123. Mikayla Nogueira on Body Acceptance, Growing Confidence & the Dark Side of Social Media

Get ready for one of our most requested guests, Mikayla Nogueira! If you don't already know who she is, Mikayla is a makeup artist and beauty content creator that has amassed an insane digital following with over 14 million TikTok followers and over 2.5 million Instagram followers. She shares everything from “Get Ready with Me” videos to beauty tutorials and transformations to her new home and her life with her fiance.


In today's episode, we talk about everything Mikayla has accomplished in her career at only 24 years old; from working at Ulta to now being a full-time content creator. We also talk about the online hate and criticism she's received, how it takes a toll on your mental health and how she's established her confidence over the past couple years. Overall, we think you're really gonna love this episode. We know so many of you follow and admire her, and hope you enjoy getting to know her on another level.

“ When people say, ‘Mikayla, you're my favorite body positivity influencer,’ I don't think that's fair to say because I do struggle with an eating disorder and because I don't believe I'm the most body positive. I try to be realistic about it where yes, I have grown confident in myself, but not every day is perfect for me.” - Mikayla Nogueira

What We Talk About:

  • How old she was when she posted her first YouTube video

  • The job & school plans she had when the pandemic hit in 2020

  • What happened when she posted her first viral video

  • Advice for people who want to put themselves out there but are afraid to

  • How to cope with having so many eyes on you

  • How she handled “getting canceled”

  • How she deals with online hate

  • Mikayla’s confidence journey and why she developed an eating disorder

  • What she does for self-care or to make herself happy

  • Her go-to look off camera that makes her feel hot aka “the mikayla look”

  • Inside her relationship with Cody: how they met and why they work so well

  • The one product she would choose if she could only use one

  • Her dream brand collab

  • Dream celebrity to work with and what type of look she’d do

  • Her dreams and goals for the future


“In that moment I was like, ‘Am I gonna lose all my followers? Is my career over? Am I no longer gonna have any opportunities? Are people not gonna wanna watch me anymore?’ All those fears I had about negativity, that whole situation just proved me wrong. People will constantly try to take you down, but you just keep going and don't let it change who you are.” - Mikayla Nogueira

New podcast episodes of Confident Collective drop every Tuesday.


Thank you to our sponsors:


Resources:

122. Kristina's Birth Story

Baby boy number 2 has arrived! It’s so wild what an adventure pregnancy and labor and delivery are. There’s so many highs and lows and ALL THE EMOTIONS but with the absolute best reward ever in the end. In this episode, Kristina is sharing her entire birth story; which was much different (and harder) than her first experience, and to be honest, pretty stressful and traumatic. Although both mom and baby are recovering and doing well, Kristina openly and transparently walks through the details of her labor and delivery, giving her advice and learnings along the way. She shares how she and her husband Steve introduced baby Christian to Nikolas, his initial reaction to his baby brother, and how it’s going now. Motherhood is so hard and so fulfilling at the same time. Balancing a newborn and a toddler is a whole new ballgame but Kristina feels so confident and at peace knowing that she’s got this.

“On the way to the hospital, honestly, we had so much fun. I was in so much pain and we just started blasting music and acting like we were going to the club. We were singing at the top of our lungs and it felt like we were just about to embark on this crazy adventure, which we were. But instead of going to the club, we're going to the hospital.” - Kristina Zias


“All I knew was: the baby's gonna come tonight, so there's no point in me trying to get some sleep. So I was like, I'm gonna do my makeup and hair because if we're gonna have a baby tonight, I might as well at least try and look cute, and at least that will distract me from the pain. This is how I choose to give birth, how I choose to distract myself. And it was an amazing distraction, honestly. - Kristina Zias


What We Talk About:

  • How Kristina’s feeling as a mom of 2

  • Processing a traumatic birth with self compassion

  • Was the psychic medium Steve saw (from episode 89) right about the baby’s gender?

  • Preparing for birth when you have a big baby and what Kristina did to get him to come naturally

  • The timeline of the night she went into labor

  • How she distracted herself from the pain

  • Her expectations versus the reality of her second birth

  • The biggest differences in her experience with Nikolas and her second delivery

  • What she suggests talking to your doctor about before delivery 

  • Her stressful pushing process

  • The scary post delivery realization the doctor had

  • What Kristina’s recovery process was like and what she did to feel more like herself 

  • How they introduced Nikolas to the baby and his initial reaction

  • How everyone’s doing now







“Not to sound so woowoo, but that energy really makes a big difference. I know if I were to have another one or if you're having a baby, I think it's important to communicate the type of energy you need from your doctor because that is something I never would've thought of.”  - Kristina Zias





“ Around 11:26 AM my little boy Christian James DeAngelo, who was born: nine pounds, five ounces with a knotted umbilical cord. My little miracle baby is just like the sweetest little thing, and I feel like I'm just meant to be a mom. I feel so confident in that, and it feels really great. Obviously it's super, super hard and challenging and there have been tears along the way but I feel like you realize how strong you are and how resilient you are, and just having a growing family is such a blessing.” - Kristina Zias

New podcast episodes of Confident Collective drop every Tuesday.

Thanks to our sponsors:



Resources:

121. If you’re feeling lost, this is for you

Reflecting on different phases of your life gives you an opportunity to appreciate the moments that have made you who you are, and shows you that you’re capable of so much more than you give yourself credit for. When Raeann moved to Los Angeles five years ago, her life looked a lot different. As she prepares to close this chapter and move to NYC, our good friend Rosie joins Raeann on the podcast to help her recognize and celebrate her evolution and ask hard questions that dive deep into the pivotal moments that have led Raeann to who she is today. We talk about the failures that were just redirections to something better, how to move forward after a big breakup, how solitude is the best way to truly get to know yourself, betting on yourself and going after your dreams even when people around you don’t understand it and so much more. If you’re feeling lost, or don’t know what’s next for you, we hope this episode inspires you to get to know yourself on a deeper level and really go after what you want in life.


“You cannot get to know yourself or experience growth outside of solitude.” - Raeann Langas


“There is such a freedom in getting it wrong and let that refine us and try again.” - Rosie

What we talk about:

  • Raeann’s NYC move and apartment update

  • Who was Raeann when she first moved to LA?

  • That time Raeann almost got married

  • The many jobs Raeann had when she first moved to California

  • How to redirect your focus when you realize something isn’t working

  • Being more mindful of celebrating our wins as women

  • How solitude is essential to getting to know yourself

  • Letting go of control and surrendering to what’s meant to be

  • Why you shouldn’t put literally everything into a relationship

  • Raeann’s hopes, dreams and goals for this next phase of life in New York


“If you try something and it doesn’t work out it’s not a failure because you’ve learned something from it.” - Raeann Langas


“Let’s always leave room for what’s bigger than we can imagine.” - Rosie

New podcast episodes of Confident Collective drop every Tuesday.


Thank you to our sponsors:

  • Lelo: Celebrate love this Valentine's Day, reconnect with yourself or your significant other and seize great discounts LELO offers for their 20th birthday on lelo.com/valentines-day

  • Nutrisense: Visit nutrisense.io/confident to save $30 and get 1 month of free dietitian support.

  • Athletic Greens: If you’re looking for an easier way to take supplements, Athletic Greens is giving you a FREE 1-year supply of Vitamin D AND 5 free travel packs with your first purchase. Go to athleticgreens.com/cc.

Resources: