Conversations with Stephanie Henley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Henley.

Hi Stephanie, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I can associate the start of my content creator journey with the pandemics beginning in 2020. In May of 2020, I found myself in a rut from being in the house, not having an outlet, and being a new mom to my 6-month-old daughter, Jordan. I had that feeling most new moms get where they feel like only a mother and lose their self-identity. In my case, this was amplified due to the current events. Randomly, I searched on YouTube one day for a review of crochet locs I was about to get installed and only found one video. The video was not the best quality and did not showcase the hair well. I thought I could do this! That is how my first video came about. I wanted to get my hair done to feel good about myself, and I wanted to put out a review that could help the next person. That was the birth of my YouTube channel, StephanieNicoleH. I taught myself how to record, edit and publish content. After my first video, I started making more content about quick, easy, affordable hairstyles for girls on the go. I live for beauty on a budget. My goal was to teach ladies that you do not always have to spend a lot of money to look glamorous.
I have a background in cosmetology, but I knew it was not the career path for me after attending school. However, doing hair tutorials on my channel has provided me with a platform where I can do my hair and still help people. My channel has evolved to focus on not just hair tutorials and wig reviews but also lifestyle content. You can also find videos on clothing hauls, DIYs, recipes, and travel vlogs. I have worked with many brands, including LuvMe Hair, 310 Nutrition, Javy Coffee, Halara Clothing, etc. I look forward to growing and evolving the channel and hope to incorporate more vlogging into my content. StephanieNicoleH has been my creative outlet and has brought me out of my shell as an introvert. It has been such a blessing in my life and taught me so many transferable skills. I have met so many amazing people who have become friends and been presented with some incredible opportunities. This is only the beginning for me, and I Iook forward to where my journey takes me next.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I would say my journey has been a complete rollercoaster ride. Have I ever wanted to give up? Absolutely. My husband, Brandon, has had to talk me off the ledge a few times. As many highs as I have had, I have to be honest by saying this has been a bumpy ride, full of struggles and obstacles—everything from lack of confidence in myself to all the logistics. And to be honest, I have wanted to quit a few times. Recently the struggle I have been facing is stepping outside of my box. Hair content started my channel, but now I would like to expand into other avenues. Lately, I have found a lot of joy in creating mini vlogs that I have posted on my Instagram page. I made 60-second daily vlogs when we were just in Vegas and got a great reaction from my audience. I could never entirely turn away from the type of content that has brought me thus far, but the ultimate goal is to transition to doing a lot more vlogs. I am a wife and mother, and I would like to incorporate more of my life into my content. I would love to create content of myself and my family experiencing the city of St Louis like tourists, doing fun things, and trying new restaurants. However, with YouTube, it seems like it is hard to get out of when you get into a specific niche. Since I started my channel with hair and wig reviews, my audience looks for that from me. Now that I am more comfortable in front of the camera, I feel ready to make some changes. I appreciate all the love and support I have received on my journey. I have to have faith that my audience will hang with me during this transition period.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My Youtube channel StephanieNicoleH is coming up on its 2-year anniversary at the end of May. I recently hit 5k subscribers, which was my goal before my anniversary. I have come a long way from starting my channel and not knowing anything to where I am now. I have taught myself everything about running my channel, how to create and edit content, how to be comfortable on camera, how to create a Media Kit, and how to negotiate with Brands. I think what sets my channel apart from others is you can find a variety of different content. Although most of my content is hair-related (hair tutorials and wig reviews), there is something on my channel for everyone. I love reading the comments under my videos from people who have followed my tutorials.
I remember getting a word from a man who recently lost his wife. He cooked my oven-baked bbq pork steak recipe for his family. They loved it and couldn’t believe he had made it. A woman who had never installed a wig before was able to follow my step-by-step tutorial successfully and told me she felt gorgeous. This is to name a few examples. So many people have left me with touching, heartfelt comments about how I have helped them. To know that the content I am putting out to the world is helping people makes this journey so rewarding. I appreciate anyone who has ever watched any of my content. I get so much support from family, friends, and people I have never even met. I am forever grateful. The sky is the limit.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The biggest lesson that I have learned on my content creator journey is not to compare my journey to anyone else’s. Full transparency, I struggled with this a lot when I first started my YouTube channel. Initially, it was so frustrating seeing creatives that started around the same time as I did and the success of their channels moving faster than mine. Unfortunately, this made me want to compare my journey to theirs, which was draining and exhausting. I had to take a step back, check myself, and remind myself that no two trips are ever the same. I also had to remind myself that I may not be at the place I want to be at that very moment, but if I keep at it and stay consistent, I will get there. I had to humble myself real quick. My competition should not be the next person. My only competition should be myself. When I changed my mindset to striving to be better than I was the day before, I noticed my channel starting to flourish. I was no longer concerned about the next person but focused on having fun with my content, learning, and growing. I am a huge believer in how positive thinking attracts good things. I had to change the negativity of competition into the positivity of support for those around me. This was the biggest lesson I learned, and to be honest, it was a hard pill to swallow. Instead of competition, I saw other content creators as allies I could learn from and be inspired by. So many are open to helping and offering support. Changing my mindset has opened doors and introduced me to some incredible people. I learned so many other lessons, and I will list some below that may help someone else wanting to be a content creator.

1. Learn from my biggest lesson. Do not compare your journey with anyone else. I know this is a lot easier said than done. But trust me, you will thank me later.
2. Research- YouTube itself and Google are a wealth of knowledge for content creators, from how to start a channel, create a Media Kit, and negotiate rates.
3. Network with other content creators. This is so important to have a group of content creator friends to ask questions, bounce ideas off each other, collaborate, encourage and uplift.
4. Remember why you started creating content. Have fun with it. Please do not get so wrapped up in the analytics that it becomes a burden.
5. Create content about whatever you want. There is an audience out there for everything.
5. I am a resource and can help in any way. I am only an email away.

I hope these tips and tricks help!

Pricing:

• Please contact me for collaboration rates

Contact Info:

• Email: stephnicoleh.19@gmail.com
• Website: linker.ee/StephanieNicoleH
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/stephnicole_h
• Youtube: https://YouTube.com/c/StephanieNicoleH
• Other: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTdVs9Xdk/