Podcaster and BCom alum creates digital content to help young people thrive

Meg Kuang is a successful digital content creator and the host of a popular podcast called I’m In My Twenties?! By examining social topics relevant to her and her peers, Kuang has not only reached a global audience, but she’s also helped young people navigate some of their biggest challenges.

Long before arriving at the UBC Sauder School of Business as a Commerce student, writing was a favourite pastime for Kuang. It was logical that her passion for communicating and engaging with audiences over social issues would lead her toward a specialization in Marketing.

“I originally intended on studying Accounting,” recalls Kuang. “But I discovered that Marketing was more aligned with my strengths and goals. It also integrated my passion for strategy and execution, content creation, and social impact.”

While studying marketing principles and concepts, she also worked part time as a writer for UBC Life. With the freedom to tackle subjects that interested her, blogging felt more like a calling than a job.

“This is what really sparked it all,” explains Kuang. “Students reached out to me to express that my blogs resonated with them, which made me feel like I could have a positive impact on the undergraduate community.”

Documenting the twenty-something experience

Through her podcast, Meg Kuang explores social topics relevant to people of her generation.

She began teaching herself different publishing tools and releasing content for web blogs, YouTube and Instagram. In her final year of university, Kuang launched her podcast: I’m In My Twenties?!

“You’re wrapping up school and you have all these newfound responsibilities that adult life brings,” explains Kuang. “There’s so much to navigate, from career planning to dating and relationships, to personal finances. I decided to make this the essence of my podcast.”

Delving into topics that can be a source of stress for many people in their twenties, Kuang provided ideas, advice, and in some instances, quirky humour and tough love – all based on her personal experiences.

“Listeners have reached out to me saying that the difficult topics I grapple with in my podcast have provided them with a sense of comfort and relatability,” says Kuang.

Since launching her show on Spotify in 2020, Kuang has produced over 40 episodes with titles such as Health, Dating, Friendships and Confidence and The Job Search Grind: How to Stand Out, Reduce Stress and Get Hired. While she’s proud of her audience metrics, even more rewarding is the knowledge that she’s making a positive social impact by helping students and new grads with this pivotal decade of life.

“I am definitely not an expert on these topics, but I believe that documenting my journey and reflections with honesty and vulnerability is how I can best support young people going through similar ups and downs.”

Creating a brand that’s authentic and true

As a result of her growing podcast reach, Kuang gets approached by students asking how to create a professional online brand and market oneself successfully in the job market. Her advice is to be yourself and let your personality shine through.

“I’ve noticed that people often rely on a cookie cutter approach when creating their personal brand,” says Kuang. “Instead, think of personal branding as an opportunity to be you and express your uniqueness because that’s how you can truly stand out. It will also help you connect with other like-minded individuals who share your passions and ambitions.”

Kuang sees the online world as something powerful and limitless; offering opportunities for everyone to express themselves, find community and meaningful work. At the end of the day, she says, it’s about discovering who you are.

Branching into different mediums

Kuang graduated from UBC Sauder earlier this year and spent the summer interning with Fortune 500 software company, SAP. As a Digital Content Coordinator, she created digital campaigns to enable successful customer adoption, conversion, expansion, and loyalty across all lines of business. She also seized every opportunity to gain more skills and knowledge to support her future career ambitions.

Outside of office hours, Kuang continues to produce original content for young people trying to make their way in the world. Earlier this year, she gave back to her business school by orchestrating a career development panel discussion for Commerce students. Titled, How to Ace Your Internship: Tips and Stories from UBC Sauder Marketing Alumnae, Kuang and her fellow panelists shared learnings from their past internship experiences.

Kuang, centre, with her former classmates co-hosted a career development discussion for UBC Sauder students.

“The panel was not only an opportunity for me to explore a new content medium, but also to help students through the stressful job search process,” she says. “My friends and I shared what we learned about applying for internships, onboarding in a new job, producing your best work, time management, combatting the imposter syndrome, and dealing with the emotional parts of your first internship.”

The event was both fun and informative and when it was over, Kuang packaged the recording into a podcast episode and posted it on various media channels. Listeners in the UBC Sauder community and beyond continue to access the value-packed recording.

An entrepreneur at heart, Kuang’s future ambitions include continuing to leverage her business education and passion for technology to create innovative and engaging content, with a goal of making a positive impact on individuals on similar walk of life.