Meet Katie Eu | Wellness Influencer & Full-Time College Student

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

Hi Katie, alright, let’s jump in with a deep one – what’s you’re definition for success?
As a 21 year old college student, success has always been synonymous with academic achievement. My identity as a student has been cemented for as long as I can remember; not even a global pandemic could make me take any time off of school. Trying to reframe my definition of success has been difficult, especially as I continue to finish my double degree in Economics and Sociology. When I graduate college in 2023, a large part of my identity–being a student–will disappear. If I define success through academic achievement, will I still be able to be successful once I graduate?

Now I define success through the number of things I attempt. The more things I attempt to do, the more times I fail, and the more experience I have with picking myself up again. I recently heard the quote ‘anything worth doing is worth doing badly.’ I’ve always been a perfectionist and I would never try something new for the fear of failing. What I’ve realised is that we should not be afraid of fear; fear is the recognition that something matters to us. Any successful person has tried, and failed, at many things. Being bad at something new shows a lot of internal strength, mental toughness, and resilience. My definition is fluid and ever-changing; however, this is the closest tangible definition I could come up with.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have been in the social media sphere since I was 11 years old. My first posts consisted of blurry images and poorly chosen filters, attempting to create an account that encapsulated the ‘awe-inspiring influencer persona’ that dominated Instagram in 2011. Now, @fowlist is a raw and real reflection of the struggles I go through on a daily basis. Of course I want to put my best foot forward on the internet, but I also want to be real in the process. There are a lot of pictures of me crying and having breakdowns interspersed with the pretty influencer-type content. What really sets me apart from other Instagram accounts is my niche focus: mental health and wellness as a 21 year old college student. I post about friendships, being alone (and how that’s okay in college!), party culture, my own routine, and things I’ve learned from therapy amongst other topics. I use my account as a creative outlet and an accountability journal. I never want to seem inauthentic or overly ‘put-together’ because that just isn’t my reality. Most days, I’m running around with a cup of coffee in hand, trying to make all of my meetings, classes, and finish my school work before the sun sets. I want @fowlist to be a space that I wish I had access to when I was younger. It reminds people that it’s OKAY to not have everything together all the time; I sure don’t. I’m incredibly proud of the community I have created on Instagram. Most of my followers are my age, 18-24, and I feel extremely fulfilled knowing that my vulnerability is making an impact on them.

Because of my instagram, I have been able to make a digital affirmation card pack (https://www.etsy.com/listing/1028359948/30-days-of-affirmations-tasks) and release merchandise with Self Love Supply (https://www.selflovesupply.com/shop). I’d really appreciate if you provided links to these two things!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Budget friendly activities: – Picnics along the peninsula (Golden Cove, Terranea Resort, Abalone Cove, and other secret lookout spots)
– Watching the sunset or going for a sunset drive
– Going to the beach (my family likes Torrance Beach the best)
– Bike riding up the coast from Redondo Beach to Marina Del Ray and back

Food related activities:
– Purchase ingredients from the Farmer’s Market and make brunch together
– Little Sister in Redondo Beach
– Pho Hana in Palos Verdes (family staple; comfort food)
– Any restaurant at Terranea Resort

Activities for the soul:
– Game night (games include Catan, Monopoly, Clue, Scrabble, and other board/card games)
– Barnes and Noble in Torrance
– Working out together (Youtube Zumba videos, HIIT, going to an Equinox class, etc)

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to shoutout two of my favourite self help books: The Defining Decade by Meg Jay and You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero. Two highly successful individuals whose words constantly remind me of the type of life I want to lead.

Instagram: http://instagram.com/fowlist