I finally met Heather McMahan!
Who is Heather McMahan?
Sometime in late 2016, I started following the hilarious, brilliant, talented (I could go on) comedian, Heather McMahan. I had just started a marketing job at a real estate company and I began to follow a real estate meme account – this account shared a video of Heather doing one of her characters… Brenda Carlyle (Mississippi’s #1 Real Estate Agent). Heather’s Brenda character had me hooked and I began to follow Heather immediately.
At the time I started following Heather she was living with her mother, Robyn, in Atlanta. Heather’s father passed away about a year or so before and Heather was back in the ATL to be with family. Heather was taking her 10K followers along with her on her journey. She was real, raw and hilarious.
Her popularity exploded when she did a series of Instagram Stories she called “Britney 911”… sharing concern for Britney Spears’ wellness. These were shared by celebrity friends and followers such as Johnathan Van Ness. Heather began to do guest spots on podcasts. And her number of followers grew… she went viral!
It is amazing to watch how someone’s career blow up. I have seen Heather in times when she was not well, I have seen Heather in times of pure joy… something that is always constant is her optimism and drive. It is right there under the surface… she has her eye on the prize. This is the difference between those who succeed and those who don’t. You can’t give up.
Now Heather has a successful podcast called Absolutely Not which hit the number one podcast spot on Apple Podcasts the week it premiered. A call I made to the podcast was featured in Episode 4 – check it out! She’s a regular guest host on the Today Show during the Hoda and Jenna hour. She has a comedy tour that started this Fall and will continue through the winter. This show has sold out every city. THANKFULLY she came to Florida and I had the honor of going and finally meeting Heather in person after years of chatting on IG and following her journey.
The Farewell Tour
When Heather released the dates for the first leg of her tour I was relieved to see she had two Florida dates. One date in Lake Park and one date in Tampa. My boyfriend was visiting from Brazil during this time and was scheduled to attend an event in South Florida. I knew we would be in South Florida already during her Lake Park date. Lake Park is just north of Palm Beach. So, instead of spending two nights in Miami we spent one night on Singer Island at the Marriott Vacation Club Oceana Palms and then moved on to Miami.
I purchased a VIP ticket to the show. I arrived at the venue at 5:30 pm for the meet and greet. The fans there for the meet and greet were let in and we sat in the first four rows in front of the stage. Heather’s tour manager, Chris Ketner, came out to let us know how the meet and greet would flow. Chris is great by the way… a Tony award-winning producer and very personable.
Heather came out shortly after Chris made his accountment. She spoke to us for about ten minutes, thanking us for coming and talking about how crazy it is that she selling out a tour.
Heather then went on to do individual meet and greets. She couldn’t have been more gracious and I was ecstatic to meet her in person.
Her show was great, HOWEVER, some of the people in the audience did NOT know how to behave and show respect at a live show. But, that couldn’t take away from the memories of a great evening. Thank you, Heather, for a great evening and all you do to make people laugh. I appreciate you and I’m so happy for you and your success!
Heather’s Recommendations #influencerstatus
Something I also have to say about Heather is that she gives the best recommendations. Anything she recommends, you need to try it! What do I mean? When she recommends a product, service or restaurant… I make a point to try it out, if I can, because generally what she shares is on point.
Here are some examples…
Heather’s Favorite restaurant is Storico Fresco Alimentari e Ristorante in Atlanta. Earlier this year we took a trip to Atlanta and had an amazing dinner there. The food is SO good.
Worth a trip to Atlanta!
Nutpods is a dairy-free creamer Heather is frequently talking about. I tried it and this stuff is delicious. You can use it for more than just your coffee. I’ve used it in savory recipes. Of course, you can get Nutpods on Amazon… but with a little luck if you look closely in Marshalls/Homegoods I’ve found boxes of Nutpods there AND they’ve been discounted by $5 the regular price.
An Aperol Spritz is an aperitif. A wine-based cocktail that is refreshing, light and delicious. You can’t just have one! Heather LOVES a spritz… and now, so do I. I’ll have to do a post just on this cocktail alone!
Heather influenced my recent love for a good Aperol Spritz!
Please, go give Heather a follow and make sure you catch her on tour… IF you can get tickets!