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Alexa Curtis (entrepreneur)

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Alexa Curtis
Born
Mansfield, Connecticut, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Entrepreneur, writer, radio host

Alexa Curtis is an American entrepreneur, writer and former radio host.[1] Curtis was the former host of the Radio Disney program Fearless Everyday[1][2] and is the current executive producer and host of the program Fearless on Localish.[3] She has made TV appearances[4][5][6] and spoken at summits and universities[7][8] on topics such as social media and mental health.[9]

Early life

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Alexa Curtis is from Mansfield, Connecticut.[1] She became interested in fashion at an early age, eventually starting the blog "A Life in the Fashion Lane" when she was twelve years old in 2011.[10] She also wrote for several fashion brands during this period and covered events such as New York, Paris, and London Fashion Weeks.[11]

Career

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Curtis started out as a fashion blogger,[12][13] and began writing for periodicals such as The Huffington Post and Guest of a Guest.[14] She was modelling professionally at age 14. Around this time, she began struggling with depression, anxiety and an eating disorder.[15] She also experienced suicidal thoughts after experiencing cyberbullying.[16][17] She changed her focus from fashion to mental health because of these experiences.[15][1]

In 2018, Curtis renamed her fashion blog "Life Unfiltered with Alexa", and began covering topics such as mental health, bullying, and social media addiction.[18][19] She has written for publications such as Rolling Stone[20] and SheKnows[21] on these topics. These issues also led to the foundation of her non-profit organization Media Impact and Navigation for Teens, which hosts assemblies in schools in the United States that cover the aforementioned topics, along with responsibly navigating social media.[22][19][18] She has also appeared on TV shows like Today,[4] CTV,[23] Good Day Sacramento,[24] Good Morning America,[25][26] and The Rachael Ray Show.[27]

In some of her writings, she was critical of the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, because she felt that it glorified suicide, and that if she had viewed the content when she was suicidal, "she probably would have done something".[16] In 2017, Curtis started the weekly podcast This is Life Unfiltered.[1] She interviews celebrities and other guest speakers on a diverse range of topics.[1] In 2018, she launched her own radio show on Radio Disney called Fearless Every Day with Alexa Curtis.[1][2] She also founded the "Be Fearless" summit,[16] which works with young people and connects them with mentors.[28][29][30] The first summit was held at Drexel University in 2019.[31][32] In 2021, Curtis was named to CT Insider’s 40 Under 40 list.[33]

In April 2024, Curtis ran the Brooklyn Half Marathon without signing up for the race in a practice colloquially referred to as "banditing."[34] Curtis drew attention to this behavior in a social media post from April 28, 2024 on X, claiming:

"I just ran 13.1 miles for the Brooklyn half marathon at a 7.43 minute pace. I didn’t walk at all. I cried during a lot of it. I went to bed at 10 PM. I didn’t sign up for this race. I just asked the security where it started and where it ended and jumped in. No one watched me…"[35]

Curtis responded by issuing a statement on April 29, 2024:

"I am sincerely sorry for any upset my hasty actions by unofficially joining the Brooklyn Half may have caused [sic]. It was never my intention to hurt or upset the running community, the esteemed team who works feverishly to organize and keep everyone safe, or the incredible nonprofits who benefit from runners' involvement. I made a terrible mistake. I thought I was that [sic] engaging in something uplifting would inspire others to do the same. It was a last-minute choice to join in from the sidelines and I did not think how my actions may impact the community in a negative way. As a token of my remorse, I have made a $150 donation to Tucks Travels, the nonprofit associated with the half marathon."[36]

While Curtis received many positive comments and encouragements on social media, she also faced additional blowback as a result of this statement, with some responses accusing her of being a "serial bandit," flagging a social media post made by Curtis showing her at the finish line of the Austin 2023 Half-Marathon with a finisher's medal.[37] She appeared in the photo without a race bib, and her name does not appear in the 2023 list of finishers.[38] Curtis had also posted five days prior to the Brooklyn Half Marathon, on April 24, that she was training for and planned to run it, contradicting her account of her decision to join the race as having been "hasty".[39]

