“I don’t know who needs to hear this, but your biggest fear should not be failing,” says Achieng Agutu while applying lip gloss and speaking enthusiastically into her camera. “It should be not living the life that you truly envision for yourself.... Don’t be afraid to be seen trying and failing and starting over again. Because I would rather you stumble 10,000 times than you end up here sitting [on] the sidelines watching other people live the life that you truly wanted.”
This is just one of the many empowering messages Agutu—a model, content creator and self-love advocate—shares with her social media followers on a regular basis. The self-described “tantalizing confidence queen” is on a mission to change the world, one inspirational video at a time, and she’s only just getting started.
Her Own Hype Woman
Agutu was born in Kenya and spent most of her childhood there. But when she was 16, she packed up and traveled 8,000 miles to Richmond, Indiana, where she lived with a host family and finished high school. Agutu moved to America at a time in her life when she didn’t really know what she wanted to do, she says. However, she did know that she wanted a more worldly experience in life and education, and so did her parents and family members.
After graduation, she decided to stay in the United States to continue her education, studying Spanish and communications at Goshen College and, later, business at the Hult International Business School.
Looking back, Agutu’s move to the U.S. was an important step in her confidence journey. As one of the few Black people at her school in Indiana, she realized that if she didn’t hype herself up, probably no one else would. “I wasn’t going to wait for somebody to be that representation—I was just going to be it,” she says. “I know representation is needed; I know I need representation for myself, and so I am just going to be that. I am going to be the representation I need.”
Fashion, Beauty and Body Positivity
To that same end, Agutu started posting regularly on social media, sharing short clips of herself dancing or delivering inspirational messages. “Baby, there is no way you are going to let somebody step up into your life and disrupt your immaculate vibes, your immaculate energy, your peace,” she says in one video. “You need to remember who you are... because do you know you are the baddest and it shows? Do you know you’re a queen and it shows? Do you know you are destined for greatness and it shows?”
She also began posting about fashion and beauty, with an emphasis on body positivity. “Having a round belly? Normal,” she says in another clip. “Having flabby arms? Normal. Having hip dips? Normal. Having stretch marks, having cellulite? Normal.”
Her authenticity and positivity have earned her a loyal contingent of fans, who often reach out to thank her for the uplifting content. Brands are taking notice, too, with companies like Aerie, Ole Henriksen, American Express and Garnier lining up for a chance to collaborate with her.
In recent years, she has achieved even more success, becoming a lead host of Amazon Prime’s talk show Influenced, a Gen Z version of The View, produced by Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine. She got invited to the White House, landed a coveted spot in the 2024 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue and strutted her stuff at Miami Swim Week. After making her rookie debut, she once again graced the pages of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit in 2025, too.
These days, Agutu has nearly 900,000 followers on Instagram, plus 1 million on TikTok. Though social media—and the internet more broadly—has its pros and cons, overall, she sees it as a force for good. “I love that I can connect with people,” she says. “I can meet people that I have only dreamt of meeting, and I can create a space where people can feel seen, celebrated and excited.”
Why Representation Matters
So, where exactly does all of Agutu’s confidence come from? She’s been asked that question many times over the years—and her answer continues to evolve. But, right now, she says, it stems from self-love. “My confidence has been there, dormant, and needed me to wake up and say, ‘You are amazing. You’re a fantastic, [10-out-of-10] human,'” she says.
Just as important, she says, is that she’s never given up on herself. “I didn’t stop believing in my creativity and my dreams,” she says. “I didn’t stop going when I got rejections and people said ‘no’ to me. I didn’t stop arriving for myself. I didn’t stop pushing myself.”
Today, she hopes to inspire the next generation of “confidence queens,” simply by being true to herself. Even amid her own successes, Agutu continues to be inspired by other Black women who “make stuff happen,” she says.
“Sometimes just seeing someone who looks like you or even just [feeling] connected can make a difference for how you move or how you choose to pursue something—a career, a dream or goal,” she adds. “We need to see more women of power, Black women, queer people and people with disabilities in spaces so that everyone can really feel like, ‘Wow, I can do that.'... It is really exciting to see women who look like me occupy spaces I really want to be in. That is really, really exciting for me.”
Achieng Agutu’s Tips for Boosting Your Confidence
Always be yourself and never hold back.
The key to her success? Authenticity, she says. “My whole thing is to be myself and be authentic to me,” she adds. “It is not something I have to think about; it is just who I am. I am just choosing to be myself.”
Live your life on your own terms.
“My definition of success is freedom...” she says, “to do whatever you want, whenever you want, however you want it.” Her career has evolved over time, but what’s come to realize is that autonomy is the thing she values most.
Stop worrying about what everyone else thinks.
Easier said than done, but Agutu recommends tossing everyone else’s opinions out the window. Instead, “start betting on yourself,” she says. “Treat yourself like you would treat your best friend, and live life knowing you live every day and die once.”
Featured image courtesy of Achieng Agutu
This article was first published in the January/February 2026 issue of SUCCESS Magazine. Get your copy here.
