Mandy Ansari Jensen, Founder of Modern Girl Media and Content Creator Extraordinaire
Mandy at home in New York City. Photographer: Lauren Listor
“You’re never wasting time. You’re always just learning. You can always take what you’ve done and turn it into the next iteration of your life.”
You probably already know Mandy Ansari Jensen. With nearly 400,000 Instagram followers, the digital marketer and content creator is widely recognized for her vibrant online presence and inviting personal brand. But in this interview, Mandy opens up in a way that might surprise you. She shares the twists in her career path, how she manifested her partner after heartbreak, and what it means to create a life you’d want to relive. Our “virtual BFF” lets us into her home and her heart.
I wasn’t totally clear on how to describe all that Mandy does to others. So I asked her! “First and foremost, I’m a marketer,” she says. “A digital marketer who’s passionate about making the world feel smaller and more connected through technology.” As the founder of boutique agency Modern Girl Media, she’s worked with everyone from Michelle Obama to Bumble. Smartly, the agency work keeps her sharp and informed—and what she learns there, she brings back to her own brand.
I caught up with Mandy just a few weeks before she gave birth to her first child. In our interview, Mandy reflects on growth, grief, career pivots, and the many ways she’s learned to trust her timing.
A Creative From the Start
NonyO
I’ve been dying to have this conversation with you because I find you fascinating and inspiring.
Mandy Ansari Jensen
The feeling is mutual. I’m so excited to be in vibrant company—not just with you, but with the company you keep. I feel honored to be here.
NonyO
Thank you! Can you give us a quick overview of how you arrived at what you do today?
Mandy
My path has had a lot of pivots. I’ve always been intellectually curious and entrepreneurial. I’m 39 now, but my first “business” was when I was 12—designing wallpapers for classmates’ computers. Then came custom MySpace skins and Blogspot themes. I just loved creating online.
I give credit to my dad—he’s a computer scientist and was deep in the early days of the internet. But I also wanted my own identity. So, for a while, I wanted to be a magazine editor. That dream took me to New York. I also worked in education—kindergarten teacher, second grade, and eventually a school principal.
I really had to navigate all my different interests. The older I get, the more I realize I don’t need to ditch any of those interests. I just have to find ways to incorporate them in a way that’s sustainable, feeds me, supports my mental health, and doesn’t just keep me busy for the sake of being busy.
From Principal to Pivot
NonyO
What came after being a principal?
Mandy
I was only 24 and managing a school with 378 kids. It was a lot. While I loved working with children, I found myself thriving more in curriculum development, marketing, and team building—things that lit me up differently. And suddenly, I was spending more time with adults than with kids, which wasn’t the dream.
I had to stop and ask, “What drew me here in the first place?” And it kept coming back to marketing, storytelling, and 360-degree communication.
NonyO
And connecting with people—that’s one of your best skills.
Mandy
Thank you. I realized I couldn’t keep doing something that burned me out. I wanted to evolve without feeling like I’d “wasted” the years behind me. Which, by the way, is a lie. You’re never wasting time. You’re always just learning. You can always take what you’ve done and turn it into the next iteration of your life.
But at the time, I felt stuck. I still had this yearning for a bigger life—in New York or San Francisco.
NonyO
You wanted the shine, the glamour too.
Mandy
Yup. And I’m Middle Eastern. I grew up in a Christian home. I had this image in my head—get married at 22, have kids by 25. I realized very quickly, oh, that’s not happening.
I was also dealing with a lot of imposter syndrome. I’d changed my major from journalism to early childhood development, then got a master’s in psychology. I kept thinking, “Why did I do that? Now I can’t use any of it.”
But so much has changed. Education doesn’t pigeonhole us the way it used to. But I didn’t know that then. I believed that I had messed everything up.
I grew up in the Bay Area, in Silicon Valley. It was around the time startups were booming. I started realizing that the only limit being placed on my career was the one I was putting on myself.
Mandy at home in New York City. Photographer: Lauren Listor
All Photos by Lauren Listor of Laurel Creative Agency
A Self-Taught Marketing Breakthrough
NonyO
Did you have a clear vision of what was next, or were you just letting yourself be open to something new?
