Networth and Chill with Your Rich BFF

Episode Title: How Body Image Became a Billion-Dollar Business
Host: Vivian Tu
Guest: Victoria Garrick Brown
Date: February 11, 2026

Overview

This episode explores how body image—and our obsession with it—has become a massive, profit-driven industry that impacts mental health, finances, and self-worth. Host Vivian Tu (Your Rich BFF) dives deep with guest Victoria Garrick Brown, a former D1 athlete, mental health advocate, and content creator, to dissect the emotional and economic costs of chasing ever-shifting beauty standards. Victoria shares her personal journey with body image, mental health, and building a business grounded in authenticity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Personal Cost of Sport and Appearance

[03:46-05:25]

• Victoria recounts the immense financial burden of pursuing sport at a high level.

  • “I looked up the current cost of club volleyball and it's anywhere from like $5,000 to $15,000 a year just to have your daughter playing a club sport... That’s not even including the flights... a lot of sacrifice.” (Victoria, 03:46)
  • Both recognize their privilege in having supportive families, while acknowledging the financial gatekeeping in elite sports.

• Access and Privilege:

  • Many kids choose lower-cost sports due to financial constraints, missing out on certain opportunities.

Early Exposure to Body Image Issues

[06:35-08:02]

• Victoria’s first memories of body awareness:
  • “I was thinking about my body and my image and my weight at a very young age... I remember stepping on the scale at my yaya’s house when I was in elementary school...” (Victoria, 06:35)
  • A compliment after losing weight at a camp triggered early obsession with thinness: “I got a compliment. I lost weight. A plus B equals C. This is a good thing.”

Mental Health Pressures in College Athletics and NIL

[08:19-09:54]

• Impact of NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) Era:
  • Victoria highlights how NIL opportunities add complexity to student-athlete lives: “Now you have an 18 year old... away from home... five hour practice block, traveling... and here’s the brand deals going live... it’s very overwhelming.” (Victoria, 08:19)

Investing in Mental Health

[10:06-11:23]

• Therapy as the best investment:
  • “Going to therapy for the first time in college was the best investment I made in my mental and physical health... There’s no price that can be put on my mental health.” (Victoria, 10:06)
  • She discusses the sticker shock of therapy post-college, noting adjustments in budgeting to continue prioritizing mental wellness.

Hitting Rock Bottom and Rebuilding

[12:03-15:48]

• Victoria’s candid recounting of her struggles:
  • “I had to hit my own rock bottom, which was I had a binge eating disorder... I was really in this extreme yo-yo pattern... got to the place in a depressive episode where I started to question how I could put my life on pause.” (Victoria, 12:28 & 14:13)
  • Pivotal moment: opening up to a teammate and her mother, reading “Breaking Free from Emotional Eating,” and beginning to practice intuitive eating.
  • On confronting societal standards: “I want peace with my body. And I'm not at peace with my body when I'm pursuing thinness.” (Victoria, 15:48)

The Never-Ending Cycle of Beauty Standards

[16:26-18:50]

• Why beauty ideals keep changing:
  • “You learn what is beautiful from society, then you attempt to be that thing, then you seek validation... and then guess what? Society changes the standard.” (Victoria, 16:26)
• The futility of chasing trends:
  • “If we all ate the same foods, if we all did the same workouts, we would look different... we're born with different bodies. Acceptance is the only option. Once we accept, we can respect, and then maybe love it.” (Victoria, 18:20)

Content Creation as a Career

[19:11-22:24]

• Victoria’s entry into content creation:
  • Originated with a TEDx talk; evolved organically via YouTube, then leveraged TikTok in 2020 for major growth.
  • “My trajectory started a bit more organically... and then I was able to monetize once I was no longer on the team.” (Victoria, 19:21)
• The normalization of wanting to be a content creator among young people.

Navigating Comparison in the Creator Economy

[22:24-26:33]

• On competition and friendship in the influencer world:
  • “I want her to crush it and succeed... her success is not a dig at mine... Everyone eats, everyone wins.” (Victoria, 25:06)
• Recognizes the scarcity mindset instilled in women through media but rejects it in favor of mutual support and abundance.

