Everyone says LA is fake. Well you know what, I disagree. LA is what you make it. I came out to LA in December for a week to figure out if it was going to be a good move for me. I walked into my first “influencer event” and I felt so out of place. Super hot girls taking pictures with their heads in their phone, everyone off in their own little corner taking content and merely staying in the friend group they came with. I immediately got the ick for LA and had overwhelming second guesses if it would be a good fit for me to move out here. 

I was at the event with my friends Sierra, Iesha, Marlena and Keeton. Between the five of us, we were having a blast, really making the most of the event and trying to meet new people. To be honest it felt like we were the only ones bringing the good vibes but just as we were getting ready to leave, in walks Christie. I immediately recognise her as a former Sports Illustrated model, so I walk up to her and introduce myself. Her energy was amazing. We hit it off immediately. We then introduced each other to our friend groups we came with and I invited them to join us for a work out class in the AM that my friend Melina was teaching. Christie showed up and it really felt like the start to a really cool friendship. 

So when I came out to LA officially, about a month ago, Christie really embraced me as a friend. She’s included me on some cool events and introduced me to a special part of her life that is both selfless and empowering, Baldtourage. Christie is the founder of Baldtourage where the mission is to bring women together who can relate to the pain, shame, loss and even the perks of having hair loss! I got an inside look at one of her live Baldtourage events here in LA and I felt this overwhelming need to share her story and the mission of Baldtourage. 

I have always been passionate about filmmaking and I obviously create wedding films as my full time job. I love getting to do something creative for work but I’ve always felt the desire to do something meaningful with my videography. My dream from the time I was a teenager has been to become a documentary filmmaker and tell stories to change the world in a positive way. Becoming friends with Christie inspired me to want to share a bit of her story through film with my audience and take a step into the direction of my own dreams too. 

Since moving to LA, I’ve been connected back to back to back with INCREDIBLE women. I’ve been lucky enough to surround myself with people that are doing good things in this world and it’s inspiring to even be around them. So for anyone that wants to say LA is fake, you just have to come hang with me and my friends and we will do our best to change your mind on that. 

That being said, I felt that International Women's day was the perfect opportunity to highlight an incredible woman who has inspired me and also launch what is not really a show but looks like a show, as you can see from the video. 😂 So check out the video I created with Christie highlighting a bit of her story and Baldtourage. You can find Christie on IG at @Chrristie.valdiserri or on the Baldtourage account at @Baldtourage or visit the Baldtourage website at www.baldtourage.com.