Who knew that a chance encounter in eighth grade would eventually lead to a beautiful friendship filled with quality content?
That certainly is the case for Victoria Garrick and Corporate Natalie, a pair of TikTokers who now have more than 1.5 million followers combined after first meeting during their teens. Whether you know Victoria through her TED Talk or have seen Natalie popping up on your "For You" page, these two are besties first—but they just so happen to have booming careers on social media as well.
From heart-to-hearts about anxiety to landing a backstage meeting with Taylor Swift, Victoria and Natalie have been by each other's side through all of life's ups and downs. In honor of Galentine's Day, the duo exclusively sat down with E! News to dish about their longstanding friendship, which all started when Victoria spotted Natalie sitting on the sidelines at a volleyball tournament with a side ponytail.
The two were at the competition as student athletes and, as Victoria earnestly recalled, "I thought she looked so cool... She was super outgoing, super funny. So, we met and became friends since our freshman year of high school."
During that time, the pair produced their own radio show, aptly titled Girl Talk, and made music videos together. Given their creative energy, it was only right that the two went on to pursue their separate careers as content creators. While they have each since carved out their own space online, with Victoria focusing on mental health with her Real Pod podcast and Natalie making TikToks about corporate life, they are hugely supportive of one another's pursuits.
@victoriagarrick intuitive nat > corporate nat @corporatenatalie same time tomorrow? #intuitiveeating #intuitiveeatingcoach ? original sound - Victoria Garrick
"In this industry, you are doing a lot of things by yourself all the time. You're filming your own content," Victoria explained, "so to have someone else who gets that and you can bounce ideas off of, and that you can trust and that genuinely supports you, it is something that is extremely hard to find."
She continued, "It's been cool because here I have been doing this for a while, but I'm going to Natalie [asking] like, 'What should I do for this video? What should I do for this thing?' Because she's so smart and has taken to everything in such a fast way."
Likewise, Natalie, who will be a bridesmaid in Victoria's upcoming wedding, sees her friend as "truly a mentor." Even though Victoria has been working in the industry for "so much longer," Natalie believes there's no competition between them.
"We both work so hard for what we've achieved," she said. "It's hard at age 24 to have such strong work ethics, and I think that's what pushes us through and we're able to send each other that text of like, 'Keep going and get that video out.'"
Victoria added, "This idea that only one girl can be successful, or one girl can make it or have whatever... is a false narrative. And when you start to wake up and realize everyone can be successful, everyone can wear a crown."
And that also applies when it comes to emotional support. As Victoria noted, "Whether it's crying or needing advice, or not knowing how to navigate something in life, we've always been able to go to each other."
Case in point: Victoria, a diehard Swiftie, enlisted help from Natalie in order to land a meet and greet with her favorite singer. According to Victoria, her bestie was "not super into it," but still dressed up "to the nines"—complete with an eye-catching sequined bandeau top and snake-themed boa—for Taylor's Reputation Stadium Tour. When someone from the pop star's team spotted the duo in the crowd and invited them backstage, Natalie made sure her friend got the most facetime with Taylor.
"You want to hear the best friend moment ever? We get into the room with Taylor Swift for 30 seconds before they flush you out," Victoria remembered. "We're in the picture—Taylor Swift in the middle—and Natalie tells Taylor Swift, 'Lean your head on her.'"
Calling the encounter "the most insane thing ever," Victoria said the pop star made their wildest dreams come true by leaning over for the pic, which was "the cherry on top" of the whole experience.
As for how they're spending Galentine's Day, the two plan to be "bundled up" in goodies from Natalie's new collaboration with apparel company LULUSIMONSTUDIO.
Victoria shared, "The way that we celebrate our friendship is by taking time to treat ourselves," adding, "Time together is something that we squeeze in no matter how busy we are."