Mandy
I didn’t have a crystal-clear vision. But I did feel something brewing.
I had started a program called Little Athletes, which brought extracurriculars to campuses—especially for working parents who couldn’t make those after-school hours happen. But what excited me most was branding the program—building the website, obsessing over the fonts and colors.
That love of branding pushed me to volunteer for a nonprofit. One thing led to another, and I took a leap into digital marketing, teaching myself how to code with YouTube open on two screens. I taught myself how to write HTML, CSS, JavaScript—because this was before Wix and Squarespace. I built their website from scratch.
Four years later, I tripled my income working at a San Francisco skincare startup. And it all happened because I put in the time to become self-taught.
On Starting Before You’re Ready
NonyO
Yes! One of my last newsletters was about how we think we must be great before starting. But in reality, you get great because you started.
Mandy
One hundred percent. We have to stop thinking everything has to be perfect before we move. I think people forget—even CEOs are figuring it out on the job.
NonyO
So what would you say to women who’ve pivoted but are struggling because their peers seem to be moving faster?
Mandy
One of my mantras is: “Comparison is the thief of joy.” The world is already hard enough. I want to hold on to every drop of joy that’s available to me. And if comparison is going to rob me of that? I just won’t do it.
Another one I love is: “Don’t be bitter, get better.”
There’s more than enough success to go around. If someone’s doing something that inspires you, don’t spiral—go to them. Ask them how they did it. Compliment them. You’ll probably find that what you’re admiring isn’t as picture-perfect as it looks.
We only see a sliver of someone’s life. We’re comparing ourselves to a curated highlight reel. And the person you’re comparing yourself to? They’re probably comparing themselves to someone else, too.
NonyO
And people are often flattered when you ask. It’s not weird to say, “I admire what you’ve built—how did you do it?”
Mandy
Totally. That’s something I learned the hard way after losing my best friend. She died by suicide nine years ago. She admired a lot of people but struggled with comparison.
I started realizing how powerful compliments are. When someone she admired gave her even a small compliment, it shifted her entire week. That changed me. I made it a personal mission to compliment five strangers a day.
During COVID, I had to switch to doing it online. But it stuck. If you see something beautiful—someone’s outfit, their post, their words—say something. You never know how much that person might need to hear it.
Mandy in her daughter’s nursery. Photographer: Lauren Listor
Mandy in her daughter’s nursery. Photographer: Lauren Listor
Creating Your Own Evidence
NonyO
One of the things I’ve done for years is keep an “accomplishments file.” Anytime someone says something nice in an email, or I kill it in a meeting, or even just have a great conversation—I write it down.
It’s a reminder of who I am when I forget.
Mandy
Same. I have a note on my phone called “Kind Words.” Anytime someone says something that sticks with me, I write it down. I use it when I do affirmations—because some mornings, I run out of nice things to say to myself.
That list reminds me of the beauty others see in me when I can’t see it myself.
Rewriting Her Story and Reclaiming Her Life
NonyO
A lot has happened in the last few years: meeting your partner, getting married, and now having a baby. Can you share how you met him?
Mandy
I left a six-year relationship at 31 and thought I had lost my chance to be a mom. It looked right on paper—same school, same culture, same interests. I remember sobbing in the car and saying, “I gave up my best years. My fertility window. You’ll move on and find someone younger, and I won’t get to have a child.”
After that breakup, I started doing everything I could to heal—therapy, psychics, shamans, soul cycle, journaling, traveling. Anything to feel peace again.
One session with a Reiki healer in San Francisco really shifted me. She asked what I was most afraid of, and I told her not being a mom.
Then she asked, “Okay, what if you meet the love of your life, and he can’t have children—what would you do?” I said, “I’d stay with him.”
So she said, “Then there are other ways to become a mother.” We came up with nine different ones. That completely reframed everything for me.
After that, I moved to New York, and I decided I was not going to date from a place of fear or scarcity. I’m going to live my life and trust that what’s for me won’t miss me.
