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.
For me, Brooke Averick is in a very select group of TikTok creators. She’s in the small niche group of wildly viral creators that found rapid success in posting on the app during the pandemic. Off the bat, Averick’s authenticity and quirkiness captured thousands across the platform—from Gen Z to millennials—where her videos truly felt like you were listening to a friend.
Yet before she became a recognizable voice in the content-creator space, Averick was shaping young minds as a preschool teacher in Philadelphia. When Averick posted her first TikTok during the COVID-19 lockdowns, she had no way of knowing it would go viral and fundamentally redirect her life. That single moment of connection with an online audience was enough to convince her to leave the classroom behind and chase something new. By 2021, she moved to Los Angeles, briefly joining a content house as she found her footing in the creator world.
It wasn't long before Averick expanded beyond short-form video. She co-launched Brooke and Connor Make a Podcast, a comedic, conversational show that quickly earned a following for its humor and unfiltered energy. The podcast showcased a different side of Averick—one that thrived in long-form, spontaneous storytelling.
In 2024, she ventured out on her own with Obsessed, a solo podcast dedicated to the joy of being a fan and leaning wholeheartedly into the things you love. The show reflected Averick’s genuine, enthusiastic personality, but she eventually stepped back from it when a new creative ambition took hold.
That ambition became her debut novel. Phoebe Berman’s Gonna Lose It follows an almost-30-year-old on a mission to lose her virginity, which is a love story equal parts funny and heartfelt.
Listen to the latest episode of Second Life to hear how Averick fearlessly made the pivot into another creative medium.
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