Q&A with RADIANT REBEL | HILLARY LEBLANC

Inside the mind of a razor-sharp activist with a soft heart, a rebellious streak, and impeccable style.

Hillary LeBlanc doesn't do quiet. She's the kind of woman who walks into a room with both purpose and ease: a journalist who turns stories into action, an activist who believes joy is just as powerful as outrage, and a style maven who proves that speaking up can look as good as it feels. She knows the beauty of giving a damn, and she wears it well.

Her work spans journalism, advocacy, education, fashion, and media, but what ties it all together is a genuine desire to make the world a better place. And she's got the receipts. Her storytelling has helped secure a $20,000 investment for a nonprofit and brought deserving voices into the spotlight of an art gallery exhibition. For Hillary, a good story doesn't simply start a conversation. It has the power to change someone's life.

But behind the sharp mind, bold opinions, and unapologetic sense of style is someone who knows the importance of softness, self-acceptance, and finding joy in the everyday. From growing up feeling like "the only" to becoming a woman who uses her platform to make others feel seen, Hillary has learned that strength and vulnerability aren't mutually exclusive. Neither are activism and a fabulous outfit.

We sat down with our latest Radiant Rebel to talk about challenging outdated beauty standards, finding your voice, making a difference, and why sometimes the most beautiful thing you can do is give a damn.

You’ve spoken openly about growing up feeling like “the only” and having to figure out where you belonged. Looking back now, what do you think that experience taught you about yourself that you couldn’t have understood at the time?

HL: It taught me so much about tenacity but also about profound sadness. I had to be my own friend, my own champion, my own support. I had to take time later to unpack what was normal, what experiences I had had that were safe or unsafe, and what I valued about myself to foster so I could continue to thrive. I could’ve never known what cards life would deal but being ‘the only’ now often has perks, like having my own peace.

You’ve moved through journalism, advocacy, education, fashion and media, and you always seem to have a lot in motion. What actually guides you when you’re deciding what deserves your time, energy and voice?

HL: In everything I do, I endeavour to make the world a better place through storytelling. Being a freelancer means I never have to compromise my morals, which is extremely important to me. I also try to weigh the pros and cons of every interaction, transaction, and partnership. If it’s unpaid, will it boost me up? What labour am I putting into a task? Does it align with my brand and vision for my career? 

One thing I really admire about your work is that it often moves beyond conversation into action. Where do you think that instinct to actually make something happen comes from?

HL: My mom is a huge motivator for me. Growing up on welfare, she was often pushing me to get an education to help get us out of poverty. The desire to change my life, to make positive change, definitely stems from her pushing me forward. 

Okay, you’re queen for the day. Unlimited power, no red tape. What are the first three things you’re changing?

HL: I’m immediately taxing all of the 1% and using their excess money to get homeless people housing and mental health support.

I’m finding a way to get clean water consistently to Indigenous and remote communities.

I’m putting a percentage cap on inflation of profits at grocery stores so monopoly owned stores, like Loblaws, can’t hike up prices for their personal profit and gain. 

You do work that carries real weight, but there’s also so much colour, fashion, creativity and joy around you. I’m really interested in the idea that playfulness isn’t a distraction from meaningful work, it can actually be part of what sustains us. What role does joy play in the way you live and the way you show up in the world?

HL: Joy definitely keeps me going in times that are so bleak. Firstly, I am a huge believer in centering BLACK joy and remembering to see Black people as full human beings and not simply pieces of a shared trauma like the diaspora or slave trade. I try to engage in joy often by remaining playful, having fun at events, listening to music, travelling, remaining curious, and sharing the things I find interesting with the world.

Your relationship with identity and self-expression has evolved so much over time. How has your own idea of beauty changed as you’ve gotten older? What feels beautiful to you now that maybe didn’t when you were younger?

HL: The main thing I didn’t find beautiful as a teen were my natural curls and my skin colour, which I now adore on both accounts. The hair process took 25 years, but I love my hair and wouldn’t change the way it can coil, flatiron, accept braiding, transform for anything!

The beauty industry still uses so much language rooted in fear, especially around aging. At Electric Lemonade, I’ve consciously moved away from terms like “anti-aging” because I want beauty to feel more like self-care, pleasure and self-expression than a constant project of fixing ourselves. How do you think we reclaim beauty as something joyful without feeding the fear that we’re somehow not enough as we are?

HL: There is a huge problem with constantly fixing ourselves, trying to prevent aging, trying to get insanely thin, trying to be the right shade of tan…I think beauty needs to be framed as illuminating the beauty that already exists. It’s an enhancement, a fine-tuning, a tweaking of beauty that exists. I am also, for one, against invasive procedures simply because I worry somewhere down the line there will be repercussions and our faces will melt (lol). 

As a founder-led brand, I’m very aware that smaller companies actually have a unique opportunity to build inclusivity into the foundation rather than trying to retrofit it later. From your perspective, what should founders be thinking about when it comes to representation, especially across BIPOC and queer communities, if they genuinely want to create a brand where more people feel seen?

HL: Founders should: have real BIPOC/queer/marginalized people at the table of discussion instead of assuming things we may want or need, ensure people that share space with us represent and reflect us (like at a photo shoot, a campaign. etc), that products are tested for everyone/applicable to all skin types, that founders are continuing to do research on tech/science/innovations that impact everyone and anyone. 

If you could send three notes through time, one to the girl you were, one to yourself today, and one to Hillary ten years from now, what would each one say?

HL: Past Hillary: I promise you are safe, you are good, and everything will work out.

Today: Have a nap and consider a break before you burn out!

Future: I hope we are still happy, still successful and increasingly fulfilled.

What makes you feel electric?

HL: I feel ELECTRIC meeting and connecting with amazing people, rooted in their purpose, sharing stories and finding out those stories have had ripple affects. A story I did on a not-for-profit resulted in a $20,000 investment. One story resulted in people being featured in an art gallery exhibit.

RAPID FIRE

Favourite book? Wuthering Heights

Biggest inspiration? Moving away from who I used to be to who I deserve to become.

Best advice you've ever received? “Unless you make them wonder, they will not turn the page” 

Your signature saying? Apparently it’s : All of this to say…

Favourite mocktail? I’m a big fan of OddBird Rosé Spumante or a beet based mocktail!

Holy-grail beauty/skincare product? Mascara!

Two wardrobe pieces you couldn't live without? Statement earrings and a strong blazer.

Instant mood booster? Shopping and Harry Styles on repeat

Guilty pleasure? Nothing really makes me feel guilt!

Your happy place? Home which includes: My mom’s arms, my godmother’s house, my dad’s house, my grandma’s house in Senegal, my boyfriend’s arms.

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If there's one thing Hillary LeBlanc reminds us, it's that giving a damn is about more than having something to say. It's about what you do with your voice, the people you lift up along the way, and finding joy in the process. She's proof that you can challenge the world around you without losing your softness, your sense of humour, or your love of a fabulous outfit.

A sharp mind, a big heart, and absolutely no intention of sitting quietly on the sidelines. Now that's our kind of Radiant Rebel.

Want more Hillary? Follow her adventures at @byhillaryleblanc and discover more of her work through @thekitca and @byblacks.

And now you know.

xo Shelley