Michelle Phan is ready to set the record straight.
“Me pursuing the American dream [as a content creator] was great, but it came at a cost,” Phan said. “The cost was my mental health, my spiritual health and my emotional health, and I wish I knew [back then] about all the things that I will have on my podcast.”
Called “Afterglow,” Phan’s debut podcast launches Tuesday with audio and video components. The episodes will feature one-on-one conversations with experts across topics like meditation, sound healing, breath work, spirituality, influencing, the societal effects of internet culture, disordered eating and body image.
“So many people have been asking [for a podcast] for years, but it wasn’t until this year that I felt like I was finally ready,” Phan told Glossy. “A lot of people saw me as a beauty guru for a long time, but within my friend group, I’ve become this other guru that’s more about mindfulness and consciousness, health, longevity, all of that. … It seems like a role that I’m just naturally growing into.”
Phan’s mother worked as a nail tech, which gave her daughter an early appreciation for the power of beauty. Phan began blogging in 2005 and posted her first makeup tutorial to YouTube in 2007 at 19 years old. She skyrocketed to internet fame and is largely considered one of the first YouTubers and, to many extents, the first digital influencer.
But as an internet celebrity, Phan has been the subject of many negative articles and social media discourse, including a scathing 2022 takedown in Rolling Stone centered on her recollection of an experience at a San Diego meditation retreat with Dr. Joe Dispenza. She had told her followers she saw a man who arrived in a wheelchair walk for the first time in years.
“I actually lost so many brand deals because of that article,” Phan told Glossy. “And I remember that, at the time, I was working with this PR agency, and they were just like, ‘Don’t say anything, Michelle’, and I listened to them. But I wish I did say something at the time,” she said. “Because I didn’t say anything, now people really think that is the narrative. And so this podcast is an amazing way for me to just really own my narrative. And this is something I tell to so many creators, especially female creators.”
Dr. Dispenza is a polarizing figure for his meditation retreats where participants learn to heal themselves of chronic ailments through mindfulness and meditation. “What I’ve learned is people are scared of the unknown; if it’s something they don’t know, they categorize it as something bad,” Phan said. “But there has to be more options than just, ‘Go do what everyone does,’ which is [to visit a] psychiatrist and get on medication. What about Eastern [medicine], like meditation or breath work?”
“Gossip channels on TikTok and YouTube took [the “Rolling Stone” article] to another level when they said I joined a cult. That’s not true,” Phan told Glossy. “I understand why [cults are] triggering for a lot of people. I get it. But, yeah, I do address it in my first [podcast episode].”
Phan’s meditation practice has helped her to be kinder to herself and separate her day-to-day life from digital criticism and pressure — especially around body image or her worth being tied to likes and views. “[When] you don’t have agency over your mental, your physical and your emotional [health], it’s so easy for you to become manipulated and to fall into these traps: the ‘thigh gap trap,’ … the ‘million followers [will make me happy]’ trap’,” she said. “I wanted [my wellness practice] to be the base layer for my podcast, and [for it to] become this safe space where people can go to with the intention of, ‘I’m a student of life’.”
In terms of viewership, Phan plans to target her existing audience, which includes 8.6 million on YouTube, 1.8 million on Instagram, 789,000 on X (Twitter) and 400,000 on TikTok, But she believes the longer format and evocative topics will resonate best with millennials and older Gen Zers. She hopes to create a safe space for open dialogue.
“Afterglow” will not feature episodes about the beauty industry — at least at launch.
Phan has launched several companies through the years, including subscription box company Ipsy in 2012 and color cosmetics brand Em Cosmetics in 2015, the latter as a partnership with L’Oréal. In 2016, Phan purchased all shares of Em Cosmetics from L’Oréal through Ipsy, relaunched the line and exited Ipsy the next year to fully focus on Em Cosmetics, which she now owns in full.
The brand is headquartered in Los Angeles and sells DTC and on Amazon. Its best-sellers include a cream blush called So Soft for $30, a six-pan eyeshadow palette for $46 and a newly-released tinted lip serum called Lip Mage for $22. Phan told Glossy that Em Cosmetics will not be connected to the podcast outside of sharing office space.
Behind the scenes, Phan is working with one producer, Chelsea Ma, whom Phan said provides a grounding counter opinion on the show’s changing topics but will not appear in episodes. Phan bootstrapped the project, she told Glossy, including building a podcast set in her Em Cosmetics offices. The set provides a cozy, living room-like feeling that will be used for the video side of the project.
“What I’m learning is that video-focused podcasts just perform better than audio only, and it’s just easier to clip [for social media promotion],” Phan said. “It’s all about clips. Everyone wants podcast clips because they outperform [any other promotional content].” The pod will be available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and on Phan’s YouTube Channel. It will be promoted on its own TikTok and Instagram channels, which will go live on Tuesday, as well.
Phan is launching “Afterglow” in partnership with The Roost Podcast Network, which was purchased from Warner Bros. Discovery by talent management company Night earlier this year. Its catalog includes podcasts like “Red vs. Blue,” “RWBY” and “Gen:Lock.” Night is best known for managing MrBeast, one of the most popular YouTubers today with 311 million subscribers. The Roost Podcast Network will oversee all ads and sponsorships for “Afterglow.”
Phan told Glossy that she’s recorded around 10 episodes so far and that the new podcast will be grouped into seasons. Similar to her videos on YouTube, Phan will edit the episodes herself.
“I have this thing where I just don’t have any expectations [anymore]. I have intentions. I want this to inspire people. … [But] if it flops, it’s totally fine,” Phan said. “I’m not really attached to the idea that this needs to be the most successful thing, because something else I’ve learned in life is the moment you really attach to an outcome, you set yourself up for disappointment.”
