https://www.youtube.com/c/daniellecarolan
Brooke miccio
Along with her best friend, Danielle Carolan, Brooke is the co-founder of the Gals on the Go Podcast. The podcast has a variety of episodes ranging from college advice, girl talk, self-care, and entrepreneurship. Overall this podcast is a great listen because it is positive, relatable, and applicable to a lot of girls in high school, college, and post-grad. Brooke also lives in NYC and makes similar content to Danielle like “Week in My Life” and “Favorites” videos. Once she graduated from UGA, Brooke took a corporate job in Boston and was there for around a year. Needless to say, she did not like corporate life, so she quit that job to pursue social media full time. This was a huge risk for her, but one that she needed to take for her mental health. Brooke has shared her struggles with body image and working out, which is something that definitely needs more exposure from the social media world. Brooke has also talked about dating in NYC, especially when it comes to using dating apps. Dating apps can be taxing on your mental health, especially when they focus so much on looks and first impressions. Brooke talks about how all of these things would sometimes make her feel defeated, but how it is important to not judge your self-worth from guys on the internet.
https://www.youtube.com/c/brookemiccio
kylie ross
Kylie is a fitness influencer who currently lives in Dallas, Texas. Kylie graduated from Baylor University and also played for their women’s soccer team. Kylie originally planned to go to dental school after college, but after being rejected by some of her top choices she reconsidered what she wanted to do moving forward. Deciding not to continue school and pursue social media was a big risk for her, but one that paid off and led her to turn her passion for health and fitness into a full-time job. She is even developing a health and fitness app called “Healthies.” Though working out is pretty much her job and number one passion, Kylie is very open about her struggles to stay motivated in the gym at times and how it is important to exercise in a way that makes your own body feel good. She recently auditioned for the Sports Illustrated Swim Search but unfortunately didn’t make it past the second round. Even though she was upset, Kylie talked about how she was proud of herself for trying something new and how it is important to find success even if it seems like a failure. Kylie is also very open about her faith and belief in God and how it brings strength and happiness into her life. Her conversations about it really help young people starting on their spiritual journey to get inspired. I highly recommend following Kylie on Instagram because her Instagram stories make me smile and laugh every time they pop up. She is also a Gymshark Athlete and I obsessively watch all of her hauls every time they send her new clothes.
https://www.youtube.com/c/KylieRossYT
ava jules
Ava is a 20-year-old Youtuber who has lived in Hawaii for her whole life. She recently moved out of her parent’s house and into her own apartment. As someone who will be doing that in the next few years, I have loved watching her moving vlogs to see what she’s buying for her apartment. Ava is very body positive, which is evident both on her Youtube and Instagram platforms. She makes productive vlogs and day in her life videos that make us all want to live in Hawaii even more than we already do. She stresses the importance of living life at your pace, even if it means stopping classes until you feel like you are in the mental space to begin again. Ava’s presence online is nothing but happiness, and she is sure to brighten your feed!