Selected writings

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Meet Alexa Curtis, an entrepreneur and social media influencer from Mansfield, who helps teens overcome obstacles and 'be fearless'". Hartford Courant. 13 June 2019.
  2. ^ a b "EXCLUSIVE VID: How Alexa Curtis Landed Her Inspiring Radio Disney Show - ysbnow". www.ysbnow.com. 2019-01-05. Retrieved 2022-08-17.
  3. ^ "Coco & Breezy x Zenni team up to help kids feel fearless with Planet CB eyewear". ABC7 Los Angeles. January 6, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "What parents need to know about social media, academics, money — from a teen". TODAY.com.
  5. ^ "Videos". FOX 11 Los Angeles. September 29, 2021.
  6. ^ "Be fearless". PIX11. June 2023.
  7. ^ Nalepa, Nicole (25 February 2022). "Bright Spot: Local woman inspires others with 'Be Fearless Summit'". wfsb.com.
  8. ^ Hall, Claire (November 23, 2018). "Social Media Sensation Alexa Curtis to Speak at UConn".
  9. ^ "The Impact of Social Media on Our Mental Health". talkspace.com. 2018-05-03. Archived from the original on 2020-02-03. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
  10. ^ "Teen blogger, Alexa Curtis, shares how personal obstacles led to a career". February 13, 2017.
  11. ^ Curtis, Alexa (17 September 2013). "Get Inspired by 3 New York Fashion Week Trends". Parade: Entertainment, Recipes, Health, Life, Holidays.
  12. ^ "Alexa Curtis – A Life in the Fashion Lane". October 17, 2014.
  13. ^ "Meet a 16-Year-Old Fashionista". Rachael Ray Show. May 28, 2014.
  14. ^ a b "A Millennial's Guide To Cheese Plating". Guest of a Guest.
  15. ^ a b "Teen blogger on mission to help others with depression". November 22, 2016 – via www.wmtw.com.
  16. ^ a b c d "13 Reasons Why: Teen Who Considered Suicide Reacts". Peoplemag.
  17. ^ a b Jacqueline Howard (25 April 2017). "'13 Reasons Why' sparks debate on teen suicide". CNN.
  18. ^ a b Quinlan, Keely (January 17, 2017). "This Teen Invented D.A.R.E. for Social Media Addiction". Galore.
  19. ^ a b "Be Fearless with Alexa Curtis – BELLA Magazine".
  20. ^ Curtis, Alexa (April 14, 2017). "Does '13 Reasons Why' Glamorize Teen Suicide?". Rolling Stone.
  21. ^ a b Curtis, Alexa (May 10, 2017). "'It made me rethink the way I want to try to look out for other people'".
  22. ^ Harnish, Amelia (13 January 2016). "We Need To Talk About This Unhealthy Social Media Behavior". www.refinery29.com.
  23. ^ "CTV News Channel: '13 Reasons Why' under fire". 24 April 2017.
  24. ^ "GoodDay Sacramento". www.cbsnews.com.
  25. ^ Biino, Marta. "How to pitch brands for collaborations as a micro influencer". Business Insider.
  26. ^ America, Good Morning. "'Fearless' 23-year-old entrepreneur shares her story" – via www.goodmorningamerica.com.
  27. ^ "This Mother-Daughter Fall Makeover Will Blow You Away". Rachael Ray Show. September 7, 2015.
  28. ^ "Learn to be fierce & fearless at the BE FEARLESS SUMMIT on March 15". www.girlslife.com.
  29. ^ "Students Invited to 'Be Fearless' at Werth Institute Summit". February 17, 2022.
  30. ^ Tigar, Lindsay (March 10, 2021). "The 5 Powerful Benefits of Becoming a Female Mentor". Sunday Edit.
  31. ^ Sobieski, Jason (April 5, 2019). ""Be Fearless" bridges social media, mental health".
  32. ^ "Be Fearless Speakers Summit". phillystylemag.com. 2019-03-15.
  33. ^ "40 Under 40: The Class of 2021". CT Insider. February 1, 2021.
  34. ^ Swartz, Tracy (2024-04-29). "Influencer bandits Brooklyn Half Marathon — then brags about pace". New York Post. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  35. ^ O'Kane, Caitlin (2024-04-30). "An influencer ran a half marathon without registering. People were not happy. - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  36. ^ "Influencer Alexa Curtis Called Out After Bandit Running The Brooklyn Half Marathon". 2024-05-02. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  37. ^ "Influencer Alexa Curtis Called Out After Bandit Running The Brooklyn Half Marathon". 2024-05-02. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  38. ^ "MCT: Half Marathon Results 2023". mychiptime.com. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  39. ^ @Alexa_Curtis (April 23, 2024). "2nd half marathon prep" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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