Podcast Summary: CHEERS! with Avery Woods

Episode: "Beauty Big Sister | Stephanie Valentine (Glamzilla)"

Date: January 5, 2026
Host: Avery Woods
Guest: Stephanie Valentine (Glamzilla)

Episode Overview

In this heartfelt and lively episode, Avery Woods sits down with Stephanie Valentine, better known as Glamzilla, one of the beauty community’s most beloved and authentic voices. Together, they share stories about the realities of growing up with immigrant parents, the journey from police school to beauty influencer, vulnerability online, building genuine community, candidly navigating weight loss, finding love, and staying true to oneself in the ever-evolving world of social media. The episode radiates warmth, honesty, sisterhood, and laughter.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. How Avery & Glamzilla Met and the Power of Authentic Community

[01:15–05:44]

• Avery and Glamzilla reminisce about meeting on a Kosas brand trip in 2023, and the rarity of being part of such a supportive group of women in the industry.
• Avery highlights Stephanie’s infectious energy and her openness about her psoriasis and body acceptance, a moment described as "womanhood and girls just wanting another woman to win."
  • "If I want to be a beauty big sister, let me do it." – Stephanie (03:01)
• Talk about online personas vs. real-life selves and curating online boundaries for mental health.
  • "Most of the time I'm sad, most of the time I'm happy, I'm mad. There's so many different emotions as a human. Yeah, I'm just a human being." – Stephanie (05:01)

2. Glamzilla’s Backstory: Growing Up, Police School, and the Asian Dream

[05:44–14:19]

• Stephanie shares growing up with strict Asian parents who prioritized stable jobs, insurance, and practicality—revealing they couldn't afford Christmas gifts and simple treats were joyful luxuries.
• Discusses going to police school to please her parents, surprising Avery.
  • Hilariously memorable detail: "First day of police school, I was wearing a Juicy Couture backpack...and Snob lipstick by MAC because Nicki Minaj had just said she wears Saint Germain." – Stephanie (07:29)
  • The final police school exam required dragging a 250 lb. body bag; Stephanie lost her acrylic nails in the process and now only wears press-ons (09:04).
• She worked in government after graduating, but her greatest joy was coordinating her lipstick with her outfit and sharing it on Facebook Live.
  • "I'd post my lipstick of the day... and then I'd go to my 9 to 5 and I'd sit there listening to people talk about rapes, murders, and kidnappings." – Stephanie (10:14)
• Her content creator “aha” moment came not with fame, but when she was able to buy her mom an iPhone from her earnings.
  • “I took my mom to the mall and I bought her an iPhone... and I thought to myself, holy wow.” – Stephanie (11:51)

3. Taking the Leap: From Welfare to Beauty Empire

[13:13–16:59]

• Stephanie discusses the courage needed to switch from a stable yet unfulfilling career to being a full-time beauty creator—especially with no safety net.
  • “Plan B was being a beauty influencer… I was literally on welfare, living in government housing, and I had to choose that in 2016 when I had nothing still.” – Stephanie (13:45)
• Building a real community with her audience is highlighted as more rewarding than brand attention.
  • “My best friend in real life, Grace, she was my follower… I really create real relationships with my followers because they're just like me." – Stephanie (16:43)

4. Living in Canada vs. the LA Influencer Life

[19:46–21:04]

• Stephanie is proud of her Toronto roots, having tried LA for work but finds fulfillment and authenticity with her home community and loved ones.
  • “What fuels me is actually like my heart, my passion, and just being a good person. And the only people that remind me of those things... are the people I love.” – Stephanie (19:57)

5. Changing the Beauty Space: Back to Passion and Authenticity

[21:04–26:07]

• Reflects on early beauty YouTubers (Jaclyn Hill, Jackie Aina, Patrick Starr, Michelle Phan) as role models for empowerment and genuine product creation.
• Critiques transactional influencer culture—luxury gifts and PR boxes as bribes that erode trust.
  • “There were so many people that didn’t make the list that I just mentioned... that just wanted to get a bag.” – Stephanie (21:59)
  • “To appreciate beauty, I need to remember how it was when I was just a girl.” – Stephanie (26:00)
• Stephanie opts out of PR lists, prefers to buy products herself.
  • "In order to appreciate the formula, I just spend my own money on it." – Stephanie (25:03)

6. Vulnerability on Weight Loss: Sharing Every Step Openly

[28:29–36:15]

• Open discussion about her motivation, challenges, and honesty regarding her weight loss journey—losing 245 lbs., skin removal, and sharing the process in real time for her community.
  • “When I was £400, I always felt beautiful… but it was a different version of confidence when I lost all the weight. I was just more free to be me, not fake.” – Stephanie (34:52)
• The viral Skims try-on video, the emotional significance of little victories like using airplane seats without extenders, and her refusal to let external opinions dictate her self-worth.

