Introducing our Good B*tch Success Star Winner: the power house Lucy Blakiston, who has managed to create the impossible – a kind community on the internet
When we first came up with the idea for Capsule Good B*tch awards, we knew we wanted it to be a celebration – and we had no idea how big that celebration would be. We have been overwhelmed by the response – thank you SO much for supporting us in this – and we already have big plans for expanding the next year. The talent, kindness and vulnerability shown by our GB nominees has always inspired us and we feel so privileged that we were able to share their stories and mahi on Capsule. As you can imagine, judging was tough and between the Capsule and Shark Beauty judging panels, we were able to narrow down this wonderful field to highlight the winners for each category.
The little media company that could – Shit You Should Care About was born as an excited dream in a NZ uni lecture theatre between three friends, and since its birth has been helmed ably, passionately and hilariously by Lucy Blakiston, the vibe and voice of the brand which has more than three million followers on Instagram and posts news, information and, yes, occasionally Harry Styles photos for all to enjoy. Tell us how you could be more successful!
Says Capsule: “Lucy Blakiston has managed to create something that almost feels unthinkable – a kind community on the internet – and she has a zeitgeist-y golden touch that is unparalleled. On top of the SYSCA empire of social media, a thriving newsletter and podcasts, Lucy and her co-writer Bel Hawkins released their debut essay collection, Make It Make Sense, which became an instant bestseller. This cemented Shit You Should Care About as a one-of-a-kind voice: the warm, witty friend who feels just as strongly about pop culture as she does about politics and justice, and allows your wisest and fluffiest selves to exist in a safe space, where each of those selves are treated with equal value.”
Says Shark Beauty: “Lucy Blakiston embodies Shark Beauty’s value of empowerment by founding a platform that isn’t afraid to speak its mind, and is a true success story within the fragile and ever-changing media landscape. Shit You Should Care About aligns perfectly with Shark Beauty’s mission to inspire confidence, and Lucy’s dedication to inclusivity and speaking up for what’s right ensures that missing perspectives and alternative views can thrive.” – Arneka Grosvenor, Marketing and Communications Director, Shark Beauty
We gave the wonderful Lucy Blakiston a call, down in her hometown of Blenheim, to talk all things success – and how she viewed success in her teens, versus the reality in her 20s.
How does it feel to be a Good B*tch, Lucy?
Oh, honestly, it’s iconic. When I found out I’d won – this is going to make my dad sound so emotional and he’s not usually – but I was reading it out to my dad, like, ‘Oh my god, Dad, I’m a good bitch!’ We’d been out that morning because my dad is a real-estate agent and I’d been out helping him put up signs on a farm [laughs].
He was like, ‘What the hell, Lucy?’ and then he just looked at me and said, ‘My tears are coming.’ It was too much. I think the calibre of women who were in my category is amazing. I’m kind of shook that I’m the good bitch of all the good bitches, but it feels great. Also, I’m just obsessed with the New Zealand media industry and how the young, independent ones are… I just think we’re so cute!
Who are the Good B*tches you have in your support network?
I have the same best friends I’ve had since high school – there’s a group of six of us. Some of them came to all three book launches, some of them I have matching tattoos with. Some of them let me sit on their couch and watch Love Island and not talk for two days when they know I’m emotionally cooked. They’re such good bitches, I can’t believe they’re mine.
What does success mean to you in 2024?
I went on antidepressants at the start of the year, and I think that really has helped me have probably one of the best years of my life. So, the success is that I got my shit together mentally, something I’ve been needing to do since I was about 16. And then also releasing a book, which was pretty cool.
You’re 27 and very successful – I wonder, when you were in high school, did you have an idea of what you thought success in your 20s would look like, and how is the reality different?
Okay, 100%. I thought I would be a lawyer; I’d be wearing a suit with a pencil skirt and some little kitten heels. I’d be getting a takeaway coffee every day and working huge hours in some boring office with fluorescent lights.
I thought that’s what I wanted – and then it’s like, what the hell? Why did I ever think that? It’s the total opposite of me – I’ve never worn a pencil skirt in my life, or heels! It’s interesting, because young people now – I think success, for them, would probably look like my job. And fair enough; my job is awesome and I’m obsessed with it, but success looks so different from what I imagined. I thought I’d have a house, and probably thought I’d have a husband. None of that’s happened, and I’m so much happier for it.
