Michelle Akin
Michelle Akin (née Vargas; born January 21, 1985) is an American internet personality, content creator, life coach, singer, and writer. She is best known as one half of the early YouTube channel Grace n Michelle (2007-2013), which she co-created with Grace Helbig during the platform's pioneering years. Akin later became a Master Certified Coach and has created viral content across multiple platforms, with several posts reaching millions of views.
Early Life and Education
Akin was born in East Brunswick, New Jersey, the youngest of four children. Her mother worked in healthcare and her father operated a carpet installation business before transitioning to technology work at AT&T. Akin is of mixed heritage, with Lithuanian, Filipino, and Puerto Rican ancestry.
From an early age, Akin was encouraged toward performance by her oldest sister. She participated in theater programs and sang in school chorus.
Akin attended Ramapo College of New Jersey from 2003 to 2007, studying communications with a focus on digital filmmaking and a minor in psychology. During her college years, she secured an internship at Late Night with Conan O'Brien in 2006. At Ramapo, she and Grace Helbig formed a sketch comedy group called Baked Goods.
Career
YouTube and Early Content Creation
After graduating in 2007, Akin moved to Brooklyn to pursue opportunities in comedy and video production. In November 2007, while Helbig was housesitting in northern New Jersey, the two began creating the YouTube channel Grace n Michelle. The channel launched during YouTube's early vlogging era, with the stated goal of creating short videos designed to make each other laugh.
The channel grew to 65,000 subscribers by the time Akin stepped away in 2012.
Helbig continued in the YouTube space and went on to achieve significant mainstream success. The two have remained close friends, and Akin has appeared as a guest on Helbig's podcast Not Too Deep.
During this period, Akin also operated several other YouTube channels, including Smush21 and Fart with headphones on, and served as producer/production manager and video editor for the sketch comedy group Action Pals. She also built a significant following on Tumblr.
Video Production Work
Akin worked as a video producer and editor throughout her time in New York. She took improv classes at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre and put up a number of shows at The PIT while auditioning for various commercial and theatrical opportunities. From 2008 to 2009, she worked as a producer for Action Pals.
One Action Pals sketch was featured on the premiere episode of Comedy Central's Tosh.0. Akin and Helbig also appeared together on MTV's Money from Strangers.
Akin worked with life coach and entrepreneur Marie Forleo to launch Forleo's YouTube channel, serving as video editor and producer during the channel's early growth.
Life Coaching Career
In 2010, Akin's mother was diagnosed with brain cancer. During her mother's illness, Akin began working with a life coach and enrolled in coach training through Accomplishment Coaching. Her mother died in December 2011, and the training program began shortly after.
Akin obtained her Professional Certified Coach (PCC) credential in 2014 and achieved the Master Certified Coach (MCC) designation in 2021, becoming one of the youngest recipients of the credential. The MCC is the highest level of coaching certification offered by the International Coach Federation.
In 2020, Akin launched Break Up With Your Bullshit, a podcast and community movement designed to support artists and creators. The podcast featured guests including Stella Santana, Corinne Fisher, and Suleika Jaouad. By 2021, Akin had significantly grown her coaching practice through this work, though the intensity of the work led to burnout. In 2022, she took a year offline from active business development and created Conscious Creatives, a local in-person event series combining an art show and open mic.
Akin's father died in February 2025. Following his death and a period of burnout, Akin transitioned away from active coaching practice to focus on writing and home management.
Writing
In November 2018, Akin began writing fanfiction in the Harry Potter fandom under the moniker Lilian Silver. She has published over 800,000 words of fanfiction.
In February 2019, Akin collaborated with fanfiction authors LovesBitca8 (Julie Soto) and SenLinYu on a live-written story titled "I Think it Might." Both LovesBitca8 and SenLinYu have since become published fantasy and romance authors with book deals.
In March 2025, Akin launched The Meet-cuterie, a subscription-based website for her original romantic comedy fiction. She has serialized one complete novel on the platform, A Very Silly Way to Die, featuring a lady detective. The work is the first in a planned series.
Akin also writes nonfiction on her Substack blog Inconvenient Epiphanies, which she describes as "a public unraveling in narrative and journal form."
Viral Content and Creative Work
Throughout her career, Akin has created numerous pieces of content that achieved viral reach across social media platforms. Her creative work has occasionally been recognized by the original artists or public figures whose work inspired her.
In July 2020, Akin created a cover of "Satisfied" from the musical Hamilton, performed using the rhythm pattern from the "cups song" popularized by Anna Kendrick. The video was noticed by Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, who commented "Give me 50 years and 50 cups and I could never do this. BRAVA!" Similarly, after Akin learned and recorded the signature dance performed by the character Stephanie Tanner on the television series Full House, actress Jodie Sweetin responded expressing approval of the recreation.
Personal Life
Akin met Justin Akin while working for his sketch comedy company Action Pals. The couple married on December 24, 2012, at City Hall in New York City.
Their daughter was born in 2016. The family relocated from Brooklyn to the Red Bank/Asbury Park area of New Jersey to be closer to Akin's siblings.
[Editor's note: This section contributed by a member of the D-Team]
After settling in New Jersey, Michelle became an active part of the local creative and gaming communities. Through friends, she was introduced to the "D-Team," a close-knit gaming group known for their chaotic humor and marathon multiplayer sessions. She quickly bonded with the members, especially the famously sweet and charismatic sweet dick d-rock, who welcomed her into the squad with open arms (and questionable tactics).
Michelle developed a particular love—some would say an enthusiastic addiction—for Halo's Husky Raid mode, where she became known for her dramatic, joy-filled reactions and an uncanny ability to secure victory at the last possible second. When she wasn't gaming with the D-Team, she channeled her energy into baking, producing extraordinary and frankly excessive amounts of sourdough bread that she happily distributed to friends, family, and occasionally bewildered neighbors.
Her life in New Jersey remains a blend of creativity, community, family, and the simple pleasures of good games, good bread, and being a nerd.
