Ridley’s love of fashion began in middle school when she realized clothes have power and wanted to style herself. A newspaper route gave her the funds to start buying her own apparel; a savvy shopper, she would purchase considerately, always thinking of mix and match options to maximize her looks.

As a nurse, Ridley needed a creative outlet and decided to start posting thrifting finds to her personal Instagram account (@ruthieridley). She began amassing new followers who loved her ethos and attracted the attention of well-known brands—ultimately realizing her passion could be her profession. 

In 2020, she left nursing and moved into content creation full-time, signing to an agency. These days, tens of thousands of people across the U.S. and beyond follow Ridley to see the latest trends—from the likes of J. Crew, Walmart, Amazon, and Loft—as well as snapshots from her personal life.

 

How does a typical day start for you?
I go to the gym, FIIT Nation in El Dorado Hills, for either their 5 a.m. or 6 a.m. strength class. After, I help my kids (Savannah, 14, Ava, 13, and J, 12) get ready for school, drop them off, and then either walk or do cardio. Moving my body as much as possible helps with my self-confidence for when I’m in front of the camera.    

Please share your working day with us.
My week really depends on the brands and the assignments I’m sent. The jobs come in with specifications such as deadlines, posting dates, the brief, and whether [the brands] want to approve the video before it’s published. My manager organizes everything in an online system, so I know what I need to do every day.

I go through all the clothes [the brands send] and think about how I’m going to style them. I might use accessories (sunglasses, shoes, and handbags) or pieces I already own to create a look the label is after. I’m dressing up every day—it’s fun!

On filming days, I shoot at home, recording posts for TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram—it can take a while! I record the posts using just my iPhone; I don’t use a tripod or extra lighting, as my house has huge windows that let in lots of natural light, which is ideal. I’m sometimes sent or asked to choose homewares to showcase on my platform, too.

Throughout the day I also reply to comments or read DMs (direct messages) that followers send me. It’s such a joy when people like what they’re seeing and feel inspired to try an outfit for themselves.

 

Tell us more about your holiday posts.
Halloween posts are a lot of fun, as I let my creative side run wild coming up with costume ideas and themes. If you follow me, you’ll know that I get my family involved too, including my law enforcement husband!

Do you have any help?
I have a personal assistant and a fantastic photographer I use for specific assignments. Luckily, I’ve been working with them both for a long time, so they really get me! I also have help with my scripture account (@ruthanns_journal), too.

Managing my busy schedule, filming, booking the photographer, working with the brands (and praying for good weather so I can film!) is challenging at times, but I love my job so much. My family is my priority and thanks to this career, I have greater freedom and can spend more time with them. I pray every day it doesn’t go away.

Can you share more about your faith account @ruthanns_journal?
My faith is everything to me. I was inspired by other faith accounts I saw, contacted them, and they put me in touch with the graphic designer who creates the posts with me. I decide on the scriptures to publish based on what I’m going through or what I see happening around me. I also read the Bible every day. My followers are so engaging; they’re looking for daily words of encouragement and don’t care what I look like!

Place for coffee: Temple Coffee Roasters in Folsom for an almond milk latte.  
Restaurant: For family meals, I love Wally’s Pizza Bar in Cameron Park. They make great pizza and pasta and have lots of gluten-free options. For date night, The Grange in Sacramento—delicious steaks, drinks, and the best bread and butter!
Self-care destination: Esthetics Center in El Dorado Hills—it’s where I go for facials.
Way to relax with family: Cheering on my kids at all their games!  When we have time, we love hiking, both locally and in Tahoe. We also have movie nights each week and try to watch a TV show together.