Social Media Stars Making a Social Impact: Why & How Influencer Christine Handy Is Helping To Change Our World
An Interview With Edward Sylvan
It is a privilege to teach women the importance of hope. It is an honor to show the magnitude of developing rich self-esteem and how it will positively change your life. The daily practice of introspection has shifted my life from one of materialism to service. I would rather spend my time serving and sharing hope than coveting things. People matter not stuff. I am bold in my work as an influencer because I know the risk of hoarding my story and not using it to help others in their journeys. Better to share, even if it comes at a cost, than to see people battle theirs alone.
As a part of my series about leaders who are using their social media platform to make a significant social impact, I had the pleasure of interviewing Christine Handy.
Meet Christine Handy, International Model, Influencer, Best-selling author of the novel Walk Beside Me, Breast Cancer Survivor, Motivational Speaker, Humanitarian, Harvard student, Mother of two sons. Christine also serves on the board of two non-profits: Ebeauty and People of Purpose.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Participating in social media for me started with my desire to make an impact. After my first book was published in 2016, I realized the positive power that social media could have. Determined to show courage and hope, I started to tell my story on social media channels. Eventually, my following grew and the career of being an influencer began. From the beginning, my social involvement on platforms was not self-indulgent. It was only a vehicle to promote hope and to inspire others in their own journeys.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this career?
There are so many. I have worked to show my very vulnerable life story on many socials, not just a highlight reel. For that, I believe people trust and respect me. What I share is not always flattering, but it’s honest. After a few years of posting the good, the real and the not so attractive, I started to get a few emails from brands wanting to collaborate. I couldn’t believe it. Once I got more involved in being an influencer, It propelled me to be even more vocal about my mission, to inspire, lead and show hope. What bigger compliment is it to have brands that believe in what I am doing. Hope, authenticity and collaborative brands, that is a win for all.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I have made many mistakes. Once I agreed to endorse a product that I had not used before. That was a disaster. After I actually received the product and used it, I realized it did not work. I went back to the company and said, here is your money back. I told them, ‘I can not promote a product that I don’t believe in.’ I am fairly certain they had never heard that before. Now anytime a brand contacts me or my manager, we always start with, ‘Christine will not promote anything she has not used, touched, felt.’
You have been blessed with success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?
Failure is a guarantee. But failure in this industry will teach you to read the contracts more closely and not make promises you don’t have time to keep. The jobs I failed as an influencer were the ones I overcommitted. It showed up in the language skills on my posts. Now, I limit how many brands I work with in order to give my best to each client. More is not always better.
Ok super. Let’s now jump to the core focus of our interview. Can you describe to our readers how you are using your platform to make a significant social impact?
I have been faced with enormous health and personal traumas. They have taken years of my life to fight and defeat. From those experiences, I have what I refer to as post-traumatic wisdom. I learned from it and organized my thoughts around each phase of the trauma to help others going through pain. I would do just about anything to keep any person from making the same mistakes I made during the traumatic phases of my life. I did not always have this strength. At a younger age, I was emotionally bullied by a doctor. My right arm is permanently disabled because of him. I truly believe, that if I had built a richer sense of self in my formative years, I would not have endured the pain from that and other issues. It is a privilege to teach women the importance of hope. It is an honor to show the magnitude of developing rich self-esteem and how it will positively change your life. The daily practice of introspection has shifted my life from one of materialism to service. I would rather spend my time serving and sharing hope than coveting things. People matter not stuff. I am bold in my work as an influencer because I know the risk of hoarding my story and not using it to help others in their journeys. Better to share, even if it comes at a cost, than to see people battle theirs alone.
Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted by this cause?
One day, early in my social media storytelling, a woman messaged me to let me know that because of my arm story, she had gone to another doctor to get a second opinion. That second doctor diagnosed an infection in her arm, similar to mine. That bravery to see a second doctor saved her arm. It was then that I realized, if I can help one person, the bigger the audience, the bigger the impact. After years now of being a social media influencer, I have thousands of stories of women who I have impacted with my pain and my stories. I consider that to be a great honor. If I had never shared my story, nobody would have been impacted. Storytelling is a gift if we are courageous enough to share. Less loneliness in the world is a goal of mine.
