Tag: Influencers

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Future Influencers: Transforming Lives in 2025

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New Year’s Firework’s courtesy of Rakicevic Nenad

What a wonderful time of year. 2024 is about to wave goodbye and 2025 is on our doorstep. The anticipation of what this year will bring fills me with anticipation and a little angst. How can I create an inspiring read for others while keeping the topic grounded? Suddenly, I realized a common thread while researching trending do-good influencers. It was their backstories.

In SeeChangemakers’ last post, Zachery Dereniowski, alias MDMotivator, discussed his battle with depression. This finally determined his career redirection. Similarly, this article looks at influencers who hit psychological walls that redefined their career paths. More and more backstories of adversity are shaping popular opinion about who we can trust to walk their talk.  

YouTube Influencer Explodes

YouTube influencer, Mel Robbins brought herself up and out of a life filled with anxiety. Mel Robbins is a dominant personality in social media’s life coaching industry. Her recently released book, “The Let Them Theory” has already ranked #1 on Amazon and Audible. She is also a powerhouse when it comes to media influence. The Mel Robbins YouTube Channel has 3.25 million subscribers and almost 250 million views of the over 2500 posted videos. She is active on most major social media platforms. She has a robust number of followers on them as well. Additionally, she has two websites. One is for herself, and another is for her recent publication. She also hosts a hugely popular podcast.

POST IMAGE from MEL ROBBINS INSTAGRAM

Walking Her Talk

However, this wasn’t Robbins initial career. She originally received her doctorate degree in law in 1994. She was working as a criminal lawyer for the Legal Aid Society in New York in 1996. The same year she met her husband and partner in life. Years later in 2013, she would be seen as the go-to legal analyst for CNN during the George Zimmerman Trial. However, years earlier, she started down another path. In 2011, she published her first book, “Stop Saying You’re Fine: Discover a More Powerful You”. This publication was her response to a critical turning point in her life.

So how did Robbins life coaching career find its beginnings? Well, she states on her website, “I hit rock bottom and nearly lost everything I cared about in life. My anxiety was so bad, I could barely drag myself out of bed.” Starting in 2008, her and husband, Christopher Robbins, were drowning in debt and she was drinking more than usual. One of her Facebook posts talks about why it is important to reach out to friends. It so happened that she “was barely holding on and too ashamed to reach out for help.” Robbins suffers from anxiety, dyslexia, and ADHD. Yet, she finds ways to heal herself and shares her insight with others.

“Today is my 52nd birthday. And honestly, I feel lost… | Mel Robbins”

Rich Man, Reformed Man

The next influencer is the founder of Norrsken Foundation, a non-profit, non-partisan and non-religious foundation. Swedish-born, Niklas Adalberth, came to Norrsken from a place of privilege and newly attained wealth. In 2010, his dream of becoming a successful millionaire became a reality. Klarna, “a buy now, pay later” service provider, created by himself and two others took flight. Suddenly, they went from a localized Nordic financial service provider to Europe’s top 100 young tech companies. With a cash injection from a US investor, their revenue increased by 80% overnight. Yet, one evening in Las Vegas, caused Adalberth to question everything.  

Now, he runs an organization that supports entrepreneurs who create positive change for global challenges. The foundation page states: “Our work stems from a belief in entrepreneurship. We also believe in new technology as forces that can positively impact the world.”

The Unicorn Entrepreneur

Much like Upworthy’s founders, who we discussed earlier in this influencer series, Adalberth’s position, with Klarna, created an avenue. His newly attained wealth allowed him to contribute 125 million to get Norrsken up and running in 2016. The World Economic forum refers to Adalberth as a unicorn entrepreneur. Adalberth is unlike other global unicorn entrepreneurs. These include Space X’s founder, Elon Musk, and Uber’s, Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp. Alternatively, Adalberth strives to better global communities.

Norrsken Stands Up to Stand Out

Norrsken has “House Hubs” in Stockholm, Kigali and Barcelona. These hubs work to help globally conscious (impact) startups. They provide access to investor connections. Impact startups can use facilities like co-sharing spaces. They also get access to an 8-week accelerator series. Kigali is the flagship in this array of housing hubs. It supports a circular economy approach. The building uses repurposed materials, a solar photovoltaic system, and a thermal labyrinth to reduce energy use.

In less than 10 years, Adalberth has co-opted and facilitated the rise of a globally conscious ‘ecosystem’. This includes thousands of founders, investors, and portfolio companies. To learn more, go to https://www.norrsken.org/about

LAST WORDS

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Image courtesy of AIM website

A Humanitarian Passes

While writing this article, a philanthropic legend passed on Sunday, December 29th, 2024. Jimmy Carter, the 39th American President, left this world after turning 100 on October 1st. Carter was a lifelong changemaker long after his duties and service to the United States Presidency ended.

