We were lucky to catch up with Torri Webb recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Torri, thanks for joining us today. What’s something crazy on unexpected that’s happened to you or your business
When I began sharing my experiences with PCOS, I never anticipated the overwhelming response it would receive. Originally focused on creating content related to fashion and travel, I believed that was my primary niche. However, when I posted a video discussing my struggles with facial hair—a common symptom of PCOS—the response was astounding. Amongst both positive and negative comments, I found a multitude of women who resonated with my experiences. This newfound sense of connection and understanding propelled me to continue the conversation surrounding PCOS and life with facial hair.
As my content expanded, I began exploring topics like IPL laser hair removal, which attracted millions of views. Through sharing my journey with PCOS, I found myself unintentionally providing support to others dealing with similar challenges. Today, I’m thankful to have nurtured a dynamic and encouraging community of women who follow me not only for my PCOS journey but also for my fashion and travel content. It’s truly humbling to see the profound impact of building such a community.
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?
Hey there, I’m Torri Webb, or as you might know me online, Torri Sunshine! I’m a content creator in my thirties based in the USA. My online world revolves around shedding light on PCOS and all its challenges, embracing plus-size fashion, and embarking on adventures as a travel nurse wife!
Originally hailing from Florida, I met my now-husband Matt at a dollar beer night, and the sparks flew instantly. Matt was a parasailing instructor back then, while I was in the marketing game. We both adored Florida, but we knew we needed to spread our wings and see more of the country. Matt, being the patient and caring soul he is, decided to switch gears and study nursing to make our dreams come true.
Fast forward through a beautiful wedding and the chaos of a global pandemic, and we found ourselves in San Jose, California, for Matt’s first travel nurse gig. That’s when I decided to leave my marketing gig and dive headfirst into influencing.
Since then, we’ve hopped around for assignments in places like Oceanside, CA, Seattle, WA, Long Beach, CA, Santa Barbara, CA, and even took a peek at Cape Cod, MA, before landing in Salem, MA, where we’re currently stationed and absolutely loving it.
In between contracts, we’ve managed to squeeze in some international travel, exploring gems like Portugal, Spain, and Mexico.
My journey as an influencer started slow and steady. While some influencers skyrocket to fame overnight, that wasn’t the case for me. Even when my following was small, I enjoyed creating fashion and travel content. It wasn’t until I started sharing my struggles with PCOS that things really took off. Suddenly, I found a whole community of women interested in my life. Sure, dealing with the internet trolls was tough at first, but I knew I had to stay strong. This was making a difference in people’s lives, and I’m so grateful for it. My followers not only tuned in for my PCOS stories but also enjoyed my fashion content and nomadic lifestyle.
Here I am now, a few years into my influencer journey, feeling incredibly thankful for the experiences it’s brought me. I’ve collaborated with dream brands, raised awareness about an important issue, made lifelong influencer buddies, been on amazing brand trips, and become my own boss.
Has your business ever had a near-death moment? Would you mind sharing the story?
In July 2022, during brunch with friends back home in Florida, I began feeling extremely unwell. Attributing it to sheer exhaustion from constant travel, a burgeoning influencer career, and relocating across the country with my husband Matt, I tried to shrug it off.
Suddenly, the room started spinning, I couldn’t control my limbs, and my speech got all messed up. Matt rushed me to the hospital as I struggled to talk, feeling like I was speaking gibberish.
At the hospital, they ran a bunch of tests, but everything came back normal. The doctors couldn’t figure out if it was a stroke or a transient ischemic attack (TIA), so they settled on complex migraines acting like strokes.
Back home with family, I was dealing with crazy exhaustion, migraines every day, numb arms, and trouble talking. I was terrified I’d never get back to normal, especially since I couldn’t even read properly or edit videos for my job.
After weeks of feeling like a zombie, I slowly started feeling better. Sure, I still woke up exhausted with migraines and dizzy spells, but at least I could hold a conversation again. That gave me hope.
Matt needed to get back to work (those medical bills were no joke), so we headed to Boston, known for top-notch medical care. Even though I wasn’t fully recovered, we made the trip.
Once in Cape Cod, I cautiously got back to work. My views and followers had taken a hit during my time off, and I was scared they wouldn’t be interested anymore. But I kept it real with them about what was going on, and they had my back.
Sharing my health scare online caught the attention of companies like Neura Health, who wanted to help me figure out what was going on. Together, we’ve been making progress in dealing with this scary mystery illness.
If it wasn’t for my work as an influencer, I wouldn’t have found my current team of doctors.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
It took me years to cultivate my current audience, but I’m glad for the journey because it taught me the values of patience and persistence.
The top advice I’d have for anyone looking to build their social presence is to talk about the things that are true to who you are, even if those are things you wish you could change about yourself.
Practice and repetition are key in content creation. Don’t be discouraged if your initial videos don’t gain traction; keep going. Embrace feedback from friends or your audience and use it to enhance your content.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @Torrisunshine
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@torrisunshine
- Other: Tik Tok : @Torrisunshine
Image Credits
Self Photographed!