People have been making “New Year, New Me” goals for as long as we’ve had calendars. Social media has only amplified it, as every year sees a surge of interest in self-improvement and goal-setting which are some of the top trending topics around this time.
The “New Year, New Me” trend is an opportunity for brands as it represents a mindset of embracing change with an openness to trying new things, especially when it comes to health and fitness, finances, relationships, and overall wellness. However, the biggest challenge for many brands is joining in these conversations on social media in a way that feels natural and organic.
In this social-first world, many of the most successful campaigns leverage the power of social media and influencers to drive awareness and hit their marketing goals. Influencers have quickly become an integral piece of the puzzle as 92% of marketers agree that influencer marketing is highly effective.
Many influencers are kickstarting their own 2024 self-improvement journeys right now, which makes them poised to work with brands and help them break through to social-first audiences.
8 inspiring influencers to help you reach your New Year goals
The list of influencers below has been carefully curated based on their previous or current journeys of self-improvement across some of the most popular trends for New Year goals. From financial empowerment to the daily grind to reaching a new fitness milestone, these influencers are inspiring their audiences and have landed high-profile branded partnerships to help their fans and the brands they work with reach their goals along the way.
1. Shaelovve: Follow her funny and fab fitness journey
Shaelovve is a comedian and her IG bio perfectly sums up what she’s all about — “fashion, food, and funny” — but she’s also got a fantastic fan base with over 1.6M following her on TikTok and 395K followers on Instagram.
Not only is she hilarious and relatable, but she’s also incredibly inspirational as she’s been on her very own fitness journey since the beginning of 2023.
For anyone who dreads cardio, you’ll probably find her recent video with Planet Fitness extremely relatable and you’re not alone as it’s racked up almost 2M views! She’s also a partner with WW (formerly known as WeightWatchers) and she’s a pro at effortlessly incorporating it in her content like in this post where she talks about how she successfully sneaks movement into her day and tracks it all in the WW app.
For many consumers, many fitness influencers can be discouraging because they are already in extremely great shape but what makes Shaelovve so motivational is that you can actually see all the progress she’s made and the hard work she’s put in. Her content makes a healthy fitness goal attainable to the average Joe or Jane especially when you can view all her progress in her “Weight Loss Tings” playlist.
As of writing, she’s lost almost 40 lbs in less than a year and you can see how happy she is about it in her recap video below.
@shaelovve
almost there! 😁 #wwpartner @WeightWatchers Click the 🔗 in bio to join me! And use code SHAELOVVE at check out for $10 off your membership. *With select plan purch. Resrt apply, offer ends 9/30. *People following the WW program can expect to lose 1-2 lbs per week
♬ original sound – shaelovve
2. Dalton Chandler: Baseball player turned content creator
Dalton Chandler played baseball for the University of Washington but he does more than just athletic content. He’s laid-back and approachable with an inspiring attitude, creating relatable content that covers everything from GRWM videos, day-in-the-life, positive inspiration, relationship advice, dating tips, and yes, the occasional thirst trap (which is currently sitting at 2.4M views).
Dalton has over 833K followers on TikTok, and 241K on Instagram, and following him might inspire you to be a bit more active in your own life. He’s only 23 and yet he’s built up an adoring audience, and he’s had high-profile collaborations like his [Meta Quest workout and partnership with Myprotein. Dalton has a wide reach on not only IG and TikTok but also YouTube, Snapchat, FanFix, and X, which makes him stand out as particularly well-diversified across platforms.
But Chandler knows that mental health is just as important for staying happy and healthy, and his recent work with Chegg for Student Mental Health Week shows some of his biggest stress relievers in this relatable post:
3. Cass Martin: A certified trainer for all fitness levels
Cass Martin is a Certified Personal Trainer and fitness influencer with over 2M followers on Instagram, 379.1K followers on TikTok, and 74K subscribers on YouTube. Her many videos in the gym offer plenty of ideas on how to mix up your workouts and keep things interesting.
Cass is inspiring not only for her strength but also for her impeccable form, which makes her a great example to follow as you’ll get the most out of your workouts while avoiding common gym mistakes. Her videos contain a great variety of free weights and machines as she showcases a range of exercises, which makes her a great fitness educator for people of all fitness levels.
For those of us who are new to the gym (or going back for the first time in years), Cass often makes helpful instructional posts such as this shoulder workout or biceps and back routine that will boost your confidence and make you feel right at home.
