Wowwww, Connecticut Magazine just named me as #3 on their 40 under 40 list! I celebrated on Monday by taking Alexis out to dinner at one of my favorite places in my hood, Cara Hotel. It’s the cutest little hideaway that’s super COVID safe, and felt like the best spot to celebrate. Growing up in Connecticut is certainly such a huge part of my story: growing up in a small town inspired me to be even more fearless and get out of my comfort zone by moving away to cities where I knew no one. That’s how you find yourself!

Thank you, CT!

Alexa Curtis • 23 • Mansfield

Entrepreneur and social media influencer

Back in middle school, Curtis started a fashion blog. By high school, however, as she was dealing with bullying, insecurities and body-image issues, she switched her writing focus to lifestyle. Today, she is CEO of Life Unfiltered with Alexa, a lifestyle platform aimed at young adults on social media with a focus on mental health. She also has a podcast, This is Life Unfiltered, and formerly hosted a Radio Disney show, Fearless Everyday. “For me, living life unfiltered comes down to doing absolutely anything that gets you out of your comfort zone, whether that means taking a leap and starting a company or even maybe going to college if you’ve never considered going before,” she says. “It can also be as simple as trying a new restaurant or meeting a new person and that’s how I really classify being fearless.” Fearless for her in 2020 came in the form of producing her second annual Be Fearless Summit for college students, which was to take place live in April. Curtis ended up running it virtually in October, and the event drew a strong audience. She hopes to run two more virtual conferences this year with an eye toward returning to in-person events as soon as safely possible. lifeunfilteredwithalexa.com • Instagram: @alexa_curtis