Owning Who the F You Are
Mandy
My cousin—he’s 22, gay, and blunt—told me something that stuck. He said, “You need to stop dating men for you. Start dating men who will be good dads. If what you want most is a child, don’t waste time with guys who won’t be great fathers.”
That really hit. I stayed single for five years and loved it. I used to hate Friday and Saturday nights by myself. But once I got comfortable being alone, I started to realize how much I brought to the table.
By the time I met my husband, I knew I was interesting. I knew I was fun. I knew I had something to offer.
NonyO
Yes! Losing something often helps us see what we really have to offer. When I moved to France, I lost my title, my circle, and my resume. I was just... me. And I realized that “just me” was enough.
Mandy
Exactly. I had that same moment. I moved across the country, away from everything familiar, and still realized: “Oh, I’m still great company.”
I went home to California for the holidays. On New Year’s Eve, I made my whole family do vision boards. That same night, I journaled a super-specific list: I wanted a New Yorker who loved New York, who danced when food came out, who was nice to waiters. Everything.
Six days later, I matched with my now-husband on Tinder.
Because of COVID, we talked for five weeks before we met. But we had hours of phone calls, and I really got to know him. Once we met in person, we clicked instantly.
Restaurants weren’t open yet, so I suggested we go on a trip for Valentine's Day. I didn’t tell my family at first—they would’ve panicked that I was going to Mexico with a stranger—but I knew I’d either get clarity or I wouldn’t.
We went. It was great. We got engaged six months later and married the following year. I was 36 at the wedding, and I’ll be 39 when I give birth.
Color, whimsy, joy.
All Photos by Lauren Listor of Laurel Creative Agency
Becoming a Mom Without Losing Yourself
NonyO
Have you thought about the kind of mother you want to be? Especially after everything you’ve experienced—and everything society tells us we’re supposed to be?
Mandy
One of my best friends—someone I’ve known since we were two—came to visit. She has three daughters. While talking, she said, “I always loved coming to your house growing up. Your mom never judged me. I could be myself there.”
She came from a home with a lot of expectations—academic, religious, and social—and she said that our home gave her room to breathe.
That really stuck with me. I want to give that same kind of freedom to my child. I want our home to be a place of emotional and creative expression. No shame.
Unconditional love means loving your child for who they are, not just what they achieve.
All Photos by Lauren Listor of Laurel Creative Agency
Evolving Friendships and Setting Boundaries
NonyO
How has your view of friendship evolved? Are you still open to making new friends?
Mandy
Absolutely. I really value friendship. I believe in building and keeping strong relationships.
But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve also come to appreciate boundaries. I’m a recovering people-pleaser. I love when a friend can say, “I’d love to hang out, but I think you need some time for yourself.” Or, “Let’s go to a workout class together—you’ve been giving a lot lately.”
The best friends don’t just want access to you—they want what’s best for you. Even if that means they take a step back when you need space.
I also love friends with empathy and humor. And honesty. Someone who can say, “I’m at capacity right now, but I love you.” That’s everything.
What’s Next?
NonyO
What’s next for you?
Mandy
Learning to be a mom—while still honoring all the other parts of me.
I’ve spent 39 years building who I am. I don’t want to lose that. I want to find ways to balance this new role with the pieces of me I’ve worked hard to develop.
Of course, it’ll look different. The way I show up at work and in friendships—it’ll all shift. But I don’t want to disappear into motherhood.
My word for the year is “balance”. Some months may be heavy on parenting, some on career. But I’m not chasing perfection—I just want to stay grounded in who I am, even as I grow.
Final Word
NonyO
What quote defines your outlook on life?
Mandy
"Things are always working out for me, no matter how it looks at any given point in time." —Abraham Hicks
That one grounds me. It reminds me to trust the process.
Also, I got my first tattoo this year, in my late best friend’s handwriting. It says, “Amor fati.” The Latin phrase means “love of fate.”
Good or bad, whatever happens, is part of what was meant to happen. That idea has brought me a lot of peace.
Affirmations, writing, and note-taking are very important to Mandy.