Over 400 UT college students gathered to hearken to TikTok star and entrepreneur Chris Olsen discuss his journey as a content material creator and advocate for psychological well being and his new espresso model on the College Union on Wednesday, hosted by the Pupil Endowed Centennial Management.
Olsen first gained reputation on TikTok in the course of the pandemic, going viral for his “flying for espresso” sequence, through which he brings espresso to different creators, celebrities and politicians like Vice President Kamala Harris, Meghan Trainor and Austin Butler. He’s additionally recognized for documenting his journey by means of remedy and sobriety. Throughout his discuss, Olsen mentioned his profession as a content material creator in addition to his new espresso model, Flight Gasoline.
“What’s actually thrilling in regards to the app is a few folks have discovered me for very various things once they wanted various things of their life,” Olsen mentioned throughout his discuss. “Possibly you wanted to see the remedy movies, or perhaps you simply wanted to snigger and watch me cling on to a pole.”
The Pupil Endowed Centennial Management chosen Olsen to talk after representatives from totally different scholar organizations nominated and advocated for a number of visitor audio system. Throughout final 12 months’s occasion, SECL hosted Hank Inexperienced, a science content material creator.
Saylor Dement, the SECL consultant for spirit group Texas Sweethearts, mentioned she advocated for Olsen due to his openness about his psychological well being and former substance points.
“I actually appreciated him speaking about his substance misuse and being so susceptible together with his private tales,” Dement mentioned. “It’s tremendous vital to provide those that area that they will talk these items.”
Olsen has documented his journey to sobriety and his experiences in remedy on TikTok, continuously posting movies of his periods to over ten million followers.
“These remedy movies particularly, I feel they’re there for amusing, however they’re additionally there to make you’re feeling not alone,” Olsen mentioned. “Whether or not I’m going by means of one thing that you just relate to, or perhaps you’ve been frightened of going to remedy and also you notice that right here’s what remedy will be, and it’s actually not a scary factor.”
Olsen mentioned he struggled with substance misuse in faculty, and went to rehab after his faculty roommate instructed him he couldn’t be in her life if he didn’t search assist. He mentioned that dialog was extraordinarily tough on the time, but it surely saved his life.
“If in case you have a buddy who you’re actually fearful about, or if there’s anybody in your life that you just’re fearful about, the most important concern you might have is the confrontation with them,” Olsen mentioned. “That can be extraordinarily laborious, but when they get to the opposite facet in the best way that you just’re praying that they do, then they are going to thanks.”
Radio-television-film freshman Dylan Recker mentioned she appreciated Olson’s honesty about his psychological well being journey.
“To me, he’s this humorous man and (makes) these foolish movies, but it surely was cool to see him discuss how simply because his life seems so good on social media, he goes by means of quite a lot of hardships similar to a traditional particular person,” Recker mentioned.
Olsen additionally mentioned the way forward for his espresso model Flight Gasoline, whose identify was impressed by his flying for espresso sequence.
“It’s been actually thrilling, it’s quite a bit to tackle, as a result of I’m actually working a enterprise,” Olsen mentioned. “I’m the true definition of girlboss.”