In the midst of a global pandemic, when everyone focused on the big picture issues, Menlo alumni Denna Nazem (16’) focused on the smallest details — the sunsets, the restaurants and the fashion trends that brought San Francisco to life in a time of crisis. After being surrounded by high-achieving people at Menlo and even more at Georgetown, Nazem felt pressured into a future-forward mindset that prevented her from enjoying the present. “I wanted to make an intentional effort to be as present as possible and really optimize for the little things in my day that make me and others happy,” Nazem said. It was that mindset that brought the world Strictly the Good Stuff, which grew from a blog strictly for family and friends into a platform for content from food reviews to travel guides to fashion inspiration.
Strictly the Good Stuff initially took off when Nazem started posting content about San Francisco, at a time when influencing in San Francisco didn’t exist. Nazem posts everything from outfit of the day videos on TikTok to in-depth travel guides on Substack to brand promotions on Instagram. Her goal: to romanticize life. “I really wanted to show love to the community and to the area and all the beautiful things,” Nazem said. “[Strictly the Good Stuff] was a love letter to the city but also to myself and my life.”
While the name was initially stolen from a friend’s ex-boyfriend’s Instagram post caption, Strictly the Good Stuff has become a personal slogan for Nazem. “It’s like my favorite phrase ever,” Nazem said. “It captures the gist of what I’m trying to do, which is romanticizing and being in love with life, being present and exploring and making core memories with people and celebrating beauty in life.”
For Nazem, Strictly the Good Stuff is a creative outlet where she can share her love for photography and researching local treasures with a following that cares about her content. Despite working a full-time job, Nazem is constantly looking for content to post or ways to interact with her followers, something she attributes to her passion for growing and maintaining the account. “It’s truly just fun,” Nazem said.
At first, Nazem was reluctant to show her face on camera or speak in videos, but after receiving positive feedback from followers, she felt comfortable being more vulnerable on the internet. According to Nazem, it was easier for her to be confident in her content and herself when she realized that the work she was doing was authentic to herself and what she stands for. “I just keep putting content out there that I’m proud of and I just don’t care if anyone thinks that’s weird, because so many other people think that it’s great,” Nazem said. “If I cared about what everyone was saying about me, or if anyone was judging me, I would never be where I am.”
For Nazem, the best part of creating and posting content is hearing back from her followers, in person or via DMs or comments, about their experiences trying her guides, visiting places she recommended, purchasing gifts she suggested, or just general comments about her philosophy on romanticizing life. “Something like that truly makes my world,” Nazem said.
