She quit her day job as an interior designer to become the UK’s top female competitive eater Now, she has a following of over 400k. But what does it take to be a 24/7 social media influencer? Can you make a living off being a full-time content creator? Where is the best place for social media influencers to live in the UK?

We’re Lee and Adam, best friends, and co-founders of Midlands-based social media publishing group, Electric House. We’re passionate about all things Brum; after moving our office space in March 2020 from an industrial estate in Tamworth to Birmingham’s business jewel, Fort Dunlop, we want to talk about what more we can be doing for the Birmingham Business landscape.

And so, our new podcast series, The 0121, was born! We want to use this series to tell the stories of Midlands-based entrepreneurs and businesses because we think that Birmingham really is something to be shouting about!

Our first guest holds 21 Guinness World Records, beat the world's strongest man, Eddie Hall, in a fish and chip challenge, and was born in Redditch, Worcestershire! Watch the podcast episode to hear Leah tell the compelling and hilariously funny story of how she got started in competitive eating at a local restaurant and the rollercoaster of competing in the world championships of competitive eating in the United States two years running.

From there, she created a social media account to track her progress. And the rest- as they say- is history!

We talk about how to separate public image and personal identity, how to deal with social media critics, and the future of the Leah Shutkever brand. Leah also divulges her top picks for the best restaurants in Birmingham, whether London provides more opportunities for social media influencers, and what Birmingham should be doing to support content creators.

If you enjoyed this episode, you can find the video version on the Lee & Adam YouTube channel. Make sure to like the video while you're there!