Social Media Influencer, Founder & Creative Director of MissMalini Entertainment, Malini Agarwal joins Namita Nayyar, President Women Fitness in a candid conversation on how to become an internet entrepreneur and a top social media influencer.
Lets take you through her interview.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
In 2008, you founded MissMalini.com, after having juggled between many creative careers like professional dancer, VJ, copywriter and radio DJ. This has propelled your career to the height where you are now at the top of the world of Bollywood, Fashion, Lifestyle and so much more. Walk us through your incredible journey into creating a niche for yourself in the blogging world?
Ms. Malini Agarwal:
My name is Malini Agarwal, but of course now I go by my digital avatar MissMalini! Looking back I’ve (literally) danced my way into a career in media starting as a professional backup dancer for Indie pop artists like Sukhbir, Shibani Kashyap, Channel [v] and MTV. I moved to Mumbai in the year 2000 and joined the first Internet boom running digital content for MTV, and Midday, then kicked off a 9 year career in radio as a drive time host and gossip columnist for Radio One/Midday and became the digital content head for Channel [v] while I started my blog as a hobby in 2008. Things ramped up pretty quickly from there as social media took off and I focused on my blog full time from 2011. Now I’m proud to say that MissMalini is a serious social media influencer for all things Bollywood, Fashion and Lifestyle and a leader in digital content; so what does it take to become a successful Internet Entrepreneur? Keeping your finger on the pulse of digital India, evolving with the times and a fair amount of FOMO! (*Fear Of Missing Out!)
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You are a world leading Media Personality, Founder, Editor and Blogger-in-Chief of MissMalini.com. How do you manage such a remarkable multi-dimensional lifestyle?
Ms. Malini Agarwal:
It’s simple. Like I said, I have massive amounts of FOMO! *Fear of missing out. Also I’m a master multi-tasker so that helps! My work and personal life tend to blend into each other as well so nothing really feels like “work” which is why I don’t hate Mondays like the rest of the world! I’ve spent my career dabbling in all kinds of media so I’m quite comfortable switching between various mediums. No rest for the wicked!
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Introduce us to a day in your life.
Ms. Malini Agarwal:
That’s just it, no two days are alike! Some days I’ll be sitting in PJs blogging from my sofa, others I’ll be in hair and makeup getting ready to host a red carpet. When I’m wearing my talent hat I do a lot of Facebook Lives, celebrity interviews, play myself on a TV show on Vh1 as well as host a digital radio show on Saavn. As the Founder and Creative Director of MissMalini Entertainment, I do a LOT of business meetings, creative brainstorming and manage the content teams. I also love networking so while I might be at a Bollywood event I’ll probably be making a business connection. I’ve recently started vlogging again on my YouTube channel so you can see EXACTLY what my day was like. 🙂
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All Written Content Copyright © 2017 Women Fitness
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
What exercises comprise your fitness regime or workout routine?
Ms. Malini Agarwal:
I used to be a professional dancer so any kind of dance has always been my preferred workout. Whether it was Belly dancing, Zumba or a hip hop class. I’ve tried everything from kick-boxing to yoga and am looking into starting pilates soon. I hear meditation would be good for me too but I just don’t have the patience for it! I’m too easily distracted.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Do you follow any diet to remain healthy and physically fit? Considering you are always around people or at social events, how do you still manage to eat healthy?
Ms. Malini Agarwal:
I unfortunately have terrible eating habits but I’m trying to start drinking a lot more water and eating a small snack (like a fruit) before I go out so I don’t end up binging on fried starters! My husband Nowshad is a fantastic chef, so as a result I’m often treated to home-cooked wholesome and absolutely delicious meals! I think the practice of eating 6 small meals instead of 3 big ones works for me too. But frankly I don’t really manage to eat healthy. It’s a running joke in my office that I often have chips and cookies for breakfast, lunch and sometimes dinner too!
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You have glowing skin and gorgeous hair. Share with us Top 5 Favorite haircare & skincare products.
Ms. Malini Agarwal:
I’ve actually grown up with problem skin. So as you can well imagine I’ve also tried EVERYTHING as you do when you have adult acne.
At the moment I’m crushing on these products to keep my skin clean and clear.
1. Unblemish & Reverse – After using Proactive for many years I discovered (thanks to a dear friend) these Rodan and Fields products with staggering results. With Unblemish I no longer broke out into any cystic acne and their Reverse range is slowly but surely clearing up spots and scars left from years of eruptions! I am still using the Proactive skin purifying mask though.
2. I tend to torture my hair with curling irons and blasts of hot air on a regular basis. So my favorite scalp soothing product has to be the Kerestase Paris Specifique Sensidote Dermo-Calm intense scalp soothing serum. Really feels cool and soothing on your scalp almost immediately!