7. Love, Partnership, and Building Real Life Foundations

[39:00–45:02]

• Celebrating her 18-year relationship and recent marriage to her husband; the importance of mutual growth and unwavering support.
  • “To have this career, okay. It's lavish, it's amazing. It's the dream job. But after you get your dream job, you need your reality to also be a dream.” – Stephanie (41:23)
• Both Avery and Stephanie express gratitude for having solid partners "before the fame," and the rare strength in growing and evolving together through life’s highs and lows.

8. A Makeup-Free Wedding and Doing It for Herself

[47:53–55:06]

• Stephanie explains her decision to marry bare-faced in Vegas, focusing on love and intimacy rather than the Glamzilla persona.
  • “Bun is not marrying Glamzilla. He's marrying every version of Stephanie. So that moment was for me and him.” – Stephanie (48:44)
• Sharing the raw aftermath of her wedding venue being cancelled a week prior, but finding the silver lining—marrying on their 19th anniversary, uniting intimacy and celebration.

9. Rapid-Fire Q&A: Favorites & Fun

[54:41–59:35]

• Favorite brands: Skims, Sephora, Caudalie, Fenty Beauty
• Most underrated product: "Colgate Optic White 15 years stain prevention toothpaste." – Stephanie (55:25)
• Ideal date night: "Staying at home or going to Vegas, honey." – Stephanie (56:36)
• Dream celebrity to meet: "Drake. Drake's my daddy." – Stephanie & Grace (57:25)
• Playful banter about Vegas loyalties (MGM vs. Caesars), makeup brushes vs. beauty blenders, and favorite feel-good songs ("That's what girls do.").

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Rare Experience of Real Sisterhood in Beauty:
  “It was just womanhood and girls just wanting another woman to win.” – Stephanie (03:25)

• On Being Real Online:
  "There's so many different emotions as a human. Yeah, I'm just a human being." – Stephanie (05:01)

• On Poverty and the “Asian Dream”:
  "Our joy was buying food, like, buying KFC or a pizza...was a treat." – Stephanie (06:33)

• On Success:
  "My wow moment...was when I bought my mom an iPhone." – Stephanie (11:51)

• On Beauty as Empowerment vs. Commerce:
  “You don't last. You don't change the beauty space. When I think about what I want to do, I want to do what Jackie did... I want to make people feel empowered by just being myself." – Stephanie (21:58, 22:15)

• On the PR Game:
  “A brand sent me a handbag...It's a bribe. I thought to myself...I could buy that bag on my own. So from then on, I took myself off of every PR list and I bought my own bag." – Stephanie (27:30–28:16)

• On Confidence After Weight Loss:
  "When I was £400, I always felt beautiful…[now] I was just more free to be me, not fake." – Stephanie (34:52)

• On Marriage & Growth:
  "You've changed so many times. And that person that you love needs to accept every version of you to get to the next stage." – Stephanie (41:59)

• On Her Makeup-Free Wedding:
  “It was never about wearing no makeup...Bun is not marrying Glamzilla—he’s marrying every version of Stephanie.” – Stephanie (48:44)

• On What Matters Most:
  "There’s so much more to beauty than product, than tutorials. Me feeling the most beautiful is when I feel inside and it’s never outside." – Stephanie (51:04)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Meeting & Community Stories: 01:15–05:44
• Early Life, Police School & Family Expectations: 05:44–14:19
• Career Leap & Building Community: 13:13–16:59
• Canada/LA Life Reflections: 19:46–21:04
• The Beauty Space, PR, and Authenticity: 21:04–26:07
• Weight Loss Journey: 28:29–36:15
• Love, Partnership, Marriage: 39:00–45:02
• Wedding Decisions & Intimacy: 47:53–55:06
• Rapid-fire Fun & Celeb Stories: 54:41–59:35

Episode Tone & Style

Throughout, the conversation is honest, unfiltered, intimate, and often laugh-out-loud funny. Both Avery and Stephanie maintain an approachable, vulnerable tone, always circling back to integrity, gratitude, self-love, and championing others—making the episode feel like a gathering with trusted friends.

Where to Find Glamzilla

“Glamzilla if you’re nasty everywhere: G-L-A-M-Z-I-L-A” – Stephanie (61:41)

Perfect for listeners seeking a mix of inspiration, “real talk,” and empowering sisterhood—this episode is a genuine celebration of self-acceptance, grit, and the enduring power of passion and kindness in the beauty world.