Avery Woods has over 2 million followers on TikTok alone, with hundreds of thousands more between Instagram and her podcast, Cheers!, part of Alex Cooper’s Unwell Network.
Although she’s well known for her social media stardom, sharing topics from motherhood to fashion to beauty, her background is actually as a pediatric ICU nurse (a position she held through the pandemic) and later on, as an aesthetic injector. We asked Avery about motherhood, building her platform on TikTok, dealing with online criticism, and more. Read her Meet a Mom interview below:
Please tell us a little bit about your background – how did you make the transition from pediatric ICU nurse during the pandemic to a content creator and podcast host?
My entire life I wanted to be a nurse, specifically pediatrics. When I was in nursing school, I didn’t see a lot of positivity on social media regarding the field of nursing. I started sharing my nursing school journey on Instagram to give study tips, scrub fashion ideas, nursing hairstyles and more. Not too long after, I was noticed by a large scrub company and started growing from there.
After nursing school, I spent the majority of my career working in a level one trauma hospital in the pediatric ICU. Over the course of the next four years, I worked full-time in the ICU while also attempting to build my social media platform. I slowly began sharing my life outside of nursing and realized I didn’t have a following solely because I was a nurse but more so because people resonated with the person I am. Last October, I was able to leave nursing to pursue social media full-time.
You have millions of followers across your platforms – why do you think your content resonates so well with people?
I believe it’s because I truly am my most authentic self. I touch on topics that can be very vulnerable and sometimes say what most people won’t. Although that can attract a ton of internet hate, the majority of people find it refreshing and relatable. I hope to always stay that way.
You shared your recent plastic surgery journey – why did you decide to be so open about it?
I’ve always spoken openly about the body image issues and eating disorders I’ve struggled with in the past. I connect with my audience on a very deep level when it comes to body confidence and because of that, it would feel wrong for me to not be honest about plastic surgery. Plastic surgery can help a woman’s confidence, especially after having kids, and there were things on my body that simply couldn’t be fixed with diet or exercise. I’ve shared my experience with all the procedures I’ve done to show my followers that there’s nothing wrong with having work done, and so they can see the process start to finish.
On a related note, you’re in a world that relies heavily on your looks and appearances, but you’re a down to earth mom. What do you tell your daughter about social media, appearances, etc.?
We’ve told all our kids that the most important thing they can be in this world is to be kind. Of course, we tell them how beautiful they are every day, but what makes us the most proud of them is that they’re truly so nice to everybody they meet. My youngest daughter, Stevie, is obsessed with makeup, but we always remind her she doesn’t need it, but it’s fun. We always say the most important thing is on the inside.
Love that. Changing topics, congrats on the launch of Cheers! Who can people expect?
Thank you! Cheers! feels like my baby because I started it with zero knowledge or experience which was very brave of me at the time. I loved my episode interviewing Raven (Symone) and her wife, Miranda. It was so cool to me to have someone in my home that I always looked up to so much my entire childhood. She exceeded all of my expectations, and they were truly the kindest humans. I feel so grateful my job has led to so many amazing relationships.
You always look amazing. Can you please share your basic beauty routine?
My favorite thing is my 5-minute, five product makeup look: Rare beauty brow gel, Nars concealer, Rhode cream blush in Sleepy Girl, faux freckles from Beaubble, lip gloss (anything shiny and hydrating!).
What’s your standard mom uniform for busy days?
Honestly, I’m usually in Pilates clothes 5 days a week. I work out in the morning and then head out to run errands or work while the kids are in school. CSB is my favorite workout clothing brand – their sets are so cute and flattering. I also love a good matching sweat set from either Mayfair or Skims. If I’m wearing real clothes, my fav jeans are the Levi’s ribcage wide leg jeans, then a simple top…and sneakers with a big tote bag to hold all my kid’s stuff.
