Living Life Out Loud with Athisha Khan

When Athisha Khan filmed her first YouTube vlog, she never imagined her channel would achieve the success it has, nor that she would one day become one of Malaysia’s most recognisable social media influencers. Her plate at 23 is full — beyond creating video content, she has a highly successful Instagram account and even runs her own lifestyle brand, AK by Athisha Khan, all while being a full-time student.

“But even though what you see on social media might seem all perfect,” she tells us, “Nobody’s going to post their bad experiences as much as the good ones.” Athisha is no stranger to these low points herself. In 2020, for instance, she had to get used to “finishing my final year in a way I never expected”, when she returned home from the UK to complete her university education online at the start of Malaysia’s Covid-19 Movement Control Order.  

We caught up with Athisha to find out more about how she’s navigated the ups and downs of life — from the pressures of fame to juggling her many roles and staying true to herself through it all.

It’s tough because I’m not the best at time management, but I like planning out my week so I don't have an overwhelming amount of work every single day. Although it was kind of a mess previously, I’ve had a bit more structure since doing online school. I always make university work a night-time thing and once I’m done with that, I can watch movies and whatever. In the daytime, I film and edit. I also do other work stuff, like for my brand or my mum’s.

I’m really fortunate to have a positive and accepting community, which has made it easy for me to be myself. My whole family is either in the same industry or in the spotlight too, so while I haven't had a specific instance where everyone's against me, there are moments where people are not necessarily with my family. Even though their actions are on them, it affects me as well — it’s almost like we come in one package. That has been quite difficult, especially when it impacts our relationship. The best way we’ve coped so far is by trying to have each other's backs as much as possible.

Athisha unwinding in bed with her cat. Featured here is our Warm Sand sheets in bamboo sateen. Images c/o Athisha Khan.

I think you are the only one who really knows what it takes to make you feel better — it could be something small — but most people probably neglect it.

For example, I like being on my own at times. It took me a while to realise this because I’ve always loved hanging out with my friends and come from a huge family. But when I went to study in the UK, it became much harder for me to make friends because I was clear about the kinds of people I wanted to be around with. I ended up being on my own a lot and I loved it. I kept thinking, oh my god, I'm turning into my dad!

Yet when I have a day off, I may spend it with my family or friends, even though what I really want to do is be on my own. Because of that, the need to have my own time is still not fulfilled. That can become exhausting.

I love my night-time skincare routine. I enjoy doing it while watching Netflix, and it's my favourite bit of taking care of myself because I keep it really simple. I think one thing a lot of people tend to forget is body care, so remember to moisturise your body too!

All images courtesy of Athisha Khan. Follow her journey on Instagram.

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