Hustlerani Wins Lifestyle Creator of the Year 2025: Know Everything About Ankita Chawla’s Journey

Ankita Chawla, widely known as Hustlerani, is one of India’s most recognisable Gen-Z content creators and marketing consultants. She recently won the Lifestyle Creator of the Year 2025 award at the Glammy Awards, shared with a cheerful “thank youuuu” to Grazia India and Myntra. Over the last decade, she has built a vibrant online community of more than 120k people by creating short, relatable videos focused on Instagram growth, creative marketing, brand building and her signature skating content. She is a creator who mixes lifestyle, art, learning and self-expression, while consistently giving her audience practical knowledge and authentic stories.

Who Is Hustlerani?

Hustlerani is the online identity of Ankita Chawla, a social media marketing consultant, keynote speaker and content creator. She is deeply passionate about digital storytelling, brand building and creating visually engaging content. Her work blends creativity with marketing strategy, making her a go-to name for young creators who want to understand Instagram better.

Ankita’s journey started more than ten years ago, and today her content ranges from relatable creator life videos to sharp Instagram tips, skating-based reels (#ReelsOnWheels), and her well-known “Wake Up Juice” ritual, where she shares her beverage of the day to motivate her community.

What Does She Do?

Content Creator + Social Media Marketing Consultant

She balances two roles: a consultant who helps brands understand digital behaviour and a creator who shares storytelling ideas, insights and creative experiments with her audience. Her Instagram page @hustlerani is a mix of art, learning, humour, lifestyle and marketing.

Keynote Speaker

She speaks on topics like career choices, creativity, social media, personal branding and corporate culture. Her stage appearances make her an important voice for Gen-Z professionals.

Featured By Major Platforms

Ankita has been featured by Under 25, AIESEC, Times Now, ScoopWhoop, and Marketing Mind. She has worked with global brands such as Disney, Adobe and Google, showing how content creators can break boundaries with consistency and niche innovation.

Trainer to 500+ Visual Creators Worldwide

She trains upcoming creators across the world, helping them understand content structure, storytelling, and the logic behind engagement on Instagram.

Education and Background

Symbiosis Centre for Media & Communication (SCMC)

Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication and Media Studies, 2016 to 2019

She was a part of the Alumni Cell and completed her second year with strong involvement in college activities.

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Schooling from 2003 to 2016, Commerce stream

Her school life was extremely active. She was the Chief Sub-Editor of the Youth Magazine, a State-level swimmer, a National-level debater, and a district skating champion.

King’s College London – Summer School (2016)

She studied International Relations and Affairs, building a strong understanding of global politics, war studies, political history, and how international institutions operate.

Her early exposure to multiple skills shaped her adult career. She credits her mother for introducing her to painting, writing, skating, debating, photography and swimming, all of which helped her develop an artistic mindset.

Career Philosophy: The Power of Side Hustles

Ankita strongly believes that a 9-5 job is not overrated if it offers stability, rest and a chance to explore passions. But she encourages everyone to have a side hustle because people naturally have more skills than their job descriptions show. According to her, polishing extra skills and monetising them makes professionals more confident and independent.

She famously said, “The hustle, the work, the grind is the same everywhere. It just feels closer to the heart when it’s your own story.”

Her own journey began with a non-traditional Instagram resume that went viral and landed her a job at Deloitte India. This creative approach brought her into the limelight and later became a case study for fresh graduates looking for unconventional career paths.

Balancing a 9-5 Job and Content Creation

She openly agrees that juggling both is a challenge. Her routine involves:

• Waking up early
• Using 10 minutes from her lunch break
• Taking short breaks after 6 pm
• Dedicating weekends fully to content planning

Her approach shows that consistency comes from structure, not pressure.

Also Read: Salil Acharya: The Man Who Never Took a Day Off, A Story of Hustle, Heart, and Hard-Earned Success

Content Creation: Process and Creativity

What She Enjoys the Most

Posting videos is her favourite part of the content life. She loves bringing ideas to life through simple, fun and visually appealing reels.

Handling Creative Blocks

She believes creative blocks are natural. Her advice is to be patient, take mental breaks and allow yourself to step back. Long and frequent breaks help reset the mind.

Ideation Strategy

Her rule is simple: write first. Every great idea begins with writing before filming.

Using Analytics

She avoids heavy analytics tools because numbers stress her out. The basic Instagram analytics dashboard is all she needs.

Staying Original in the Age of Trends

According to her, every trend is just a simple insight. Creators must find one relatable quirk from their industry and use it. What works is not copying trends blindly but adding a personal twist.

Instagram Creator Bootcamp

Ankita’s monthly Instagram Creator Bootcamp is a 2.5-hour workshop attended by small business owners, freelancers, artists, and upcoming creators. The bootcamp covers:

• Strong brand building
• Content planning
• Reel tips
• How to use Instagram features effectively
• Her personal learning and experiences

The workshop has become a trusted space for thousands of creators who want to understand how Instagram actually works.

Views on Internet Marketing

She believes there has never been a better time for online marketing. Even a small brand in a tier-2 city can now reach customers across India without needing a physical shop. But trust remains the biggest factor, and marketers must use testimonials to build strong connections with audiences.

Community and Engagement Philosophy

Her engagement advice is straightforward: “Talk to people on the app.”

Real conversations lead to real community.

Message for New Creators

Her words for beginners are simple and heartfelt:

“Don’t overthink the first reel. Just hit post. Enjoy the process.”

Our very own Hustlerani continues to grow as a creator, marketer and educator. With a powerful storytelling style, strong opinions on work culture, and a decade of experience, she has built a unique space in the Indian digital landscape. From winning the Lifestyle Creator of the Year 2025 to training 500+ visual creators, she represents a generation that learns, experiments and evolves in public while staying honest about the struggles behind the screen.