WATCH: Inverness woman quits her NHS job to become a viral online influencer
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
An Inverness woman left her job as a data analyst with the NHS over a year ago to become a digital creator on social media after she became a viral online sensation.
In 2017, Valerie Mackay started her social media page, 'embracing fifty', as she started to post what she was wearing each day on Instagram.
Social media quickly became a frequent hobby for the now 60-year-old as she began to gain inspiration from other content creators.
Valerie noticed a gap in the UK market for middle-aged social media digital creators in comparison to other countries, such as America.
For years she continued to grow her audience as she blogged her life and, what once was a niche market ended up growing to almost a million followers.
She said: "I started way back in 2017 and did it for fun.
"Instagram at the time was quite new to me, so I gave up on Facebook and started having fun with Instagram.
"When I started, I'd post pictures of my work outfits as back then there was no video content on Instagram so it was all pictures.
"I noticed that there wasn't a huge pool of over-50s about at the time so I called my page 'embracing fifty' as that was what I was doing."
Once Valerie's page had hit thousands of followers, global skincare brand Garnier was keen to collaborate with her in order to promote their products.
She said: "It was when IGTV [Instagram TV] was introduced, that I made a couple little videos and one of them featured Garnier products in my evening skincare routine which is where I think I got picked up from.
"It just grew from there, to the point I was in the position to give up work."
Valerie's page started to grow beyond measure, and then the pandemic hit in 2020.
She said: "It started to take off just before the pandemic, so I was working from home a lot, but I struggled to fit filming in every weekend.
"It just got too much for me when the collaborations started coming through, so I decided I had to take a chance and leave work which was difficult as I loved my job.
"I couldn't do both as I didn't have the time to do the things that I loved posting about, or spend time with my husband during our time off, so something had to give."
After having worked at Raigmore Hospital for over 20 years in the field of microbiology and infection control as a data analyst, Valerie found it 'challenging' to leave what she had always known and employment security.
She said: "The NHS is a solid institution and I knew my job was secure there, so for me it was a leap of faith.
"I had to remind myself of my age and I wasn't going to be working for another two years in the NHS anyway, so I was only leaving a wee bit early."
Valerie has since collaborated with huge brands, including L'Oréal, Garnier, Charlotte Tilbury and even modelled for Yves Saint Laurent's website.
Some of Valerie's videos have reached millions of views, with one Instagram reel accumulating a mammoth 29 million views as she filmed herself getting ready.
She said: "I am not a stylist, so I tend to just stick to bits and pieces of my week, which could include some outfits, skincare or travel.
"But, it can get a bit overwhelming when a video gets that many views."
Valerie plans to continue to build her social media channel, but has no intention of putting too much pressure on herself in the process as she is keen to post content she enjoys creating.
She said: "I appreciate all the kind of opportunities that have come my way over the last few years, they have just been amazing.
"Who knows what the next one will be, but even if it stopped tomorrow I don't regret anything I did."
