If you’ve been around the Cape Town influencer scene for a minute, you already know Aisha Baker. As one of the city's first major influencers, she carved a path long before content creation was a career goal for many.
From the early days of blogging on "BakedOnline" to becoming a household name in fashion and lifestyle, she’s built a loyal community that has grown with her.
Now, a decade later, she’s built a thriving career, balancing content creation, business, and motherhood - all while keeping it real. She’s taking things up a notch with “Baked The Podcast", giving her audience something fresh, interactive, and straight from the heart.
“I started the podcast with one of my close friends soon after having my son. I decided to relaunch it on my own this time around, so although it's technically season 3, it’s season 1 for me,” Baker explains.
Navigating the ever-evolving social media landscape hasn’t always been easy, but Baker’s approach has always been to stay true to herself.
“For me, I just take it as I can only be myself. I haven’t really shown my true personality online in many years for fear of being judged and perceived, but now I’m ready to step back into the role I had when I was blogging - creating a community with like-minded people - and trusting that my audience will connect with me if I stay true to myself,” she adds.
Baker’s authenticity shines through the conversations she brings to her podcast. Covering topics from relationships and career advice to wellness and personal growth, she believes the best lessons come from meaningful discussions.
“I truly believe I learn best through conversations, whether that’s in a meeting or on the playground. In the moments we connect and converse, we learn through each other,” Baker explains.
In recent recording sessions, she has learned about the importance of boundaries, faith, and commitment to hard work. Balancing a business and family life, Baker knows the juggling act well.
“I’ve never been great at finding balance,” she admits. “But I do know that my family responsibilities come first. I prioritise my husband and kids, and everything else sort of falls into place from there.”
Despite the glamour of influencer life, Baker remains grounded through her faith and inner circle.
“I keep good people close to me and lean into my faith and my family to keep me grounded. I never let things go to my head and always stay humble at every turn.”
Her latest season of growth has also involved making tough but necessary changes.
“I’ve decided to place less weight on social commitments, and it’s freed up so much time for me to focus on my personal goals like personal finance and growing my business. This was a big learning and change for me, but it’s been positive so far.”
Baker’s career is decorated with milestones, from gracing the cover of “Cosmopolitan” to winning the Pop Culture Social Media Award, but one achievement stands out.
“Probably Forbes 30 Under 30 for me. It was always a goal - having a business degree - to be recognised for my efforts in building the content creator landscape from a business perspective was a real honour.
"It was very brave at that time to create content for profit, and I believe I pioneered that, so to be recognised by Forbes was incredible."
But beyond the accolades, the mother of two values the smaller victories that often go unnoticed. In a recent episode of "Baked The Podcast", she reflected on how celebrating these moments is just as important.
“Success isn’t just about the big milestones, it’s the small wins along the way that truly count,” she adds.
She believes that appreciating these everyday triumphs, whether it’s balancing work and motherhood or simply showing up for herself, helps build confidence and keeps her motivated.
So, what’s next for the influencer? “For now, it’s the podcast. We are strongly focused on building a strong audience who is plugged in and from there leading into live events with our community.”
Baker has always been ahead of the game.
The podcast holds a 5.0 out of 5 rating on Apple Podcasts. Listeners have praised the show for its inspiring and uplifting content.
And if history has taught us anything, this next chapter is going to be one to watch.