Jimmy Carter’s Presidential Term

After his inauguration, he began his presidency by giving amnesty to all the Vietnam War draft evaders. A war still talked about as a “well-intentioned mistake” thrust Americans into mistrust of their government. Carter was constantly mending wounds. Alongside other activities, he advocated for the environment. For example, he approved the Love Canal Superfund. This move aided displaced inhabitants of the nuclear waste sites in New York. Also, he was the first president to actively support alternative energy use. In 1979, he approved a move to install solar panels on the White House. Decades later, in 2002, he won the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work.

The Carter’s Influences

I became an admirer of Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter back in the early 1990’s. When I lived in Calgary, Alberta, my partner and I bought our first home together. Because of this, I was looking for reasonable ways to upgrade our kitchen. Since I was a great purveyor and promoter of thrift and secondhand goods, I soon found Habitat for Humanity’s Restore. Restore was a used construction goods warehouse. My partner and I bought various pieces. These included a dual convection oven and a countertop stove for the kitchen renovation. We bought them all at a deeply reduced price. Even though, the prices were amazing the foundational values of the not-for-profit are what sold me. All the money made by Habitat for Humanity’s Restore goes back into building homes for families who couldn’t afford one. This was where the Carters came to the forefront for me. I realized they had an affiliation with Habitat for Humanity through the Carter Work Project. Throughout their years, they contributed money, time, and influence to help less fortunate families.

Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project, their 35th work project with Habitat for Humanity, on Monday, Aug. 27, 2018, in Mishawaka, Ind. IMAGE courtesy of Robert Franklin, South Bend Tribune Via AP

The Carter Work Project

“The Carters and their example have rallied thousands of volunteers, supporters and celebrities to take part in our mission, helping Habitat for Humanity become internationally recognized for our work to build decent and affordable housing. They’ve touched the lives of thousands of Habitat homeowners and volunteers and inspired millions across the globe.”[1]

Since 1984, the Carter Work Project has helped to build 4,447 homes. These homes span across 14 countries. The project received aid from 108,000 volunteers. The Carters will never be forgotten. Their legacy lives on in the generations of people they have helped. They have reached many with their acts of kindness.

Wrapping Up

As you have read, these three Change Makers are both living and now passed. They are part of the global trend of change for the better. Stay tuned for upcoming interviews with other Change Makers, who are preparing to make a world of difference in 2025.  

Theresa K. Howell

[1] https://www.habitat.org/carter-work-project

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Meet the Influencers Changing Lives with Kindness

Foundational Image Courtesy of @yvrswiftie

So that’s it, Taylor Swift’s ERAS tour has ended after two years of being on the road. Please do not mistake me for a SWIFTIE. Saying this made me ponder. Is it that bad to be considered one these days? My roommate is a SWIFTIE. Over our time together, I have gleaned some insight into the philosophy of this collective. A few important points that resonate with me are the underlying themes of kindness, sharing, and inclusivity. These values seem to be what this next “ERA” will be focused on. All are aligned with humanity’s best practices.

Maybe Taylor Swift is so popular because humankind desires a sea change in the collective mindset.  With that, these next blog posts will look at some recent social media influencers who practice these values regularly.

SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER #1

@MDMotivator image of SELF- Zachery Dereniowski

It wasn’t easy to know where to start on my search. So I created a social media call-out request for contributions. Noticing this my sister suggested a recent social media influencer whose name will resonate with some of you. @MDMotivator on Instagram, who is Zachery Dereniowski. He has 11 million subscribers collectively over the three major platforms: YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. His motto is “Kindness is cool.”  This mantra was at the top of a crowdfunding link on Instagram which supports individuals who spread kind acts. He states, “Kindness is not just a choice; it’s a lifestyle. Every act, big or small, creates a ripple effect of positivity. Join us in making the world a brighter place.”

 Pre-Med Student Takes a 180 Degrees

Like many influencers, his fate was determined by an initial post on YouTube. In September 2021, from his parent’s basement, he uploaded a video. Overnight, it received 20 million views. The question I had was where did it begin? Dereniowski was in medical school in Sydney, Australia when COVID struck. In short order, he injured his leg and lost his girlfriend of six years. He was alone and suffering from depression. Fortunately, he sought help and was advised to journal his feelings. After some reflection, he decided to take a year off from medical school and fly home to Ontario to live with his parents. From that first viral video post, he never looked back.