In addition to fitness, she also dabbles in fashion, funny skits, and day-in-the-life content and she regularly works with brands such as FitJeans — where she often models new jeans and shows off her different looks.
Check out her intense workout for #chestday inspo where she conveniently breaks down her sets and reps in the caption for anyone taking notes:
@thecasss
Full #Chestworkout with some added Tricep work at the end🔥 ➡️Flat BB Bench Press -5 Sets-Warmup,10,8,5,5 ➡️Incline BB Press -4 Sets 8,8,5,5 ➡️Bodyweight Dips-Narrow Grip -4 Sets Failure ➡️Incline EZ Bar Extensions -4 Sets 10,10,8,8 Reps ➡️Cable Crossover Extensions -4 Sets 10,10,8,8 Reps #chestdayworkout #chestandtricepsworkout #chestpressworkout #gymrat #fitgoals #triceps #gymlifestyle #workoutday #gymgrind #pushworkout #inclinebench #gymposture
♬ original sound – Cass Martin
4. Ilana Muhlstein: The @nutritionbabe making healthy eating easy
Ilana, who’s better known as @nutritionbabe on TikTok where she has over 2M followers, also goes by @ilanamuhlsteinrd on Instagram, where she has over 588K followers.
Ilana is a proponent of evidence-backed healthy eating as she’s a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) with a Master of Science in Nutrition. She is also a mother of 3 who lost over 100 lbs over the course of her lifelong fitness journey and she’s now dedicated herself to helping her followers eat better with delicious, fast, and healthy meals.
She goes over the reason why she became a dietitian in an inspiring TikTok post which has over 18.3M views, and it all began at 8 years old when her doctor sent her to ‘fat camp’ for the first time. Food was one of her main comforts during a chaotic home life when she was young and after years of yoyo dieting, she decided to focus on what she was eating and see how it affected her body. This inspired her to learn more about nutrition and eventually, share her expertise with the world.
Ilana’s “Grocery Hauls” playlist is an impressive showcase of how she’s able to effectively incorporate brands into her content. With her focus on nutrition and healthy eating, she’s got an engaged and passionate audience who trust her recommendations and expertise — making her a perfect partner for food brands and grocery chains aiming for a health-conscious demographic. She’s also a mom of three kids, which makes her more relatable and appealing to families as she shows off her hauls ‘for a family of 5’ from retailers such as Costco and Trader Joe’s.
One of her most popular videos is a budget-friendly Tofu Stir Fry that was born out of necessity when she and her husband were newlyweds, recent grads, and completely broke. It’s a fast, nutritional, and delicious recipe packed with protein and it’s so good they used to eat it at least 3 times a week. But the true testament is that she still makes it, over 12 years later! Check out the video and full recipe below:
5. Men With The Pot: Blending natural beauty with delicious recipes
If one of your goals for the new year is getting outside more and eating more deliciously, then say no more! Men With The Pot will inspire you to brave the wilderness like our ancestors of days past. Somewhere deep in the mountains and building a fire to cook a solid slab of meat on a skewer.
Men With The Pot has an audience of millions with over 12.8M followers on TikTok, 1.9M on Instagram, and 1.47M subscribers on YouTube. You’ll see no fancy high-end ranges, expensive marble countertops, or even a fridge on their socials. Instead, they get almost caveman elemental, cooking over a campfire with nothing but their trusty cast-iron skillet, knives, and bubbling pot.
One of their most popular posts, How to Cook the Perfect Steak… and Chips, has over 173M and their knife skills are so sharp even Gordon Ramsay was impressed. And while their meat-heavy cooking and liberal use of butter, salt, and jaw-dropping flavor may not be the healthiest food on this list, spending time in the forest does wonders for your mental health, so let’s just call it a draw, shall we?
6. alegrakastens: A licensed therapist for OCD and anxiety
Alegra Kastens is a licensed therapist, writer, and mental health educator who specializes in OCD, anxiety, and eating disorders. Her passion for helping people with OCD stems from her first-hand experiences with the disorder, and now she uses her experiences and expertise to help others.
Her tireless work to break stigmas around mental health has gained her a lot of fans — with over 108K followers on Instagram and 32.6K on TikTok — due to her relatable and empathetic approach to difficult topics such as intrusive thoughts, and she has worked with brands like Betterhelp, Sally Beauty, Roadway and more.
