We recently connected with Lilly J and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Lilly, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

Honestly, I think I always knew deep down. But the first time I really let myself admit it out loud was when I was sitting at my engineering job, feeling completely numb. I had checked every box I was told would lead to success. I went to college, moved to NYC, and worked a stable job. I was good at it, but I didn’t feel purposeful. Once that realization hit, I put in my two weeks’ notice and traveled across the ocean with nothing but a vision, all while still unsure how I would be perceived in the food and fashion world. The turning point came when my health started to decline and I had to use food as a way to heal myself. I couldn’t let go of my fashion and modeling background, so I found a way to incorporate both in a way that nourished me- both inside and outside.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I got into this work after leaving my full-time corporate job and traveling across the ocean to pursue a more meaningful life. At the time, my health and spirit were struggling and I needed something more life-giving. That’s when I began filming recipes that helped me feel good in my body, and dressing up in ways that helped me reconnect with it. What started as a personal act of “survival” slowly became a creative career rooted in creativity, community, and representation.

I make cooking videos that are playful, artful, and personal. Each recipe is built around foods I can eat and love, but also designed to be accessible and feel-good for others too. And with food, comes fashion! I share fashion content that blends tradition with boldness. You look good, eat good, and feel good too!

What sets me apart is that I create from experience. Whether it’s through my health, my culture, or from my feeling. I want people to feel held, inspired, and seen. I want to represent the kind of beauty and space that mainstream media often overlook- a brown creator that leads with example. My work is about making people feel something, and reminding them that they belong, exactly as they are.

I’m most proud of building a space that includes everyone! My food is meant for all, curated with love and care. And my hope is that it encourages others to live a more meaningful and healthier life, and to see the beauty in their unfolding.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding part of being a creative is getting to turn something deeply personal into something that resonates with other people. I volunteered a lot back when I traveled overseas- in orphanages, old age homes, and animal shelters. And whenever I would bring food to donate or distribute, the smiles on everyone’s face was priceless! I knew food wasn’t just nourishment, it was connection! And now through my content, I get to share that same spirit! And that to me is the magic of being a creative. Using what’s real in your life to create something meaningful for someone else.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

A story that stands out is when I began my travels across the ocean, I had just left a stable corporate job, and I was dealing with serious health issues. I didn’t have a plan and I didn’t even know if people would take me seriously- a brown woman living differently trying to build something in food and fashion. I remember when I first started filming, I didn’t even own half the equipment I have today. I used a stack of containers to prop my phone and an inexpensive ring light to film. I was in pain, I didn’t have a lot of support, but I kept filming, despite what people were saying about me. Resilience, to me, is about creating through uncertainty and to keep pushing, even when life gets hard.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whiskedwarrior/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WhiskedWarrior/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@WhiskedWarrior
• Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@whiskedwarrior