Shit You Should Care About has a huge amount of followers and a massive amount of influence online. In terms of what markers of success you value the most in the business, what is your number one?
The technical one is anyone who is a paid supporter of the newsletter! They say that you need 1000 true fans to make a business – and I feel like that is the most true thing for Shit You Should Care About. Because, yes, there are millions of people over on Instagram and the number looks great – but they don’t really care about me, they like a meme or a tidy infographic.
That’s not where my passion is – I like the small little newsletter community where they’re thinking about me, even though we don’t know each other, and sending me things, and it’s a really nice online friendship, I think. I call them my pen pals. The success is that I have 1000 true fans who will let me do this as a job.
After a year like this, how do you pick what you do next – what do you think might bring you joy in 2025?
I never set goals because I think the world is changing so quickly that it would be stupid for me to set goals, but I have this thing where even though I don’t set goals, I’m just always ready to say yes. I’m always prepared to say yes to something that excites me – I just let things come to me, and I’ll know if they’re right or if they’re not. But I make sure I’m always in a position where I’m ready to say yes.
The Good B*tch Pillars: Community, Purpose, Joy, Leadership and Success:
You’ve lived overseas but chose to come back to your hometown of Blenheim. What is it about being from such a tight-knit COMMUNITY that influences your values?
I don’t want to sound like an asshole but we’re a media company and when we go to places, people will physically put us in with influencers and things like that. And I can see how they sometimes take things for granted, that I would be like, ‘holy shit, I can’t believe we’re here.’ And I think that is a really good thing and it comes from being from a small town and remaining here, and always coming home here. It keeps you really normal.
When do you feel the greatest sense of PURPOSE?
When it comes to writing about the news, my biggest privilege – and the reason I can doom scroll and not get totally f—ked up by it – is because I feel like I can do something about it. I’m not like everybody else, who has to doom scroll and just feel shit about the world, because at least I can write about it in a way that makes sense to me, in a way that makes other people feel better. This job is such a privilege.
How do you celebrate SUCCESS?
My dad, my sister-in-law and I went to the local Blenheim Whitcoulls on the day Make It Make Sense came out, where I signed the books, my dad cried, and then we went and had a coffee! Because we’re in such a small town, it was basically all of these people walking past, with my dad going, ‘Hey, do you know Lucy’s book came out today?’ And then I’d watch them go in and out of the shop, holding the book.
It was very low-key, but that special day in my small hometown was very cute. And then, as a tangible thing, Bel and I bought ourselves a little charm necklace each. Mine has a locket, and I’ve got a photo in there of my friends holding the book. I’m very sentimental and little things like that mean so much to me.
What’s a recent moment that has brought you JOY?
Being in my hometown when the book came out, at the local Whitcoulls. Next week, I’m speaking at a conference in Lisbon, and Pharrell Williams is also speaking there, in front of 70,000 people. And that’s great and I’m so lucky, but I will feel better being around my family and friends in Blenheim – moments like that fill me up with much more external gratification than those other moments.
Who is someone you look up to as a LEADER in your own life?
Not sure if I’m allowed to mention a MAN here, but I look up to Duncan Greive (founder of The Spinoff.) He was the first person to take what I was doing seriously and to give me advice that I actually wanted to take. If I’m basing being a good leader on him, it would mean being selfless with your time (even when your life is crazy), knowing how to get someone through a spiral – or multiple spirals – and doing it all for absolutely no personal gain!!! I love him so much.
Who are three good b*tches who you would like to take this opportunity to shine a spotlight on?
Bel Hawkins: my co-author and the best writer I know
Sarah Clare Brown: co-founder of ‘She Is Not You Rehab’ and just general amazing wahine
Steph Benseman: certified girlboss, host of the podcast ‘She Started It’
The Capsule Good B*tch Awards has been powered by the absolute good bitches at Shark Beauty. We are incredibly lucky at Capsule to have such an incredible partner who supports our mahi, understands our vision and enables us to tell the stories we think truly matter to New Zealand women, and we thank you immensely!