Meet Alex Tinsley | Content Creator/ Student

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

Hi Alex, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I am most definitely a risk taker and I think anyone you ask would probably say the same. I don’t always follow the rules but they were meant to be broken, right?! I feel like everything you do is a risk. The way I like to think about risks is you either take the risk or lose the chance. Taking risks is a part of life and we all do it, just some more than others. It’s easy to sit back and not try new things because it’s comfortable and safe, but sometimes it’s worth stepping outside of the box. Sometimes things can go really well, and other times not so much, but you won’t know unless you try. A few years back I started posting videos on TikTok and I gained thousands of followers which has given me opportunities I never thought I could have. Have I gotten made fun of for posting videos? Yes I have! Have people said some pretty mean things about me? Also yes. But would I go back and change it? Never. On the other hand, about a year ago I was living in Hawai’i. I went on a hike with a few of my friends and decided to jump off a pretty high waterfall. I was scared to do it, but I did it anyway and I ended up with a fractured sternum. That definitely wasn’t the outcome I was hoping for, but I would probably do it again if I had the chance! Moving to Hawai’i without having a set plan was most definitely a risk, but I gained some of the best friends I could have ever imagined and that alone was well worth it! Also, while I was living in Hawai’i one of my most favorite activities to partake in became Shark diving. I’ve been a handful of times and completely fell in love with it. Most people probably think that’s crazy because sharks have been made out to be these scary man hunting creatures. Putting yourself in their habitat even with a very low percentage of something going wrong is definitely a risk, but it is a risk I will say yes to over and over again because of how exhilarating the experience is. I live for moments like that! The moments that make you feel the most alive! I have also been on plenty of dangerous hikes, but every one of them was worth it once I got to the top. As soon as I turned 18, skydiving was at the top of my bucket list. There is always going to be a chance that something bad might happen, like the parachute not opening, but that didn’t stop me. There are also the little things like going thrifting and nothing fitting me how I was hoping it would. It’s a bummer, but we all win some and lose some! On another occasion I went to the casino for the first time and put $10 in and won $100! There is really just no telling what can come from taking risks. I’m not saying that you need to or should put yourself in scary or dangerous situations, but I will say doing so has created the most memorable moments for me that I will never forget. There are still things I’m scared to do, like falling in love for example. But I could spend the rest of my life alone or I could risk it and find someone I want to spend the rest of my life with. I am currently a nursing student and I am really scared to start my program because I don’t know if I’ll be good enough. I get discouraged easily by others and sometimes think I am not smart enough for this career. I think some people just have to work harder than others, and that person is me. I know I want it so I’ll make it happen. Don’t let the unknown stop you from growing. Fear is a choice. Don’t be so afraid of failure. At the end of the day you know you tried and that’s what matters. A really good piece of advice that someone once told me is that if it’s still on your mind it’s worth taking the risk. You have one life, make the most of it and most importantly do what makes you happy. Taking risks and getting out of my comfort zone has helped me discover more about myself. Everyday I am learning and growing and I will continue to do so because I don’t just want to exist. I want to LIVE!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Currently I am a student and content creator. When I was little, people would ask me all of the time what I wanted to be when I grew up and I had no idea. When I got to high school people started asking me what major I was thinking about for college and I still had no idea. To be completely honest, I didn’t even want to go to college. I think that was mostly because everyone in my life kept telling me that the only way to be successful is to obtain a college degree. I just totally disagreed with that and wanted to rebel. I didn’t want to disappoint anyone but rather prove them wrong, except I had no idea how to do that. After some long hard thinking I decided to attend a university. Somehow that university was Chico State! Aside from what many of you have probably heard about Chico, it is a great school academically! I went in my freshman year with an undeclared major and I was just taking general education courses. About half way through my first year was when I was diagnosed with chronic migraines. This took a toll on me both physically and mentally and I decided to go back home and attend a community college for my sophomore year. This is also around the time when I started posting on TikTok. A video of mine blew up and I gained 10k followers overnight. My love for content creation began long before I downloaded TikTok. It all started when I got my first iPad and started making silly youtube videos in my room with my friends. Since I loved content creation so much I decided to declare a major in social media marketing and a minor in fashion merchandising. After receiving 2 associates degrees I came to the conclusion that as much as I love social media and fashion, I liked them better as things to do for me rather than a job. I then changed my major to nursing. This was right around the time when covid hit and I had just moved to Hawai’i spontaneously. I was taking all of my prerequisites online and pretty much just surfing, hiking, and