Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

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At VidCon 2026, Mashable caught up with original YouTube beauty pioneer and entrepreneur Michelle Phan. Reflecting on her massive career, Michelle discusses what it was like attending the very first VidCon with only 5,000 attendees, how filming in public has gone from "weird" to completely normalized, and what it was like creating content before anyone knew you could make money doing it.

0:00 Intro: The Myth of "Doing What You Love"
0:09 Michelle's First VidCon & Early YouTube Days
0:38 How Vlogging in Public Became Normalized
1:21 Diversifying Your Brand & Managing Creator Burnout
2:14 The Real Reason Michelle Phan Took a Break

#michellephan #vidcon2026 #vidcon #creatorplaybook

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