What motivated Dereniowski to attend medical school and now to be a content creator is a desire a to help people. Initially, he struggled with the thought of leaving medical school due to societal expectations. But he started asking those hard questions like: “Is this the path for me? What’s my purpose?” This was the beginning of his transformation. While in medical school he was doing social media posts off and on based on his feelings of vulnerability. These part-time mental health “PSAs” gave a new meaning to helping others when realizing the effect it had. Unfortunately, he hadn’t recognized the change and plodded forward on his university track.

Seeing the Light Again

Suddenly, the wall of depression hit him hard. It was then that things needed to shift. Finally, the move home mixed with the content creation created this “right” path. Everyone has a point that creates the essential “why” that turns their life around and gives them purpose. In SeeChangeMaker’s recent blog article and interview with Kathy Harms, some considerations for those life-changing moments are covered.

Once, he was on track an abundance of opportunities arose such as collaborations with celebrities and organizations. But it isn’t the fame that is most important but the giving and connection to others. It is the lifting up of others that really brings richness to @MDMotivator’s life.  During his interview with Otter PR , Dereniowski related one of his initial videos about the idea of “those that have the least give the most.” In this narrative, he explains:

“Well, the first time I saw someone, I see it every day now, those who have the least give the most. It was I think October of 2021 I just started making videos. I had a sign that said who do you wish you were with right now this guy comes up to me he blurts out, my ex…

YouTube.com @MDMotivator Posted October 2021

…the idea that someone gave up their home gave their last few bucks or changed because there was someone who’s more in need and not because it was a video just so nonchalantly it blew my mind to see it in real time because I know you hear it or maybe you see it on social media but seeing it in real life and then that just repeated hundreds of times”.

A True Sense of Purpose

These are the moments that created a true sense of purpose and hope says Dereniowski. Similarly, his response to this idea is that “I truly believe humanity is good and people are good and there’s a lot of good out there and when you are good you draw in a lot more good in you.”

Homeless mom gives stranger last $1 @MDMotivator Posted December 12th, 2024

His humility and overall belief in the goodness of humanity resonates through every video posted, action taken, and human helped. In the Otter interview, the suggestion that all this is about him brings a response of “no” with an addendum. Dereniowski reminds us that throughout the process there are so many contributors. For instance, the man on the street who chose to talk to him, the crowd-funding contributors, and the prop donors, all are links in one big chain; a chain of kindness.

SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER #2

In this next autobiographical narrative, we look at a young millennial teacher. Ms. Natalie Ringold caught my eye while I was scrolling around on Instagram. Her moniker is: always.upper.elementary . Her teaching style has brought ongoing kindness, mindfulness and passion into and outside of her classroom.

While social media influencing probably wasn’t on her radar, it became a way for her messages to spread around the globe. The “30 Second or Less” rule Instagram reel got her the most traction. Now, it’s being shared using various language translations as well.

This viral video discusses how words matter. For instance, when a person is about to say something to someone about changing something about themselves, she says” remember your words have power”.  So, if that something can’t be changed in 30 seconds or less, refrain from saying it. As you can see from the post, she gives easy and relatable examples for the fourth graders to understand.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8DYqZzxblg/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Beginnings

Growing up in Minnesota, USA, she always desired to be a teacher. So in her interview with PopSugar they ask about her educator influences. Ringold mentions that Kate Lutgen and Blake Christiansen were the two she remembered the most. She establishes that Lutgen saw potential in her and ultimately “changed the trajectory of her life.”  These are those moments in people’s lives where relationships decide pathways forward.

Displays of compassion and kindness have translated into her career. When reflecting on her teaching, she says it’s “the heart-to-heart conversations, the relationships, the connections we make together as a class and all of the learning” that’s what really sticks. These are some of the joys and rewards that keep her on this path of sharing and caring.

Final Thoughts

Kindness and empathy taught in the early years should be an essential part of school curriculum. Ringold has managed to incorporate these elements onto social media platforms where all others can access it. So, wherever people are in their teaching career or in their lifelong learning process, this young sage is there. During an interview with People Magazine she comments that “… there were so many other people who weren’t even teachers commenting on the post, saying like, ‘Adults need to hear this message.”

With these two social media influencers we can see how “KINDNESS IS COOL”. Who wouldn’t want to send these vibes into the global universe? Stay tuned for the next upcoming post where we delve deep into some mindful influencers, who really didn’t need a platform.

OTHER REFERENCE LINKS:

Zachery Derenowski – Windsor Life Article

Natalie Ringold’s WEBSITE