Alegra is open about her own struggles with OCD and has shared that she has a therapist herself, which is a reflection of her honesty and genuine desire to show people that they aren’t alone. She’s also great at adding much-needed nuance to posts you’ll see online and encourages people to stop taking everything they see at face value, like her response to a dating coach who wrongly said too much texting automatically equals ‘lovebombing’ that has over 325.9K views.
7. Matt Gresia: A finance influencer making money make sense
Matt’s mission is “helping you understand all things money” as stated in his TikTok bio, where he has more than 3.7M followers. He also has 176K subscribers on YouTube and 95.4K on Instagram.
Matt is an influencer who wants to make you more fluent in finance. For example, did you know Target has a ‘secret sales schedule’? Matt tells all in one of his most popular videos with almost 2M views, where he reveals Monday sales are baby items and electronics, Tuesdays are women’s clothing and home items, and so on for the rest of the week!
When it comes to Matt’s content, if there’s money involved, there’s a good chance he’ll cover it! He covers everything from the latest business stories to financial scams and scandals, to public interviews on the street like when he asks Gucci buyers what they do for a living. With such a diverse range of financial topics, Matt is an ideal partner for brands like wealth management and investing apps, banking services and promotions, credit cards and payment apps, and even business accounting and tax software — just to name a few.
8. Nobudgetbabe: A millennial money coach focused on finance for women
Nicole Victoria, better known as @nobudgetbabe, is an author, money coach, and millionaire investor with over 1.8M TikTok followers and 92.1K on Instagram. She’s appeared on Business Insider, Narcity Canada, and CBS News — just to name a few — and her loyal following loves her for her budgeting tips, saving hacks, and investing know-how.
She’s a dedicated advocate for financial literacy with a focus on helping 20 and 30-something women manage their money and keep growing their bank accounts for financial independence. Nicole has an inspirational story where she went from a broke student $40K in debt to a self-made millionaire by the age of 30. But while her social accounts are perfectly tailored to her younger audience, you can still learn something from her even if you’re not part of that demographic.
Nearly half of Nicole’s audience is made up of Gen Z women and they appreciate her honest and engaging approach to money. She’s quickly become an expert in the financial space, particularly on TikTok, which makes her an ideal partner for any brand trying to reach a younger audience looking to build wealth, manage their money, and achieve financial freedom.
One of her most popular posts, with over 11.6M views, lets you in on a secret the rich won’t tell you about the power of investing early and compound interest.
So if getting your finances in order is one of your top priorities for 2024, follow nobudgetbabe — your bank account and wallet will be glad you did — and you can start by checking out her video below.
@nobudgetbabe
People who grew up rich won’t tell you this, but I had to fight my say here so I’m spilling all the tea. 🍵 If you invest $75 a week starting at 20 years old for 10 years, just 10 years out of your entire life, you could be financially free before 65. Meaning you would no longer have to work for money. But how does that work because you would have only put away $39,000. Because you invested it and compound interest took over, the money grew – to almost $65,000 in 10 years. And then over the next few decades it continued to grow, until it got to over $1.8M at 65. Any extra dollar you invested would just get you to financial freedom sooner. Link in bio to start learning with our freebie: Investing Masterclass.
♬ original sound – Nicole Victoria | Money Coach
Get a fresh start this year with Viral Nation Talent!
There’s a lot of excitement over what 2024 holds in store and partnering with the influencers on this list can help brands kickstart their Q1 marketing efforts with a bang. It’s not too late to hop on the ‘New Year, New Me’ trend as these influencers can quickly activate to showcase brand partners in their social content and introduce them to their large and engaged audiences.
So for any brands whose 2024 goals include standing out from the crowd, reaching new demographics, and speaking to social-first audiences more effectively than ever, these influencers will help you hit those goals by diversifying your content, shortening the buyer journey, and leveraging the trust of their audiences to deliver results.
There’s a lot of excitement over what 2024 holds in store and we hope this list of influencers will help keep you motivated to achieve all your goals this year. Self-improvement is a never-ending process but it’s important to take it one step at a time — and that first step could be as simple as following the creators on this list that interest and inspire you the most while bringing some daily positivity to your life.
So good luck and have a great year. We know you got this!
The Viral Nation Talent team represents over 800+ creators and influencers across 35 content verticals. If you’re interested in influencer marketing for your next campaign, please contact us today.
