Rylan Benèt on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Rylan Benèt. Check out our conversation below.

Good morning Rylan, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? Who are you learning from right now?
I love this question! Lately I’ve been really inspired by Doechii and Julia Fox. Doechii’s been amazing at sharing the books and music that shape her work, and I’m actually finishing The Artist’s Way right now because of her. It’s such a motivating book for getting out of your own head creatively, though I won’t lie, the daily 3 pages I have to write, as recommended by the author are a lot 😅 still trying to stay consistent with them.

And Julia Fox?? I’m obsessed. She’s overcome so much and still manages to constantly reinvent herself in the most unexpected ways. Her book Down the Drain was so good I read it twice, she’s redefining what it means to be a public figure and I really admire that.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi! I’m Rylan Benèt — I’m a content creator, researcher, and digital storyteller obsessed with nostalgia, internet lore, and the weird, wonderful corners of pop culture. My work lives mostly on YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, and TikTok, where I make deep dives that feel like storytelling podcasts for chronically online people. Think: the rise and fall of early 2000s retail chains, forgotten childhood shows, cursed fashion trends, and the lore behind brands that shaped how we grew up.

What makes my content unique is that I treat nostalgia as a living, evolving archive, not just something we remember, but something that helps us understand who we are today. I also include a hidden alien storyline in my content (yes, really). They’re learning about humanity through our internet history, and I’m secretly helping them understand us 👽✨

Right now, I’m focused on growing my YouTube channel and Spotify Podcast, Chroinally Online with Rylan Benèt, into a full-time storytelling platform and eventually launching merch, streaming, and community projects that center around shared memories and niche internet culture. I want to build a space where being “too online” is a strength and not something to hide.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
As a child, I believed I was invincible. I really thought the world would be easy that I was always protected, that everything was sunshine and rainbows. I wore rose-colored glasses without even realizing it. But now, as an adult, I see how unkind and unfair life can be especially for Black and brown people, and especially in creative industries where we often have to work twice as hard for half the recognition.

For me personally, navigating this path without parental figures to fall back on has been one of the hardest parts. But I stay resilient not just for myself, but because I want to build something solid for when I eventually have a family. That sense of responsibility keeps me going, even when the odds don’t feel in my favor.

What fear has held you back the most in your life?
The fear that’s held me back the most is failure. And not in a hypothetical way, I’ve dealt with failure more than once, and it still weighs on me. I would love to make content creation my full-time job and fully commit to making meaningful videos that resonate with my audience, especially on YouTube. But the reality is, even with 21k subscribers on YouTube and 10k on Instagram, I still can’t afford to take that leap.

I’m not monetized on those platforms yet, and with chronic health issues in the mix, I need consistent healthcare, which makes things even more complicated. I’m also just one person, trying to juggle everything while staying creative, consistent, and sane. So yeah, failure or maybe the fear of not being able to sustain what I love — has been a big block. But I’m still pushing, still showing up, and still dreaming.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What important truth do very few people agree with you on?
An important truth I believe in, that not everyone agrees with, is how essential it is to continuously check in with yourself and commit to healing, both mentally and physically. I think therapy can be such a powerful tool to gain clarity, especially when you find yourself stuck in the same cycles or facing the same challenges over and over again. But beyond that, if those struggles are rooted in mental health, I also believe in taking care of yourself holistically,y and that includes being open to medication when it’s needed.

It’s not just about “feeling better,” it’s about staying focused on the goals that build you up, creating a strong support system, and paying it forward by helping others when you can. Because once you face your own challenges head-on and finally have the energy to pour into your dreams, it feels so good.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What will you regret not doing? 
Not taking myself seriously enough to commit to building a consistent presence and creating genuine content when I was younger. Even now, while working on new YouTube videos and researching topics I genuinely care about, I think back to how many hours I spent in my early 20s overthinking what pictures or content to post. I look at some of that old stuff now and think, ‘Wow, that wasn’t even bad.’ But at the time, I was too embarrassed, too focused on just surviving and trying to find a job, and honestly too distracted. If I had really committed back then, maybe I’d be in a much more stable place now with a consistent audience and stronger engagement. That’s probably something I’ll always wonder about.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rylanbenet.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rylanbenet/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@rylanbenet
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rylanbenet