arrival edit #10: balancing content creation, software engineering, and musical theater
Meet Kenzie Macdonald.
Happy Friday!
We’re back this week chatting with Kenzie Macdonald - a content creator, software engineer, and musical theater performer based in San Francisco. We asked her about her journey with content, her favorite ways to get active, how she balances performing, and some of her favorite (and least favorite) things about social media.
Read below for the full interview, and as always, don’t forget to share and subscribe!
Introduce yourself, in your own words.
I’m Kenzie! I’m 25 and I live in San Francisco. I’m originally from the Bay Area and have been living in SF for the past four years. Since moving here, I’ve really gotten into outdoorsy types of exercise—running, cycling, and swimming in the Bay. Fitness has always been a big part of my life. It used to be team sports, but now it’s more individual, fun activities that I enjoy with friends.
By day, I’m a software engineer, and I also create content online. I’ve been doing that on Instagram for about a year and a half now.
What does a typical day look like for you?
A typical day is... a lot. That’s something I’m actively working on. Every day looks a little different, which keeps things fun, but it can also make it hard to feel like I have a set routine.
I usually start my day with some form of movement — a walk or a workout. That could be any of the outdoor activities I mentioned, or sometimes strength training or Pilates. I work from home most mornings, but I’ll sometimes head to a coworking space. I’m working on my own company with my cofounder, so while we don’t have a “real” office yet, we do have a space we can work from, which is awesome.
I typically finish up work around 6, sometimes later depending on the day. Evenings are usually for catching up with friends, seeing a show or concert. I love the arts. I don’t cook much, to be honest. I usually order in or cook with friends. That’s kind of the base routine, but the before-and-after-work pieces vary day to day, which keeps things interesting.
What are some of your favorite ways to move your body?
I don’t have one favorite, but something I’m leaning into more lately is swimming in the Bay. I grew up as a competitive swimmer, and a few years ago I got into open water swimming. It made the sport feel a lot more fun and less like “practice” in a pool. SF is so beautiful, and there’s a big open water swimming community here.
I actually have a race coming up on Labor Day—it’s a swim from the SF side of the Golden Gate Bridge to the Sausalito side. I’m not super worried about the swim itself since I grew up doing this, but being out in the ocean alone is definitely a little scary. I’ll be training for it with my mom and one of my best friends, which makes it extra special.
Getting back into swimming has felt really good. A lot of people who follow me online probably don’t know this, but I didn’t really work out for the first three years of college. I was coming off a lifetime of team sports and didn’t know how to move my body in a way that felt fun. Now, I love trying new things and mixing it up. Iit keeps it exciting.
How do you recover?
I use a Theragun regularly for injury prevention, and I take Arrival creatine daily for muscle recovery. I really love Arrival – not just for the strength benefits, but also for its cognitive effects, especially as my dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s almost six years ago. I really appreciate the research behind it.
I also take electrolytes and sometimes supplement that with Vital Proteins. Recovery for me is mostly a mix of stretching, Theragun, Arrival, and taking rest days.
Do you follow a specific plan?
Not really. I’ll probably swim twice a week leading up to the race, and cross-train with running, cycling, and Pilates. I used to swim every single day in high school, but funny enough, I feel faster over distance now that I’m cross-training instead of just swimming daily.
How did you get started with content creation?
My senior year of college was in 2020 — aka COVID year — so there wasn’t a lot to do. I started posting on TikTok and ended up growing a pretty big following. I hit around 195,000 followers. But when I graduated, I actually quit social media. I didn’t post for three years and deleted my personal Instagram. I left my TikTok up like a little relic but didn’t touch it.
I stepped away because I was way too attached to my phone and struggled with setting boundaries. At the same time, I was starting my first full-time job.
About a year and a half ago, I realized I didn’t have a strong creative outlet. I do musical theater, but that only happens a couple times a year. My mom encouraged me to try TikTok again, so I came back to it—but this time with better boundaries. I even use an app called AppLock that locks my apps between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. so I can actually go to bed.
Coming back was hard. I had lost around 15,000 followers, and my engagement wasn’t the same. I used to get 10K views easily, and I’d regularly have a video hit a million views each week. But my content has evolved. I used to do mostly comedy, funny clips—now I vlog and share more of my real life.
Instagram has been really fun, too. I’ve found a really supportive community there—honestly, more so than on TikTok. Watching myself improve at editing and scripting has been super rewarding.
I’d love to hear more about musical theater and how that fits into your life!
Yes! I’ve done musical theater basically my whole life. When I was a kid, I heard a radio ad for auditions and begged my mom to let me go. My parents weren’t theater people at all, so it wasn’t the typical path—but they let me do it, and I loved it.
I considered majoring in theater in college but ended up doing shows just for fun. Even now, part of me still wishes performing was my full-time job, but it’s tough without the same training background as a lot of people I share the stage with.
When I moved to SF, I started auditioning and eventually joined a theater group that performs in the Mission District. I’m getting ready for my third show with them. I typically do 1–2 shows with them a year. During the show months, my life looks very different. Rehearsals are 6:30 to 10 p.m. every night, and we perform five nights a week for a month.
Right now we’re doing 9 to 5, based on the Dolly Parton musical. It’s a wild schedule, but I love it.
What do you love — and not love — as much about social media and content creation?
I love editing. I also love hearing from people — especially when someone DMs me saying I inspired them to try biking. That’s the best part.
My least favorite part? Honestly, I don’t think social media is great for society... but if it’s here, I’m going to use it in a way that works for me. That said, it is incredible for uplifting small businesses and giving people a voice.