Was there a tipping point that made you decide to focus on this particular area? Can you share a story about that?
I went through such a transformation in my own life with my self-esteem and corrected it. I then had the tools and knowledge to do it. So I decided to focus on empowering women by preaching about the importance of self-esteem. I posted dark moments and said not being ok is ok. I preach about being careful of following the highlight reels because that can set us up for comparison. That is a slippery downward spiral. We all have the imagination to paint a picture of our lives on our socials. It is up to us to follow people that show up as themselves, not a fake version.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
As a community, we all have a responsibility to teach younger audiences why strong self-esteem matters. And then we need to teach them how to do that. And after that, we need to be accessible to answer questions along the way. Self-esteem work takes time, it’s a lifelong process. I can only imagine how different my life would have looked if I had learned how important self-love was at a young age. It should be a curriculum in middle school and high school. Teenage years are curious and confusing, learning self-care and self-love would be beneficial for all.
What specific strategies have you been using to promote and advance this cause? Can you recommend any good tips for people who want to follow your lead and use their social platform for a social good?
I would encourage other influencers to be vulnerable. To lead through storytelling and honesty. It is great collaboration when brands come together with people with great messages, but that should be in tandem to the message, not the reason.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
Number One: I wish I had known that I didn’t have to be an actress, a model, a theologian or perfect when I started socials. I wish I had known that just being the most authentic version of myself was more than enough. Put yourself out there and see who comes, that is your audience. Two: I wish I had been patient. I tried to rush and post more to get a bigger audience, not for the numbers but to inspire, the more the better. There is great learning in the wait. The impatience does not propel you further along. Now I post a couple times a week, it is way more manageable and my followers wait for it. Next: I wish I had hired help from the beginning. I felt like I had to do it all. I trusted myself to do the work. When I was hit with another health battle in 2020, I hired a couple people. I then realized how much more powerful women who worked together for the same mission impacted more people. Hiring and parceling out work is not weakness, it is strength. Letting go of my pride and letting go of my control gave me time to do other things and it helped my socials. Fourth: I wish I had dabbled in Pinterest in the beginning. I am only now working in that space. Pinterest is a powerful social platform that I love being a part of. If you want to make an impact, add Pinterest as a user and creator. There are plenty of social platforms and you do not have to be on all of them. Hone in on the ones that feel natural and right for you. Then anchor on those. I felt some pressure, at one point, to be on all. It was overwhelming and I was less effective. Once I found the platforms that I felt most able to inspire on, I focused on those and let go of the pressure. Pick your spots. Lastly, remember there is always plenty to go around. There is no limit or ceiling to how much of an impact you can make. Your impact is not in competition with others. I love seeing other influencers thrive. I cheer them on just as much as I cheer myself on. Don’t waste time or energy comparing your platform to others, like I said, there is plenty to go around.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Let’s talk about grace. We, as a society right now are on edge. We have been isolated and tested to a point of being pushed into great discomfort. I would like to see people remember the word grace. Grace being defined as doing honor to. Honor the differences instead of blaming or fearing differences. Give yourself the grace you deserve and give it in spades to others.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
The life lesson quote I leaned on when I was going through chemotherapy was Let go and let God. Once I relinquished the control I thought I had, my life became lighter. We often want to control the outcomes but we can’t. Let go and let God is true for me in my daily walk, in all of my relationships, in my work, in my non-profit work and as an influencer.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
There are many. Oprah of course, because she is a champion for all of us. Also, DJ Khaled. He is a fellow Miami resident and I love his energy. He is happy, puts himself out on socials authentically and I like that. He, like me, cheers himself on and others.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_Handy
https://www.instagram.com/christinehandy1/
https://www.pinterest.com/1christinehandy/_created/
https://www.facebook.com/walkbesidemebychristinehandy/
https://twitter.com/handychristine1
https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-handy-3056ba125/
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this. We wish you continued success and good health.
Social Media Stars Making a Social Impact: Why & How Influencer Christine Handy Is Helping To… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.