3. I have recently started using Elizabeth Arden’s advanced ceramide daily youth restoring serum, which feels silky and rehydrating and makes it easy for me to use the exact quantity because they come in individual dose capsules.
4. I am dying to try out the Kardashian’s Sugar Bear Hair vitamin gummies, since my beauty blogger Natasha Patel says her hair felt thicker after a few weeks! Fingers crossed (stay tuned for the blog review)
5. SK-II Facial Treatment Essence is something I discovered during a duty free shopping spree at the airport one day. It’s key ingredient Pitera is apparently responsible for the soft clear skin of sake makers in Japan! Who knew?!
Video
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
What or who has been the greatest motivation behind starting MissMalini.com?
Ms. Malini Agarwal:
I originally started the blog as a hobby. Kind of like my personal journal on the Internet. Well before “blogging” was even a “thing” in India. My idea, I think, was subconsciously sparked by the various incidents I had experienced growing up all over the world as a “diplobrat” (my father was a diplomat in the Indian Foreign Service.) Like back in the 5th grade in Greece someone once asked me if I had an elephant that I rode to school? I said no, but thought *damn, that would be cool!* (Dear Santa, please note.) Over the years I realised that Internationally, people’s impression of India tends to come from the villages and poverty they saw frequently on the Discovery Channel and later from the movie Slumdog Millionaire. But nobody was talking about the young India I have lived in for the last 20 years since my father retired. One filled with enterprise and evolution – with glamour and fashion on a mind-boggling scale. There was no home grown voice in entertainment that was speaking to the global millennial about all the things we love. Whether it was what Bollywood songs to dance to at your best friend’s wedding or the latest in pop culture and International and Indian brands to buy. So I decided that I wanted to be that voice and obviously, I love to write. 🙂
I of course could never have propelled this personal blog into a full fledged business without my co-founders Nowshad Rizwanullah (CEO) and Mike Melli (CRO) and their constant advice, support and belief. Not to mention the insane amounts of hard work, which is why we are where we are today!
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Since your profession requires you to travel extensively, what are your Top 5 Tips to stay fresh and high on energy?
Ms. Malini Agarwal:
1. Drink LOTS of water! It will help your jet lag and your skin.
2. Take naps when you can. I’m one of those lucky people who can sleep on planes, trains, automobiles, anywhere. Catch up on those Z’s!
3. Carry a mosturizer and lip balm on long flights and use regularly so you don’t end up with chapped skin. Especially when flying to cold climates which can be painful.
4. Take some airport style inspiration from your favorite Bollywood stars who wear trendy tracks and sneakers when they travel, pair those with lose fitted tee’s and sweatshirts. Keeping it cool but comfy always!
5. Destress! Use your flight time to relax, watch movies, read a book and clear your mind. You finally have some uninterrupted “me” time; spend it well!
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You have done 1 season of the “Inside Access with MissMalini” where you meet several celebrities and do a lot of fun stuff together. How has the experience been? Share with us one of the most memorable moment from the show.
Ms. Malini Agarwal:
The show Inside Access has been a total blast and I can’t wait to start season 2! Some of my most memorable experiences were getting a lesson in how to serve the ball from tennis ace Sania Mirza. Learning a dance move, booty shake from Shahid Kapoor. Waiting till 4am (totally worth it!) for Shah Rukh Khan to tell me what his guilty pleasure is! (Junk food, hahaha!) And the one I will NEVER forget, interviewing Chris Martin from Coldplay and looking into his gorgeous blue eyes!
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
What do you wish to say about the website Womenfitness.net and message for its visitors?
Ms. Malini Agarwal:
I think in a world where we are always racing around and often forget to spend any time taking care of our bodies it is wonderful to have a resource like WomenFitness.net that shares valuable advice and interesting content related to fitness, health and lifestyle. In fact you’re inspiring me to do the same thing and take a look at my eating and workout habits. So thank you for that. Take care of your bodies ladies, it’s where you live!
Check out her social media links:
- https://twitter.com/missmalini
- https://www.facebook.com/missmaliniblog
- https://www.instagram.com/missmalini/
Women Fitness Team thanks Malini Agarwal for giving her valuable time for this interview and quenching the thirst of her fans to know more about her and made this interview happen.
Video
https://youtube.com/watch?v=tyq2r6-roRw
All content on this site is copyright of Women Fitness and no part of any article found on this site may be reproduced without an express permission and highlighted, do follow link crediting http://www.womenfitness.net/ or preferably the original page as the source. This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2017 Women Fitness