diving everyday. This is when I started to take content creation more seriously and grew a few thousand more followers. I stayed in Hawai’i for about 2 years and then moved back home to Northern California. Fast forward a few months and I am now in San Diego getting ready to apply for nursing programs. I think the thing that sets me apart from most individuals is that I didn’t graduate high-school and attend college the traditional way or as some might say “the right way”. Knowing exactly what you want to do straight out of high-school is seriously so overrated in my opinion. If you do know, that’s great but if you don’t know that’s okay! There is all of this pressure to go to college and get a job right away but I think doing it your own way is totally fine. I’ve attended multiple colleges and took an abundance of different classes before realizing what it was I truly wanted. I think the most important part is that I had fun along the way. It definitely wasn’t easy and I am really proud of myself for making it as far as I have because there were so many times where I just wanted to give up. It’s going to be tough next couple of years but it will be well worth it. I have learners now more than ever that nothing good ever comes easy. I am excited to see what the future has to hold!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend was coming to San Diego for a whole week, the first thing we would do is hit the beach! My favorite way to start off the morning is by going to La Jolla Shores and swimming with the leopard sharks. Next up on the agenda would be to grab some coffee, breakfast, or both! There are so many incredible places to go in San Diego. Some of my favorites are Better Buzz, Hermosa Surf, Communal, and Breakfast Republic. Some really awesome things I would take her to do during the day would be going to the zoo, the aquarium, walking around Balboa Park, visiting Old Town, and Little Italy. There are some great farmer’s markets in Little Italy, Ocean Beach, and La Jolla that are a must! I always have a great time riding e-bikes around La Jolla and rollerblading in Mission Bay! Dog Beach at Ocean Beach is a fun place to check out and also one of my favorite places for surfing and bodyboarding! I would also take her to the pump track in Pacific Highlands Ranch because it’s just the perfect place to mess around and have some fun! Lastly, you can’t go wrong at Liberty Station! This is a great place to find some food for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! There’s even coffee shops and mini golf! For lunch I would take her somewhere with a view. Pinpoint cafe is a great option offering a views of La Jolla Shores. Glider port cafe is another great location with views of the parasailers and hang gliders flying over Torrey Pines. Obviously this is an activity we would be partaking in but definitely at Sunset because it’s the best time to go! Some hikes I would want her to check out are Annie’s Canyon Trail and also Ho Chi Minh! For sunset, sunset cliffs are an obvious must! There are plenty of pull outs offering a beautiful view of the sun setting over the ocean. On another day I would take her to Kate Sessions Park for a sunset picnic or to the Ocean Beach Pier! Next up is dinner and one of my all time favorite places is Din Tai Fung at the UTC mall! Another delicious place to go is True Food Kitchen and Veggie Grill, especially if you are looking for some vegan options! After dinner it’s speakeasy time! A few of my favorites are Raised By Wolves, False Idol, Wolfies Carousel Bar, and Cloak & Petal. There are seriously so many more and they are all worth checking out! I don’t even drink but they are fun places to see for the ambience! On nights where crowds of people and bars aren’t calling our names we would go get frozen yogurt and go to Coronado Island. It offers the most spectacular view of the city! A week is not enough time to see all that San Diego offers but with some jam packed days, I think we would have a blast!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
When I think about where I am now versus where I used to be, I know that I couldn’t have done it all by myself. I am so grateful to my parents, close family, and friends for always supporting me throughout all my crazy and chaotic twists and turns thus far. When I think about the bigger picture, my ultimate goal is to become a nurse and there are a couple of people in particular who I would like to shout out and thank. My old highschool principal, Logan Mallonee is a huge inspiration of mine. In all my time knowing her I have watched her transform the lives of others and I have always admired how she did that. She helps people succeed and create a future for themselves every single day. She is strong, independent, intelligent, and very caring. All of which are qualities I hope to have in the future. I knew I always wanted to help people, I just wasn’t quite sure how. I am so grateful that she never gave up on me and always pushed me to be the best version of myself. She has stuck by my side and supported me throughout some of my best and worst moments! Forever grateful to have someone like her in my life and I cannot wait to see what is to come! The second person I would like to give a major shoutout to is my neurologist, Dr. Mwero. My freshman year in college I was diagnosed with chronic migraines and if it weren’t for her, I have no idea where I would be right now. My migraines took a part of my life that I never thought I would get back, but she has not stopped fighting and advocating for me! She is the ultimate reason why I am doing nursing and why I fell in love with that career so much. The way she has made me feel is the way I hope to make many others feel in the future! There is so much more I could say about the amazing people in my life, but I’ll leave it at that! Thank you all! I love you!

x 

Instagram: @aleextinsleey

Youtube: Alex Tinsley (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpyjQ-XUHdoZhJzzYO4MHog)

Other: TikTok: @aleextinsleey