HOLR is chatting with “Prologues” podcast host and lifestyle creator, Mary Skinner.
Mary Skinner is giving HOLR the inside scoop on her life journey and how it inspired her to bring her unique blend of work, mental wellness, and life experiences to her podcast and lifestyle content. In her podcast, “Prologues,” Mary hopes to be the internet’s ‘big sister’ as she opens up about various topics such as her mental health journey and her go-to lifestyles and beauty faves.
Today, HOLR is chatting with Mary to get some more insight into how social media can affect youths by going into detail about how she temporarily “left” TikTok to focus on her mental wellness. We also dive into how she got her start online, how she uses her platform to redefine what living with a mental illness looks like, and what’s next for her.
Talk to us about your life journey and how it brought you to where you are today in terms of inspiring you to bring your unique blend of work, mental wellness, and life experiences to your content.
I grew up in southeastern Virginia as something of a misfit. I was homeschooled in a toxic, high-control religious environment, developed mental health symptoms when I was 12, and have always been headstrong. Needless to say, I constantly battled with my sense of self, rebelling against my surroundings, and figuring out why my brain didn’t seem to work like other people’s. I left my hometown and that religion when I was 18, and I’ve never looked back. College saved me, in a way. It introduced me to people with stories so different from my own, it expanded my mind and exposed me to new ideas, and it helped me adjust socially. I say all of that to say: as an adult, I am always carrying the weight of my unique life experiences, for better or worse. And yes, I’ve been in therapy for years.
Content is something I fell into accidentally. When COVID hit, I was working as a federal contractor for the DoD, writing, editing, and using my English degree. I started making videos as a way to pass the time, and social media quickly expanded into a viable career option for me. In the beginning, I told a lot of stories about my past, my upbringing, how I work on my healing, and my mental health, but I also constantly made makeup and fashion videos. I think that blend between lighthearted and heavy content is what helped me grow. I think some people found comfort in my videos and the fact that I wasn’t letting different parts of my story keep me from enjoying a normal life.
Eventually, I started pursuing content full-time, and I’ve tried to keep that blend going. It’s a bit harder now – the larger my audience grows, the harder I find it to be vulnerable, but that vulnerability is more important than ever. The most important thing to me is that my content paints an accurate picture of who I am, and I can’t make makeup, wellness, and fashion content without also sharing the raw, complicated parts of who I am. I don’t want to be just one thing. I don’t want to just be a mental health creator or someone who constantly gets online to talk about their trauma. I also want to create a space where people can come to follow beauty journeys, get outfit inspiration, or just escape for a while. Because honestly, we’re all so multi-faceted. Not a single one of my followers doesn’t have their own complicated story. I want my content to speak to both.
Can you tell us more about your podcast, “Prologues” and how you use your platform to redefine what living with a mental illness looks like? How do you hope to inspire others with your podcast and insights?
Prologues is my baby. I launched my podcast in May 2023, and it’s such a passion project for me. Prologues follow the same formula as all of my content – balancing the heavy with the fun. When I think about living with mental illness (I’m Bipolar type II and also have OCD), I think about how important it is to not let myself be defined by labels or scary-sounding diagnoses. I want Prologues to inspire others to live a full life, no matter who they are. I want people who struggle with mental health to listen and feel like their life is so much more than their illness. I want people who are mentally healthy to listen and gain insight into mental illness, and also enjoy the other content I put out.
Check out Mary’s podcast, “Prologues,” here.
How are you lending yourself to being the internet’s “big sister” through how you discuss important topics?
I don’t think I would call myself that – I definitely don’t feel like I have my life together enough for anyone to listen to me too seriously! But I do try to be candid, genuine, and honest about where I’m at in life. There’s not a lot that I can offer advice on, but I can share my journey along the way and hopefully make others feel seen and understood. I take an, “I don’t have it figured out” approach to my content. Everything is an ongoing journey, everything is subject to change after learning new things. I’m only 25, so I think the most important thing I can do is not pretend to have it all together.
Can you talk to us about how you took an almost year-long break from TikTok after the platform created an unnecessary space for stress? Why did you decide to do this?
I “left” TikTok in March 2023. I say “left” because I do still post occasionally, but only when I feel like it. That’s a far cry from how I used to post, which was multiple times every single day. I thought about it for a long time before I did so. TikTok was and still is my largest platform, it is the app that most brands prefer to partner on, and it’s the most lucrative app to post on. My social media career is a business, so I would have been foolish to not consider these very clear realities.
However, I knew TikTok was bad for me. I was so addicted to it. I would spend hours mindlessly scrolling on my FYP, and it always made me feel worse afterward. The TikTok algorithm is one of the most effective social media algorithms out there in terms of feeding you engaging content that keeps you hooked. It was also ruining my attention span, making me irritable, and causing me stress. It was even bad for my sleep because I would just scroll for hours before bed.
I had to make the choice that was best for me, consequences be damned, and that’s what I did. I haven’t regretted it a single time. It literally feels like a weight off my shoulders, not being addicted to that app anymore.
With my new free time, I was able to chase different dreams, like starting my podcast, collaborating on a jewelry line and designing necklaces, traveling more, getting a dog, and spending more time with loved ones. It’s been so good for me!
In your opinion, what kind of impact do you believe social media has on young minds?
That’s a tough question because social media can be such a great tool and resource if used mindfully. I think social media can inspire and entertain just as much as it can drain and destroy. The key is awareness, especially for developing minds. People weren’t intended to receive a barrage of information every single day the way we do online. We weren’t meant to know the faces of thousands of people, leading us to compare ourselves to all of them. We weren’t meant to see such intimate details of other people’s lives in a way that makes us feel bad about our own. So I think we really need to spread awareness surrounding using social media responsibly.
What’s next for you?
Hopefully? Less. 2023 was a busy year for me personally and professionally, so I’m hoping to spend some time slowing down in the first half of this year. I am focusing on my content, my family, and my wellness in order to prepare for the rest of my year. I’m moving to Scotland this year, and I know that will really shake things up, so I just want to enjoy this season of life.
Published by HOLR Magazine.