Welcome to Second Life, a podcast spotlighting successful women who've made major career changes—and fearlessly mastered the pivot. Hosted by Hillary Kerr, cofounder and chief content officer at Who What Wear, each episode gives you a direct line to women who are game changers in their fields. Subscribe to Second Life on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere you get your podcasts to stay tuned.
Annie Meyers-Shyer is the creator behind This Oak House, the beloved Instagram account that chronicles her ambitious home renovation, and the author of the forthcoming debut book of the same name. What began as a personal project has evolved into a widely followed visual diary of transforming spaces into thoughtfully designed havens.
Before turning her attention to interiors, Meyers-Shyer built a career in fashion. She started at InStyle magazine, later moved to Harper’s Bazaar, and then stepped into the tech world as fashion director at MySpace. She eventually returned to traditional fashion, spending six years in public relations at Chanel. After that chapter, she stepped away to focus fully on motherhood.
The opportunity that changed everything arrived when her mother-in-law decided to leave her Los Angeles home, and Meyers-Shyer seized the chance to take on the property and a major renovation. Rather than keeping the process private, she began documenting the work on Instagram so friends could follow along. The casual account quickly grew into a community of more than 200,000 followers drawn to her honest updates, design decisions, and the house's evolving character.
Meyers-Shyer recently added author to her résumé with her first book, This Oak House, which captures the full arc of the renovation—the challenges, the discoveries, and the personal touches that create a home. The book extends the story beyond the Instagram feed, offering readers a deeper look at both the process and the life that unfolded around it.
Listen to the latest episode of Second Life to discover how Meyers-Shyer continues to evolve her platform beyond the home.
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