Confessions, Vol. 5 - my favorite IG educator, Martha Stewish

Hello readers,
welcome back to my fifth installment of Confessions. Today we are talking to Martha, @marthastewish on ig and substack, she came to me via tik toks algorithm, which I have complicated feelings about but also cannot deny has excellent taste. Martha appeared in my feed a few months ago in her short, smart videos about money, identity and building what she calls quiet wealth while living beautifully. I was immediately hooked. I love being smart about my finances, or at least trying my best to be, and Martha makes that feel chic, accessible and completely un-intimidating. She is a South African based in London, writes essays on Substack that I highly recommend, and has a perspective on priorities and the good life that I find genuinely refreshing. Read on for her confessions.

LL: What did 11 year old Martha want to be when she grew up?

MS: I was obsessed with magazines as a child, and really wanted to be a magazine editor. I think I was enchanted by the glamour, the fashion and of course the free beauty cabinet! I had an aunt who worked in magazines and I always thought of her as so elegant, gracious, creative and smart, and I wanted to be like her.

LL: Who’s your fashion muse?

MS: At the moment I really love Coco Schiffer. She always looks polished and she exudes such an excitable energy which I love, in a world in which so many fashion influencers are so serious and mysterious.

LL: What you’ve given yourself permission to care less about recently?

MS: Being seen. For years I was so self conscious, the idea of showing up on social media with no make up on or someone seeing my body was a no go. So posting on Instagram and TikTok is a love letter to that previously very self conscious girl.

LL: What is the most fun thing about being a creator on IG? And the least fun? Tell it to us straight :)

MS: Most fun- the community engagement. I LOVE getting DMs and comments from followers- questions, ideas and thoughtful responses to my posts. It feels like a really big group chat of like minded women who all want the same thing- to live and elevated life in the foreground whilst building wealth in the background. I love hearing about how my account has inspired women to take action on things- I love seeing the empowerment!

Least fun- the very rare nasty comments. Even though I know their comments say more about how they think of themselves than me, it still hurts. I think because I’ve been previously so critical of my own looks and body, those sorts of comments are particularly triggering.

LL: What is the content franchise on IG that you are surprised does so well and the one that you think is the the most under rated?

MS: Anyone who posts ‘hauls’ - I don’t understand it. The excess gives me anxiety. And it also takes very little thought. It surprises me how many women follow these accounts, because it’s not showcasing taste, it’s just showcasing trend and fashion fluency, which is not hard to do.

Probably not underrated anymore- but Loui Burke’s scathing bed making commentary is simply wonderful to watch! I also absolutely love gardening, so Pollyanna Wilkinson is another favourite.

LL: What is one food item you always splurge on? Maybe when out to eat or shopping for food staples?

MS: South African MCC- it’s our version of champagne and it’s so delicious. I like to serve it at my birthday parties each year that host in my garden.

LL: What is something you want to put out into the universe, something my readers can help you manifest?

MS: I’m big into manifesting, I’m a member of To Be Magnetic (I decided to sign up for a year on the Black Friday last year) so I manifest every morning. I’d love the Martha mindset to infiltrate every woman in the world so everyone starts to feel abundant with the wonderful life they have consciously curated, confident in their individual tastes and a calm inner knowing that they are building wealth at the same time.

Martha, thank you for playing along. I love your candor. Especially the parts about showing up online, positive (and negative) engagement and giving yourself permission to care less about being seen. The stuff we don’t always say out loud but all feel.

You are proof that the algorithm occasionally gets it exactly right. I love your definition of a life well built: beautiful in the foreground, wealthy in the background. I will be following along and taking notes.

Find Martha on Instagram, TikTok and Substack — her essays are very much worth your time.

And if you know someone who should be featured in this series, or you want to raise your own hand, drop it in the comments. I would love to crowdsource.

xx LL