An interview with Kelly Reeves
The first one I have to mention is that YES, we CAN eat anything! When I post videos featuring candy or sweets sometimes, I will often get a lot of comments saying “wait, she can eat that?” Diabetics just need to balance their carb/sugar intake!
As a part of our “Unstoppable” series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Kaeli Mae.
Originally hailing from Tacoma, Washington, Kaeli Mae, the Seattle-based influencer, first skyrocketed to popularity in 2021. With her signature simplistic and ultra-organized aesthetic, she has captivated millions with her “clean girl” TikToks, seamlessly blending fashion, beauty, and home essentials into a mesmerizing tapestry of tidiness. Now boasting a dedicated fanbase of over 18 million followers across all platforms, Kaeli has partnered with a plethora of major brands, including Calvin Klein, L’Oreal, and Pureology.
As we sat down to chat, Kaeli shared insights into her influential style, reflecting on the highlights of 2023 and the genesis of the highly satisfying “clean girl” aesthetic. From her early days as a Starbucks barista to becoming a household name in the world of social media, Kaeli’s journey is as interesting as her meticulously curated content.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! It is really an honor. Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?
Of course, so excited to do this with you guys! My backstory starts in early-mid 2020, during quarantine when TikTok started becoming more and more trendy. Before I started creating content, I was in school for nursing and working at Starbucks! I started to get super motivated and inspired to create my own content after seeing other lifestyle/home videos on TikTok. In the beginning, I would try to post about 2–3 times a day to gain my audience & hope for some viral videos to find my niche! After a bit, my first mega-viral video was of me restocking my mini fridge in my room at my parents’ house! I was completely shocked at the response from people & they absolutely loved the content! From then on, I stuck with the lifestyle/home/ASMR content and have grown my audience and turned it into a community!
Do you feel comfortable sharing with us the story surrounding your diabetes diagnosis?
Of course! I was diagnosed when I was just 4 years old, so it’s almost been 20 years now! It’s not a recent diagnosis, but I’ve started to share a bit more about it online & my goal is to share about living with it a little bit more to inspire others with Type 1!
What mental shift did you make to not let that “stop you”?
Social media can be really harsh at times and it’s completely normal to get down or stressed, I just had to keep reminding myself that I’m inspiring and motivating so many people, and that makes me feel really good! This is also what I love to do, so pushing myself to keep going always makes me feel better in the end. Also, surrounding yourself with supportive people is huge!! My fiancé especially, always cheered me on and motivated me to keep going!
Can you tell our readers about the accomplishments you have been able to make despite your diagnosis?
Just that having Type 1 doesn’t stop you from doing or being anything you want to be!
What advice would you give to other people who have Diabetes or other conditions?
That diabetes or any other condition doesn’t define you! and it’s not something that ever needs to be hidden or not talked about, embrace yourself and your uniqueness!
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are?
Like I mentioned above, my fiancé Bradley has been the biggest support system in my life for the past 6 years — even before social media! He is so kind and encouraging, I truly couldn’t be more blessed to have him in my life! There have been many many times where I’ve voiced how I feel like I’m not succeeding or doing enough, and he always gets me to feel better and keep going!
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
Gaining such a large following, I’m so happy to have also created a positive & happy community for my audience to feel safe & inspired! My goal is always to provide a safe space for people & try to motivate & inspire them to be the best versions of themselves.
Can you share some things you wish people understood or knew about people with diabetes?
The first one I have to mention is that YES, we CAN eat anything! When I post videos featuring candy or sweets sometimes, I will often get a lot of comments saying “wait, she can eat that?” Diabetics just need to balance their carb/sugar intake!
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”?
“Protect your peace”
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. 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 🙂
Selena Gomez 🙂 I have just always loved her & her genuineness! She’s inspired me from a very young age!
Thank you so much for the time you spent with this interview. We wish you continued success and good health!
Unstoppable: How Influencer Kaeli Mae Has Redefined Success While Navigating Society with Diabetes was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.