Monetizing the Creator Business

[27:27-31:44]

• Revenue Breakdown:

  • “I would say 70% of my revenue comes from brand deals and partnerships. 17% my podcast. 6% speaking fees. The rest, affiliates and miscellaneous.” (Victoria, 28:34)
  • Cautions against relying too much on brand deals: “That's not a smart plan for the future... it's way too high risk for a girl like me.” (Victoria, 29:34)

• Brand deal volatility:

  • Shared experience losing a large six-figure contract: “That didn't get renewed. And that's scary... that's a huge number to have to find somewhere else.” (Victoria, 31:15)

The True Cost of Influencer Work

[32:07-36:02]

• Business expenses:
  • Full-time brand director, editing team, outside contractors, and network cuts—a podcast making $100k might see less than 50% as profit.
  • Taxes are major: “It’s sad. I remember the first years paying taxes... this is what it means to adult.” (Victoria, 34:25)
• On reinvesting in the business:
  • “Let me invest in an incredible editor or an incredible employee so I can now be in six more places than I was when I did everything myself.” (Victoria, 34:20)
• Living below her means for stability:
  • “I have lived well below my means for a variety of years... I like staying in a grind phase and having more money to play with...” (Victoria, 35:11)

Building a Mission-Driven Nonprofit

[36:02-40:37]

• The Hidden Opponent:

  • Nonprofit addressing athlete mental health, recently partnered globally with Adidas.
  • “It is insane... I founded a global partner of Adidas... it sounds wild... it was built on the backs of myself, our COO, and really passionate student athlete volunteers who were just like, giving to the cause because we cared.” (36:24)
  • Adidas partnership came about organically after years of proven impact, not flashy fundraising.

• Scaling and delegation:

  • “Now it's at the place where I'm not working on it every day... that's actually amazing.” (Victoria, 39:50)
  • Emphasizes hiring people with different skill sets for growth and sustainability.

Time Management and Boundaries

[40:37-44:37]

• Prioritizing her time:
  • “My calendar is very color-coded and every minute and hour is accounted for, even break time.” (Victoria, 39:50)
  • Delegates where possible, no longer responds to every DM or call.
• Advice for business owners:
  • “If there is someone who reaches out, I'll be like, please send me over the questions you plan to ask so I can come best prepared... in the three times I've done that so far, they don't respond because they don't want to do 10 minutes of work, but they want 30 minutes of a call.” (Victoria, 43:02)
  • Advocates for mutual value in informational requests ("pick your brain" culture).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “We are all victims of the skinny girl industrial complex... brilliant marketing designed to keep us broke and insecure.”
  — Vivian Tu [00:33]

• “You don’t need another slim tummy tea or 2 inches on your butt... You’re already enough exactly as you are."
  — Vivian Tu [00:33]

• “I was at war with my body.”
  — Victoria Garrick Brown [00:00, 14:13]

• “You learn what is beautiful from society, then you attempt to be that thing, then you seek validation... then guess what, society changes the standard.”
  — Victoria Garrick Brown [16:26]

• "If we all ate the same foods... did the same workouts, we would still look different."
  — Victoria Garrick Brown [18:30]

When Does Victoria Feel Most Beautiful?

[45:43-46:38]

• “I feel the most beautiful, honestly, after an everything shower and I’ve done a Dyson blowout and I had unlimited time to do my makeup... and it’s one of those nights where I love the outfit I picked out the first try.”
  — Victoria Garrick Brown [45:43]

• "When you are seen, you feel beautiful."
  — Vivian Tu [47:04]

The Future: Intuitive Eating & Next Steps

[47:11-48:15]

• Victoria is studying to become an intuitive eating counselor:
  • “I feel so passionately about helping women break free from all the shackles... and I wanted to couple that with expert experience.”
    — Victoria Garrick Brown [47:11]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:33] Vivian introduces the "skinny girl industrial complex"
• [03:46] The financial burden of youth sports
• [06:35] Victoria’s earliest body image memories
• [10:06] Therapy as the best investment
• [12:03] Rock bottom and journey to healing
• [16:26] Beauty standards and the societal cycle
• [19:21] Victoria’s content creation journey & business model
• [25:06] On comparison, competition, and abundance
• [28:34] Revenue stream breakdown for creators
• [32:07] Business expenses and financial realities
• [36:24] Building and scaling The Hidden Opponent nonprofit
• [43:02] Setting boundaries and optimizing time in business
• [45:43] When Victoria feels most beautiful
• [47:11] Future goals as an intuitive eating counselor

Summary Takeaways

• The pursuit of ever-changing beauty standards is engineered to keep us consuming and feeling inadequate.
• Mental health is as important an investment as any physical or professional asset.
• Authenticity and vulnerability are competitive advantages in the influencer space.
• Diversification and financial planning are paramount for creators, as brand deal volatility is the norm.
• Mutual support among women in business is possible and powerful, despite societal narratives to the contrary.
• Systematic boundaries and intentional self-care are critical for long-term success and well-being.
• Mission-driven work, like The Hidden Opponent, can grow into global movements—when led by genuine passion and consistent effort.
• Victoria’s next chapter centers on advocating for intuitive eating, aiming to help others find peace with their bodies.