Meet Alyssa Barber | Online Environmental Educator and Activist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alyssa Barber and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alyssa, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
The start of NewLifestyleABB was a slow burn. I started creating content for myself as a junior in college for a course I was taking. It was quite literally my homework to post on TikTok just about every day for a semester. I ended that school year in 2020 with 50,000 members in my community on TikTok. I proceeded to do freelance marketing work until October of 2021 when I decided to take the leap to do online climate communication full-time. Now I educate an audience of over 360,000+ people across TikTok and Instagram.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As a creative, I choose to make content, primarily in the form of short-form videos, about sustainable living and climate education. My work aims to meet people where they are, and build communities not centered around exclusion for perfect, but instead offer diverse spaces in which people can be imperfect and try their best to make waves of positive change for the planet. I am most excited about the sheer number of young people, specifically Gen Z, who are willing to take direct action in their own community spaces no matter what factors try to limit them.

I was able to do this work professionally by choosing to create for myself with the intent of finding people who will respond well to my content style without me having to mold myself to fit their wants. By creating for myself first, I was able to better connect with my audience in an authentic way. Finding my preferred way of communicating ideas to my community took years to develop. In fact, I would say I continue learning every day. The work of finding the best ways to interact and deliver content is ever-evolving. Continuing to educate myself as a creative and being willing to adapt to new ways of making media has helped me overcome these challenges.

You have to be fearless to be yourself as a creative. Making your form of art or media personal and relatable is the hardest part of the job. Everything beyond that is just logistics.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
St. Louis, MO

Eat:
Lona’s Little Eats
Lulu’s Local Eatery
Pizza Head
Seedz Cafe
Terror Tacos
Tree House
Hi-Pointe

Drink:
Sasha’s
Bailey’s Chocolate Bar
Mission Taco
Natwahl’s Crafted
Venice Cafe
Three Sixty

Things to Do:
Ride Scooters in Forest Park
Free Art Museum
Free Zoo
Free Contemporary Art Museum
Paddle Boat Ride in Forest Park
Show at the Muney
Day Trip to Historic St. Charles, MO
Shop in Old Orchard, Webster Groves
Shop in the Central West End
Candle Making at Candle Fusion STL
Antique and Thrift Shopping
Catch a Game Downtown
Volunteer at Urban Harvest STL Community Garden
Attend a Perennial STL Upcycling Workshop

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
EcoTok Collective is a group of diverse climate communicators from all different backgrounds who work together to spread knowledge about sustainable living, climate education, and environmental justice. This group of creators was a great contributor to my success as a creative because having a support system of people who understand exactly what you do (even if they do not live in the same area as you) gives you the tools to persevere through hard times and even celebrate the good ones. Building a community around you who you can share your nuances and stories with is what will help you avoid common issues that come with creative roles like burnout, loneliness, and the effects of constant criticism and feedback.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newlifestyleabb/

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@newlifestyleabb