Messinger’s husband challenged her to get 100K followers by the end of 2025.

Courtesy | Instagram

“If you reach 100K by the end of the year, we can travel North America for a month.” 

Izzy Messinger, a ’25 Hillsdale alumna, posted a video of her running with that soundbite on Instagram Oct. 22, the first in her journey of becoming an Instagram influencer. What initially began as a joke between Izzy and her husband, Aiden, quickly became an attainable reality as she gained followers exponentially, achieving their goal of 100,000 followers on the day after Christmas. 

“It kind of started with us thinking ‘this would be cool if it happened, but it probably won’t,’” Messinger said. “And then it started gaining traction because I played around with hooks, which are the first one to five seconds, and then found a hook that works multiple times. So I hit the ground running with that, and that’s what honestly made my account explode and actually gain reach. And people who wanted to join in the journey decided to follow.”

Messinger describes herself as a lifestyle creator because she makes videos about her morning routine, funny clips with her husband, workout content, and overall inspirational content on her account @mylifeas1zzy. Although she just started her Instagram page, Messinger said she has always had a passion for creating fun content, even if it was just for her own entertainment. 

“I have actually been vlogging most of my life, but just not posting them, and I have been wanting to do this for the past five or six years, but never had the capacity or the time,” Messinger said. “I finally had the time after graduating and having a baby, and I was like, ‘I have so much time to figure things out,’ so I decided, ‘what better time than now.’”

The series that showed her progress was what she called her “100 Series,” where she would run 100 meters for every 100 followers she gained in the past day. Monday through Saturday, Messinger would find time in her day to run and vlog it for all of her new followers. This approach also allowed her to tangibly see the growth of her account, and even meant she had to split the run into two parts for the day when she gained more than 8,600 followers between Dec. 14 and 15. Her page saw tremendous growth between Dec. 12, when she reached 50,000 followers, and Dec. 26, when she reached 100,000, only two weeks after hitting the halfway point.

Today, she has more than 106,000 followers.

Messinger’s younger sister, sophomore Haven Socha, said she is proud of the work her sister has put into pursuing her dreams.

“I’m amazed at how fast her account grew,” Socha said. “I particularly enjoyed joining some of her daily runs and some silly dances with her. We have always bonded over dancing and laughing together.”

Despite being a new mother, Messinger said she sees her time as a stay-at-home mom as the perfect excuse to begin pursuing her dreams. She said she hopes that in time, she will be able to turn the hobby into a job that can help support her family, even if in a small way. 

“I am really hoping to be able to stay home with Judah, but also support Aiden and me in making a little bit of money,” Messinger said, referring to her son, Judah. “I also didn’t like the idea of being a stay-at-home mom and not having hobbies or extra things to do on the side.”

Beyond just posting on Instagram, the Messingers have recently launched a couple’s YouTube channel, @izzyandaiden, that currently contains short-form content, but Messinger hopes to expand their reach with longer day-in-the-life or sit-down videos. 

Since Messinger reached 100,000 followers, she and her husband have already traveled Canada, where they visited several sights, including the Canadian Tire Centre hockey arena and a BeaverTails joint, a Canadian restaurant chain. Viewers can follow Messinger’s travels on her account. The rest of their travel plans remain uncertain, but Messinger hopes to continue making content whether or not their plans happen soon. 

“My word for this year is ‘consistency,’” Messinger said. “If I can be consistent and be an internet bestie to people, that’s one of my goals right now. And if I could also be able to help support my family in it and make it a job, that would be amazing. But if I just stay consistent, I’ll get to see where it takes me.”

Former track and field teammate and senior Erika Mogelvang said her internet personality is completely genuine and comes from her faith. 

“Izzy’s faith in the Lord is unmatched, and her personality embodies his glory,” Mogelvang said. “During her time at Hillsdale, she inspired me to be a better Christian and friend. I believe that as an influencer, Izzy will pour out the Holy Spirit onto many and inspire thousands to seek our Lord and Savior. She is more than suited for this vocation. I send her my prayers, knowing she will fulfill this calling and do what Izzy does best: to spread His word to all who meet her.”