Daily Inspiration: Meet Mackenzie Buck

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mackenzie Buck.

Hi Mackenzie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve always been curious (my parents would prefer the word “nosy,” but I lovingly disagree) about other people. Their quirks, their views, the things that make them squirm. This explains, in part, why I initially pursued a career in psychology.

I even worked at a psychiatric hospital for the treatment of eating disorders for a year and loved (almost) every minute of it. After leaving the hospital and spending two years working and studying in Europe, I realized two things: 1) Holy sh*t. The world is a big freaking place with a never-ending list of issues and topics that so many of us (including myself) don’t know about or simply don’t care to know about, and 2) I wanted to take my desire to inquire and understand and help others to a much larger scale.

So, naturally, (in the media-obsessed world that we live in) the first thought that came to mind was to start a YouTube channel.

I put up a post in a local Manchester, UK filmmaking FB group, met up with 4 or 5 curious strangers and started putting ideas together. Period shaming, sexual taboos, Presidential elections, birth control. I wanted to talk about it all. Finally, after months of coordinating student schedules and scouting locations and (if we’re being honest here) getting up the nerve to actually do the dang thing, we shot our first episode on the streets of downtown Manchester, right across from the Student Union.

Here we are 10 episodes later. I’m back in the States now and the crew is now down to myself and a friend of mine who carries a camera. I do all the brainstorming, question formatting, planning, and editing, too (I learned a lot throughout quarantine, so I guess 2020 wasn’t a total waste, am I right?). It’s a wild process and it’s still terrifying every time I grab that mic and approach a total stranger on the streets of Raleigh, but it’s worth it every time.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Oh my god, no. I say that with feigned resentment, cause it wouldn’t REALLY be a good story if it had all been easy, right?

I started with a team of 5 or 6 and am now down to basically myself and whichever of my friends is available to carry a camera for a couple of hours on a given day. There were dads in the hospital, over-packed schedules, and, ya know, cross-ocean moves to be held responsible for the dwindling of my team, but it’s all good. I learned a lot having to rely on pretty much myself only… things I wouldn’t have learned if I had just had other people to do it for me.

Now that I think about it, maybe it worked out for the best since I’m kind of a control freak anyway ha! Anyways, it’s still early days (a phrase I learned from the Love Island, UK, by the way) with this project, and wants to make it so much bigger, so I’m aware it’s all part of the process!

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Uhh, so basically my job is to make people uncomfortable.

And by that, I mean talking to people about topics that are, to many of us, considered “taboo,” like sex, money, the human body, politics, etc. I feel strongly about the fact that starting conversations about issues surrounding these topics is the best way to find solutions to those very same issues. Ultimately, the aim is to inform and entertain.

I’m most proud of my efforts to use lighthearted fun to change the way people see things. Any person who leaves the interview feeling like they learned something or was even just part of spreading an important message is a win to me (… oftentimes they leave feeling embarrassed, but, hey, that’s show biz).

I’ve even become friends with one of the strangers I interviewed (shout out to Ayden) who said I taught him things he didn’t know about hormonal birth control (and things about simple math, but you’ll need to watch my channel to understand that one).

What matters most to you? Why?
Okay, wow. Wasn’t ready for this question at 10 am on a Thursday morning.

As cringy as this is gonna sound, what matters most to me is love and happiness. And I think that’s why I’m so passionate about shedding light on social and political issues. I truly believe that if everyone in the world had the resources to be informed about the issues that really matter, things would change.

People would be more understanding and compassionate towards others. And we’d all just be kicking it, really. Quality of life matters, man. We’re all just people trying to be happy at the end of the day.

Contact Info:

• Email: upyoursnpersonal@gmail.com
• Instagram: @upyoursandpersonal
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Up-Yours-and-Personal-101784868326405/?ref=pages_you_manage
• Twitter: @upyours__
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRU0ChkXup0a0Q9meaO-5pg
• TikTok: @upyoursandpersonal

Image Credits
Matt Norris