The day my brand deal almost made me lose my mind

Last year, I took a brand deal from a tea company. They wanted me to make a video about how their ginger tea helps with 'morning glow' and 'productivity'. I was like, okay, easy money. I film, I edit, I post, I cash out. Simple.

But the brief was giving... corporate madness. They wanted me to say things like 'this tea revolutionised my morning routine' and 'I feel so aligned and centred'. Omo, who talks like that? I am a girl who drinks Lipton from a flask on a keke. I am not aligned, I am just trying not to spill hot water on myself.

I filmed the video 4 times. Each time I sounded like a robot reading a script. My friend who was helping me, she just kept laughing and saying 'Chi-Chi, you look like you're being held hostage'. I wanted to cry and laugh at the same time.

In the end, I sent them a raw version where I just said 'this tea is nice, I drink it when I'm cold, it's not bad'. They approved it. I collected my money. But I swear, that experience made me realise I am not built for that kind of content. I would rather be broke and real than rich and fake.

Now I just tell brands upfront: I will not say things I don't mean. Some of them run. Some of them stay. The ones that stay, those are my people.